The Social Media Response From Athletes and Sport Organizations to COVID-19: An Altruistic Tone
24 Aug 2020-International Journal of Sport Communication (Human Kinetics)-Vol. 13, Iss: 3, pp 474-483
TL;DR: The global coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has resulted in restrictions on gatherings of large crowds, the suspension of live sport events across the globe, and the relegation of topical televised sport to broadcasts of past events and competitions as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: The global coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has resulted in restrictions on gatherings of large crowds, the suspension of live sport events across the globe, and the relegation of topical televised sport to broadcasts of past events and competitions Consequently, there has been a shift in focus from the entertainment aspect of sport to the health and well-being aspects of sport As athletes, teams, and sport organizations have become subject to government legislation concerning physical distancing, self-isolation, and lockdowns, the resultant spare time has presented the opportunity for individual athletes and sport organizations to pursue an approach to social media that includes viral challenges, fundraising, and socializing online This paper provides a commentary on select high-profile athletes' and sport organizations' social media behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic, which has adopted an altruistic tone
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TL;DR: In this article, a cross-sectional study with a within-subjects design was designed to investigate the impact of the pandemic on mental health, mood states, and life satisfaction of elite athletes.
Abstract: Scientific reports notified that the pandemic caused by the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has raised an unprecedented mental health emergency worldwide. Abrupt changes in daily routine, environmental constraints, adopted home confinement measures, and uncertainty about a date for returning to usual activities can potentially affect mental health and sports activities in athletes. Hence, we designed a cross-sectional study with a within-subjects design to investigate the impact of the pandemic on mental health, mood states, and life satisfaction of elite athletes. During the three phases of home confinement (April 14-24, n = 525), reopening (May 9-19, n = 464), and current semi-lockdown (July 20-31, n = 428), elite athletes voluntarily responded to an online survey. The self-report questionnaire was prepared to collect demographic and epidemiological variables of interest and the COVID-19-related information. All participants also completed the Profile of Mood State (POMS), General Health Questionnaire-28 (GHQ-28), and Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS). The main result is that the training rate, mental health, life satisfaction, and positive mood have decreased during the home confinement period as compared with the reopening and semi-lockdown phases. However, the need for psychosocial services has increased during the pandemic period. The present study provides the first preliminary evidence that home confinement conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic might have negatively influenced elite athlete's mood state, mental health, and life satisfaction, as well as training rates. Monitoring the psychological parameters of elite athletes and developing strategies to improve their mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic should be on the agenda. Next studies, therefore, seem reasonable to focus on active interventions for athletes during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
28 citations
TL;DR: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has had a significant impact on the world of sports due to periods of home quarantine, bans against public gatherings, travel restrictions, and a large number of postponed or canceled major sporting events.
Abstract: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has had a significant impact on the world of sports due to periods of home quarantine, bans against public gatherings, travel restrictions, and a large number of postponed or canceled major sporting events. The literature hitherto is sparse, but early indications display signs of psychological impact on elite athletes due to the pandemic. However, beyond acute effects from lockdown and short-term interrupted athletic seasons, the postponed and still uncertain Olympic and Paralympic Games may represent a major career insecurity to many athletes world-wide, and may lead to severe changes to everyday lives and potentially prolonged psychological distress. Given the long-term perspective of these changes, researchers and stakeholders should address mental health and long-term job insecurity in athletes, including a specific focus on those with small financial margins, such as many female athletes, parasports athletes, athletes in smaller sports, and athletes from developing countries. Implications and the need for research are discussed.
24 citations
TL;DR: The New York Times ran a detailed piece entitled '2020: The Year in Sports When Everybody Lost' (Drape et al., 2020), which lamented the economic impact of the COVID-19 p...
Abstract: On 13 December 2020, the New York Times ran a detailed piece entitled ‘2020: The Year in Sports When Everybody Lost’ (Drape et al., 2020). The article lamented the economic impact of the COVID-19 p...
24 citations
TL;DR: The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need for a transformative perspective on the role of sport brands in promoting fans' psychological well-being as discussed by the authors, drawing upon attachment theory.
Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need for a transformative perspective on the role of sport brands in promoting fans’ psychological well-being. Drawing upon attachment theory, the current ...
14 citations
TL;DR: The business of sport has been radically challenged by the COVID-19 pandemic, impelling a rapid reassessment of practices to survive the disruption as mentioned in this paper, and one stakeholder comprehensively impacted has bee...
Abstract: The business of sport has been radically challenged by the COVID-19 pandemic, impelling a rapid reassessment of practices to survive the disruption. One stakeholder comprehensively impacted has bee...
8 citations
Cites background from "The Social Media Response From Athl..."
...Some professional athletes engaged with fans by streaming their videogame play, amplified by their heightened social media presence (Sharpe et al., 2020)....
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References
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TL;DR: In this article, the authors argue that social media is a hybrid element of the promotion mix because in a traditional sense it enables companies to talk to their customers, while in a nontra-ditional sense it enable customers to talk directly to one another.
