Beautiful Black British brand: exploring intersectionality of race, gender, and self-branding of Black British sportswomen

Figures & data

Figure 1. Theoretical conceptualisation of BBS navigating self-branding amidst intersectionality of gender and race.

Table 1. Demographic information about participating Black British sportswomen.

Participants	Age	Sporting Background			Racial Background
		Sports	Sports category	Level of professionalism	Being British	Race
SW1	18–21	Football	Team-oriented	Semi-professional (Student)	Naturalised British	Mixed race
SW2	18–21	Basketball	Team-oriented	Semi-professional (Working)	Naturalised British	Both parent
SW3	18–21	Athletics	Solo	Semi-professional (Student)	Born British	Both parent
SW4	18–21	Tennis	Solo	Semi-professional (Working)	Born British	Both parent
SW5	22–25	Tennis	Solo	Semi-professional (Student)	Born British	Both parent
SW6	22–25	Football	Team-oriented	Semi-professional (Working)	Born British	Both parent
SW7	22–25	Gymnastics	Solo	Professionals	Born British	Both parent
SW8	22–25	Athletics	Solo	Professionals	Born British	Both parent
SW9	22–25	Netball	Team-oriented	Semi-professional (Student)	Born British	Both parent
SW10	22–25	Volleyball	Team-oriented	Semi-professional (Student)	Born British	Mixed race
SW11	22–25	Athletics	Solo	Semi-professional (Student)	Born British	Mixed race
SW12	22–25	Football	Team-oriented	Semi-professional (Working)	Naturalised British	Both parent
SW13	26–30	Athletics	Solo	Semi-professional (Working)	Born British	Both parent
SW14	26–30	Athletics	Solo	Professionals	Naturalised British	Both parent
SW15	26–30	Swimming	Solo	Professional	Born British	Mixed
SW16	26–30	Football	Team-oriented	Professional	Born British	Both parent
SW17	31–35	Athletics	Solo	Professional	Born British	Both parent
SW18	31–35	Football	Team-oriented	Professional	Born British	Both parent

Our sampling criteria was influenced by (a) were above 18 years old, (b) identified as a woman, (c) identified as an individual from the Black ethnic group, either through both parents or one parent, (d) identified as British, through birth or naturalisation, and (e) identified as a professional or semi-professional sportswoman.

Table

s/n	First-order concepts Child nodes (n=76) Phase 3 of thematic analysis	Second-order concepts Parent nodes (n=19) Phase 4 of thematic analysis	Aggregated dimensions Main themes (n=5) Phase 5 of thematic analysis
1.	Recognising the challenge	Huge demands for excellence	Being exceptional
2.	Extra challenge as a Black woman
3.	Conform to standards
4.	Recognising the limited opportunities	White privilege
5.	Different from white counterparts.
6.	No white privilege
7.	Bias towards light-skinned women
8.	Beauty doesn’t give a pass.
9.	Support network	Emotional stamina
10.	Prove you are good enough
11.	Shade of ‘blackness’	Physical appearance
12.	Using make-up
13.	Wearing wigs
14.	Looking beautiful
15.	Look out for partnerships	Solo effort	Seeking partnership
16.	Look out for gigs
17.	Knock on doors for opportunities
18.	Network
19.	Aspire for positive outcome
20.	Establish legitimacy	Solo responsibilities
21.	Proof credibility
22.	Avoid being sexualised
23.	Hard work to build brand	Getting a team
24.	Hire professional talent agents
25.	Create the platform
26.	Expand reach and network
27.	Take your time	The liberty
28.	Enjoy the freedom
29.	No pressure to be pro
30.	Developing personal values	Values	Remaining themselves
31.	Retaining personal values
32.	Balancing personal and professional values
33.	Not compromising	Challenging situations
34.	Recognising uncomfortable situation
35.	Aware of existing institutional limitations
36.	Trying something new
37.	Born in the UK	The level of ‘Britishism’
38.	Immigrated to the UK
39.	Remembering the heritage
40.	Fly the flag of other country
41.	Maintaining link to another country
42.	Faith,	External support
43.	Family
44.	Friends
45.	Fans
46.	Sharing experiences	social media	Communicating about their experiences
47.	Talking about frustration
48.	Providing insights into life as an athlete
49.	Exploring other social media (LinkedIn)	Other media
50.	TV (punditry)
51.	Radio appearances (interviews)
52.	Print media (columnist)
53.	Politically correct	Being cautious
54.	Highlight injustices
55.	Impact on reputation
56.	Impact on funding
57.	Schools	Speaking and support platforms
58.	Universities
59.	Sports clubs
60.	Different events
61.	Religious centres
62.	Mentor to many other young sportswomen
63.	Family platforms
64.	Sports are a means to a prosperous end	The future plan	Thinking beyond sport
65.	Preparing for the future
66.	Recognising financial vulnerability
67.	Getting formal education (first degree)	Education
68.	Post graduate education (Second degree, MBA, PhD)
69.	Additional training and qualifications
70.	Punditry and media	Action plans
71.	Starting a business
72.	Fashion line
73.	Business consultancy
74.	Personal coaching
75.	Tech products
76.	Brand endorsement