Given the growing importance in academic literature and industry practice of developing athletes as brands, the purpose of this study was to examine how women professional athletes choose to build their personal brands on social media and how followers engage with their posts through likes.
Similar to the design in Pegoraro (2010) and Geurin-Eagleman and Burch (2016), this study investigated the self-presentation on Instagram of Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) players and follower engagement through their likes. For that purpose, a content analysis of 1,405 Instagram photographs of all WNBA players active in the 2020 and 2021 seasons was conducted.
Results indicated that the majority of pictures posted were of the athletes’ athletic-selves (51.89%) and personal lives (37.30%). Concerning their self-presentation within those categories, dressed but posed led pictures with 34.74% (n = 435), followed by non-sport setting 30.03% (n = 376), athlete action 15.97% (n = 200), mixed message 9.74% (n = 122), femininity 7.03% (n = 88) and sexual 2.48% (n = 31). Although the sexual category had very few pictures, those received the highest number of likes.
The present study is not without its limitations. An examination of other women’s sports and leagues is warranted. This study analyzed photos and resulting likes but did not address videos and other posted content on Instagram nor did it track and analyze comments. Another key area that could be analyzed is the intersection of race, gender and sexuality and its potential relationship with fan engagement. In addition, several other prominent social media platforms should be analyzed, particularly since this study indicated that a number of WNBA athletes utilized Instagram for posting business endeavors more than personal activities. Finally, athletes’ motivation to post certain types of pictures could be investigated.
Practical implications for marketers with regards to the personal brands of women athletes on Instagram are discussed.
The present findings indicate that WNBA players have chosen a variety of paths through social media to build their brands. Women athletes can develop authentic brand personas online, and in the modern age of sport marketing, control of one’s brand is key. Though for decades scholars have complained that women’s sports have too often been ignored and what has been covered was too focused on sexualized content, the present social media environment has empowered women athletes to market themselves in a manner they chose, which fosters authenticity. That authenticity can create stronger matches with products and therefore build additional opportunities for organizations to partner with women athletes on their terms. Remarkably, the concept of sexualized or feminine depictions of athletes in the media and its mostly negative connotation may need to be revisited by marketeers. These visions or judgements do not necessarily represent well the current social media environment.
Building on Goffman’s (1959) theory, this study comprehensively analyzed the frontstage and backstage behaviors of all active players in the WNBA in 2020 and 2021. Following the content analysis conducted on their posts and the analysis of follower engagement through number of likes, the results offered insights regarding how social media presence and the presentation choices of women professional athletes impact their personal brand development.
