The Kia Amateur Australian Open: Lessons for sponsor activation and

event management
Sheranne Fairley *, B. David Tyler
Department of Sport Management, Isenberg School of Management, University of Massachusetts, 121 Presidents Drive, Amherst, MA 01003, United States
Teaching note
1. Introduction
The Kia Amateur Australian Open (KAAO) is a tennis event held in conjunction with the Australian Open. The Australian
Open is one of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments (along with the French Open, the US Open, and Wimbledon). Kia is a
major sponsor of the Australian Open and uses the KAAOas part of the companys sponsorship activation strategy. The KAAO
attracts amateur tennis participants from 14 countries. Participants qualify from their home countries via tournaments at
regional and national qualiers, and the World Finals are played concurrently with the Australian Open. Although
Australian Open is part of the name of the event, the KAAO is organized entirely by Kia and has no oversight by the event
(Tennis Australia) or the sports governing bodies (International Tennis Federation (ITF)).
The case follows Jordana Hudson, an entrant in the 2007 KAAO, as she wins and is subsequently disqualied from the US
national tournament. Jordanas situation exposes several challenges faced by Kia, such as inconsistent qualication
procedures and potential misunderstanding of competitive international tennis. Kias extension from sponsor to event
organizer brought with it complications that were likely not considered when their activation strategy was being
formulated.
The case uses Jordanas situation as the context for lessons of event management and sport marketing, illustrating the
interrelatedness of an event and its sponsors. It gives students the opportunity to consider the theoretical and practical
Sport Management Review 14 (2011) 2532
A R T I C L E I N F O
Article history:
Received 22 June 2009
Received in revised form 14 September 2009
Accepted 21 September 2009
Available online 20 November 2009
Keywords:
Sponsorship
Event management
Sport marketing
A B S T R A C T
The case follows Jordana Hudson, an entrant in the 2007 Kia Amateur Australian Open, as
she wins and is subsequently disqualied from the US national qualifying tournament.
Kias core business is that of automobile manufacturing, but when Kia assumes the role of
event organizer as part of its sport sponsorship activation strategy, Kia experiences
complications that were likely not considered when the activation strategy was being
formulated. Jordanas situation exposes the challenges a rm can face in its sponsorship
activation, as well as the potential branding and event management issues that arise for
the sport property. This case gives students the opportunity to consider the theoretical and
practical challenges inherent in event management, co-branding, and sponsorship
activation.
2009 Sport Management Association of Australia and New Zealand. Published by
Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
* Corresponding author. Tel.: +1 413 545 5058.
E-mail address: sfairley@sportmgt.umass.edu (S. Fairley).
Contents lists available at ScienceDirect
Sport Management Review
j our nal homepage: www. el sevi er . com/ l ocat e/ smr
1441-3523/$ see front matter 2009 Sport Management Association of Australia and New Zealand. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.smr.2009.09.006
challenges inherent in event management, co-branding, and sponsorship activation. The case describes a real situation, but
names of individuals have been changed to preserve anonymity.
2. Theoretical classroom applications
2.1. Event management
The KAAO was created as an activation mechanism in connection with Kias sponsorship of the Australian Open (Kia
Motors, n.d.). Its genesis and continued operation lie with Kias marketing department, as seen in the letter Jordana received
from Kias Retail Advertising Manager. Kia coordinated with its worldwide dealership network and local tennis clubs to
facilitate the qualication of entrants, but this lead to inconsistent qualication guidelines and procedures. Furthermore,
without the direct involvement of a tennis governing body (e.g., the ITF, the WTA, or Tennis Australia), Kia representatives
may have lacked the adequate sport knowledge to properly evaluate the status of competitors. As a car manufacturer, Kias
core competency does not lie with sporting event organization. It is thus possible to question if undertaking the operation of
an international tournament is the proper use of Kias internal employees.
It is important for students to understand the complexities associated with sporting events and the effects on
participants. The idea to decentralize local qualication procedures undoubtedly eased the initial administrative burden of
Kia, but its effects had subsequent ramications for the participants who Kia was trying to reach.
