Authenticity Negotiation: How Elite Athletes (Re)Present Themselves as Personal Brands

An athlete facing away from the camera, pointing upwards

Bredikhina, Kunkel and Kudesia examine how elite athletes negotiate authenticity in their personal branding. Using interviews with 30 athletes across various sports, they develop a model of authenticity negotiation that highlights tensions between self-expression and external constraints. Athletes face pressures from sponsors, audiences, and institutions, leading them to adopt strategies such as self-authentication, authenticity refinement, and authenticity orchestration to maintain credibility. The study emphasizes the complexity of performing authenticity while managing brand expectations, offering insights for athletes and marketers navigating digital self-presentation.