Sports Social Media: Cracking the Code to Brand Consistency
Updated: Oct 24, 2025
The Brand Architects
It might be a bit of a cliché, but the expression is often used when your favorite sports team endures a bit of a slump within their respective season, “we just have to find our identity.” Often, when teams are faced with adversity (i.e., consecutive losses), it is up to them to come together, put bad performances behind themselves, and ultimately develop new strategies to achieve victory. The beauty of sports seasons is that they are often a marathon and not a sprint.
Finding and establishing an identity is the constant idea that fuels many notable collegiate athletic programs, but it is also the constant goal of those teams’ supporting creative teams. Heck, one could argue that creative teams are just as competitive when it comes to their expression of creativity. From generating brand growth to setting trends, with the ever-growing popularity and influence of Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) in college athletics, establishing a cohesive identity has become paramount for brand growth.
The NIL Shift: From Athletes to Influencers
Hate it or love it, the era of Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) is here to stay in collegiate athletics and has become the driving force in branding growth across major athletics programs. Since its official inception back in June of 2021, NIL has been the one-way ticket for athletes to establish their own brand and earn an income in the process. With a rise in influencer popularity, athletes in college athletics are able to capitalize on a diverse array of sponsorships, partnerships, and endorsements. What had started at a valuation of nearly $917 million in 2021 has since inflated, amassing a near $2.1 billion in total NIL deals throughout the 2025-’26 athletic calendar year.
In a 2024 Forbes article published by Steven Dudash, Dudash notes that,
“Influencers have become ambassadors for their sport, and by expanding the sport, they can garner more attention for their social media presence.”
Athletes are now brands. They’re storytellers, influencers, and entrepreneurs and the pressure on athletic departments to build cohesive, compelling digital identities has never been greater. It is paramount for collegiate brands to follow suit and establish credibility within their own respective identities.
"Studies show that female college athletes are getting more brand deals on average than male athletes in recent years, driven by audience interest and engagement." Business Insider
"Also, platforms like NIL Club show that the NIL economy surged by over 50% from 2024 to 2025, reaching around $2.75 billion, with football still dominating the share of deals." The Business Journal
Where Growth Begins: Branding Consistency
Want proof that branding matters? Just scroll through these accounts:
• @gcu_mbb
These are just a few programs across the collegiate athletics landscape that have epitomized successful branding direction and influence. Moreover, branding identity has a trickle effect on all affiliated athletics programs, and the foundation starts with most programs’ highest-grossing departments (i.e.: football and basketball).
In January of 2025, I joined Missouri State’s Football department to help spearhead and establish a branding identity that embodies not only the future direction of Missouri State football, but also recognizes the rich history of the program. I understood the program was going to be smaller than your typical Power Four program(s). They had graduated from an FCS program to an FBS program in the summer of 2025. Likewise, we join conference rival Delaware University as one of the only two programs to make that jump into FBS/CUSA.
Outside of the creative industry, many individuals unfamiliar with the landscape often assume that the work is just adding logos to a video or throwing a graphic together. However, that doesn’t warrant growth for any brand, in fact, it hinders it. Heck, society has normalized convenience over creativity with the introduction of artificial intelligence (AI), outlets like Google’s video editing software, VEO 3, and programs like ChatGPT; some low-budget programs have referred to these to expedite process.
However, a successful brand is comprised of multiple sectors: videography, photography, and graphic design departments. Each department is entrusted to carry out the program’s brand standards, and the successful programs leverage their assets to tell a story.
Most collegiate athletic programs, some professional sports entities, have extensive depth within each sector of their creative teams. Just spit-balling, but programs like University of Georgia Athletics, University of Colorado, and Mississippi State University likely have 15-20+ full-time/student creatives that service their program. Football is often treated as its own entity within every collegiate program because of its fanbase.
Each one tells a story, not just of a team, but of a culture. That’s the power of visual identity. Our goal was clear: build a brand that honors the program’s history while positioning it for the future. That meant more than just graphics. It meant cohesion across video, photo, and design. It meant storytelling with purpose.
