ABSTRACT:
This essay explores the moral and ethical implications of the increasing use of sponsorship and endorsement contracts as sources of income by both professional and amateur athletes. The literature on sport sponsorship is extremely limited given the sums involved, and what literature there is adopts the perspective of the corporations involved; i.e., is this an effective marketing tool? How can we make better use of these “investments”? These are the sorts of questions that have been asked of sport sponsorship thus far. Nevertheless, sport sponsorship raises some important issues for the athletes involved. For amateur athletes, these revenues may make the difference in terms of day to day survival; for professional athletes, the sums involved can be staggering. Thus, amateur and professional athletes alike are keen to secure these contracts. However, these contracts come at a price. Thus, in this chapter I assess the price being paid and whether it is justified by the rewards involved.
