The personal is professional: exploring romantic relationship within the socioecology of an athlete brand

Research QuestionHuman brands are embedded in a web of social relationships, and examining athlete brand dynamics holistically requires accounting for the different layers of social embeddedness. However, prior research has focused on stakeholder interactions and brand spillover effects, omitting consumers' views of athlete brands concerning interpersonal relationships in private life. We address this gap by applying a social ecology paradigm and examining how consumers perceive an athlete's brand with attention to their personal life and romantic relationships.Research MethodsWe conducted an embedded case study focusing on National Football League quarterback Patrick Mahomes and Brittany Matthews, his then-fiancee (now wife), and thematically analysed 5,115 user comments in response to three Facebook posts featuring the couple by ESPN.Results and FindingsComplex and polarised discourses were uncovered, reaffirming or questioning the relationship's authenticity. Evaluations of the athlete were integrated with issues of gender, status, and race, whereas his romantic partner was positioned as an asset for status signalling, informing the athlete's brand image.ImplicationsThe work reveals how evaluations of interpersonal relationships, such as romantic relationships, serve as observable cues informing the meaning of an athlete's brand. We uncover how the interpretations of the romantic partner and relationship are interlinked with societal structures, celebrity, and sport community norms. Thus, we demonstrate how the social and industry influences on a human brand that are situated within different socioecological systems must be explored in concert rather than in isolation.

Automated summary

This study investigates consumers' perception of athlete brands in relation to their personal life and romantic relationships. The findings show complex and polarized discourses, where evaluations of the athlete are intertwined with gender, status, and race, while the romantic partner is seen as an asset for status signaling.