Sharapova and crisis joust at the net

THE LINK between crisis management and high-profile sports personalities will play out as Maria Sharapova attempts to mend her image.

The five-time Grand Slam winner announced last week that she failed a drug test last January during the Australian Open. She had taken meldonium, a now-banned substance by the World Anti-Doping Agency to supposedly address health concerns. She faces possible sanctions from the International Tennis Federation and the Women’s Tennis Association.

Crisis management has obviously kicked in and the first major positive move that experts always recommend is admission if an oversight or mistake has been made. The immediate admission achieves several positives simultaneously: Her side of the story is out in all media, the media is interested in her plight, and there is some degree of sympathy for Sharapova.

What is shaping up to be the interesting bone of contention is whether Sharapova was properly informed of the violation.

Initially, Sharapova has indicated that there was no official communication about her violations. The governing bodies of the sport will therefore have to show that proper and official messages were made.

But without question, Sharapova’s seemingly strong sterling public image —manufactured or otherwise—has suffered a blow.

Prestigious sports brands like Nike and world-class names like Tag Heuer have quickly severed their ties with Sharapova. Some may say that the breaking of ties is too abrupt but in a social-media era, one has to be careful about the backlash of negative public sentiment.

Sharapova is already volleying with the repercussions of her admission. She will probably survive the early public scrutiny, but a possible suspension could be detrimental to her game. The lack of top-level competition and a tapering off to heal the wounds of the drug misuse may prove to be detrimental to her game in the long run.

If her tennis smarts and skills desert her during the suspension, then she will at least have a chance to mend her total persona. In spite of the reality that her future endeavors will always include references to this drug episode, she can rise above this and continue to make positive contributions to society.

These need not be high-profile efforts like being a spokesperson for causes related to sports or other fields.

Figure skater Katarina Witt also survived a public crisis in her life when the East German government that once supported her was granting her favors while the rest of the then socialist country grappled with sharing scarce resources. Witt still coaches youngsters and will continue to inspire the next generation of German skaters.

Sharapova is clearly one of the most outstanding tennis forces because she gave herself totally to the game she chose. This was also evident when Filipinos had a chance to watch her in person in a tennis exhibition two years ago. She clearly connected and she seemed to be genuinely interested in signing autographs and posing for photos.

Whether she knew the drug was banned or not and still took it shall be determined after the proper sports body hears her side. For now, she simply has to go through this crisis, save what she can of her generally sound public image and hope that the sport she passionately pursued will give her a chance to end her career on the court or completely do something else.

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