Building a crisis communication plan for sports organizations: an analysis of the USA Gymnastics sexual abuse scandal

Abstract

Not every organization will experience a crisis, but every organization should plan and prepare for one. Without a crisis plan, an organization can find its image in jeopardy if suitable steps are not followed. This thesis assesses the 2016 USA Gymnastics sexual abuse scandal involving nearly 100 athletes that caused catastrophic damage to the brand’s image, and through this analysis, the missteps and corrections within its crisis are broken down through elements of various crisis communication theories. Certain elements of USA Gymnastics such as culture, leadership, and responses will be examined to establish why the result was detrimental, and through theory review, it will be determined how severely crisis communication theories can hurt or help an organization’s image. By exploring the models of the situational crisis communication theory, stealing thunder, contingency theory, and image repair theory, this analysis will expose the depths of these frameworks and how their application can contribute to an organization’s response and relationship with its stakeholders, the public, and the media.