4 Chapter 4 – Brands, Brandom, and Celebrities

By tying the observations from Guschwan’s paper “Fandom, Brandom, and the Limits of Participatory Culture” to the Toronto Maple Leafs’ post-season content seen on X, one can see how the idea of sports teams functioning as brands complements the team’s marketing tactics. Similar to how the Irriducibili handled the difficult relationship between fan culture and branding by using their fervent support for S.S. Lazio, the Maple Leafs use stars like Mitch Marner, John Tavares, and Auston Matthews to elevate the team and spark fan discourse “Sports teams brands use individual stars to boost the team brand” Guschwan Paragraph 11, 2012). The strength of individual stars in enhancing club brands is emphasized in Guschwan’s piece. In the Maple Leafs’ context, these players are essential individuals whose personas and performances encourage fan interaction on social media sites like Twitter.  Their participation in team media content, together with the team’s historical and customary connections, enhances the brand value of the team. Furthermore, the debate concerning the conflicts that exist between brand-centric communities and participatory fan culture is pertinent to Maple Leafs’ endeavours to strike a balance between fan-driven conversations and regulated promotional narratives. This is a challenge that is shared by other sports organizations that seek to preserve a consistent brand identity in the face of fan-generated content. Taken together with the increased interest and focus on the Maple Leafs at this point in the playoffs, discussing this topic during Round 1 is essential. The first round of the playoffs marks the beginning of the fierce competition, a time when fan excitement, conversation, and internet activity soar. Fans’ impressions and engagement with the Maple Leafs on social media could be greatly impacted by this time of year when the team’s tactics are scrutinized more closely. Per Marwick and Boyd (2011) “‘You’re born to be brave’: Lady Gaga’s use of social media to inspire fans’ political awareness,” Twitter de-pathologizes fan-celebrity exchanges by portraying celebrities as ‘ real people’ that followers can communicate with; “Research has also suggested that the increased potential for celebrity–fan interactions in social media, even if illusory, allows fans to create or reinforce feelings of ‘knowing’ celebrities, ultimately creating strong social bonds” (

Bennett, 2012; Marwick and Boyd, 2011 Paragraph 16). Social media communication by celebrities creates the illusion of two-way contact, strengthening fan-celebrity bonds and raising expectations of closeness beyond what is achievable through traditional media platforms.  The article discussing Auston Matthews’ post-game interview “Auston Matthews after ending the Leaf’s first-round playoff curse:” published by “Maple Leafs Hot Stove”, conducted following the Toronto Maple Leafs’ series-opening victory against Tampa Bay, perfectly captures the team’s overall feelings and the range of emotions felt throughout the crucial victory. Matthews describes the mixture of nervousness, anxiety or and ultimately joy that characterized the game, highlighting cooperation and teamwork as crucial components of their success. This win is important for more reasons than just one win; it’s a significant step toward their bigger goals. This conversation is made more

in-depth by including the interpretation of Matthews’ interview. It places the Maple Leafs’ on-field accomplishments in the larger context of their brand strategy. The interview depicts the team’s cohesiveness and emotional journey, highlighting cooperation and teamwork as key factors in their success. It highlights the significance of the team’s image, aims, and long-term strategy inside the branding discourse by stressing that this success is more than simply a single victory but rather a major step towards their overall goals. In addition to humanizing the players, connecting Matthews’ interview to the debate about sports teams as brands offers a practical illustration of how these individual stars support the team’s success and, by extension, its brand. Swirling into “alyviakeeler1” post shows the approval and appraisal for the accomplishments of the Two stars of the team (Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner”) instead of the whole team itself. It shows how influential making key players on the team into celebrities to connect them towards audience members who aren’t necessarily in the Leafs fandom.