Millennial athletes use social media to influence followers

Photo courtesy of Creative Commons

By Nicholas Poblete/Staff Writer

 

Millennial athletes, in today’s society, have the potential to reach and influence a multitude of audiences throughout the world.

Whether it is a specific product or concept, high-profile athletes have the profound ability to relay messages to their followers.

Sergio Pizzolante, a sophomore majoring in computer science, believes that Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior is one of the most influential millennials in sports and has revolutionized the way people look at soccer.

“Neymar is the biggest influence in soccer,” said Pizzolante. “He was just announced as the face of Nike, passing Cristiano Ronaldo. I really like how he plays. He is a beast.”

Neymar makes £9.5 million per year off Nike and £105 million in total over the 11-year deal, according to totalsportek.com. Neymar, according to the website, has the tenth-most expensive endorsement deal in sports history.

All the interest in Neymar is reflected by the size of his Instagram following, reaching 82.4 million people. The social media platform enables Neymar to easily spread ideas and product concepts because of the amount of avid followers.

During the past summer, Neymar captured the attention of people with rumors that the Brazilian star will be moving away from the powerhouse FC Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain.

On Aug. 3, 2017, Neymar’s legal representative made a £222 million payment to the club, the most expensive transfer in history, releasing him from Barcelona’s contract. Neymar, now a member of Paris Saint-Germain, has a contract that will run until 2022.

Oscar Vasquez, a senior majoring in hospitality, finds American midfielder Christian Pulisic to be an influential millennial for today’s generation and is bringing more attention to soccer in the United States, something that has not happened in the past.

“He’s playing professional soccer at arguably one of the biggest clubs in Germany, at the age of 19,” Vasquez said. “What I like most about him is how humble he is on and off the field at such a young age.”

Pulisic made his Bundesliga league debut debut with Borussia Dortmund on Jan. 30, 2016, against FC Ingolstadt. Since then, Pulisic has made 45 appearances for the German side, scoring seven goals.

The Pennsylvania native made his debut for the United States soccer team on March 29, 2016. During his time playing for the national team, Pulisic has played 19 matches, scoring 8 goals.

Currently, Pulisic is a fundamental piece in the United States’ aspirations of reaching the 2018 World Cup in Russia this summer.

Soccer as a whole in the United States might have become more popular due to the rise in influential athletes in recent years.

The two highest attended soccer matches in U.S. history both have happened in the last five years.

In 2014, Manchester United and Real Madrid faced off in Michigan Stadium and brought in 109,318 people, while in 2016, the Real Madrid and Chelsea match had 105,826 people attend.

The highest attended soccer match record in U.S. history was previously in 1984, when the United States hosted the 1984 Olympics, which drew in an attendance of 101,799 people at the Rose Bowl.

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