2.1.1. Event management questions
o What do you think of how Kia handled Jordanas situation? Could Kia have taken a different approach? What would you
have done if you were Justin Funakura, Kias Retail Advertising Manager?
o How should Kia prepare for the meeting with Tennis Australia? What could Kia do to enable the smooth running event in
future years?
o If you were Jen Adams, what advice would you give to Jordana Hudson about Kias ultimatum? Should Jordana accept
option 1 or option 2?
2.2. Sport marketing
Marketing literature has consistently identied the need for sponsors to formulate and execute activation plans in
support of their sport sponsorship arrangements. By including sponsorships as part of a rms overall integrated marketing
approach, it is suggested that rms will realize better value from the sponsorship (Farrelly, Quester, & Burton, 1997). Proper
leveraging of a sponsorship can help differentiate the brand (Cliffea &Motion, 2005; Crimmins &Horn, 1996), provide added
nancial value to the brand (Cornwell, Roy, & Steinard, 2001), and counteract the negative inuence of ambush marketing
tactics (Farrelly, Quester, & Greyser, 2005). Specically, industry research estimates that sponsors spend an average of $1.70
on activation for every $1.00 spent for rights fees (IEG Sponsorship Report, 2006).
In this case, the KAAO is an activation strategy as part of Kias sponsorship of the Australian Open. The KAAO would not
exist were it not for Kias sponsorship of the Australian Open. However, the challenges that arise suggest that there is a need
for the sponsored property to closely monitor the sponsors activities especially where co-branding is concerned.
One can examine the several brand image issues applicable to this case via two main foci of attention. First, one can
consider howJordanas situation will reect on Kia Motors and the KAAO. If one views Kias actions as mismanagement, there
may be damage to the Kia brand and, through negative reverse image transfer fromthe sponsor to the sport property (Ruth &
Simonin, 2003), damage to the brand of the KAAO event. The KAAO is intended to engender a positive response from
participants and spectators, but questions about inconsistency of the eligibility criteria across regions and countries may
tarnish Kias or the KAAOs brand image. The second brand at stake is that of the Australian Open and, by extension, its
organizer, Tennis Australia. As its brand name is included in the Kia Amateur Australian Open event name, there is likely to be
consumer confusion about the involvement of the Australian Open in the amateur event. Thus, if consumers develop
negative views of the KAAOand see the KAAOas a brand extension of the Australian Open, there may be transference of those
negative views to the Australian Open (John, Loken, & Joiner, 1998; Loken & John, 1993).
2.2.1. Stakeholder management
Jordanas situation highlights potential issues of unfettered actions on the part of event sponsors. The Australian Open
may receive positive publicity and interest thanks to its sponsors activation efforts, but it is also exposing itself to possible
repercussions. Sponsors should be encouraged to develop creative approaches to activation; doing so allows sponsors to
leverage their association with methods that will suit their organizational goals, and in the case of the KAAO, creates
additional inventory that was not previously part of the events offerings. However, event marketers should consider the
degree of oversight required to protect the event image and howsuch collaboration may be viewed by the sponsor. Taking a
more active role will require additional time and resources on the part of the Tennis Australia, perhaps more than they are
willing or able to provide. It may also damage the working dynamic between Kia and Tennis Australia as Kia may view the
increased inuence as restrictive.
S. Fairley, B.D. Tyler / Sport Management Review 14 (2011) 2532 26
One teaching tactic may be to divide the class into smaller groups (about three students each) and assign the groups to
view the situation from the point of view of Kia or the point of view of Tennis Australia. After giving time for the smaller
groups to discuss the marketing issues of the case, pair the groups (a Kia group with a Tennis Australia group) to have the
larger groups collaborate and answer questions about the case. By coming together as representatives of different
stakeholders, the subgroups will be motivated to defend their own interests while developing a possible solution.
