“Sex sells”. It’s a marketing mantra that football, rugby, and even athletics have long exploited to boost the profile of their sports and their athletes. Why does rowing not do the same?
Gold Fever: the Sydney Olympics’ legacy
Cast your mind back to the Sydney Olympics. Tim Foster, James Cracknell, Sir Matthew Pinsent, and Sir Steve Redgrave weren’t just champions. They were stars. They had Gold Fever, a BBC documentary, and thousands of (female) fans following their every move.
Those athletes had charisma, a narrative, and marketability. Gold Fever wasn’t just about documenting the journey to Olympic gold. It was about turning the athletes into relatable personalities. Each member of the four brought something unique to the screen: humour, grit, vulnerability, and confidence. Their crew dynamic transformed them from faceless rowers into characters the public could root for. Their individual stories were woven into a narrative of ambition and sacrifice, making the crew champions on the water and icons beyond it.
As a result, personality became the hook that drew fans in and kept them engaged.
Fast-forward to today, and rowing struggles to grab the public’s attention outside The Boat Race and the Olympics. Rowers have the looks, personalities, and discipline that other sports flaunt, but the rowing community seems shy about showcasing these assets.
Evolving tradition
Rowing prides itself on tradition. Promoting athletes through lifestyle content, social media, or even fashion shoots might feel wrong to the traditional circle rowing surrounds itself with. However, if rowing wants to thrive, it needs to play the same game as everyone else.
This isn’t about objectification; it’s about selling a story.
Think about how other sports celebrate and push their stars: Usain Bolt’s showmanship; Simone Biles’ social presence; even the charm of Formula 1 drivers on Netflix’s Drive to Survive. These athletes became household names because their sports lent into their personality and sold charisma alongside performance.
Meanwhile, rowers have the same ingredients – elite conditioning, resilience, stories of teamwork and sacrifice – but it’s all hidden away. In today’s world, fans crave more than medals. They want a narrative.
Recently, the spotlight has turned to canoeing. Kurt Adams Rozentals, a member of the GB canoe slalom team, was forced to choose between his canoeing career and his means for making money – OnlyFans. Whilst canoeing’s regulatory body found Rozentals’ content to be “immoral and offensive”, many adoring fans seem to like this new side to the sport. Through his social media and breakfast television appearances, canoeing has certainly been highlighted on a world stage. If there is an influx of new members to canoeing and larger crowds appearing at the current world championships, then surely that is no bad thing.
While I am by no means advocating for rowers to take their kit off, I do think the case highlights the importance of individual personalities and stories to attract new audiences and participants.
The Final Stroke
Rowing doesn’t need to abandon its traditions to stay relevant, but it does need to evolve. By endorsing marketing strategies that highlight both performance and personality, the sport can reclaim the cultural spotlight it briefly held at Sydney.
Sex appeal isn’t about exploitation. It’s about amplifying what already exists. Sports isn’t just about winning medals. It’s about winning attention. Pushing past the traditional values rowing still clings to is crucial to raise rowing’s profile.
