Coming-out narratives of professional athletes on social media: Is it effective or risky to increase marketability or sponsorship?
The British swimmer Tom Daley recently used YouTube to reach his fans and announced he was in a same sex relationship. He stated he hoped this would not change the support his fans gave him. There has been a recent trend of athletes making similar announcements and using social media channels. Jason Collins (NBA), Michael Sam (NFL), Martina Navratilova (Tennis) are other notable examples. From a marketing standpoint, does this help or hinder athletes in terms of their marketability and sponsorship?