2.2.2. Sport marketing questions
o Should Kia continue to run the KAAO?
o Should Tennis Australia provide any guidelines to which its sponsors leveraging activities should adhere?
o What role should Tennis Australia have in the KAAO? What are the pros and cons for Tennis Australia of taking a more
active role in the event management of Kias event?
o How might this situation affect the Kia brand? The Australian Open brand? The KAAO brand?
o Though the KAAO awards money to the winner and competitors can qualify even if they have earned prize money in the
past, the tournament is marketed as an amateur event. What are the implications of identifying the tournament as
amateur?
References
Cliffea, S. J., &Motion, J. (2005). Building contemporary brands: Asponsorship-based strategy. Journal of Business Research,
58(8), 10681077.
Cornwell, T. B., Roy, D. P., & Steinard, E. A. (2001). Exploring managers perceptions of the impact of sponsorship on brand
equity. Journal of Advertising, 30(2), 4151.
Crimmins, J., & Horn, M. (1996). Sponsorship: From management ego trip to marketing success. Journal of Advertising
Research, 36(4), 1120.
Farrelly, F. J., Quester, P. G., & Burton, R. (1997). Integrating sports sponsorship into the corporate marketing function: An
international comparative study. International Marketing Review, 14(3), 170182.
Farrelly, F., Quester, P., & Greyser, S. A. (2005). Defending the co-branding benets of sponsorship B2B partnerships: The
case of ambush marketing. Journal of Advertising Research, 45(3), 339348.
IEG Sponsorship Report. (2006, March 13). 06 Activation spending to match all-time high. IEG Sponsorship Report, 25(5),
pp. 1, 46.
John, D. R., Loken, B., & Joiner, C. (1998). The negative impact of extensions: Can agship products be diluted? Journal of
Marketing, 62(1), 1932.
Kia Motors. (n.d.). Australian Open Tennis Championships 2009 Event Guide. Retrieved on September 5, 2009 from http://
www.australianopen.com/en_AU/event_guide/kia_motors.html.
Loken, B., & John, D. R. (1993). Diluting brand beliefs: When do brand extensions have a negative impact? Journal of
Marketing, 57(3), 7184.
Ruth, J. A., &Simonin, B. L. (2003). Brought to you by brand A and brand B: Investigating multiple sponsors inuence on
consumers attitudes toward sponsored events. Journal of Advertising, 32(3), 1930.
S. Fairley, B.D. Tyler / Sport Management Review 14 (2011) 2532 27
The Kia Amateur Australian Open: Lessons for sponsor activation and
event management
Case study
1. Introduction
Jordana Hudson, a tennis coach and avid tennis player, is a native of Reconquista, Argentina. In 19941995, Jordana was
the number one ranked junior player in Argentina. In 1996, Jordana moved to North America and attended the University of
Mississippi, where she was the co-captain of the tennis team. During her tenure, the teamwon the Southeastern Conference
championship. Additionally, Jordana advanced to the Seminals of the National Clay Court Tournament in Baltimore as well
as the Seminals of the All American in Los Angeles. Jordana pondered turning professional after graduating fromMississippi
in 2001; instead, she went to the University of Massachusetts to attend graduate school and serve as the Universitys
Assistant Tennis Coach. She graduated with a Masters degree in Sport Management and accepted an Academy Manager
position at the Manchester Athletic Club, where she could combine both her marketing skills and passion for tennis. While
Jordanas playing career took a break, she continued to work out every day to maintain her tness and also played with
colleagues when she could.
In 2007, Jordana received a phone call from a colleague and friend at the Weymouth Tennis Club (another local tennis
club) encouraging her to enter an amateur tennis tournament that was being hosted by his club. This tournament was a
regional tournament that formedthe rst round of the Americanportionof the Kia Amateur AustralianOpen(KAAO) series.
