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Drivers to divascomponent of source credibility (Boyd & Shank, 2004;Fink et al, 2004; Ohanian, 1991; Till & Busler, 1998)and is needed to garner respect as an athlete andconvince consumers to buy endorsed products.Is Danica Patrick on the right track? Do the factorsof attractiveness and expertise work synergistically toenhance the image of the spokesperson and theproducts being endorsed? Or does the use of sexappeal in advertising reduce the impact of themessage by objectifying the endorser? How doesgender affect this equation? Do consumers responddifferently to advertisements featuring female athletesversus male athletes? Does the type of sport make adifference? Future empirical research is needed toinvestigate these and other questions related toadvertising images of athlete product endorsers. Abetter understanding of the interaction and influenceof source credibility factors will enable sportsmarketers, corporate sponsors and athletes to developmore successful endorsement relationships.© 2009 International Marketing ReportsBiographiesSally R. Ross is an assistant professor of sportmanagement at Bowling Green State University.Her research interests include sport and gender,and experiences and opportunities of girls and womenin sport.Lynn L. Ridinger is an associate professor of sportmanagement at Old Dominion University. Her researchinterests include sports consumer behaviour andinvolvement with women’s sports.Jacquelyn Cuneen is a professor of sport managementat Bowling Green State University. Her researchinterests include sports and event promotion andsports management professional preparation.ReferencesAgrawal, J. & Kamakura, W.A. (1995) The economic worth ofcelebrity endorser: an event study analysis, Journal of Marketing59(3), 56-63.Blinde, E.M., Greendorfer, S.L. & Shanker, R. J. (1991) Differentialmedia coverage of men’s and women’s intercollegiate basketball:Reflection of gender ideology, Journal of Sport and Social Issues15(2), 98-114.Blount, R. (2007, April 16) ‘Selling sex and sports isn’t working’,Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune. Retrieved September 25, 2007from: http://www.startribune.com/10073/story/ 1125048.htmlBoyd, T.C. & Shank, M.D. (2004) Athletes as product endorsers:the effect of gender and product relatedness, Sport MarketingQuarterly 13(2), 82-93.Castelnuovo, S. & Guthrie, S. (1998) Feminism and the femalebody: liberating the Amazon within. Boulder: Lynne RiennerPublishers.Chaiken, S. (1979) Communicator physical attractiveness andpersuasion, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 37(2),1387-1397.Cuneen, J. (2001) Advertising sports-products to girls and womenin a new era: a farewell to genderised visuals connotingstereotypical messages? International Journal of Sport Management2(2), 101-107.Cuneen, J. & Claussen, C.L. (1999) Gender portrayals in sportsproductpoint-of purchase advertising, Women in Sport andPhysical Activity Journal 8(2), 73-102.Cuneen, J. & Sidwell, M.J. (1998) Gender portrayals in SportsIllustrated for Kids advertisements: a content analysis of prominentand supporting models, Journal of Sport Management 12(1), 39-50.Cuneen, J. & Spencer, N.E. (2003) Gender representations relatedto sport celebrity portrayals in the milk moustache advertisingcampaign, Sport Marketing Quarterly 12(2), 140-150.Cuneen, J., Spencer, N.E., Ross, S.R. & Apostolopoulou, A. (2007)Advertising portrayals of Indy’s female drivers: a perspective on thesuccession from Guthrie to Patrick, Sport Marketing Quarterly16(3), 147-160.Dworkin, S. (2001) Holding back: negotiating a glass ceiling onwomen's muscular strength, Sociological Perspectives 44, 333- 350.Fink, J., Cunningham, G. & Kensicki, L.J. (2004) Utilising athletesas endorsers to sell women's sport: attractiveness versus expertise,Journal of Sport Management 18 (4), 350-367.Fogarty, M. (2003, March 19) ‘Photogenic Patrick one of the guyson track’, USA Today, 13c.RESEARCH PAPER● APRIL 2009 ● International Journal of Sports Marketing & Sponsorship213