Provide the citation and attach a pdf of the article (10 pts)
Su, Y., Baker, B. J., Doyle, J. P., & Kunkel, T. (2020). The Rise of an Athlete Brand: Factors Influencing the Social Media Following of Athletes. Sport Marketing Quarterly, 29(1), 33–46. https://doi-org.ezproxy.fhsu.edu/10.32731/SMQ.291.302020.03
What is the abstract of the article? 
(10 pts)
Athlete brands exist within a network of brand relationships. Thus, considering the joint influences of related brands at different levels (league, team, and athlete) is essential for understanding how athlete brands are built. We focus on growth factors impacting athletes’ social media followings (Twitter and Instagram) around the critical juncture of team transfer periods. We use data from the NFL Draft, because this moment in time provides a key opportunity to capture combined influences from league-, team-, athlete-, and platform-related factors on athlete brand development. Th rough comparing a large sample of athlete social media followings before and aft er the draft, we identify immediate changes as athletes start their professional careers. Results indicate examining multiple factors in the same model is essential for understanding the role each plays in building athlete brands. Th e league and team represent master brands into which an athlete brand is integrated, and consequently athlete brands are provided with benefits from these new brand relationships. Results further demonstrate network effects, highlighting the importance of possessing a strong brand before a high-profile event.
Was the study experimental or non-experimental? Explain, tell us what made that clear. (10 pts)
This research is experimental. The research is to find out how much difference a NFL draft pick gets on their social media interaction, specifically on Twitter and Instagram. Also does a 1st round draft pick gain more followers than players that aren’t 1st round picks.
Was the research qualitative or quantitative? Again, explain. (10 pts)
I believe this was quantitative research. As the research found statistics data, that marked how many user nfl draftees had before the draft and then after to show you the impact of how their social media status has changed.
What was the population studied? Why do you say that? (5 pts)
This population sample was involving every member of the 2017 NFL draft.
What sample was used for this study? Explain. (5 pts)
2017 NFL draft
What was the method of measurement? (10 pts)
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- If the research was quantitative, was the measurement scale used, Nominal, Ordinal, Interval, or Ratio?
- If the research was qualitative, what data was collected?
The data collects was to keep track of their followers on their twitter and Instagram accounts.
What was the method of analysis? (10 pts)
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- If the research was quantitative, what statistical tools were used to analyze the data?
- If the research was qualitative, in what manner was the data analyzed?
The research was collected by a custom web scraper to identify the required information for the athletes twitter and Instagram profiles. Data was collected at two different points (2 days prior the nfl draft and 2 days after).
What was the conclusion of the study? (10 pts)
Results concluded that athletes drafted in the earlier rounds benefited more from a increase of social media followers than if a athletes was selected in the later round.
Why is this study useful to you? Explain in detail. (10 pts)
I think a study like this is useful for me, because it really shows how much social media has changed pro athletes popularity. I think this really displays how athletes can use social media to show off their personal brand from now only a professional level but also a personally level. It allows pro athletes to interact with fans about everything in life.
What would be the next logical step in extending this study? (10 pts)
I would like to see a study on social media kind of like this one, where a athlete has a negative event come out, to see how that effect their social media impact. So for example, a player get arrested, does that lower his follower count or raise it. Also how many negative tweets does that player receive.
While this study supports what would have been my assumption, that the athletes that were at the top of the draft received a bigger bump than those drafted later, it is certainly an interesting study. I would be interested in seeing a similar study done a few years from now with college athletes now having the ability to use their likeness to market themselves while still in college. My assumption tells me that it would not make much of a difference, but I could see some possible strong outliers where some athletes that are drafted in the later rounds explode in popularity because their strong social media presence becomes well known on a bigger stage.
Your next logical step could really have some interesting data behind it as you could look at a things beyond number of followers. Along with number of negative tweets/replies like you pointed out, I would also want to look at a trendline of their impressions before and after their negative news. For example, do their tweets get retweeted or liked less often after the negative news? How long does negative news seem to impact followers, replies, and impressions before the trend starts going back up again (if it ever does)?