Olympics-Athlete influencers compete for likes as well as medals in Paris

By Amy Tennery

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Athletes on the hunt for Olympic gold will also be chasing likes and follows on social media in Paris, as a battle for a coveted piece of viral fame kicks off at the Games.

A social media side hustle unlike any other will play out across a frantic 16 days beginning on July 26 with Olympians looking to exploit a narrow window to connect with fans from the Games on platforms like YouTube, Tik Tok and Instagram.

American rugby player Ilona Maher went viral at the Tokyo Olympics and now boasts more than a million followers on Tik Tok, despite her sport having less traction than others in the United States.

Her teammate Ariana Ramsey wants to follow a similar path in Paris, hoping the four videos she will be producing each day will build her online persona and help with her ambition to one day start her own athletic apparel brand.

"It is so much pressure because there's only so much you can really plan for," she told Reuters.

"I can make a list of content ideas and try and execute them there, but it's going to be more of a matter of like what is going on in the time? What can I capture? What's relevant?"

Like many other Olympians who work second or even third jobs, Ramsey has used social media to supplement her income, earning one-off deals with brands and charging about $100 for an Instagram Reel or $50 for an Instagram story post.

In years past, athletes like Ramsey might have needed a manager to negotiate deals with brands. Now, a company will reach out directly to strike a deal.

"This is a whole second job," said Ramsey, who also competed in Tokyo.

Athletes do not have to be among the top echelons of fame to gain traction online, Kate Johnson, Google's global marketing director, sports, entertainment, and content partnerships, told Reuters.

"You don't have to have a big name. You have something unique to tell and to share that brands want access to," she said.

The Women's Sports Foundation trustee won silver as a rower in 2004 and sees extraordinary new opportunities for athletes rapidly unfolding since she stepped onto the Olympic podium in Athens.

YouTube, which is owned by Google's Alphabet Inc., counted 1 billion unique monthly visitors in 2013. That number roughly doubled by 2022.

"I feel like I have to do a public service announcement for Olympic athletes who have been in the zone, competing, focusing, training and haven't necessarily been paying attention to how to monetize this moment in time for themselves," she said.

'VALUE' ONLINE

For some, a deep-pocketed sponsor can offer a boost.

Visa offered their more than 100 "Team Visa" athletes a masterclass in digital storytelling and engagement ahead of the Paris Games, led by social media creators.

The course, offered for the first time, included practical instruction on how to use platforms like Tik Tok as well as guidance on digital storytelling.

"Helping in how they are going to engage with their fans and be better and more comfortable kind of in this creative space was something that was of value," said Andrea Fairchild, the senior vice president of global sponsorship strategy at Visa.

Samsung Electronics is providing every athlete at the Games with the tools for the job, an Olympic Edition of their new flip phone.

The Visa course also educated athletes on how to manage the pitfalls of social media, with online abuse an inevitable reality for athletes.

A FIFA report found that one in five players at the 2023 Women's World Cup were subjected to discriminatory or abusive content and even the most enthusiastic content creators acknowledge too much time online comes at a cost.

Sportswear brand Asics announced ahead of the Games that it was partnering with data science company Signify to shield its athletes from online harassment.

"We are acutely aware of the negative impact of online harassment and cyberbullying on mental health, and so are keen to help protect our athletes from online abuse," Asics' Global Head of Sports Marketing Olivier Mignon said in a statement.

Rugby player Maher, who has more than 590,000 followers on Instagram, has not been immune to the "trolls" of social media and told reporters at a recent Team USA summit that she treats her online presence as a means to an end.

"Do I wish I had to do it? No," she said. "But I love what it's done for me."

(Reporting by Amy Tennery in New York; Editing by Christian Radnedge)