Why Athletes Need to Think Beyond Follower Counts
We spoke with Antoine Lérault, Founder and CEO of Joue-La Comme, about why follower counts are a poor proxy for athlete marketability—and how building direct, participative communities is becoming the key to unlocking resilience, real engagement, and sustainable brand value beyond algorithm-driven social media.
One of the most persistent misconceptions I encounter when speaking with athletes – particularly those outside the constant glare of mainstream media – is the idea that a large follower count automatically makes them marketable. That if the number is high enough, brands will come running.
But social reach is not the same as demand. It’s algorithmic, rented, and ultimately outside of your control. Platforms can change the rules overnight, and what once looked like an “engaged” audience can disappear with a tweak to the feed. The only asset that truly lasts is the one you own: the ability to gather people in a space where you set the terms, and to give them consistent reasons to return.
What’s emerging today is a very different kind of relationship between athletes and their audience – one that is more participative, more direct, and ultimately more valuable. In this new model, fans don’t just scroll past highlight clips or press “like” on a photo. They join private spaces. They take part in challenges. They attend livestreams. They contribute to personal milestones.
They’re not passive spectators anymore. They’re active stakeholders – not in the legal or financial sense, but because they’re emotionally invested in the athlete’s journey. They want to feel part of something bigger, and crucially, they are willing to act on that feeling.
The implications for athletes are enormous.
First, engagement becomes real. It’s no longer measured only in vanity metrics – likes, shares, or fleeting impressions – but in conversations, participation, and feedback loops. It’s a two way street, with content and input coming from athletes but also from their fans! A Q&A session with a hundred committed fans, or exclusive access to an athlete’s daily training routines can be more powerful than a post that reaches a hundred thousand strangers.
Second, data becomes an asset. When you build direct connections, you learn first hand who your most loyal fans are, how to reach them without an algorithm as the gatekeeper, and what truly motivates them. That knowledge is infinitely more valuable than a follower count that may or may not translate into action, and that you don’t ultimately own.
Third, community creates resilience. Athletes’ careers are defined by highs and lows – injuries, transfers, retirements. Social media audiences are fickle in those moments. But a true community will stick with you, because they’re not just following the results, they’re invested in the journey. They are engaging with the person, not just their performance in the game.
This shift isn’t theoretical. We already see athletes across disciplines experimenting with new ways to activate their audience: from private WhatsApp groups to direct fan-to-athlete platforms like the one we are building, the most successful channels and platforms are not necessarily those with the largest raw numbers, but those who manage to create intimacy at scale.
For athletes who want longevity – both in their careers and in their personal brand – the lesson is clear: don’t chase followers, build relationships. Don’t rely solely on rented channels, invest in owned spaces. And don’t settle for spectators, cultivate stakeholders. Because in the end, what brands, partners, and communities value most is not how many people watch you – it’s how deeply they care about being part of your story.
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