Image Credit: World Rowing
Around 70% of Gen Z respondents (aged 18 to 27) stated in a global survey conducted in April 2023 that they preferred to watch sports on social media over conventional media coverage. This statistic clearly illustrates the rapidly increasing importance of social media in modern-day sports. In the sport of rowing, hopping onto the social media bandwagon is even more important after global fears of the sport’s declining popularity, rumoured to be caused by a plethora of reasons such as an exclusivist environment and geographic accessibility. Thankfully, many of the most successful rowers on the current global landscape have taken to platforms such as TikTok and Instagram to share this beautiful sport. After speaking to Sofia Meakin, the spare for the Swiss women’s quad, we gain insights into this trend.
Unsurprisingly, Meakin’s introduction to the rowing world didn’t feature social media. Instead, she learned of the sport from her twin brother who had visited England and rowed briefly overseas. This highlights one key issue in the sporting world: exposure. Meakin explained how “In England, [rowing] is much bigger than in Switzerland… especially in schools.” Many British rowers are aware of the broad school-rowing landscape, as seen in junior events like the National Schools Regatta and Schools Head of the River, both major events in the rowing calendar. These events help keep the sport alive among juniors; however, to non-rowers, these events are likely entirely foreign. Meakin explained how her brother loved the sport, and although she herself had never considered going for a row during her time at school, she “fell in love with the sport”.
When Meakin began the sport in 2014, “social media was not as big as it is now… we were a bit more in our little bubble.” As time progressed, however, this bubble burst, and now everything seems to be online. From athletes to boat manufacturers, everything can be found on social media. Though some individuals may feel caught in the whirlwind-like development of social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram and struggle with their use, they serve as essential platforms to keep rowing popular among younger generations.
As mentioned before, rowing is facing threats of rapid decline due to a reduced uptake of the sport. This would be devastating to this beautiful sport, rich in history and culture. That is why it is imperative that athletes and rowing bodies alike work to utilise social media platforms as a means of networking. Triple world champion Olli Zeidler has 55.2k followers on Instagram (as of July 8, 2024). Although an impressive number, when compared to the likes of football or basketball stars, each with tens of millions of followers, the divide become clear.
“Social media is a super good tool to show what we do”
Rowing is often referred to as niche, and while most rowers would agree the sport is unique in its ability to combine team and individual sport, as well as in its ability to push athletes to their very limits, niche is a complicated concept. It could reinforce the idea of rowing being inaccessible, but this does not have to be the case. Meakin described rowing as such “a niche sport” but quickly added that “social media is a super good tool to show what we do.”
Social media provides free media coverage, tailored to the athlete or event, in a way that is accessible to all. At a point in time where social media leads to overnight popularity, and videos can gain support leading to overnight social media success, there is no time like the present for the rowing community to grasp this opportunity with both hands and utilise social media to broaden the rowing landscape. Athletes showcase the dedication needed for rowing success, but this dedication can be applied to all aspects of life. “Training three times a day demands a huge amount of dedication… it’s quite inspiring,” Meakin said. The mental strength and determination of top-class rowing athletes have the potential to serve as a universal inspiration. In contrast, to those who are already interested in rowing like a young Meakin, access to the life of an athlete through social media allows access to realistic goals. Posts can share training sessions, workloads, and realistic aspirations of top-class athletes. By increasing the presentation of this kind of information, we may see an influx in the number of people who continue rowing beyond their school years, as they may see international rowing as an attainable goal.
“Training three times a day demands a huge amount of dedication… it’s quite inspiring”
From an athlete’s perspective, social media is also a great way to both track progress and monetise their sporting career. Meakin, who has 18.1k followers on Instagram (as of July 9, 2024), told us “a lot of sponsors came to me because of my social media… they want a bigger reach.” Although a regular idea to many—the notion that more followers would lead to brand deals being secured—it seems very few athletes have looked at social media as a serious means of income.
However, the introduction of external parties to an athlete’s social media can be problematic. While sharing success stories would likely come easily to proud athletes, it is understandable that at times of hardship, the desire to regularly update various social media platforms may become a more complicated task. Meakin herself instead advocates for natural, heartfelt content even when it may feel more difficult. During intensive training periods, like that before the Olympics, it may become harder as an athlete to maintain a posting schedule, as understandably it would be strenuous to manage social media platforms on top of an elite training schedule.
Others may challenge this by suggesting that sharing trying times would assist younger athletes by offering examples of perseverance and resilience in top athletes. Bringing focus to an athlete’s ability to overcome adversity could serve as a beacon of inspiration to other athletes, improving athlete retention through injury or plateaus, and providing a potential for an increase in top-level athletes.
The constant sharing of an athlete’s experience on social media, however, does introduce one of the major negative sides of social media, which is trolls. Meakin states “some athletes share a bit too much and that can cause negative reactions.” She claims she feels “very lucky” that she herself has not experienced the negative side of social media but is close to someone who has, and recognises how big of an impact that can leave on an individual. Although this is of course a major downside, if the rowing community as a whole works to create a positive social media environment for athletes, there is potential to wash out any negativity. In addition, with the right settings, negative language and users who have left hurtful comments can be blocked, restoring the safety of the user’s account.
One of the key things in regard to keeping the appeal of rowing social media content is sharing content outside of racing. While to an audience that is passionate about the sport, race day content can be some of the most enticing and engaging content to be given access to, to those who are new to the sport, this content can be understimulating. Meakin herself explained how “The race itself might be boring, but the behind-the-scenes aspects are what inspire people.”
The thousands of hours that go into building an elite athlete are what inspire and entice an audience. On the flip side, light-hearted content to follow social media trends can also be a successful way to bring the rowing world to the wider population. In recent years, junior crews have been seen taking to platforms like TikTok and Instagram to document their success, share insights about their crew, and post what is often humorous rowing content alongside trending songs and formats. Here, we can see young athletes working to globalize rowing, widening its reach.
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