Branding of Professional Athletes

Abstract

This thesis is generated to study and explain the main issues and solutions in the branding of professional athletes. With a heavy background in sports, the author’s goal was to study the past and present ways of athlete branding, and how it can be utilized more effectively. Athletes have always been in a privileged position and companies have been able to use athletes to benefit their sales and marketing. As branding has become increasingly more important in the modern-world. This thesis will study how branding affects the relationship between companies and athletes, and how those relationships are formed. The authr used case studies and literature reviewing to determine how athletes are able to use their following and personal brand to create successful opportunities for them, and the companies that they are working with. The report divides branding into multiple different aspects and studies them individually. This way the importance of each aspect is pointed out. By dividing branding into sub-sections and explaining them individually, the results and studies within those sub-sections can be combined. This thesis compiles literature reviews and case studies to determine the importance of athlete branding. In the ever-growing world of athlete branding, those who are able to establish authenticity and transparency within their brand are more likely to succeed. The findings of this thesis concluded that with the rise in different technological advancements and the rise of social media, both the athletes and the companies that they want to be involved with need to be on top of the newest trends in social media. The author also generated a guidebook that has solutions and examples for newer athletes when they embark on their journey to the world of branding.