The Social Media Footballer Revolution
There has been a rise in footballers using social media over the last decade, but how far has this surge been influenced by journalism that has portrayed footballers in a negative light?
Social media has become a phenomenon over the last decade.
It’s used by businesses in all industries to promote their products and services as well as highlight their core values, being a lucrative business model for both the social media platform used and the business using it.
Footballers have acknowledged the money social media makes from their fans and have turned to agencies to help monetise each platform.
But is social media really all about the money for footballers? Or is it because it gives them a voice to challenge negative journalism and allows them to share their personalities to their fans?
Ronaldo the Pioneer
Cristiano Ronaldo was one of the first footballers to create a social media account.
He created a Facebook profile in 2009 after Facebook executives urged Ronaldo’s management team to start a Facebook page for him, claiming that Ronaldo had the potential to get 10 million followers — almost as many people as his home nation Portugal at that time.
As of September 2019, Ronaldo hit 122.19 million followers, making him the person with the most followers on Facebook; over 21 million more than Shakira.
Just a few years ago, many football clubs weren’t even on Twitter, let alone Facebook. But if you were to type in the name of almost any football club in the world today, there’s a very good chance that you’ll come across their Facebook page.
For instance, when Huddersfield got promoted to the Premier League in 2017, they saw an 80 per cent rise in a year for Facebook followers and their Instagram figures rose by 600%— showing the appeal of the Premier League AND the importance of social media.
Personality = Money
There is plenty of money to be made through social media for footballers, but not all of that revenue goes to them states Misha Sher, VP of sports and entertainment at Mediacom, in regards to Cristiano Ronaldo’s followers:
“Facebook makes a ton of money selling ads against Ronaldo’s audience, and none of that goes to him. Players are now realizing that they’re driving the engagement, but someone else is getting paid.” — Misha Sher.
There’s no denying that footballers want this value for themselves.
Footballers using social media effectively — with engagement, authenticity and good numbers — make themselves more attractive to sponsors and clubs.
Players consider their success as influencers tied to being aspirational and relatable — and therefore, trustworthy. Kelvyn Gardner, the managing director of the Licensing Industry Merchandisers’ Association, suggests this is largely helped by their personalities they portray on social media:
“New stars need to be allowed to be themselves, as this will create ‘real brands’ in the sport, not media-manufactured ersatz celebrities with whom fans can feel very little empathy” — Kelvyn Gardner.
Manchester City’s Raheem Sterling is the epitome of this, using his own tone of voice in his social media posts confirms to his followers that everything he posts really does come directly from him and not an agency. This allows him to create a sense of trust with his followers allowing him to truly connect with them; it also means he has a platform to have a positive influence, such as encouraging people to register to vote in this year’s general election.
The Impact on Football Journalism
Social media truly has given footballers a voice to not only connect with their followers but to also share their own views on matters.
Football journalists are now much more wary of posting defamatory headlines knowing the backlash they could receive due to the fact footballers can now respond to stories directly.
This wasn’t such an issue for journalists before the introduction of social media, sharing all sorts of fake news that would spark sales of their content.
But the presence of social media won’t stop journalists sharing stories that portray celebrities in a negative light.
Footballers are celebrities and people of interest who have followers that can be monetised; journalists will continue to publish stories that create conversations to help them receive more impressions.
Even footballers themselves can create news stories thanks to their own social media activity. Manchester City’s Bernardo Silva received a one match ban after he shared a discriminatory tweet towards teammate Benjamin Mendy.
Nevertheless, social media has given footballers a platform to respond to journalists and anything that may portray them in a negative light.
Raheem Sterling has been a target for the media with every move he makes being heavily scrutinised and often criticised. Despite doing something positive and encouraging people to register to vote he was still criticised…
But social media platforms have allowed him to respond to those trying to represent him in a negative light.
If used effectively, social media can be a fantastic asset for footballers.
Social media is THE quickest way for any football related group or individual to share or respond to any information and is why other platforms such as Teletext were no longer sustainable.
Footballers now have the platform and opportunity to monetise through their social media followers, connect with their followers directly, share their true personality and are given a voice to respond.
This is why the rise in footballers using social media will continue to grow.
