Tenth International Conference on Sport & Society

Abstract

Just as all corporate companies and entities utilize branding to generate name recognition among as many consumers as possible, so too do sports teams, franchise, athletic departments and individual athletes depend on brand equity to gain and retain a loyal fan base. Sports fans are a considerable area of consumerism, sport branding however, is unique in that there are fewer tangible goods, meaning sports rely on “selling an image” to fans in order to encourage fan loyalty and spending (Arai, et al. 2014, p.98). This work argues that aspects of athletes’ personal lives (specifically sexual identity) can both positively and negatively impact an athlete’s personal brand, along with any overarching team or franchise brand. By understanding the ways in which sport serves as a social and cultural space to “reproduc[e] a conservative and stabilizing form of masculinity that renders considerable costs for both sexes” (Anderson, 2008, p.260) conclusions can be drawn to connections between stereotypes about specific sports, sexuality, and an athlete’s perceived ability to be out while maintaining an attractive brand. Athletes are bound by stereotypes connected to their sports, while also at times able to harness those stereotypes into greater acceptance of their sexual identities. However, teams, franchises, and athletic departments still have the choice of controlling an athlete’s ability to incorporate their sexual identity into a personal brand if it would seem damaging or not in line with the greater organizational brand. This often leads to “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” team cultures, and few visible LGB athletes.