Toward prescription: Testing the rhetoric of atonement's applicability in the athletic arena

For over 30 years, scholars have been studying the intricacies of apologia. Over the years, understanding this line of research has become essential for scholars of public relations. Recently, Koesten and Rowland [Koesten, J., & Rowland, R. C. (2004). The rhetoric of atonement. Communication Studies, 55, 68–87] proposed the rhetoric of atonement, a prescriptive typology of apologia designed to guide rhetors facing the need to atone for sins that cannot be denied, justified, or transcended. Newly proposed, however, their typology has yet to be tested outside of the political realm. The current study applies the typology to the image repair campaign run by Tony Stewart, the 2002 NASCAR (National Association of Stock Car Auto Racing) Winston Cup Champion, after he physically attacked Indianapolis Star photographer, Gary Mook, following a disappointing finish in the Brickyard 400 in August of 2002.