Formation of character and image of sportsman as a competitive advantage in mass media (continuation of the article №2, 2019)

By analyzing manipulation and intentional harm in shaping the image of the athlete, the goal was to determine whether the media could manipulate the information available. The respondents confirmed that they have this opportunity. And that's one of the most negative things about the media. The interviewees said that media representatives should not manipulate information, which is unethical. Consequently, we can conclude that rumored athletes' lives may be added to the information covered by the media. This is most relevant to the disclosure of unverified information. By researching the significance of personal acquaintances in shaping an athlete's image in the media, it was sought to determine whether personal acquaintances / communication can lead to presenting more favorable information about the athlete in the media. In this regard, the interviewees stated that if an athlete is a beloved person by journalists, he or she freely and friendly communicates with them. It is quite clear that he will be written about and described as a very positive hero. The respondents also say that if the athlete is well - known and the media know his or her good qualities, they can be used. Thus, to sum up, the athlete's familiarity results in the media being able to reach the desired athlete more easily, through the use of personal communications it is easier to «pull out» the information they want. This means that the image of the athlete will usually be positive. When it comes to the links between financial benefit and athlete information content for journalists, the question naturally arises whether the content of media information in shaping an athlete's image depends on the financial gain. The respondents speak unanimously on this point and say that the information provided is not related to the financial benefit they receive. Thus, the financial benefit should not be reflected in writing publications about athletes.

In the sub-category unfair competition in shaping the image of athletes / teams is sought to research whether the interviewees had any practice that athletes and / or coaches requested negative information about competitors from other teams and that athletes and / or coaches requested negative information from competitors within the same team. In none of the five subjects, the named situations have occurred in practice. During the research, interviewees made additional recommendations for athletes' image formation: «Professional sports are understandably business as well, as professional athletes can generate revenue by using their name, for example, through advertising. A positive image of the athlete is important for this, and it is important that people with an understanding of communication and marketing areas would care about it. This is most relevant for individual sports representatives, perhaps to a lesser extent for team sports. The most important thing for athletes is to find professionals and discuss with them the ways and means of presenting information about the athlete and developing their positive image. Specially, this will put the strategy together and start working. Roughly - this is all that needs to be done for an athlete who wants his or her positive image to generate revenue». (IN2). IN1 states that an athlete does not need to manage social networks himself / herself unless he / she has the ability. Especially in basketball, this is often done by their agents or the closest ones. One of the main directions needed for a good image is communication with the fans, thanks for support. (IN3) gives recommendation «always stay true to yourself and do not put on a» mask «in front of the media, as it feels very much to the viewers and makes communication untrue. Of course, I would advise you to connect with the fans and remind them that they are important. With a good sense of humor and a smile on the face it's hard to get a negative image.»

Summarizing the informants' recommendations, one can say that the main purpose of creating an attractive image is to generate income. The image of an athlete is recommended to be shaped with the help of professionals who understand communication and marketing, but personal communication skills, while remaining open to their fans, can help create an attractive athlete image. Analyzing the role of the media in the context of athletes 'image formation confirmed the findings highlighted in the researchers' research on the weighty role of the media. In a general sense, most people readily accept media presented news. It is difficult for the public to get answers to questions of interest because it is virtually impossible for ordinary people to obtain and verify the information received without the media. Therefore, the public is forced to trust the media. Trust is based on irreplaceability. Media messages are addressed to the majority, not to a specific individual, so communication through the media means is an instrument for building and maintaining mass consciousness. This is also reflected in the process of providing information about sports events and athletes. The research participants substantiate this with the statement that «the media here, of course, plays a pivotal role because only the media can mention the athlete extensively», «the media has a lot of influence because how they present the athlete to the audience, he will have that image», «the media is important, but family and the closest ones are becoming more and more important», «the media also has a big role to play and, frankly speaking, has a lot of influence in their hands. One text - you are a hero. Another text - you are the enemy». These statements illustrate what a powerful instrument for forming an athlete's image is in media actions, and this tendency remains, even with the role of family and the closest ones in shaping the athlete's image. The study confirms the scientific work of other authors. It is worth mentioning that there is not much work and research on the role of the media in the topics of athletes' image formation, and this work can contribute to the development and application of this theme in athlete management and decision making on image formation. As stated by Hasaan et al. (2016), the media is an important tool in the process of creating an athlete's good image and disseminating information about athletes. The researchers refined the Athlete Image Model (MABI) developed in previous studies and pointed out that fans' views that contribute to athlete's image development also need to be analyzed. According to Scott (2008), social life is no longer conceivable without the Internet, which is gradually displacing part of the media as a means of disseminating information. Social connections move from the real world to a virtual space that is no less active than in the real world. It is no exception that the professional athletes of these days often use social networks such as facebook, twitter or instagram which facilitate communication with their fans and are a great platform to promote their image.

