Author: Cuma Erol

Reflections – Sports Marketing

As I entered this module for the initial time, I believed I would be discussing some theories and, maybe understanding how brands engage sport and players to construct their image. Something I had not expected was walking out with so well-balanced, practical knowledge of what exactly sports marketing is—and how extraordinarily powerful it could be as a tool for shaping how we participate in sport, teams, and culture.

The last few weeks have been both eye-opening and inspiring. From deep dives into sponsorships and digital engagement to discussions about identity, fan loyalty, and media trends, I’ve genuinely enjoyed exploring the ever-evolving relationship between sports and marketing.

A New Perspective

What impresses me most is how sport is no longer just about what happens on the pitch, court, or track. The story has stretched so much wider than the final whistle. Brands have become vehicles for telling stories now, and sport gives them the perfect vehicle. It’s either by virtue of a memeable TikTok moment, a well-placed Instagram Reel, or a docuseries that gets doors opened, but the way that teams are engaging with fans has changed.

We kept coming back in class to the popularity of basketball in the UK—particularly the London Lions—and how they’ve been able to break through in a football-drenched market. What struck me was how they’ve developed their brand strategically, through social media and sponsorships, to not only gain fans, but create a lifestyle around their team. Their growth in European competition is something that we’ve caught a lot of, and it’s been a great indication of a modern, internet-aware sports brand stretching the boundaries and making waves.

What I Learnt

Yes, we were taught the technical frameworks—SWOT and PESTLE in particular—and while those did shape our minds, it was the practice in real life that brought it to life. The debates, live examples, and group discussions made the module interesting, current, and quite thrilling.

Learning about fan segmentation, social media campaigns, and influencer athlete power literally opened my eyes. Athletes today are less players than they are brands. And learning about the way sport marketers use that influence to create fan bases or launch new campaigns has made me enormously more aware of how things work behind the scenes.

Engagement is Everything

What I’ll take away most is how critical engagement has become. It’s no longer enough to just win games. Teams now have to entertain, connect, and constantly stay present in fans’ lives. From curated social content to experiential activations in real life, marketing is now about building emotion. When a team or athlete creates a moment that feels personal or exciting, that’s where loyalty is built—and loyalty is what drives everything in sports marketing.

The London Lions, again, were brought up a lot in our conversation for this very reason. They’ve managed to build a vibe that’s young, diverse, and contemporary. They seem like they belong online, not like something forced. That’s the kind of authenticity that builds long-term fan bases in this era.

Overall Experience and Future Aspirations

This module not only taught but also guided. I exit it with an even bigger interest in the sports world and how marketing has such a huge part to play in its future. It’s opened my eyes now to the sports I watch, the media I use, and even the brands that I come into contact with.

I also appreciated how the teaching accommodated individual reflection and observation. We were not merely being told how marketing operates—we were being challenged to imagine how we might be engaged with it. Whether or not I pursue a career in branding, media, or fan management, I feel that this module was a solid foundation upon which to build.

Final Thoughts

In retrospect, this module has truly opened my eyes to how the sports world is perceived. It’s no longer what goes on in the game itself anymore — it’s all the peripherals. The narratives, the personalities, the brand, the buzz on social media — that’s where the magic now occurs.

I’ve realized that sports marketing is not just about ticket and kit sales. It’s all about creating genuine connections with fans, delivering unforgettable experiences, and crafting the identity of teams and athletes. That’s what makes it exciting. The best part? I feel like I have barely scratched the surface. There is so much more to explore, and this module has given me a good foundation to keep building on. Whether I work in branding, fan interaction, or even production, I’m sure this experience will be etched in my memory.

Identity and Social Issues in Sport

The media-sport relationship through time has also expanded beyond the mere reporting of games to an institution employed in the construction of debate on issues of identity, race, gender, and social justice. Games and matches, which were initially just games, have now come to re-fashion themselves as sites upon which sportsmen engage issues and demand change. To the media’s eye, issues like racism, gender equality, and identity have emerged from the margins and onto centre stage, and sport more than ever is a stage on which to make social issues count.

The Evolution of Sport and Media

Sport was once entertainment, a break from the monotony of everyday life. TV coverage was determined by what was happening out on the pitch with no care for the wider stories that were taking place off the pitch. Look at today and the media influence on sport is far greater. Social media has given athletes voices through which to speak directly to fans without the approval of traditional gatekeepers of information. Sport has therefore become society in miniature, with discussion of race, gender, and politics being heard as frequently as match predictions and transfer gossip.

