LAUSR

Abstract The publication of doping cases evokes media interest and forces athletes to apply crisis communication to compensate for a potential loss of trust or to protect their reputation in the public eye. Based on case vignettes and experimental designs, this three studies paper shows that justification can be regarded as an efficient crisis communication strategy, whereas the dissemination of a statement via journalistic sources or social media as well as the doping prevalence of the type of sports is not decisive for the general public perception. The paper evokes the question of whether recipients are willing to be confronted with the dark side of high-performance sports.