Who Not to Represent

I give to you my list of the five worst athletes to represent as a PR practitioner:

5. Jose Canseco
No one really trusts Canseco, not even the people who read his book. He's seen as one of the poster boys for steroid use, and he even supports athletes' use of performance-enhancing drugs. The public, as well as other baseball players, are pretty much sick of him.

4. Dennis Rodman
Rodman hasn't played basketball in a while, but he's still in the public eye. When the public does see him, it usually is in a negative light. Many people view him as a freak or an outcast and are unnerved by his piercings, tattoos, and demeanor. His occasional run-ins with the police certainly don't help, either.

3. Terrell Owens
Owens has been called a "cancer" by fellow players, and they may just be right. Owens seems unable or unwilling to get along with teammates (no matter what team he plays for), and he always finds himself in the middle of some kind of scandal or ridiculous story.

2. Mike Tyson
The man bit off the ear of an opponent. That fact alone would make it almost impossible to give Tyson a positive public image. When you throw in the numerous arrests and the somewhat crazy interviews and soundbytes, things only get worse. Good luck trying to explain the tattoo on his face.

1. Barry Bonds
No matter what you do, you cannot get most people to like Bonds. His image is damaged beyond repair. The majority of the general public would like to see him suffer a career-ending injury rather than break Hank Aaron's home run record. Everything he does is smeared by the steroid scandal. He doesn't exactly help his own cause, either. He's never been known as a nice guy, and he frequently has negative encounters with the media. Bonds' PR people have the toughest job in the business.

If you find yourself representing one of these athletes, then you might want to start searching for a new job.