Does reputation matter in sport ?

Last week a story was reported in the press about Ian Thorpe being cleared of charges that had used illegal drugs to enhance his performance. Granted, this was no doubt a very stressful time for the Australian swimmer but it struck me as slightly odd that his comments, the subsequent story should centre on reputation as being the single biggest positive outcome from this story.

Why should that be ? Well, imagine the converse outcome. If he had been found guilty of using performance enhancing drugs, then clearly his career would be over. But surely being found not guilty of the same charges necessarily implies he's done nothing wrong ergo his reputation has not been tarnished.

I suppose in this high-profile, endorsement-driven world of sport today, reinforcing that you are squeaky clean (in all senses of the word) allows you to maximise the commercial value of your reputation. Not that sportsmen ply their trade off their reputation - one hopes their talent does that - but it does allow them to maximise their own earnings potential.

Long live the day when we remember sports "celebrities" more for their prowess on the pitch and field, than for endorsing trainers or safety razors.