The Effects of Negative Publicity on the Performance of Professional Baseball Athletes.

• Main Author: Smallwood, Crystal M.
• Format: Others
• Published: Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University 2011
• Subjects: baseball players performance negative publicity; Communication; Social and Behavioral Sciences
• Online Access: https://dc.etsu.edu/honors/26; https://dc.etsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1030&context=honors

This study researched the effects of negative publicity on the performance of professional baseball athletes. Four athletes’ performance statistics were evaluated before a scandal that produced negative publicity, during the height of the negative publicity and after the scrutiny tapered off. Chipper Jones, Wade Boggs, Alex Rodriguez and David Justice were the athletes chosen for the study, and all four athletes experienced a similar scandal and negative publicity about their personal and professional lives. The results showed an effect on performance, but it was not always negative and could not be definitively linked to the negative exposure in the media. This suggests that further research is needed and should be continued on a broader scale.