Abstract:
Professional athletes have been in the public eye for many years. Over the last 25 years professional athletes have been receiving product endorsement contracts worth millions of dollars. In recent years Kobe Bryant has been one of most sought after athletes for endorsing products. Because of his recent publicity, in the media, for his sexual assault, this study was designed to explore the perceptions of source credibility of Kobe Bryant and professional athletes.An extensive public opinion survey was conducted in the Indianapolis DMA of males and females between the ages of 18 to 34. The genders were broken into three major age groups 18-23, 24-29 and 30-34. The age groups were analyzed to determine pubic opinion on professional athletes, Kobe Bryant, the media and what organizations should look for as they select endorsers. This study found that although males and females 18-34 like professional sports, difference of opinions were found on the credibility of the athletes playing those sports. Findings also reveal that credibility is very difficult measure and cannot be determined by a few characteristics.