Olympics-Athlete influencers compete for likes as well as medals in Paris

Signify

22/07/2024 16:07

By Amy Tennery
       NEW YORK, July 22 (Reuters) - Athletes on the hunt for
Olympic gold will also be chasing likes and follows on social
media in Paris, as a battle for a coveted piece of viral fame
kicks off at the Games.
    A social media side hustle unlike any other will play out
across a frantic 16 days beginning on July 26 with Olympians
looking to exploit a narrow window to connect with fans from the
Games on platforms like YouTube, Tik Tok and Instagram.
    American rugby player Ilona Maher went viral at the Tokyo
Olympics and now boasts more than a million followers on Tik
Tok, despite her sport having less traction than others in the
United States.
    Her teammate Ariana Ramsey wants to follow a similar path in
 Paris, hoping the four videos she will be producing each day
will build her online persona and help with her ambition to one
day start her own athletic apparel brand.
    "It is so much pressure because there's only so much you can
really plan for," she told Reuters. 
    "I can make a list of content ideas and try and execute them
there, but it's going to be more of a matter of like what is
going on in the time? What can I capture? What's relevant?"
    Like many other Olympians who work second or even third
jobs, Ramsey has used social media to supplement her income,
earning one-off deals with brands and charging about $100 for an
Instagram Reel or $50 for an Instagram story post.
    In years past, athletes like Ramsey might have needed a
manager to negotiate deals with brands. Now, a company will
reach out directly to strike a deal.
    "This is a whole second job," said Ramsey, who also competed
in Tokyo. 
    Athletes do not have to be among the top echelons of fame to
gain traction online, Kate Johnson, Google's global marketing
director, sports, entertainment, and content partnerships, told
Reuters.
    "You don't have to have a big name. You have something
unique to tell and to share that brands want access to," she
said.      
    The Women's Sports Foundation trustee won silver as a rower
in 2004 and sees extraordinary new opportunities for athletes
rapidly unfolding since she stepped onto the Olympic podium in
Athens.
    YouTube, which is owned by Google's Alphabet Inc., counted 1
billion unique monthly visitors in 2013. That number roughly
doubled by 2022.
    "I feel like I have to do a public service announcement for
Olympic athletes who have been in the zone, competing, focusing,
training and haven't necessarily been paying attention to how to
monetize this moment in time for themselves," she said.
    
    'VALUE' ONLINE
    For some, a deep-pocketed sponsor can offer a boost.
    Visa offered their more than 100 "Team Visa" athletes a
masterclass in digital storytelling and engagement ahead of the
Paris Games, led by social media creators.
    The course, offered for the first time, included practical
instruction on how to use platforms like Tik Tok as well as
guidance on digital storytelling.
    "Helping in how they are going to engage with their fans and
be better and more comfortable kind of in this creative space
was something that was of value," said Andrea Fairchild, the
senior vice president of global sponsorship strategy at Visa.
    Samsung Electronics  005930.KS  is providing every athlete
at the Games with the tools for the job, an Olympic Edition of
their new flip phone.  
    The Visa course also educated athletes on how to manage the
pitfalls of social media, with online abuse an inevitable
reality for athletes.
    A FIFA report found that one in five players at the 2023
Women's World Cup were subjected to discriminatory or abusive
content and even the most enthusiastic content creators
acknowledge too much time online comes at a cost.
    Sportswear brand Asics announced ahead of the Games that it
was partnering with data science company Signify to shield its
athletes from online harassment.
    "We are acutely aware of the negative impact of online
harassment and cyberbullying on mental health, and so are keen
to help protect our athletes from online abuse," Asics' Global
Head of Sports Marketing Olivier Mignon said in a statement.
    Rugby player Maher, who has more than 590,000 followers on
Instagram, has not been immune to the "trolls" of social media
and told reporters at a recent Team USA summit that she treats
her online presence as a means to an end.
    "Do I wish I had to do it? No," she said. "But I love what
it's done for me."

 (Reporting by Amy Tennery in New York
Editing by Christian Radnedge)
 ((Amy.Tennery@thomsonreuters.com; 917-361-8594;))