From multimillion-rand sponsorship deals to prison: Can Oscar Pistorius resuscitate his brand?

In his prime as the "Blade Runner" Paralympic athlete Oscar Pistorius' back story of overcoming adversity attracted huge sponsorship deals from big firms including Nike and sunglasses maker Oakley. However, all that came crashing down when he was arrested for the murder of his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, in February 2013.

Reports at the time were that before his arrest, Pistorius was pocketing around $2m (about R17.4m at February 2013 exchange rates) a year in endorsement deals. 

After his time in prison , questions arise whether the 37-year-old, who is set to be released on parole on Friday, could have a future in the sporting fraternity as a coach or brand ambassador.

A player agent and a sponsorship management specialist spoke to TimesLIVE, and both believe Pistorius would need to work hard, prove he has changed and show remorse for his crime to rebuild his image. Even then, it would be a tough ask to get big brands to tie up with him. 

Sport sponsorship management and activations specialist Dumo Mbuli said attracting brands will no longer be about fame but a new phase of his life and he must show he is starting afresh. 

"It all depends on him. Has he adjusted, has he shown remorse and proved he is rehabilitated after being sentenced and coming out? Is he reaching out to the people he has hurt? Is that his plan?" said Mbuli.

He said he believes some companies could associate themselves with someone who shows a sense of remorse and proves they have been rehabilitated.  

Mbuli said this speaks a lot about the character of an individual and would bring positivity around their brands.

"At the moment the brands have been quiet and they continue to be quiet and not want to be associated until the level of rehabilitation is shown, the level of remorse and of acceptance."

He said brands would most likely try to help him rebuild his life and image if he has filled all the critical elements and that takes time.

Regarding Pistorius' future in athletics in any capacity, Mbuli said if he wanted to go back, he would need to show exactly what he had been doing during his time in prison. 

"He hasn't been in sports.  A lot of [him rebuilding] will be him telling his story from being inside prison, being sentenced, what he was doing and what he went through in jail.

"What was he doing in terms of activities, what was he doing in terms of social responsibility and in terms of that for himself?"

A lot would need to be done by Pistorius if he is interested in working with young and upcoming sports stars.  

"Have you been trying to build boys in terms of their character or were you breaking down people? A lot of that will speak to his character if he goes back into sports.

"He won't be the athlete we once knew. Much will depend on his level of rehabilitation and mental state.

"Those are the most important things and brands will want to see that. You can come out still performing wonders, but if the character hasn't changed brands will not want to be associated with you," Mbuli said.

Player agent Gavin Jones does not believe sponsors will jump at working with Pistorius because of his history. 

Jones said big sponsors "won't even think about it", but maybe small local sponsors would. He said for Pistorius to attract smaller sponsorships, he would need to do a massive turnaround. 

"He probably needs to do a 150% turnaround, giving back to the community and showing remorse, showing he wants to help the community in a different way. I think that will change the perception of his character and attract different sponsors."

TimesLIVE