Symbols in Sports and Society

Advertising and symbolic reference are synonymous with each other. The media uses symbols to relate their product or service to a subject that is popular with society. In many ways, advertisers focus more on the symbol that will represent their product than the actual product itself. Cereal boxes have cartoon characters as their symbol so kids can relate. While Froot Loops uses Toucan Sam to relate to children, Wheaties uses Tiger Woods or other sports stars to entice the older crowd. While not always used in the best context, symbols provide a connection between the media and the public.

Athletes and entertainers have been the most productive symbols in advertising for the last century. From Babe Ruth advertising cigars to LeBron James promoting Nike sneakers, the world has come to follow the products that these celebrities endorse. Athletes are paid millions to endorse products and the producers know that one picture of that athlete can be the difference between success and failure of a product. Rap star Jay-Z has used his own likeness to promote his personal line of clothing, Roca-Wear. It is not considered to be one of the designer brands of clothing, yet it sells over $300 million worth of clothing per year, due in part to the fact that he advertises it in all of his videos. The kids watching the videos want to be as much like him as they can, so they flock to the clothing that he wears.