The tournament is an international tournament played in 14 countries with the culminating event being the World Finals
played in Melbourne, Australia during the Australian Open. Jordana won the regional tournament fairly convincingly. This
winmeant that Jordana qualiedtorepresent the Northeast regioninthe national tournament heldnear Atlanta, Georgia at
the BridgeMill Tennis Club. At the national tournament Jordana again played well and was the tournament champion. This
victory qualied her for the KAAO Finals held in January of 2008. However, fewer than 24 hours after Jordana had been
awarded her trophy and prize money, a complaint was lodged with tournament ofcials who would then have to
investigate claims of Jordanas eligibility to participate in the tournament. At this time, they contacted Jordana regarding
the issue.
2. Kia Motors and sport sponsorship
Founded in 1944, Kia Motors Corporation is Koreas oldest manufacturer of motor vehicles. Kia has 14 production centers
in eight countries and distributes to dealers and distributors in 165 countries. Global vehicle sales for the company are
approximately 1,400,000 units per year, with an annual revenue of almost US$17 billion (Kia Motors Corporation, 2007). Kia
recently expanded its global reach through the construction of a production plant in Atlanta, Georgia that opened in 2009
(Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia, 2009).
Like many companies attempting to increase brand awareness, Kia entered the world of sport sponsorship by partnering
with the Australian Open in 2002 as a major sponsor. Kia had not previously sponsored any sporting events, but has since
entered sponsorship arrangements with FIFA, the NBA, and the Kia X-Games Asia.
The Australian Open is one of the four Grand Slam competitions in professional tennis. Since 2002, Kia has maintained
its relationship with Tennis Australia and continues to revamp the activation strategies associated with the sponsorship.
During the Australian Open, Kia hosts numerous interactive programs at the event itself, including the Kia Fan of the Day
promotion, showcases its latest vehicle line around the event precinct, and provides 80 courtesy vehicles for
transportation of the players, VIPs, ofcials, and media during the event. To help leverage their sponsorship beyond event
time, in 2003 Kia implemented an international tournament targeted at amateur tennis players: the Kia Amateur
Australian Open.
3. Kia Amateur Australian Open
Kia attempts to cast its net to grassroots tennis participants on a global level through the implementation of the Kia
Amateur Australian Open (KAAO). The KAAO attracts an estimated 500010,000 players from 14 countries (Kia Motors
Corporation, 2008b; Kia Motors Corporation, 2009). The KAAO format includes regional and national qualifying
tournaments in each country. The winners of each national tournament, one male and one female, are rewarded with the
opportunity to represent their country by moving on to the KAAO World Finals in Melbourne, Australia. The womens
champion, mens champion, mixed doubles, and team champions are subsequently awarded from the 32 players from 14
countries.
In October, four regional tournaments were hosted in the United States (in Boston, Atlanta, Phoenix, and Chicago). Each
regional tournament produced a mens and womens champion to move on to a national tournament held in November. The
national champion plays in the KAAO in Australia in January. Though Kia provides individual clubs with basic eligibility
S. Fairley, B.D. Tyler / Sport Management Review 14 (2011) 2532 28
criteria and possible dates on which to hold the regional/national qualifying tournaments, the organization of these
tournaments is left to the individual clubs.
While the KAAOFinals are played during the Australian Open tournament, the organizers of the two events are unrelated.
Tennis Australia is the event organizer behind the Australian Open, while Kia privately runs the KAAO as part of its
sponsorship activation. As a result, the KAAO is not ofcially sanctioned by any sport governing body and is the sole
responsibility of Kia.
Kias goals in activating its sponsorship through the tournament are varied. First, Kia is championing participation of
amateur athletics through the organization of the tournament. Additionally, Kia is promoting goodwill amongst the public
by sponsoring an amateur athletic event. Ethan Murphy, Vice President of Marketing for Kia Motors America, has said, Kia is
proud to sponsor KAAO and provide amateur athletes with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to compete on a world stage at
one of worlds premier tennis venues (Kia Motors America, 2007). By offering the opportunity for amateur athletes to
compete on a global stage, Kia is tying in both its public relations and marketing into one large event. Through the event, Kia
is able to further align its image with the sport of tennis and athletics as a whole. Finally, Kia is able to use the association of
the amateur event to promote awareness of the upcoming Kia Australian Open. In 2008, the President and CEOof Kia Motors
Corporation, Chunsuk Yoon, said,
Our sponsorship is consciously designed to actively encourage participation of fans and amateur players fromall over
the world. By encouraging interaction between a broad customer base and our brand, we are happy to emphasize Kias
fun and dynamic brand values. (Kia Motors Corporation, 2008a)
It is clear that Kia has various reasons for running the event as it serves the company in several facets of its
operations.
