Health Risk: High-Performance Athletes as an Economic Variable in the Lifestyle and Sports Industry

An increasing number of companies are progressively investing capital in the outdoor, lifestyle, sports drink, and event marketing sectors. Leading market players in the energy industry such as Red Bull and Monster Energy, as well as major outdoor and sporting goods manufacturers like Adidas (Adidas Terrex), Nike, Mammut, Salewa, and La Sportiva, are testing new market strategies in order to create additional value for consumers. A key challenge in this context is the observable decline in current organic reach achieved through conventional social media marketing strategies. The competitive environment is becoming increasingly dynamic, requiring brands within these industries to continuously adapt (Dwivedi et al. 2021).

A frequently used marketing instrument today is digital content marketing, through which brands provide additional content alongside their core business activities for customers to consume. This approach exposes customers to content that is subjectively perceived as relevant and potentially engaging, entertaining, positive, or value-creating. As a result, this generally has a positive impact on key elements of the customer relationship, brand image, and customer loyalty (Bruhn 2022).

High-performance athletes constitute an integral part of these strategies. Supported financially and through sponsorship by brands, they are encouraged to create digital content centered around the brand. This content is consumed via digital media such as YouTube videos, live events, streaming formats displayed on smartphones, televisions, tablets, computers, and increasingly also within VR, AR, or MR environments. Through this, brands reach a large audience of enthusiastic consumers. High-performance athletes evolve into sports icons, role models, and embodiments of the brand’s lifestyle. At its core, an emotional connection is transmitted via these athletes to the end consumer, thereby promoting ongoing interaction and enhancing brand visibility.

A particularly interesting aspect is the dual effect: on the one hand, the digital content marketing generated by the athletes; on the other hand, their function within influencer marketing. In this context, high-performance athletes act as influencers targeting specific heterogeneous customer segments—so-called peer groups. Athletes who succeed in mobilizing a broad audience can potentially serve as key access points to these peer groups. This enables marketers to integrate targeted marketing instruments into specific peer groups and to leverage already existing market segments efficiently.

A classic example can be found in football with the peer groups surrounding Ronaldo or Messi. However, even in niche and extreme sports such as skiing (e.g., extreme skier Markus Eder) or mountain biking (e.g., Kelly McGarry), high-performance athletes function as sports icons and accumulate an exceptionally large audience for brands.

A problematic aspect in this context is the immense performance pressure placed on athletes. More individuals are entering extreme sports as these are increasingly promoted to a broader consumer base through targeted and efficient marketing instruments. In addition to performance pressure, there is a growing incentive to engage in ever more risky events and activities, which may be potentially life-threatening. A recent example is the tragic accident involving extreme mountain biker Adolf Silva (sponsored by Monster Energy) during the Red Bull live event “Rampage.” The prevailing dynamic emphasizes faster, higher, and further achievements, with new athletes entering these sports and experiencing pressure to meet sponsor expectations. This raises an ethical question: what level of social responsibility do brands bear in this context?

On the one hand, athletes bear full personal responsibility for their actions and must independently assess whether they are willing to take such risks. On the other hand, the question arises whether they are legally considered independent contractors who must ensure their own social protection. Alternatively, it must be considered whether, following accidents, brands and sponsors are willing to provide financial support in the form of social security, health insurance, salaries, or compensation payments in order to secure the livelihood of the individuals involved.

Sources:

Giulian WELLE

Étudiant en Master 2 d’Administration économique et sociale à l’Université de Strasbourg

Titulaire d’un Bachelor of Science en Administration Business de l’Université Heinrich Heine de Düsseldorf

Centres d’intérêt : psychologie du consommateur, réalité virtuelle et marketing dans le métavers