Analyzing the significance of an attractive athlete image, the media representatives believe that a well - respected athlete with a good track record may receive additional media attention. An athlete having attractive image is sure to attract attention, but not necessarily time on television; club representatives rely on strong personalities to create advertising campaigns, as well-known, welcoming faces associated with victory, good emotion, confidence and success are more likely to attract people to sports events. Such athlete generates more public attention, and the media is interested in writing about such an individual, greater public awareness can help an athlete to get out of the sport borders and become associated with victories, high achievements and distinguish the individual from other athletes, but an athlete having an attractive image is not always the guarantee for retention of fans, the good reputation of the athlete is an extremely important factor in shaping the athlete's image. Comparing the research, it is possible to say that a good team image, competitive players can attract more media attention and business sponsors. Sports marketing issues were analyzed by James et all (2001), Charumbira (2015), Kaynak et all. (2008), Charumbira and Charumbira (2015), and others, who argue that organizations use sport as a medium to create a distinctive image in the eyes of consumers, and in turn can differentiate their brands from competitors. Professional sports emerged as a rewarding business with many opportunities for sports marketing to flourish. In recent years, many organizations and companies such as Siemens, Coca-Cola, Toyota and BenQ have invested heavily in sports and sporting events or athletes. The popularity of the team and the athlete, their attractiveness, strong image, also determine the attraction of supporters. From the point of view of fans' actions, fans dedicate their time and effort to support teams and can thus enhance the image of the team and their athletes. Defining the role of the media in shaping the image of the athlete suggests that each individual should have a worldview about many things, but it is often observed that he or she possesses a formulated image of the world presented by the media because he does not have the time to create it. Also, most people have no understanding of many things at all, so they readily accept media presented knowledge. It is difficult for the public to get answers to the questions they are interested in because it is virtually impossible for ordinary people to access and verify the information they receive without the media and the public is forced to trust the media. Trust is based on irreplaceability. Media messages are addressed to the majority, not the individual reader individually, and communication through the media means is an instrument for the formation and maintenance of mass consciousness. So, in summary, we can say that the media provides the public with the most information not only about athletes' individual mastery, skills or achievements, but also provides «spicy» news from the athlete's personal life, which will not necessarily help shape a positive image. It can also be emphasized that in today's society the athlete himself has all the possibilities to control his image creation through social networks. According to the media representatives, sporting experience and the demonstrated athlete's lifestyle within each of the subcategories are significant structural elements in shaping the athlete's image. The structural elements of an athlete's image such as an athletic experience, attractive athlete's appearance, publicity of lifestyle and personal qualities form the necessary whole for shaping an athlete's image, but the athlete's charismatic style is extremely important, unusual playing technique, successful performance, interesting and persistent matches, respect for opponents, fans, fair play. According to the informants, an attractive appearance is not the cornerstone that shapes the image of an athlete, although self-supporting and strong athletes may attract more media attention. Dramatic episodes of life attract attention, while social responsibility and reputation retention play an important role. Physical attractiveness can only influence athlete image formation on certain, mostly «spicy» topics, but an athlete who does not show good results or good play, even with an attractive physical appearance, will not gain media prominence due to his or her appearance. According to informants, the external beauty of an athlete is more important to those for whom sport is merely an episodic leisure rather than a lifestyle.

An attractive image of an athlete may in part result in advertising space, participation in television shows or increased sponsorship. The media representatives believe that a well - respected and high-performing athlete can gain additional media attention, an attractive athlete will certainly gain attention but not necessarily time on television, club representatives rely on strong personalities to create advertising campaigns, as well - known, welcoming faces associated with victory, good emotion, confidence and success are more likely to attract people to sports events and such athlete generates more public attention, and the media is interested in writing about such an individual, greater public awareness can help an athlete to get out of the sport borders and become associated with victories, high achievements and distinguish the individual from other athletes, but good reputation of the athlete is an extremely important factor in shaping the athlete's image. Media plays a key role in shaping the image of the athlete and is an important tool in this process. Highlighting an athlete's achievements, they have the ability to manipulate information in a sense. Interviewees recognize that they can present information by giving it both positive and negative shades and can use the information both to create a positive image and to belittle the athlete.

Conclusions

1. The term of image is not defined in the scientific literature and there is no unambiguous explanation of the concept. Some authors emphasize this term by exploring a person's individual traits, style, clothing and behaviour, while others emphasize the importance of an organization's image. An image is defined as a special image created by the psyche, a set of false or true images, judgments that have been made about an individual, their group, or society as a whole about a particular object. Professional image is not just a set of professional qualities of an individual. There are distinguished such behavioral aspects as individual posture, speaking manners and correctness, style of clothing, general culture of a person, which determine the first impression of an individual and create visual information that includes physiological characteristics of an individual.