How a Gay Beach Volleyball Player Built a Community Using TikTok
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When crafting his personal brand, professional beach volleyball player Charlie Siragusa began by asking himself what made him unique he says in an essay in Out Sports.
Siragusa says “making it as a pro athlete nowadays is more than just being at the top of our sport. It also means building a successful brand around ourselves. A large part of our careers is convincing potential fans and sponsors that our athletic journey is worth following. This is especially true in the age of social media.”
He identified three things: he plays a sport that is universally loved, and at 6’8″ tall he is significantly taller than the general population, and finally that he’s gay.
Inspired by gay Olympians Adam Rippon and Gus Kenworthy who became bigger than sports by leveraging their brand on social media he turned to TikTok.
“I believe that TikTok is the most powerful social media platform. The algorithm allows you to find your tribe within a matter of minutes. It’s funny how it took us years to realize we are gay, but it only takes the TikTok algorithm a few minutes. Thankfully for me, the algorithm delivered, and quickly connected me to thousands of people interested in following my journey all over the world.
I’ve done TikToks centered around my height, beach volleyball and being a single gay man. A recent one called “meeting older straight men” about people assuming I am a basketball player has garnered 260,000 views. I’ve been super lucky to connect with other queer people from different walks of life, many of whom were athletes themselves.”
@charliesiragusaI wish I could capture straight men’s dissapointment when I tell them i play volleyball instead of basketball.♬ original sound – Charlie
It wasn’t easy and he says it’s a second job but Siragusa says he has succeeded in what he set out to do.
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Charlie Siragusa, 23, is a beach volleyball player based in Southern California. He grew up in the Rochester, N.Y., area and went to college first at BYU and later at UC San Diego, where he was named to the 2021 and 2022 U.S. Beach collegiate national team. He can be reached via email (charliesiragusa20@gmail.com) TikTok (@charliesiragusa) or Instagram (@chaliesiragusa)
