Crying foul: scholars examine the consequences of sports marketing

Black Issues in Higher Education, April 7, 2005 by Ronald Roach

"Look at the ad with (Atlanta Falcons quarterback) Michael Vick. His body is portrayed as a roller-coaster. There's nothing in it that focuses on the cognitive aspect of him being a quarterback," Harrison says. "We're never told about the academic and intellectual feats of athletes."

He says a common stereotype of Black athletes is that they perform by instinct rather than using their minds to make decisions on the playing field. That image of the Black athlete as instinctual is pervasive in marketing campaigns, Harrison notes.

Dr. Lynn Kahle, the James H. Warsaw professor of sports marketing at the University of Oregon, says that while he has "no problem with tasteful and appropriate marketing efforts, even ads targeted at people who live in inner cities" he would like to see a broader range of images, individuals and ideas featured in sports advertising.

"I just wish more of the ads would promote role models, such as Bill Cosby, from more career choices than just sports. Or maybe promote Michael Jordan the businessperson as well as Michael Jordan the athlete," Kahle says.

Kahle cites the current trend in sports marketing with the selling of "retro" shoes and jerseys as one relying not so much on stereotypes but rather memories of an earlier and more innocent time. "Retro marketing works because people view other times in our history as at least in some respects better than now. Especially since 9/11, many consumers have shown nostalgia for a safer, simpler time when the pace of change and modern trends were more hopeful. People may want to imagine or pretend that they have returned to the happier time," he says.

Harrison says he believes it's critical that scholars and others concerned about stereotypes and negative images in sports respond with initiatives aimed at breaking them down. To that end, Harrison is one of the developers of the "Scholar-Baller" program that can be adapted by college teams to boost the academic performance of their student-athletes. The program title unites the academic "scholar," with "baller," a popular hip-hop term meaning successful.

"We got it established in the Arizona State football program in 2001," Harrison says. "And we've gotten 40 players, which is nearly half the team, making at least a B average this academic year."