A study from the University of Kansas highlights the complex relationship between social media, team branding, and personal branding for professional women soccer players in Europe. While the growth in popularity of women's professional soccer is marked, the research reveals that when women's teams share social media platforms with men's teams, it can actually result in lower followings for female athletes. This counters intuitive assumptions about cross-promotion and demonstrates a persistence of gender discrimination in social media environments, despite the potential for broader audience exposure.
It exposes them to a larger audience and more followers. But it actually has the opposite effect. It verifies, essentially, the same gender discrimination we see online and in society.
The first study found that if a team's account had authentication, or a 'check mark' for an official account, it positively influenced both the team and player's following and engagement.
Professionally, women's soccer has grown in popularity, while social media gives athletes a way to promote their personal brands.
The research analyzed how professional women soccer players in Europe use social media to promote their personal brand and how factors like their team's social media use influence their popularity.
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