Drugs scandal the ultimate test of Brand Sharapova

When Maria Sharapova called a press conference a few days ago, most expected an announcement of injury or retirement. Her admission to a doping violation was stunning, particularly given her renowned meticulousness both off and on court. Since then she has been in full crisis management mode. Mojonews.com.au takes a look at what's involved in a high-profile rescue mission.

By MATT JOHNSON,
sports editor

“If I was going to announce my retirement, it would probably not be in a downtown Los Angeles hotel with this fairly ugly carpet,” Maria Sharapova joked last Tuesday .

Maybe not,  says there's plenty to be gleaned from her – or more likely, her management’s – choice of location, according to the chief executive of specialist crisis management agency Inside PR, Michael Smith.

“Los Angeles is part of celebrity headquarters: she’s one of the biggest celebrities in the world – apart from being a great tennis player – so it’s a friendly environment … it’s home ground advantage,” he said.

“The media there is very used to celebrities who stumble. They are perhaps a bit more forgiving than other media audiences. It would’ve been terrible to have done it in, say, London in front of a pack of wolves, or indeed in Australia.”

If you need convincing, you need not cast your mind too far back to see Smith's point. When the match-fixing story broke in Australia, top players such as Novak Djokovic were quizzed daily.

Feeling pressed

Sharapova declared her side of the story before any announcement from the International Tennis Federation. This was unprecedented for an athlete in her position.

For Smith, this represents a clear agenda-setting objective where the Russian would be able to direct public discourse.

“She did it live, which meant that for most people she was able to speak to the world unfiltered instead of putting out a statement or allowing journalists to frame the fact,” he said.

“If the federation (ITF) had announced it, it would have been done on different terms. It would have immediately framed the issue in a very negative way for her and it would’ve almost been impossible for her to claw that back.

“This was not about getting off, it was all about reducing the penalty.”

The perfect play?

Fans, media figures and even Sharapova's opponents praised the world No.7 for taking ownership of her offence and admitting her failures.

Sharapova’s emphasis on self-inflicted wrongdoing was met with condemnation from former WADA chief Dick Pound. Pound was bewildered by the idea of a businesswoman of the Russian’s calibre making such a rudimentary error of judgment.

Nevertheless, while Sharapova’s tack may be read as deflecting from negligence, Smith observed it as an adept PR move that strayed away from combative attitudes of previous anti-doping violators such as Lance Armstrong.

“She did not even attempt to blame a process, a system or any individuals. She didn’t cry victim, so she covered herself.

“And there’s two aspects to that: one, that’s what the WADA rules say – it doesn’t matter what advice you got, you take responsibility. So it’s consistent with the rules surrounding protocol. But also she didn’t try to shift the blame to her doctor, her manager, her other advisers.”

The recovery job

Following the broadcast of her press conference, the world’s media predictably wound up into a frenzy as rumour and innuendo flew faster than a Sharapova forehand.

Questions regarding the legitimacy and sincerity of her claims have dominated discussion since they were aired.

Smith’s suggestion for response?

“Yeah, there’s nothing she can do about that. The truth will come out no matter what it is,” he said .

An open letter addressed to fans midweek expressing Sharapova’s gratitude for their support raised eyebrows over a potential attempt to sway public support.

It's something that, Smith cautions, has the potential to backfire.

“She’s got to be careful not to play that card too often because there may be a social media reaction to it," he said.

“I’d think an occasional acknowledgement and a thank you of that is good tactics, but she’s got to be careful not to overplay that and be seen to be whipping up sympathy.”

CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY

A potential Sharapova comeback will test her ability to retain her lucrative assembly of sponsors. Nike, Porsche and Tag Heuer have partially distanced themselves from their prized athlete, all saying they were suspending their relationship with the champion pending further investigation, but racquet maker Head has stuck by the five–time Grand Slam champion.

Nike’s stance in particular stunned some figures particularly given their response to athletes with previous misdemeanours against their name.

However, Smith views these sponsors’ moves as a precautionary measure and expects to see a reversal at a later stage.

“I think she got some excellent advice on how she rolled this [press conference] out and that advice might have come from people including her management and her sponsors,” he said.

“The sponsors gracefully pulled out; they’re not necessarily pulling out permanently but they’ve suspended [her sponsorship deals]. I think she’s got some really good advice on what she did last week.”

THE STORY SO FAR …

Officials found the newly prohibited substance meldonium, which is marketed as Mildronate, in one of Sharapova's drugs test samples during this year’s Australian Open.

The drug was prescribed by Sharapova's family doctor 10 years ago for a range of health issues and wasn't banned until January 1 this year. Sharapova said she failed to check an email outlining changes to WADA's banned substances list on December 22. It has been alleged she received four additional correspondences of this nature. 

Mildronate is a drug with disturbingly high usage rates among Eastern Bloc athletes and according to health professionals may have performance-enhancing capabilities.

For now, a preliminary hearing on or before March 23 is the next step in Sharapova’s road to minimising damage.