In the National Football League, the Pittsburgh Steelers' wide receiver Antonio Brown uses social media to display his flamboyant personality online, that is also displayed on the field through his style of play and touchdown celebrations. Specifically, in the 2015 season, Antonio Brown celebrated a 71-yard punt return by jumping on the goal post. Not only did the celebration go viral in 2015, but also is still shared on social media by both fans and Antonio Brown himself (Instagram post shown in picture).
Antonio Brown continues to push boundaries on social media, and some of his actions can be seen as controversial. On January 15, 2017, after the Steelers beat the Kansas City Chiefs, Brown went live on Facebook sharing the team locker room talk. The video includes Mike Tomlin motivating the team for the upcoming playoff game against the New England Patriots. However, the video included quotes from Tomlin about the Patriots, that ideally want to be kept behind closed doors. Despite the decision by Brown to share the video online, the Steelers players still support him stating "AB is AB. He can do what he wants to do... We love AB" (sportingnews.com). Even though the video got taken down quickly, thousands of viewers were able to see the content due to the power of social media. This content reflects upon the reputation of not only Antonio Brown, but also his teammates and coach, Mike Tomlin. Therefore, social media is seen as a power tool in influencing people's opinions. Overall, professional athletes, need to use social media to market themselves how they want to be seen in the public eye. Even though Antonio Brown has made controversial decisions both online and offline, he continues to stay true to himself and market his own "personal brand" and spontaneous personality. He engages with the public on social media, and markets himself as an entertainer as both a player and an individual.
I like this because I think it shows how important it is for athletes to be responsible with social media because they are in the public eye. I think that they have to be even more careful with social media versus the average person because all eyes are on them and most people/critics are waiting for them to mess up. I am glad you touched on this subject because I think it is a huge topic in main stream media right now.
ReplyDeleteThis is so interesting - especially because I think it is becoming more and more common for athletes and other celebrities in the public eye to share to their fans and followers with little or no filter. I think sometimes it doesn't always go over well - maybe some celebrities need a lesson in PR and personal branding - but often times it can help the celebrity establish a strong personality online and boost their public perception. This was a great review of this topic and I hope to read more of your content in the future!
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