Professor Leigh Anne Donovan, PhD
Professor Leigh Anne Donovan’s journal abstract, “Professional Athletes’ Social Media Use and Player Performance: Evidence from the National Football League,” published in the International Journal of Sport Communication in 2021, explores the complex relationship between athletes’ social media activities and their performance in games. The study reveals a negative correlation between the volume of social media posts before games and player performance, alongside a nuanced positive link between expressions of humility and performance, albeit with a U-shaped curve indicating that too much humility can backfire. These insights underline the importance of balanced and strategic social media use for professional athletes, offering practical guidelines for improving in-game performance through appropriate social media engagement.
Professor Leigh Anne Donovan is an Associate Professor of Marketing at Pace University’s Lubin School of Business. Professor Donovan’s research focuses on consumer behavior, digital marketing, consumer-brand and interpersonal relationships, loyalty, and satisfaction. Her research has been published in leading academic journals such as the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, Psychology & Marketing, Journal of Relationship.
