The Corporate Athlete

Welcome back to Athletic Anthropology! In this segment into the realm of Sports and their impact on society, we will discuss the marketing around sports and what has been known as the 'corporate athlete. So, let's jump right in.

the birth of highly paid athletes started in the middle of the 20th century with the invention of the television. No longer did fans have to purchase tickets, organize transportation, and attend games despite weather conditions. Televisions allowed sports to become accessible to a massive nationwide audience and eventually an international one. As a result, sports fans did not have to track down their favorite team on local radios but could instead tune in to the game from the comfort of their home. During this time, the names of athletes entered the households of everyday Americans and increased their followings. With their newfound fame, many athletes used their celebrity status to earn endorsements and sponsorship deals from companies. As televisions became readily available, sports became an important source of entertainment during the 70s, 80s, and 90s. During this time culture began to develop around sports and children and adults from around the country began to idolize athletes. Children could now see their favorite star on somewhere else than their Wheaties box--which began featuring athletes in the 1930s.

While athletes utilized the opportunity to use sponsorships, Micheal Jordan took the idea of the sponsored athlete to a new level at the 1992 Olympics. The legendary member of the 1992 gold-medal-winning US men's basketball team was endorsed by Nike at the time and was helping to bring in a significant amount of revenue with his signature shoes. However, Adidas was sponsoring the apparel for the team, including the jackets that the team would wear. Although Jordan was required to wear the jacket he covered the Adidas logo with the American flag. Thus, the corporate athlete was born. A corporate athlete focuses on making themselves a brand to make as much money as possible. Jordan purposefully covered the logo so that Adidas could not profit off of his likeness or image. This phenomenon began to grow after Jordan's actions and is continued by athletes to do this day. One of the clearest examples is Shaquille O'Neal who appeared in advertisements for insurance, apparel, and many other products. However, it was not until recently that athletes began to endorse political candidates, an action that was generally frowned upon. In 2008, Lebron James publicly supported then-presidential candidate Barack Obama. Since then the question of if it is acceptable for athletes to endorse politicians has become a hot topic issue.

It is important to recognize the impact that athletes have had on today's culture as their status as celebrities allow them to endorse products of their choosing. Therefore just because an athlete endorses a product it does not mean they would necessarily use it themselves. Recognizing the relationship between athletics and economics is important to understand that the corporate athlete, who represents clothing, hydration, and footwear companies, has a profound impact on our culture.

Works Cited

Starn, Orin. "Athletes and Social Activism." Sports and Society, 15 Jul. 2020, Duke University, https://www.coursera.org/learn/sports-society.