Athlete Role-Modelling: The Role of Social Media

By Marianna Kazazi, The Sports Financial Literacy Academy, Nicosia, Cyprus

Social media is now an integral part of our lives, serving not only as a means of communication, but also as a powerful influencing and marketing tool, which can shape our thoughts and actions.

When it comes to athletes, they are often idolised by their fans due to their on-field sporting performances; however, social media helps to make them more relatable to their audiences on a more personal level.

As a result of this, athletes acquire considerable influence through the use of their social media platforms, and that comes with great personal responsibility.

Sports fans worldwide seek to stay updated on the daily lives of their favourite athletes by following them on their social media platforms. Numerous athletes provide personal content to foster a sense of transparency with their fan base, such as glimpses into their gym routines, daily meals, and even personal and family lives. Through the development of their personal brands on social media, athletes effectively need to act as role models to their fans, leading by example.

The way in which societal issues are conveyed online has drastically evolved, and professional athletes have the power to leverage social media platforms to communicate their messages to a much broader audience and in a much more personal way.

For instance, several NBA players wore an ‘‘I can’t breathe’’ t-shirt before a game after the tragic death of an unarmed black, Eric Garner, following a confrontation with a New York Police Department officer in July 2014. This quickly led to the ‘Black Lives Matter’ in the United States and became a social media sensation with users sharing photos and stories regarding the actions of the NBA players.

LeBron James, one of the NBA players who wore that t-shirt, aimed to express solidarity with the victim’s family and raise awareness of the particular social problem. He highlighted the issue through his Instagram, as well by sharing a picture showing Michael Brown and Trayvon Martin, both African American men, who also fell prey to police brutality, standing and hugging each other. Quite impactful!

Thus, whilst social media can be a powerful tool for athletes to serve as positive role models, it also presents a significant risk, since negative behaviour of athletes online can lead to poor role-modelling for their fans, especially their young ones.

An example of an athlete, who has been criticised for promoting negative and inappropriate behaviour, is Antonio Brown. Known by his nickname “AB”. He is a former wide receiver in the NFL who has been involved in many controversial incidents both on and off the field of play. Specifically, through his social media accounts, he is known to make inappropriate and offensive comments, post inappropriate content and takes part in arguments with other users, even after his retirement, all of which creates a negative impression. So much so, that one of his supporters, earlier this year, called upon Elon Musk to ban Brown from his ‘X’ social media platform!

In conclusion, social media has transformed the way that athletes are perceived by their fans with the ability to act as influential role-models to millions of people worldwide. The transparency and personalised content, demonstrated through social media, provides a sense of relatability and familiarity to athletes that was not possible in the past.

Furthermore, athletes are able to leverage their social media platforms to raise awareness of and address contemporary social issues, but the negative effects of social media should not be overlooked or ignored. Inappropriate online behaviour from athletes can lead to negative examples being set towards their fans and the general public, as well as tarnishing their images and personal brands.

Therefore, athletes must use their social media platforms with caution and great responsibility to ensure that they are promoting positive behaviour and thereby being great role-models to their followers.

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