3.1. Prizes
While the Kia Amateur Australian Open is billed as an amateur tournament, prize money is awarded (as is noted below,
entrants past prize money earned does not necessarily disqualify them from the competition). By winning the regional and
national tournaments for the KAAO, a United States participant is able to accumulate $2000 in prize money. Additionally, Kia
covers the travel and accommodation expenses for the winners of the regional tournaments to participate in the national
tournament, including the expenses for a guest to accompany them. The champion of the national tournament earns a
trophy, and winners receive a rst class round trip airfare to Australia, where they represent the USA in the KAAO World
Finals. All accommodations and meals are paid for and the athletes also receive welcome gifts and prizes. While in Australia
the players receive pro player treatment, including tickets to the Australian Open each day as well as admission to player
dinners, cocktail parties, and various other tennis related events. The prize for moving on to the international nal in
Australia is valued at US$5000.
On winning the national tournament, Jordana was awarded a cheque for $2000 and a champions trophy. Jordana and her
guest, Jen Adams, immediately proceeded to the airport as they had an evening plane to catch. While boarding the plane,
Jordana received a call from someone who she had met at the tournament, warning her that there had been an ofcial
complaint made by the woman that she beat in the nal. The complaint questioned Jordanas eligibility to participate in the
amateur tournament. Specically, the complaint suggested that Jordana did not have amateur status, as it was alleged that
she had accumulated Womens Tennis Association (WTA) points in the past. Jordana maintains that she has never been a
professional tennis player. On returning to Massachusetts, Jen started investigating these claims by looking into (1) the
eligibility criteria of the tournament, and (2) whether Jordana had in fact accumulated WTA points at some point in her
career. The following is what she found.
3.2. Eligibility criteria for regional tournaments
Absent of any sport governing or sanctioning body, the KAAO is run in various countries by a host of different clubs and
venues. The regional and national tournaments are so far removed from the KAAO organizers that they are given the
autonomy to run the tournaments themselves. In doing so, the regional and national tournaments lack a uniform set of
guidelines regarding who can enter the tournament. The following is an example of a few of the different tournaments
specic eligibility rules.
BridgeMill Tennis Club website (host of the US Southern Regionals and Nationals):
Players must not have any career ATP points.
The singles tournament is open to all players 21 and over with no prior ATP/WTA points in the last 5 years.
BridgeMill Tennis Club newsletter:
Players must be 25 or older.
Players must not have competed on tour or have earned one or more ATP points.
South Barrington Club (host of the US Central Regional Tournament):
Players must be 25 years and older.
S. Fairley, B.D. Tyler / Sport Management Review 14 (2011) 2532 29
Kia Website Press Release:
All competitors must be aged 21 and older.
No player who has earned a point in an ATP or WTA event is eligible.
Given the inconsistencies between the eligibility criteria for the different tournaments within the US circuit, Jen looked further at
the requirements for two other countries that participated in the tournament: Australia and SouthAfrica. The following was found
on the websites of the respective national tournaments:
Australian National Tournament:
All competitors must be aged 18 years old at the start of the tournament.
No player must have had a WTA singles ranking and/or point, or ATP ranking or point at anytime.
South Africa Regional and National Tournament:
Competition open to all players in South Africa over the age of 25.
No current pros, ex-pros, will be allowed to enter. Any player who has ever held a WTA or ATP ranking will be excluded.
