RULER, LOVER, OR OUTLAW? ARCHETYPAL DIVERGENCE IN ELITE TRACK AND FIELD ATHLETES’ DIGITAL SELF-PRESENTATION

Abstract

This study examines the importance of developing a cohesive personal brand in the modern sports industry, where athletic performance must be complemented by clear marketability to ensure long-term commercial success and sponsorship opportunities. The main objective is to identify the dominant brand archetypes of six professional track and field athletes with strong social media presence. The theoretical framework draws on Jungian psychology as adapted for marketing by Mark and Pearson. Methodologically, the study combines sentiment analysis of public comments from athletes’ Instagram profiles with qualitative data from two focus groups. The first group consisted of experienced athletics fans, while the second included individuals with no regular interest in athletics, allowing for a broader perspective on public perception. Participants assigned three archetypes to each athlete and identified the most dominant one. The results confirmed a clear dominant archetype for each athlete. Femke Bol was identified as the Hero, Alica Schmidt as the Lover, Armand Duplantis and Noah Lyles as the Ruler, Emmanouil Karalis as the Jester, and Sha’Carri Richardson as the Outlaw. The findings highlight that a clearly defined and consistent brand archetype is crucial for athletes seeking sustained relevance and increased commercial value in the digital era. While traditional archetypes such as Hero and Ruler prevail among top performers, the presence of diverse archetypes (Lover, Jester, Outlaw) plays a key role in differentiation and audience engagement. The results also suggest that gender may influence the public attribution of archetypes.