Nowadays, it is an undeniable fact that famous athletes are the most well-known celebrities worldwide. Who hasn’t heard of David Beckham or doesn’t know who Michael Jordan is? Sports people have reached the stardom level of Hollywood movie stars and singers, perhaps in some cases even surpassing them. That goes to say that they possess the power to influence not only the society as a whole but also people on a more individual level, thus affecting their personality.
Sports is one of the main subjects that mass media has to do with, which is why it is possible for individual athletes from any field to distinguish themselves from the crowd and become well-known. In order for an athlete to become a celebrity and a public role model, they are needed two basic characteristics, prestige and distinctiveness. That is to say that, they have to have a positive and likeable public image as well as be unique and incomparable to other athletes in his field.
To begin with,through repeated exposure to certain images of sports personalities, familiarize themselves with selected athletes and create a type of imaginary but powerful bond with them.In other words, irrespective of gender and age, people have the tendency to identify …show more content…
Athletes are today’s most famous brand endorsers; they are viewed as human brands with unique personalities. The marketplace is full of advertising campaigns, particularly concerning sporting goods, with world-wide known athletes such as Ronaldo, David Beckham and Husain Bolt. That means that celebrity athletes are so powerful in our consumer society that they are able to control and affect the consumers’ habits, especially teenagers and young adults. This does not mean that it is a positive phenomenon, uncontrolled consumerism is never positive. It just goes to show the huge role such individuals play in our everyday lifestyle