Long gone are the days when sports people were just sports people. They now often transcend sport, crossing over into pop culture and increasingly feature in glossy magazines and fashion campaigns rather than solely the back pages of newspapers.
Brand and image are everything; the savviest will be carefully curated to attract commercial and sponsorship interest, as well as helping to align with social and charitable causes and issues that matter. Think (Sir) David Beckham, Serena Williams or Le Bron James to name just a few.
While we’ve not (yet!?) worked with sports people who are transcending their sports to such a stratospheric degree, the athlete stories we were lucky enough to tell as part of our work with Archery GB, have not only been inspiring and uplifting but have helped to raise the profile of and encourage participation in a sport which is not seen as mainstream.
Powerful storytelling
I believe sport, particularly at grassroots level, can be very powerful. It helps bring people together as part of a community, supporting better mental and physical health, particularly for young people and those from disadvantaged backgrounds. And archery, as one of the most inclusive and accessible sports around, is an excellent example.
Two athlete stories stood out for me as we worked with Archery GB to provide press office support in the lead up to and during the Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games. Jodie Grinham, mother, para-archer and the only known Paralympic athlete to compete while pregnant who also happened to win team gold and individual bronze. And 16-year-old Megan Havers, who took up archery after trying it on holiday, had only just finished her GCSEs when she competed in the French capital.
Both women’s stories caught the attention of non-sports media. We secured an interview for Jodie on BBC Radio Four’s Women’s Hour in the lead up to Paris and following her win, she was featured by the likes of Stylist and appeared on Lorraine. While Megan was invited to return to the Haven park where she first tried archery as a seven-year-old to coach youngsters taking part in archery taster sessions. Both women also featured extensively in regional media, both print and broadcast.
Authentically inspiring
Inspiring in their own ways, these stories reflected the experiences of many people; they could see themselves in Jodie and Megan’s stories. Jodie talked about some of the discrimination she’d faced as a person with a disability and she also showed that being pregnant and a mother shouldn’t stop you from doing anything. Megan’s confidence, both on the shooting range at Les Invalides, and in front of media belied her years, finishing ninth in the individual competition, only beaten by the eventual gold medalist. A spectacular achievement, especially as a Games debutant and in her first season competing at a Senior level, showing that age shouldn’t be a barrier and that hard work means you can achieve great things.
I’ve no doubt that Jodie and Megan, alongside the wider Olympic and Paralympic archery teams, succeeded in broadening awareness outside of those who were already fans of the sport.
In fact, the numbers back this up as we helped to reach an audience of 1billion people pre, post and during the Olympic and Paralympic Games last year. Proof that compelling, authentic and relatable stories are crucial in helping to elevate grassroots sport.