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Universidade Autónoma de Lisboa

e-ISSN: 1647-7251

Thematic dossier

International Relations and Social Networks

July 2021

SPORTS CELEBRITY AS AN INTERMEDIARY AND CULTURAL INSTRUMENT OF

FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS AND ETHNIC-RACIAL EQUALITY.

A STUDY OF THE CORPORATE CAMPAIGN "COMMON THREAD", PUBLISHED BY

THE SPORTS BRAND NIKE ON INSTAGRAM

JAVIER DÍAZ-BAJO RODRIGUEZ

javier.diazb@edu.uah.es

Ph.D. candidate and Assistant Professor of Audiovisual Communication and Researcher at the

University of Alcalá (Spain). Member of the research group Images, Words and Ideas. His

research focuses on discursive and narrative practices conducted by corporate brands through

digital media.

RUT MARTÍNEZ-BORDA

rut.martinez@uah.es

Professor of Audiovisual Communication and Research Fellow at the University of Alcalá (Spain).

Dr Martínez-Borda is a member of the research group Images, Words and Ideas. Her research

focuses on human practices supported by digital technologies, audiovisual narratives,

videogames and fandom. Her current projects are supported by the Spanish Ministry of Culture

and Education. She has been a visiting scholar at the Institute of Education (University of

London); University of Westminster in London; University of Delaware in Philadelphia.

Abstract

Corporate brands play a social role through the discourses they broadcast on their social

media. The sports celebrity acts as a cultural intermediary and communicating instrument in

the value system that the brand brings together in defence of social, cultural and ethnic

diversity (Turner, 2004; Erdogan, 1999; Marshall, 1997).

From this perspective, the aim of this proposal is to detect the socio-cultural elements that

articulate the discourse constructed by the Nike sports brand in defence of racial and ethnic

equality in sport.

Methodologically, the content analysis approach is adopted (Krippendorff, 2013).

The data consists of 3 short films that make up a campaign created by the sports brand Nike

called "Common Thread". The criterion for their selection was the discursive projection that

the brand emits in favour of socio-cultural equality on Instagram.

In order to define the model of analysis, the classical studies of Greimas (1976) and

McCracken (1989) is taken as a starting point.

The results show that the brand manifests itself on social media as a social agent that

promotes equality and racial-ethnic rights for the black sports community through sport and

culture.

Keywords

Brand; values; celebrity; discourse; social media.

How to cite this article

Díaz-Bajo Rodriguez, Javier; Martínez-Borda, Rut. Sports celebrity as an intermediary and

cultural instrument of fundamental rights and ethnic-racial equality. A study of the corporate

campaign "common thread", published by the sports brand NIKE on Instagram. Janus.net, e-

journal of international relations. Thematic dossier International Relations and Social

Networks, July 2021. Consulted [online] on date of last visit, https://doi.org/10.26619/1647-

7251.DT21.4

Article received on January 5, 2021 and accepted for publication on March 21, 2021

JANUS.NET, e-journal of International Relations

e-ISSN: 1647-7251

Thematic dossier – International Relations and Social Networks (July 2021), pp. 44-60

Sports celebrity as an intermediary and cultural instrument

of fundamental rights and ethnic-racial equality.

Javier Díaz-Bajo Rodriguez, Rut Martínez-Borda

SPORTS CELEBRITY AS AN INTERMEDIARY AND CULTURAL

INSTRUMENT OF FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS AND ETHNIC-RACIAL

EQUALITY. A STUDY OF THE CORPORATE CAMPAIGN "COMMON

THREAD", PUBLISHED BY THE SPORTS BRAND NIKE ON

INSTAGRAM

JAVIER DÍAZ-BAJO RODRIGUEZ

RUT MARTÍNEZ-BORDA

1. Introduction

The most classical sociological contributions have, over the last few decades, delved

deeper into the symbolic character and the cultural meaning that underlies consumption

practices and the communicative interactions that revolve around this phenomenon

(López de Ayala, 2004; Semprini, 1995).

The Nike corporate brand acquires a social function in its own Instagram account, through

the discursive broadcasting of values with a social and cultural character. The sports

celebrity acts as a mediator and communicating instrument of a symbolic field that has

been constructed and distributed by the brand (Turner, 2004; Erdogan, 1999; Marshall,

1997).

From this perspective, the research questions are as follows:

- What are the socio-cultural values underlying the symbolic field constructed by the

brand?

- What narrative patterns articulate the discursive instrumentalisation produced by

celebrities and athletes?

In order to answer the questions posed by this research, we take as a starting point the

classical studies by Greimas (1976) and McCracken (1989). We have initially relied on

these two theoretical models to design a methodological strategy that allows us to

identify the narratological elements that articulate the discursive emission of socio-

cultural values.

Article translated by the autor and reviewed by Carolina Peralta.