Building the Brand: Missouri State’s Creative Blueprint
Our goals heading into the 2025 season:
• Establish visual consistency across all content types (video, graphics, photography)
• Leverage new brand assets: colors, logos, textures
• Reflect the Springfield community and Missouri State’s legacy
• Appeal to both our traditional fanbase and the next generation of recruits
• Position the brand for NIL relevance and long-term growth
We weren’t trying to mimic Power Four programs , we were building something authentic to us and appeal to our niche audience (an older demographic fanbase, historically) and be the driving force in the brand's growth. And that meant investing in people, process, and purpose.
Visualizing the Impact: Engagement Growth
Here’s how our branding efforts translated into real growth across Facebook and Instagram:
• Instagram outperformed Facebook in every category
• Engagement nearly doubled year-over-year
• Follower growth shows sustained interest, not just viral spikes
Why It Works: Strategy Backed by Research
Studies continue to affirm what we’ve seen firsthand:
• Instagram drives stronger brand perception than X (formerly Twitter)
• Athletes who actively build their brand on social media receive more scholarship offers
• NIL success is tied to engagement and content quality, not just follower count
• Women athletes are leading in NIL deals due to high engagement, proving that quality storytelling pays off
Final Thoughts: This Is Just the Beginning
Missouri State Football’s creative journey in 2025 wasn’t about chasing trends. It was about building something lasting. From honoring Springfield’s roots to empowering our creatives, every decision was intentional.
To Regan — thank you for the vision.
To Tavin, Parker, Drew, Justin — your work is legacy.
To every reader — remember: brand identity isn’t a luxury. It’s the foundation of everything.
We’re not done. We’re just getting started.
HartmanPrologue
I wouldn’t be where I am without my dear friend Regan Jones taking a chance on my skillset back in the early spring of 2025. In my time working with Regan, I’ve seen that my colleague shares many of the same aspirations as me, and has as much ambition to succeed in this industry. If you’ve ever had the chance to see Regan work firsthand, you’d recognize that she devotes her life to her passion. She never waivers in the face of adversity, and she has become a pillar in the development of Missouri State Athletics’ branding and identity.
It’s interesting, because I have worked around all kinds of leaders, and call it a toxic trait, but I’ve developed this ability to recognize good and bad forms of leadership. I think this ability is an ode to coming from a military family. Nevertheless, I believe that I’ve mastered the discernment of what makes a quality leader. For some, they aren’t really leaders at all, but rather bosses—bosses just sit back, instruct orders, and are quick to take credit on their colleagues’ behalf when they’ve done nothing to contribute. Bosses don’t take time to acknowledge effort and build their colleagues. Heck, bosses hardly ever know their colleagues’ names. They care only about the product they have their name tied to. Like a group project in elementary school … they only care about receiving an ‘A’ on the project, but hardly do a thing to get the team to the finish line… they just put their name on the paper.
Leaders are different…
They invest their being into building the dynamic with their teammates. They cherish each member, striving to build them rather than break them. They go out of their way to learn and grow each individual. Most importantly, they aren’t quick to receive credit, but rather give credit. People often forget that in order to succeed in this industry, it takes a team. While Missouri State has had students come and go, Regan has remained at the core of the brand’s development, and she’s done it with a smile. In her efforts, she’s made me a better leader and person. I don’t think I’ve ever been as low as I was a year ago, and I credit Regan for answering my prayers for an opportunity in this industry.
Certainly, the trials haven’t been easy; the work in creative media is both daunting and tedious. Nevertheless, the greatest leaders in this industry learn to adapt in any situation, learning to be comfortable in uncomfortable circumstances.
To my people:
Regan, Tavin, Parker, Drew and Justin — you guys are the foundation of this brand. You guys are some of the hardest-working creatives that I’ve ever had the honor to work with. Your work doesn’t go unnoticed, and I promise you this:
The Lord will bless you for your hard work and efforts.
Thank you for allowing me to be a part of this team, for allowing me to grow, and teaching me to be a better creative, a better person, and a better leader.
Keegan
Comments