Social media seems to predominate these days. From business marketing to breaking news; sunset ‘selfies’ and what was eaten for breakfast - it seems that our daily lives increasingly revolve around Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and so on.
Professional athletes are at the sharp end of this ever evolving platform. Their daily training and racing performances aside, a social media presence is almost requisite from many sponsors. And rightly so – if a company is investing money in an athlete, they certainly want maximum brand exposure or, more plainly put, “bang for their buck.”
Someone who is well versed in this medium is Kandice Venter, manager of the Specialized Racing XCO mountain bike team. Having been involved in professional cycling management for over a dozen years, Venter’s career has grown in tandem with the beast that is social media in elite sports.
“Social media seemed such a genuine way of sharing information but seems to have evolved into a fire waiting to be fanned,” she says. “Sure, the benefits are numerous – fans are able to gain insight into athlete’s lives while the athletes in turn are able to market themselves and their sponsor’s brands by association. But there is always a fine line between insight and too much information.”
Venter reckons that female athletes tend to have a tougher time in this environment due to the nature of the information posted and how it is received.
“The more information that is posted the more vulnerable athletes can become, especially for female athletes,” she says. “Depending on the content of a social media post, the responses can range from genuine support and motivation to marriage proposals. Fans can encroach on their personal space at races and even in training.
“I’ve been to many social media workshops and they all reiterate the same mantra: whatever we post in a public space can and will be used against us, no matter the intended message. I guess it all depends on personal opinion and points of view. We all interpret things differently.”
Some athletes seem to have taken to social media like proverbial ducks to water. A good example is Namibian cyclist Dan Craven whose authentic and quirky Twitter campaign at Rio 2016 earned him international acclaim, not to mention thousands of followers (14,744 to be exact). The hirsute Craven clearly understands the ‘system’ and seems to revel in his self-created niche. Then there others who look at Tweeting and pinging with disdain preferring their legs and results to do the talking. A case of different strokes for different folks in all fairness, as Venter points out.
“It can be extremely intimidating and frustrating for athletes who would prefer to focus on the job at hand,” she says. “For them, building a social media presence is mostly a hindrance and fair play to them. I guess it is a question of how much information do you need to divulge in order to gain an audience and build your personal brand.
“With more and more accounts being anonymous, the social media world has become an environment where this very anonymity almost buys one the right to say whatever is on one’s mind, no matter the basis, bias or unsubstantiated facts.”
*Note: Header image courtesy of Michal Cerveny.