The inconsistencies in eligibility criteria were wider than the tournaments within the US. Jen contacted Tennis Australia, the
sanctioning body for the Australian Open. After a conversation with Tennis Australia, it became apparent that Kia itself had full
responsibilities for the tournament as part of its sponsorship activation, and that the tournament was not ofcially sanctioned by
any tennis body. Despite the inconsistencies, Jen thought that it would be useful to have all information in hand before addressing
the concerns of Kia.
3.3. WTA points
Jen contacted the WTA to see if they had any record of Jordana earning WTA points. Jen received an immediate response
with two les attached: one for her singles record and one for her doubles record (see Tables 1 and 2).
The Womens Tennis Association (WTA) is the governing body of professional tennis worldwide. The WTA Tour is the
premier competition circuit for womens professional tennis. Before women make it onto the WTATour, they work their way
up through the International Tennis Federation (ITF) Womens Circuit. The ITF is a lower circuit of entry-level competitions
that allow players to gain experience and points to move up into the WTA Tour.
The WTA points system is the primary indicator of the world rankings in professional tennis. Points are distributed to
the players based on the level of the tournament and how well players perform in the competition. For example,
if a player wins a Grand Slam event such as the US Open in New York, she would be awarded 1000 WTA points.
Likewise, players that make it to the seminal round of the US Open would receive 450 points. Alternatively, a player
that wins a lower tiered event on the WTA Tour, such as the Barclays Dubai Tennis Championship, would only receive
465 points. As stated earlier, players who enter the ITF Womens Circuit can accumulate points even though they are not
yet on the WTA Tour. The point totals that are awarded at this level range from 6 to 75 points for winning the
tournament. These tournaments are given much less weight in points. The relationship between the two circuits events
Table 1
Jordana Hudson WTA Tour Singles results (Career win/loss record: 2/3).
Tournament Round Opponent (WTA Rank, Tournament Seed) W/L Score
1996 Buenos Aires, Argentina (ITF; Clay; $10,000) 32 Landa, Ma. Fernanda (212, 1) L 6-2, 6-3
1996 Buenos Aires 2, Argentina (ITF; Clay; $10,000) 32 Dag, Valeria (0, n/a) W 6-4, 6-3
1996 Buenos Aires 2, Argentina (ITF; Clay; $10,000) 16 Landa, Ma. Fernanda (212, 1) L 6-2, 6-2
1996 Buenos Aires 3, Argentina (ITF; Clay; $25,000) 32 Troch, Delphine (856, 15) W 6-2, 6-1
1996 Buenos Aires 3, Argentina (ITF; Clay; $25,000) 16 Rossi, Laura (729, 7) L 6-1, 6-2
Table 2
Jordana Hudson WTA Tour Doubles Results (Career win/loss record: 0/3).
Tournament/Partner Round Opponent (WTA Rank, Tournament Seed) W/L Score
1996 Buenos Aires, Argentina (ITF; Clay; $10,000)/Partner:
Jimenez, Maria
16 Arevalo, Melisa & Basile, Florencia (0, n/a) L 6-4, 6-2
1996 Buenos Aires 2, Argentina (ITF; Clay; $10,000)/Partner:
Jimenez, Maria
16 De Amelio, Sandra & Racedo, Paula (735, 2) L 6-3, 6-4
1996 French Open, France (WTA; Clay; $4,105,011)/Partner:
Nola, Pavlina
64 Halard-Decugis, Jul & Testud, Sandrine (167, n/a) L 6-4, 6-1
S. Fairley, B.D. Tyler / Sport Management Review 14 (2011) 2532 30
is not completely dened, but it is clear that ITF events are far less superior to WTA events. Despite the differences in the
tours, all of the professional tennis players are ranked according to the amount of points they accumulate. Points that
are valid towards a ranking must be accumulated within the past 52 weeks, and only the best 16 tournaments that a
player plays in are counted towards this total. A basic grid of how points are distributed in the WTA in 2007 is shown in
Table 3.
