Brands make call on Sam Kerr sponsorship deals after Matildas superstar’s racial harassment trial

Matildas superstar Sam Kerr is one of the highest paid sportspeople in the country, but her personal brand has taken a big hit.

Sam Kerr’s lucrative sponsors are reportedly standing by her following her public court case.

Earlier this week Kerr was found not guilty of racially aggravated abuse after calling PC Stephen Lovell “stupid and white” during a heated dispute at the Twickenham Police Station in 2023.

The striker’s remarks to PC Lovell came after she was taken to the police station after vomitting in a taxi, with her fiancee Kristie Mewis smashing in a window.

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Kerr told the jury she and Mewis both feared for their lives, and claimed they thought they were being kidnapped, and that PC Lovell didn’t take their fears seriously.

However, despite being found not guilty, Kerr’s public image has still taken a massive hit as footage of the 31-year-old from the night in question didn’t showcase her in the best light.

Sam Kerr is one of the highest paid Australian athletes. (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)

Kerr has a $1 million endorsement deal with Nike, and a reported $600,000 per season contract with MasterCard, with the Matildas forward’s brand tied to her image as a role model and a big influence among young females in the sport.

In 2022 alone, Kerr reportedly earned $3.34 million, making her one of the highest-paid athletes in Australia.

And therefore many speculated some if not all of Kerr’s biggest sponsors could distance themselves from her.

Sam Kerr’s sponsors have all stuck by her. (Photo by IZHAR KHAN / AFP)

Not just in football but in the sporting landscape in general, elite athletes’ public image is everything when it comes to sponsorships and when a player’s reputation takes a big hit off the field, many sponsors distance themselves.

This was seen when Tiger Woods was dropped by Accenture, AT & T, Gatorade and Buick in 2009 after his highly publicised affair, involving a car crash, and a $100 million divorce led to all but one of his major blue-chip sponsors dropping him – with Nike the only brand that stuck by him.

As a result the golfing great lost a whopping $22 million in sponsorships the following year.

While more recently in March 2016, Maria Sharapova – who was the reigning highest-paid female athlete in the world for more than a decade – was dropped by Porsche and Nike, while TAG Heuer opted to not renew its contract with the tennis star after she failed a drug test.

Tiger Woods was dropped by Accenture, AT & T, Gatorade and Buick in 2009 after his highly publicised affair, involving a car crash, and a $100 million divorce led to all but one of his major blue-chip sponsors dropping him, AFP PHOTO / ROBYN BECK

Expert says Sam Kerr can rebuild her image

Public relations expert at InsideOut PR Nicole Reaney told news.com.au earlier this week, that Kerr’s image has taken a hit but she can rebuild it.

“It will likely impact her image at least for the short term, but how she plays out her public life next will determine how her profile will repair,” Ms Reaney said.

“Sam and her team brought women’s football to the forefront. She inspired many females – from young girls to women – in many ways,” she continued. 

“Her reputation shouldn’t suffer differently to male athletes but the media attention on her is likely to be stronger.”

As for endorsements, Ms Reaney said she would imagine some brands connected to Kerr would be pressured by consumers to cut ties.

Sam Kerr is a role model to many young female athletes. (Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)

But while opinions remain divided on how Kerr handled the situation and calls continue for her to be stripped of the Matildas captaincy, most notably from commentator Lucy Zelic, it appears her primary sponsors are sticking by her.

PR agency Pearman Media – who are working with Kerr in the aftermath of the court case – confirmed the Matildas superstar hasn’t lost a single endorsement or sponsor to date.

However, Pearman’s general manager Katy Lozancic told ABC Sport that it would likely have an impact on her bargaining power for future deals.

“It will undoubtedly have an impact on commercial arrangements for her and brands will certainly be looking at that quite carefully thinking how best it impacts their business,” Lozancic said.

“It is quite jarring to see that behaviour and it definitely is quite uncomfortable viewing, based on what we’ve seen from her and what the Matildas represent and how jarring it is against those values as well. I would say she will have a challenging six months, and she will have to have a period of rehabilitation.”

Originally published as Brands make call on Sam Kerr sponsorship deals after Matildas superstar’s racial harassment trial