FiT Publishing

The current investigation examines how consumers perceive various types of athlete logos based on the number and recognizability of different brand associations. With the growing number of athletes who utilize a logo to enhance their brand, generate additional revenue, and differentiate within a crowded marketplace, examining perceptions of logo characteristics is vital. A pre-post test experimental design was constructed using the results from a content analysis of current WNBA and NBA athlete logos, in addition to a free-thought listing exercise and a hypothetical logo creation/...Read more

The rise in celebrity athletes’ influence due to social media has had a massive effect on endorsement opportunities. Social media has given celebrity athletes an owned platform from which to leverage their audience into business opportunities, but an understanding of how authenticity affects the consumer was needed. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine how the perceived authenticity of celebrity athletes’ social media endorsement posts affects brand attitudes and purchase intentions. Two experiments were conducted using fictitious Twitter posts including celebrity athletes...Read more

Athlete brands exist within a network of brand relationships. Thus, considering the joint influences of related brands at different levels (league, team, and athlete) is essential for understanding how athlete brands are built. We focus on growth factors impacting athletes’ social media followings (Twitter and Instagram) around the critical juncture of team transfer periods. We use data from the NFL Draft , because this moment in time provides a key opportunity to capture combined infl uences from league-, team-, athlete-, and platform-related factors on athlete brand development. Through...Read more