As the table shows, a competitor can play in a tournament and receive no points. According to the Sony Ericsson
WTA Tour records, Jordana Hudson competed in the 1996 Buenos Aires Tournament in Argentina and received no
points for her efforts in both Singles and Doubles. Additionally, the WTA has record that Jordana competed in the 1998
French Open, a Grand Slam event, where she earned two points. When Jen took this news to Jordana, Jordana adamantly
denied that she ever participated in the French Open, and further claimed that she had never even stepped foot inside
France.
4. Correspondence between Jordana Hudson and WTA
The KAAOorganizers contacted Jordana by phone in November of 2007 to informher that she was ineligible for the KAAO
tournament. It had been brought to their attention that Jordana had accumulated WTA points in the 1998 French Open. The
event organizers found this to be in violation of her amateur status and against tournament rules. After being told this, with
the help of Jen, Jordana responded with the following letter:
November 13, 2007
Dear Kia Tournament Organizers,
I would like to sincerely apologize for the controversy that my entry into the tournament has caused. However, there does
not seem to be any clear set of eligibility criteria. Please see the supporting attachments as documentation of this. The
tournament was clearly advertised on the BridgeMill Tennis Club website the host club for the Southern Regionals and
Nationals tournaments. On the website it states that Players must not have any career ATP points. I do not. Further, it
states that the singles tournament is open to all players 21 and over with no prior ATP/WTA points in the last 5 years. I
would assume that all of the regional tournaments (including the Eastern Region at Weymouth) would have the same
rules as they ultimately feed the national tournament. There is a similar inconsistency on the website of the South
Barrington website where one of the other regional events was hosted stating that you have to be 25. Combined, it would
seem that there are no consistent eligibility requirements, or this would seem to be false and/or misleading advertising.
I contacted the WTA to work out when it was that I had WTA points. The WTA claims that I played in the French Open
which I did not. I have not even been to France. I amtherefore in the process of trying to get further information fromthe
WTA.
Again, I sincerely apologize for the controversy that this has caused. Had I believed that I was not eligible to participate in
this tournament, I would never have taken time off work (a week in total) to participate in the regional and national
Table 3
2007 Sony Ericsson WTA Tour points system.
WTA W F SF QF R16 R32 R64 R128 Q Q3 Q2 Q1
GS 1000 700 450 250 140 90 60 2 31 25 15 2
Tour Champ 750 525 335 185 105
Tier I $3m (96) 500 350 225 125 70 45 30 1 20 10 1
Tier I $2m (96) 465 325 210 115 65 40 25 1 15 10 1
Tier I $1m (56) 430 300 195 110 60 35 1 15 10 1
Tier I $1m (32) 430 300 195 110 60 1 20 15 10 1
Tier II 650 (64) 300 215 140 75 40 20 1 10 5 1
Tier II 650 (32) 300 215 140 75 40 1 15 10 5 1
Tier II 600 (64) 275 190 125 70 35 20 1 10 5 1
Tier II 600 (32) 275 190 125 70 35 1 15 10 5 1
Tier III 225 (32) 165 115 75 40 20 1 9 5 3 1
Tier III 175 (64) 140 100 65 35 20 10 1 4 3 1
Tier III 175 (32) 140 100 65 35 20 1 8 4 3 1
Tier IV 145 (32) 115 80 50 30 15 1 7 3 2 1
Tier IV 145 (32) 115 80 50 30 15 1 4 2 1
ITF Pro
100k + H (New) 75 55 40 20 10 1 3 2 1 0
100k (New) 70 50 35 18 9 1 3 2 1 0
$75k + H 65 45 29 16 8 1 3 2 1 0
$75k 55 39 25 15 7 1 3 2 1 0
$50k + H 45 32 20 12 6 1 3 2 1 0
50k 35 25 16 9 5 1 3 2 1 0
$25k 25 17 12 7 4 1 1 0 0
$10k 6 4 3 2 1 0 0 0 0
S. Fairley, B.D. Tyler / Sport Management Review 14 (2011) 2532 31
tournaments. Given there are no clear and consistent set of eligibility requirements I would like you to reconsider my
disqualication.
