How do the Players Represent Themselves?
Written By Brigid Larkin
As this blog has already addressed here, the 1999 US Women’s National Soccer Team was famous for self-advertisement. We heard from Carla Overbeck and Cindy Parlow about the team’s active efforts within the communities to which they traveled, hosting soccer clinics for local girls, running with fans before their matches, and signing memorabilia after the games. It was this self-promotion that brought the US Women’s National Team into the spotlight. Sixteen years later, however, the role of National Team players in self-promotion is drastically different. Where once there were clinics and open practices, now there are tutorial videos and instagrams. The shift of self-representation from interpersonal interaction to social media has been a drastic one, and we can see it in four principal areas:
1. Facebook
2. Twitter
3. Instagram
4. Blogs
Whether it’s in person or on a computer screen, it’s pretty clear that the US Women’s National Team knows how to establish a connection with their fans. With a little luck, and a handful of great games, they’re hoping that connection will get them the viewership they want in June.
If you’d like a bit more information on Media Coverage of the 2015 World Cup, return to our homepage!
