Why Does Athlete Branding Matter in Modern Sport?

More accounts follow Cristiano Ronaldo on Instagram than there are people in the United States, Brazil, France, and Canada combined.

This level of global attention has transformed the role of the athlete into one of the most analysed in the world, with performances on the pitch, court or track constantly discussed and scrutinised. However, it is their actions away from sport that are increasingly under the microscope.

We’ve all seen social media posts and sponsorship deals, but often it isn’t just an athlete selling their image to the highest bidder. It’s an athlete forging a personal brand.

This brand-building is seen as more and more important and commonplace, becoming a modern part of sports business, marketing, and athlete management. An understanding of it is vital to understanding today’s sport-media landscape.

Why Build a Brand?

Athletes are no longer just athletes. They are activists, personalities, and role models, operating as their own commercial entities.

It is widely reported that the new generation of sports fans often has a stronger affiliation to a player than a team, giving athletes the platform from which they can build an effective brand.

Building a brand can also mean controlling public perception. Historically, what we hear about athletes has been via newspapers who have been known as the gatekeepers of information.

In the age of social media, however, athletes have a platform to directly communicate with their fans, bypassing traditional media and therefore controlling the narrative that surrounds them. 

This, when done authentically and consistently, can have numerous benefits, including long-term financial stability.

A household name, David Beckham is an example of an athlete doing so through a worldwide brand, reaching before the days of social media. Despite a successful sporting career, Beckham acknowledged the need to plan ahead in his 2023 Netflix documentary, saying: “I knew my career was going to end at some point, and I wanted to have a career after football.” 

This saw his personal brand building commence well before his retirement, including delving into the world of fashion as well as signing with popstar manager Simon Fuller to make the Beckham name a global one.

Today, this is the norm, with athletes from Cristiano Ronaldo to Caitlin Clark all securing their own endorsements. They also frequently reinforce the need to be genuine by saying: “I work with brands I believe in.”

However, it isn’t just elite athletes who benefit from crafting their own image. Those in more niche sports or lower leagues often rely even more on their brand to ensure financial stability, but regardless of what level or sport the athlete plays, a good reputation has been shown to increase an audience’s belief in a brand or product.

This can stretch from their nutritional advice on social media to their analysis during punditry, both of which rely on the athlete sharing an authentic personality.

How to Build a Brand

As stated by Thomas van Schaik and Hans Westerbeek in Building the Athlete Brand, authenticity allows athletes to be consistent in their branding, as it lets them be themselves.

Athletes such as Shaquille O’Neal and Micah Richards are both examples of this, who, having shared their genuine personalities with their audience, have successfully developed themselves into some of the biggest names in sports broadcasting.

An athlete can also share this authenticity by tapping into endorsements they believe in. 

Often, a company’s marketing campaign isn’t attempting to sell just a product, but an idea. Partnering with companies that do so effectively can have a significant impact on how the athlete is seen, as they can attach themselves to that idea.

A recent example is Under Armour’s Be The Problem campaign. At first glance, the company sells sports apparel, but with dramatic marketing, they are presenting their athletes as rebels and rulebreakers.

Athletes associated with this image include Achraf Hakimi and Ferran Torres, and their involvement in it can impact how they are perceived by the public. This can have a knock-on impact on their professional value as a result, with research showing that the popularity of players has a positive and significant impact on valuation.

As athletes increasingly act as their own commercial brands, the ability to understand the theories and practices in place to do so effectively has become a vital skill in the sports industry.

Whether it be marketing or athlete management, GIS students can learn these skills through expertly-taught programmes that mix theory with industry experience from the lecturers. To learn more, discover our course offerings.

Article by Zakaria Anani