The tide began to shift for many athletes and fans when social causes stopped being held in abeyance, and players started using their profiles to advocate for something. Some of the most powerful statements of this phenomenon were Colin Kaepernick’s, the retired NFL quarterback, kneeling during national anthem protests against police brutality. His protest launched a national and global conversation about police brutality, racial injustice, and the role of athletes in activism. In the media, Kaepernick’s act of defiance became a symbol of resistance, and sports fans found themselves caught up in controversy that involved politics, race, and sports.

Race and Identity in Football

Football has been at the forefront with a number of its superstars using their fame to talk about race and identity issues. Marcus Rashford is an example. The Manchester United celebrity turned vocal activist on child food poverty in the UK used his social media presence to pressure the government into providing free school meals for poor children. His campaign, which was given media coverage, had real-world, tangible effects in the sense that the government ended up reversing its decision to cut funding.

Social issues within sport are not always so straightforward as a call for social change. Issues like racism persist in football, despite the very high-visibility campaigns like Kick It Out and Black Lives Matter. In 2021, England’s footballers took the knee before matches in support of anti-racism demonstrations, only to be condemned by some supporters. This is one instance of a difficult dilemma for sports media: while most supporters embrace the activism, there is still opposition from others who see political messages as out of place in their entertainment.

Gender Equality in Sport

Women’s sport has for decades been given a lower priority, with female sport receiving vastly less media coverage and fan following. Women’s sportswomen were given comparatively little coverage back then compared to the men’s sportswomen, and even their achievements would be overshadowed. This situation is now undergoing a change with increased media publicity, sponsorship, and more supporter following women’s sport.

Perhaps the most obvious example of progress is the Women’s World Cup for soccer. Since the early 1990s, the competition has had increasingly larger audiences, and in 2019 the FIFA Women’s World Cup held in France set a global record for viewership with an audience of over 1 billion people. Media outlets like Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube have also performed very well in highlighting the profiles of women’s sports so that women players can reach out to their own fan bases directly and show their own experiences.

Despite this, there is still a lot to be achieved. Women’s sports continue to receive fewer media timeouts than men’s, and women athletes are generally paid significantly lower than the men even in sports with equivalent audiences. The U.S. Women’s National football team has fought for equal pay and respect, but the divide continues. The contribution made by media in favour of promoting gender equality has come a long way in bringing issues into limelight and making heard the voices of sporting women, who expect respect and equal opportunity.

The Dark Side: The Media’s Role in Amplifying Controversy

As good as the role of the media has been in pushing social agendas through sports, it’s not entirely positive. The same platforms that allow athletes to make their voices heard are the same that subject them to vicious criticism and hate speech. When athletes take strong stands on something they feel, they are subject to online rants, often because their stances are in opposition to popular opinion.

Take the example of Sergio Ramos, Real Madrid’s former star player who became the victim of online insults after having openly spoken about political matters. What he has endured highlights how in the sporting world, the media can be a double-edged sword—giving sportsmen the platform to make an impact while also exposing them to derogatory comments.

The Future

In the years to come, it is safe to predict that the marriage of sport and media will only be stronger. Through online media, sports enthusiasts now have more channels of accessing the causes that thrill them today than ever before. Social media will continue to be a battlefield upon which players struggle to effect change, and mass media outlets will have to balance coverage of the game with a sense of duty to cover the off-field problems that are motivating their players.

Ultimately, sport is less about the sport—it’s about the people, the problems, and the narratives in it. The athletes themselves who take a stand are defining what it means to be a hero in sport. And as we look ahead and observe the convergence of sport and media continue to grow and evolve, we can anticipate social causes, identity, and activism to be at the forefront of the conversation.

Citations

“The Role of the Media in Promoting Gender Equality in Sport.” Journal of Sport and Social Issues.

Sullivan, M. (2021). “Why Are Female Athletes Still Paid Less Than Men?” BBC Sport.

The Guardian (2016). “Colin Kaepernick: The NFL Player Who Kneels for Justice.”

FIFA (2019). FIFA Women’s World Cup 2019 Viewership Statistics.

BBC News (2020). Rashford Campaign for Free School Meals.