Success in sport is not always enough – athletes also have to assert themselves on social media. Visibility means opportunity, but also risk for self-esteem and privacy.
Successes, records, medals – top sport stands for splendor and fame. But behind the achievements are people: athletes who balance the pressure to perform and passion every day. In one exclusive survey by SWR Sport and the SWR research unit More than one in five participants said that negative experiences in dealing with them as an athlete could have long-term effects on their private life. Between hard training, competition stress and constant visibility on social media, many people try not to lose themselves – and go their own way.
Between training and timeline
For marathon runner Fabienne Königstein, social media has long been part of everyday working life – even if it doesn’t come easy for her. She doesn’t take selfies while training or share every step. “I’m also someone who doesn’t have my cell phone with me during training, out of principle, because I say, ‘I’m training now,'” she says. Nevertheless, she knows that without visibility it is hardly possible.
Königstein sees this as a challenge – not because anyone is putting pressure on her, but because she knows how crucial media presence has become. “Of course I’ll post, but for me it’s really part of the job, something that I have to do, even if I don’t like doing it that much. And I’m probably leaving a lot of potential there,” she says. She prefers to invest her energy differently: “Before I post a report or post on social media, I prefer to have a board meeting and take care of athletes’ rights.”
Self-marketing as a second career
Judoka Alina Böhm also feels this change. She has around 100,000 followers on Instagram and actively uses the platform – as a stage for her sport and as an opportunity to make judo better known. For them, social media is not a chore, but an opportunity to provide insights and inspire.
I see Instagram as an opportunity to draw attention to my sport. Motivate little girls to try judo because they might think it’s cool.”
Alina Böhm, judoka
Sponsors also look not only at the times, but also at the reach of the athletes. “It’s now incredibly important for advertising partners how much reach you have. And so I put a bit of value on it because you’re more attractive to sponsors with more followers. And in fringe sports, sponsors are really important,” explains Böhm.
It’s similar with Alica Schmidt, who is one of the most famous German athletes with around 5.5 million followers on Instagram. She took advantage of the opportunity to build a second base for herself through social media.
Yes, athletics in particular is of course not the most popular sport in Germany. That’s why it’s important or beneficial for every track and field athlete of us to build something up on the side. This is of course a nice option for an athlete because you can build a foothold in public. That’s exactly what’s very, very important from the start.”
Alica Schmidt, track and field athlete
Alina Böhm knows how easily attention can shift. Women are still judged more heavily on the internet based on their appearance and sometimes even criticized for showing themselves. “I just think it’s so blatant that women’s looks are so often commented on, so that it’s just an issue and I don’t think it should be an issue,” she says. “I would like everyone to be able to do their own thing, that there would be a little less hate on the Internet and a little more acceptance and tolerance and that fewer people would hide behind profiles. Because most of the time they are the ones who don’t post anything about themselves. And you might think twice or three times longer about whether you really want to send this comment or not. Simply for more love on the Internet.”
Why women in sport have to show more to be seen
Many athletes feel the tension between success, visibility and social expectations. Fencer Lea Krüger describes it like this: “You have the feeling that as a woman in sport you still have to market and sell yourself additionally in order to get any visibility and reach. This is simply because the reporting is not aligned. So men’s sport gets more presence, often even better productions than what happens with women. That also means more market space and more marketing for men.” This unequal visibility means that many female athletes have to develop strategies to protect themselves and their values.
Between likes and self-worth
The more visibility, the more attack surface. Especially online. Alina Böhm says that she has learned to stop letting negative comments get so close to her: “Very often the bad comment stays in your head and not the 20,000 good ones that might have been there and I think it’s about directing your own focus a little bit and then you don’t care anymore.” She learned to concentrate on what she can influence: her attitude, her sport, her character.
Failures as part of the path
The pressure is also great outside of social media. Injuries, setbacks or missed goals are part of sport – but they often affect self-esteem. Marathon ace Königstein remembers a phase in which she couldn’t train after an injury: “And I really had six months where I basically regenerated, where I trained very, very little, but I was already a professional athlete, so I had little compensation and where I felt pretty useless,” she says.
Today she deals with such moments more calmly – a change of perspective that not only keeps her physically but also mentally healthy.
In addition to mental strength, female athletes need a stable environment
For this change to succeed, it takes more than mental strength – it needs a stable environment. Königstein cites friends, family and people outside of sport as his most important support. “I would say right now that the environment is what actually supports you. Yes, that you may have friends from your school days who don’t care about you doing sports and how you perform. And that you have parents who love you anyway.”
Many top athletes consciously look for tasks outside of sport – whether professional, family or voluntary. This helps put the pressure into perspective. For fencer Lea Krüger, the conclusion is clear: “Every competitive athlete goes into exactly this context in order to chase this perfect result. But what I realized at some point is that I am more than just a result. I am more than a number or somehow more than a medal or anything else that one can achieve on the podium – but I am somehow also a human being.”
