Jones and Armstrong could learn a lesson from Rose

By SAMANTHA ETTUS
Scripps Howard News Service
08-JUL-04

Although the Olympics are just a month away and the Tour de France is in progress, some celebrity athletes are facing adversaries off the course even more formidable than on.

Both Marion Jones and Lance Armstrong have been unable to shake allegations of drug use. While most discussion has centered on whether these athletes' sponsors will continue to pay them to endorse their products or drop them like hot potatoes, I am more interested in how the athletes in question will manage their careers throughout the tumult _ how will they handle their personal brands?

This week we take a peek at two current stars, Marion Jones and Lance Armstrong, and one former star, Pete Rose, a legend whose rise and fall has become a lesson for all. How have these three celebrity athletes managed their careers in the eye of a storm and how have they managed their brands _ their greatest assets?

(The brand-assets meter ranges from $ to $$$$.)

Pete Rose

Pete Rose is in many ways a modern tragedy, simultaneously a superhero in baseball history and the sport's biggest pariah. Rose gambled away his luminous career, and solidified its destruction when for years, he refused to admit that he bet on baseball. Baseball's all-time leader in hits (4,256) was a shoe-in for election to the Baseball Hall of Fame. But when his history of gambling threatened his entry, he fought back with aggressive tactics, using the media as a bully pulpit and publishing a book to make his case.

These efforts only thwarted his cause, his stubborn nature preventing any chance at redemption. Even the title of his book, "My Prison Without Bars," further branded Rose as a whiner without remorse. Rose has continued to worsen his fate by refusing to apologize. A sincere mea culpa might be his ticket to the Hall of Fame.

Pete Rose's Brand A$ets

Marion Jones

Perhaps the greatest female athlete ever, Jones won five medals in the 2000 Olympics and is poised for even more success in this year's games. Yet Jones has been forced to confront an enormous attack on her reputation since her name came up in a federal investigation of a laboratory accused of providing illegal drugs to athletes.

In responding to this threat, Jones has presented a convincing front, one that enables her fans and sponsors to continue supporting her. Though her Olympian ex-husband tested positive for drugs during their marriage, and her current Olympian boyfriend is also facing similar accusations, Jones has avoided guilt by association. Jones has fought the allegations against her with impressive poise, pointing to her outstanding record, prior negative tests and her one-year-old child, all the while diverting public conversation from the possibility that these allegations are true.

Her just released book, "See How She Runs," should be a help too. Marion has exhibited a winner's drive to fight for the truth _ now let's hope that her front was an honest one.

Marion Jones' Brand A$$$ets

Lance Armstrong

Lance is a force of nature, now aiming for aiming for an unprecedented sixth consecutive Tour de France title. Ironically, it is his outstanding record, like Jones', that has invited repeated skepticism. Armstrong has persevered with his trademark single-mindedness towards achieving his career objectives. His approach to the Tour de France mirrors his approach to allegations of improprieties: When faced with adversity, he simply fights harder. Though his off-season behavior has some fans disillusioned _ his divorce from a wife who stuck with him through his battle with cancer has many doubting his values _his focus and drive are unquestionably admirable. Armstrong has also managed to translate his brush with death, which could be a very delicate subject matter, into part of his brand _ he defeated cancer, just as he plans to defeat his competition in this year's Tour and beat the accusations _ again.

Lance Armstrong's Brand A$$$$ets

Remember: the most dependable road to the top is to treat your brand as your greatest asset.

(Samantha Ettus, president of Ettus Media Management, is a leading voice on personality-driven brands. Her first book, "The Experts' Guide to 100 Things Everyone Should Know How To Do" (Random House), will be published in September. Send comments and questions to samantha(at)celebrityassets.com.)

(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, http://www.shns.com)