10 Yetis Insight Blog- The Maria Sharapova PR crisis: How we see it

What a long week it must have been for Russian tennis star, and the richest paid female sportswoman in the world, Maria Sharapova.

The 28 year old organised a huge press conference at the weekend, with many sure she was announcing her retirement from the sport, only to reveal she had tested positive for a banned substance during the 2016 Australian Open. The substance in question, Meldonium, is used to to treat ischaemia: a lack of blood flow to parts of the body, particularly in cases of angina or heart failure.

Despite seemingly having a wide range of coaches, managers, publicists and medical advisors; for some reason Ms Sharapova did not realise that the medication that she had been taking for the past ten years, had recently been added to the list of banned substances. It seems pretty ridiculous that an error this big has been made, especially one that is potentially career-destroying, and many people are now questioning just how innocent the tennis star was with regards to her puppy-eyed, overly-apologetic press conference.

For us here at 10 Yetis, the real question is will she be able to bounce back from the crisis with her head held high and her extremely lucrative sponsorship deals in tact?

There is no denying that the way in which the scandal leaked was timed to perfection and possibly one of the best kept secrets in the sports industry for a number of years; especially considering the power of social media for breaking news, and how easily tabloid newspaper journalists get their hands on such scoops these days. One can only assume that her hugely powerful (and expensive!) team have a huge amount of negotiating tactics under their belt, and managed to keep the scandal a secret until they could execute the press conference to perfection.

You really don’t have to be an expert to see that the entire announcement was planned to perfection. Maria Sharapova’s entire demeanour- from her simple black outfit, plain hairstyle and sad child-like expressions, were clearly tactics employed by her people in order for us, the public, to feel as sorry for her as possible. To see her as much of a victim as the millions of fans and supporters around the world who have supported her amazing career over the past decade.

When you look at the scandals that have broken in the sport industry previously, the circumstances surrounding this one really don’t seem as shocking as those that have shaken the careers of Tiger Woods or Lance Armstong. Having said that, there has been a lot of debate in recent months surrounding how ethical those working within the tennis industry are in terms of fixing matches; so this really couldn’t have come at a worse time for those trying to defend the sport.

As far as I can see it, one of the biggest sadness’s reflected in the story is the fact that as soon as the news broke, the majority of news publications around the world begun discussing one thing. Money.

It has been widely reported that thanks to her stunningly beautiful good looks and huge sporting talent, Miss Sharapova is one of the most well-paid women in the sport industry. Among the long lists of international brands she worked with before the scandal broke were Nike, Tag Heuer, Porsche, Evian, Tiffany and Avon. Many brands are staying quiet and refusing to discuss the potential continuation of partnerships with the star, and this may well indicate that they are planning to wait until the dust has blown over and it’s not being covered on news channels so regularly, before they make their ultimate decision.

Looking ahead to the future, I truly believe that Maria Sharapova will be able to bounce back from this scandal, and if she has the right people helping her, she could even be a more personable and likeable celebrity to a wider audience than she ever was before. Just look at what happened to Britney Spears back in 2007, people love a comeback story and a rise back to the top, especially when the individual in question has been as transparent and honest on their fall down as Maria Sharapova has.