Yours sincerely,
Jordana Hudson
In response to this letter above, Kia wrote back with the following correspondence:
December 4, 2007
Dear Ms. Hudson,
As you are aware, there has been some confusing information about your eligibility to participate in the Kia Amateur
Australian Open Tennis Tournament, we would like to nally resolve this issue and request you decide between two
choices:
1. Disqualify yourself from the tournament and return the tournament trophy. If you decide to do this, we will allow you to
keep the $2000 you have won thus far in the tournament. We would require you sign a full release of any and all claims
directed against Kia and any sponsors of the tournament. The release will be drafted by our attorneys and may need to be
notarized.
2. Continue to assert your right to participate in the KAAO. If you decide to do this, we will allow you to keep the $2000 you
have won thus far in the tournament and the trophy. You will also be required to take steps to fully nullify or cancel any
professional points that have been ascribed to you (which you have asserted are in error) by pro-ranking association in
order to have an amateur ranking by the time of the KAAO. We would require you to sign an afdavit under penalty of
perjury stating you have never had actual professional points and those ascribed to you were done in error, and that you
would indemnify, defend, and hold Kia harmless for any claims brought by any party claiming you had no right to
participate in the KAAO, and reimburse us for any funds provided to you should it later be determined that you have had
professional points prior to your participation in the KAAO. In that event, we would be entitled to recover all funds and
benets provided to you and any attorneys fees expended. PLEASE NOTE THAT YOUWOULDNEEDTOCLEAR THE RECORD
BEFORE DECEMBER 20, 2007.
Please let us know how you would propose to proceed and we will direct our attorneys to draft the appropriate
documentation. These options will remain available until Tuesday, December 11, 2007.
Regards,
Justin Funakura
Retail Advertising Manager
Jordana and Jen read through the letter. They realized that there were only 5 days to make a decision as to howto proceed,
given that Jordana did not receive the letter until December 6. It is clear that Jordana has an argument to the fact that she has
remained an amateur athlete throughout her career. Alternatively, the KAAO organizers do have some type of proof to
suggest that her claims to amateur status may be false. If Jordana chose to ght to remain in the tournament, it was clear that
she would have to come up with a solid argument to support her claims of amateur status and to dispute the inconsistencies
in the eligibility criteria of the tournament. Jordana and Jen then sat down together to work out how to proceed.
Meanwhile, Tennis Australia ofcials had learned of the situation. They were concerned about the controversy and asked
to meet with Kia representatives. As the organizers of the Australian Open, they were interested in an explanation from Kia
and to hear Kias plan for next years KAAO.
References
Kia Motors America. (2007, August 15). Kia Motors offers amateur tennis players an opportunity to play for Team USA at the
Kia Amateur Australian Open [Press Release]. Retrieved from http://www.kiamedia.com/secure/corporate081507.html.
Kia Motors Corporation. (2007). Annual report 2007. Retrieved from http://www.kmcir.com/Download/Kia_AR07
(eng).pdf.
Kia Motors Corporation. (2008a, January 10). Kia Motors poised to win hearts of fans at 2008 Australian Open [Press Release].
Retrieved from http://www.kiamotors.com/Inter_corp/Pr/News/ReadPress.aspx?index=404.
Kia Motors Corporation. (2008b, January 28). Kia Motors extends major commitment to Australian Open on eve of tournament
nal [Press Release]. Retrieved from http://www.kiamotors.com/Inter_corp/Pr/News/ReadPress.aspx?index=409.
Kia Motors Corporation. (2009, January 19). Kia Motors to serve another ace to fans at 2009 Australian Open [Press Release].
Retrieved from http://www.kiamotors.com/Inter_corp/Pr/News/ReadPress.aspx?index=456.
Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia, Inc. (2009, April 16). KMMG team members moving to West Point plant site [Press
Release]. Retrieved from http://www.kmmgusa.com/news_04_16_09.aspx.
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