3,492 citations
"The Social Media Response From Athl..." refers background in this paper
...To this end, social media are being embraced by consumers to form part of their communication mix (Abeza et al., 2013; Mangold & Faulds, 2009) that extends to interacting with their favorite athletes, teams, and sport brands, as well as other fans (Stavros, Meng, Westberg, & Farrelly, 2014;…...
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666 citations
"The Social Media Response From Athl..." refers background in this paper
...Instead, they appear to have a more altruistic intent—reflecting the human tendency to help others (Dougherty, 2017; Hoffman, 1981)—with the collective concerns of the public and fans in mind....
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...to have a more altruistic intent—reflecting the human tendency to help others (Dougherty, 2017; Hoffman, 1981)—with the collective concerns of the public...
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...The tone of the content, we purport, can be attributed to an altruistic motivation (Dougherty, 2017; Hoffman, 1981) that transcends the usual commercial orientation of public relations and marketing efforts initiated via social media....
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TL;DR: The blog form has matured to resemble traditional journalism in form and practice and top independent political bloggers have played an influential role in holding public officials accountable from Trent Lott to Dan Rather.
Abstract: According to several 2008 reports, blogging continues to attract writers and readers (Comscore Media Matrix, 2008; eMarketer, 2008; Sifry, 2008; Universal McCann, 2008). This form of Web content creation has matured beyond public personal journaling to support citizen journalism or journalism produced by independent bloggers unaffiliated with professional newsrooms (Lenhart & Fox, 2006). The popularity of blogs is in part fueled by its interactive format: The blog tool is popularly believed to be a vehicle of democracy because it fosters decentralized citizen control as opposed to hierarchical, elite control (Crumlish, 2004; Levine, Locke, Searls, & Weinberger, 2001; Rosen, 2006; Scoble & Israel, 2006; Suroweicki, 2005; Weinberger, 2003, 2008). This inversion of elite control is the social outcome of a more interactive format. Blogs are popularly viewed as a form of social media, or media that is architected by design to readily support participation, peer-to-peer conversation, collaboration, and community (O’Reilly, 2004). Social media tools such as blogs enable Web content creators to circumvent the high transaction costs that once characterized usage of earlier media technologies (Gillmor, 2004; Benkler, 2006; Bowman & Willis, 2003; Shirky, 2008). Independent political bloggers that comment on day-to-day news command a readership rivaling that of traditional media entities (Armstrong & Moulitsas Zuniga, 2006). The initial public derision heaped by traditional media entities on these independent bloggers unaffiliated with traditional, professional newsrooms (Rosen, 2005) continues to wane as these bloggers gain respect among Web readers (Johnson & Kaye, 2004). Top independent political bloggers have played an influential role in holding public officials accountable from Trent Lott to Dan Rather (Meraz, 2008). The blog form has matured to resemble traditional journalism in form and practice: Top, independent bloggers now hire editors, blog full-time, and engage in investigative journalism acts (Stoller, 2007; Strupp, 2008). The growth in the independent political blogger’s credibility has taken place against the backdrop of traditional media’s loss
422 citations
"The Social Media Response From Athl..." refers background in this paper
...Meraz (2009) pointed out that social media are “architected by design to readily support participation, peer-to-peer conversation, collaboration, and community” (p. 682)....
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TL;DR: In this paper, the authors analyzed the existing body of knowledge of social media in the field of sport management from a service-dominant logic perspective, with an emphasis on relationship marketing.
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...Filo et al. (2015) included user cocreation in their definition, while also highlighting the relationship between consumers and organizations or athletes....
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...Social media can create unique and powerful opportunities for high-profile athletes to capitalize on through increased athlete–fan interaction (Pegoraro, 2010) in a cost-effective manner (Filo et al., 2015)....
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...Athletes, teams, and sport organizations have been using social media as part of their public relations and communication efforts (Filo et al., 2015; Pegoraro, 2010)....
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TL;DR: In this paper, an expanded version of Gronroos's model is developed to include prosumers and to describe the interactions that occur through social-media exchanges, and the value of specific social media tools and Web 2.0 technologies in helping sport marketers meet their relationship marketing goals.
Abstract: Sport industry marketers have long understood the importance of nurturing customer relationships. The new challenge is how best to face the shifts in customer relationship marketing posed by sports organizations and proactive consumers, or “prosumers.” In this article, the elements of the relationship-building process are presented with a focus on communication, interaction, and value, concepts identified in Gronroos’s (2004) relationship-marketing process model. An expanded version of Gronroos’s model is developed to include prosumers and to describe the interactions that occur through social-media exchanges. The value of specific social-media tools and Web 2.0 technologies in helping sport marketers meet their relationship-marketing goals is also discussed. Finally, directions for future research employing the expanded model are suggested.
282 citations
"The Social Media Response From Athl..." refers background in this paper
...Williams and Chinn (2010) stated that social media is composed of the “tools, platforms, and applications that enable consumers to connect, communicate, and collaborate with others” (p. 422)....
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...…media are being embraced by consumers to form part of their communication mix (Abeza et al., 2013; Mangold & Faulds, 2009) that extends to interacting with their favorite athletes, teams, and sport brands, as well as other fans (Stavros, Meng, Westberg, & Farrelly, 2014; Williams & Chinn, 2010)....
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