Influence of Entertainers on Athletes and Employees

Introduction

Athletes and employees are often in the limelight because entertainers on social media
platforms gather information about them and present it to the general public. It is vital to
acknowledge that there are occasions when entertainers go overboard and reveal sensitive
information about athletes to the general public, significantly affecting their well-being.
Revealing sensitive information about athletes and employees may lower their self-esteem,
especially considering how their fans view them. Notably, lower self-esteem due to the
revelation of sensitive information by entertainers affects the performance of athletes.
Additionally, entertainers sometimes put much pressure on top athletes to perform, which
may result in anxiety and other mental health problems. Entertainers can reduce the levels of
concentration of athletes and employees because they may be distracted by what the fans think
about them, leading to reduced performance (Frisby & Wanta, 2018). Remarkably, solving the
problem of entertainers revealing sensitive information about athletes is crucial for many
reasons. First, solving the issue would help improve the self-esteem of athletes, significantly
improving their performance. Secondly, solving the problem would help improve athletes’
concentration levels and reduce their risk of developing mental health issues.

Literature Review

According to Habe et al. (2019), entertainers often influence the flow and satisfaction of
employees and athletes because, in most cases, they shower top athletes with praises, lowering
the self-esteem of upcoming young athletes. It is important to note that “flow” is one of the
indicators of the well-being of athletes, and it often makes athletes and employees feel a sense of
accomplishment and internal success (Habe et al., 2019). Athletes’ success depends on flow,

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which entertainers provide. Additionally, entertainers on social media platforms may provide
information about idealistic anticipations about athletic performances, primarily emphasizing the
top athletes in sports. Such media coverage may pressure young athletes into performing like the
top athletes presented in the media (Frisby & Wanta, 2018). Notably, some entertainers may use
particular words that improve the self-presentation of top athletes and damage the image of
upcoming athletes and employees for failing to dedicate their time to match the high-performing
athletes (Frisby & Wanta, 2018). In some cases, entertainment information about certain athletes
makes them lose confidence in themselves and significantly lowers their self-esteem. Self-ident
athletes often persevere even when things are not going according to plan and employ specific
strategic approaches to succeed.
According to Tian et al. (2019), entertainers on social media platforms, such as YouTube
and Instagram, may sometimes use stereotypes that might body-shame particular athletes and
question their ability to exhibit exemplary performance. This often dampens the self-esteem of
such individuals (Tian et al., 2019). In most cases, athletes’ well-being and performance greatly
depend on their public reputation, and thus it should be upheld. Remarkably, some entertainers
tend to compare top athletes with upcoming athletes, which may make the upcoming athletes feel
less worthy. Giles et al. (2020) assert that the well-being of athletes and employees is crucial to
success in sports. When entertainers provide the public with sensitive information about specific
athletes, they may feel less respected, which is likely to interfere with their mental health. It is
worth noting that athletes who feel insecure because of what the media constantly says about
them are likely to develop psychological issues (Giles et al., 2020).
According to Ouyang et al. (2021), young athletes often face pressure to keep a certain
weight and physique. That being said, many young athletes and employees have tried to adopt a

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particular body shape that entertainers often front as the archetype for comparison. The process
of coping with such body shape is often hectic and can result in anxiety among young athletes.
Additionally, entertainers are why many young athletes develop social physique anxiety, which
makes them change their physical behavior and eating habits to develop better body shapes
(Ouyang et al., 2021).
According to Glimayres (2017), eligible entertainers have better chances of interacting
with athletes from time to time, and thus they may gather sensitive information. When the
entertainer reveals such information to the general public to inform them about what is going on
in the life of an athlete or employee, the athlete may feel that their personal space and well-being
have been violated (Glimayres, 2017). Therefore, Glimayres (2017) advises influential media
personalities to be careful about the information they provide to the general public about athletes
and employees to avoid infringing on their personal space. Additionally, Weiner (2021) asserts
that entertainers often put much pressure on athletes and employees to perform better, especially
when a big competition is ahead. Such pressure often raises anxiety in amateur athletes that are
not used to such pressure, and if this continues for a long duration, the athlete may develop
mental health issues.

Research Question

How do entertainers negatively affect the well-being of athletes and employees?

Theoretical Framework

The measure of well-being depends on numerous factors, including self-esteem,
concentration, happiness, and confidence. The definition of well-being is principally understood
to encompass hedonic and eudaimonic components. Notably, the hedonic perspective of well-
being is defined in terms of happiness and is mainly achieved through rewarding and appealing

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experiences that reinforce positive feelings and satisfaction (Giles et al., 2020). On the other
hand, the eudaimonic perspective mainly focuses on personal traits and ways of life that promote
better living. The pivotal tenet of the eudaimonic perspective of well-being is the enactment of
personal traits that help individuals live up to their potential in a way that is consistent with their
true selves.
The study of the well-being of athletes and how it is affected by entertainers has been
made easy by using variables. In the study, both independent and dependent variables have been
used to help us understand the problem. One of the dependent variables used in the study is self-
esteem, which is significantly affected by the information entertainers communicate to the
general public about certain athletes and employees. Notably, when entertainers reveal sensitive
information about an athlete, they often feel low because they worry about their reputation.
Additionally, confidence was used as the dependent variable in the study, and it is affected when
entertainers praise top athletes and look down upon upcoming athletes. Regarding independent
variables, the traits of entertainers played an essential role. One of the independent variables was
the attractiveness of an entertainer. Lastly, most people believe in the information provided by
attractive entertainers about sports celebrities.
Hypotheses

Null Hypothesis (H 0 ): Attractive entertainers do not affect the well-being of athletes.
Alternate Hypothesis 1: Attractive entertainers significantly affect the well-being of athletes
because the audience trusts them.
Alternate Hypothesis 2: The revelation of sensitive information about athletes affects their
performance.

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References

Frisby, C. & Wanta, W. (2018). Media hype and its influence on athletic performance. Advances
in Journalism and Communication, 6, 1-18. doi: 10.4236/ajc.2018.61001.
Giles. S., Fletcher. D., Arnold. R., Ashfield. A., & Harrison. J. (2020). Measuring well-being in
sports performers: Where are we now, and how do we progress?
Glimayres. (2017). Professional athletes, gamers, and entertainers who are internationally
recognized are eligible for the p-1 visa.
https://gradyfirm.wordpress.com/2017/07/27/professional-athletes-gamers-and-
entertainers-who-are-internationally-recognized-are-eligible-for-the-p-1-visa/
Habe, K., Biasutti, M., & Kajtna, T. (2019). Flow and satisfaction with life in elite musicians and
top athletes. Frontiers in Psychology, 10. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00698
Tian, K., Zhu, H., & Guang, T. (2019). The moderating role of social media platforms on self-
esteem and life satisfaction: a case study of YouTube and Instagram. The Journal of
Applied Business and Economics, 21(6), 208-216.
Ouyang, Y., Luo, J., Teng, J., Zhang, T., Wang, K., & Li, J. (2021). Research on the influence of
media internalized pressure on college students’ sports participation—chained
intermediary analysis of social physique anxiety and weight control self-efficacy.
Frontiers in Psychology, 12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.654690
Weiner, Z. (2021). Mental health is central to sport- and with mounting pressures for athletes,
prioritizing it is pivotal. https://www.wellandgood.com/athletes-mental-health/