Image repair is when someone or a group tries to fix their reputation after something bad happens. This could be something they did wrong or something that was blamed on them (Benoit, 1997).
In sports, image repair might be needed when there are problems like cheating or scandals (Poeppel, 2015). Researchers have looked at how athletes try to fix their image after such incidents (e.g., Kruse, 1981). Some cases, like Michael Phelps, show successful image repair (Walsh & McAllister-Spooner, 2011), while others, like Floyd Landis, show unsuccessful attempts (Glantz, 2010).
Benoit, W. L. (1997). Image repair discourse and crisis communication. Public Relations Review, 23(2), 177 186.
Glantz, M. (2010). The Floyd Landis doping scandal: Implications for image repair discourse. Public Relations Review, 36(2), 157 163.
Kruse, N. W. (1981). Apologia in team sport. Quarterly Journal of Speech, 67(3), 270 283.
Poeppel, K. (2015). Believe it or not: The effect of athlete’s crisis communication on trustworthiness and reputation in case of doping allegations. Mu ̈nster, Germany: Doctoral thesis.
Walsh, J., & McAllister-Spooner, S. M. (2011). Analysis of the image repair discourse in the Michael Phelps controversy. Public Relations Review, 37(2), 157 162.
