American Maher says her popularity was born out financial necessity

MANCHESTER, England : American Ilona Maher is arguably the world's most popular rugby player, boasting the largest social media following of anyone in the sport, but the 28-year-old said her focus on growing her social media profile was born out of financial necessity.

Maher's popularity soared during the Paris Olympics, where she helped the U.S. to bronze in rugby sevens. Following the Games, she was featured in Sports Illustrated's swimsuit issue, and last week finished runner-up on the U.S. show "Dancing With the Stars."

Maher, who has a master's degree in business, told the BBC's Rugby Union Weekly that she realised early in her career that her bank account would be linked to her social media following.

"I have had to do it in a different way," she told the BBC, after arriving in south west England earlier this week to play for the Bristol Bears.

"Rugby is my thing, but I have had to create this whole other thing around me. Being on the pitch is amazing, but as a female athlete, as a female rugby player, I have to do 10 times as much off the field.

"I can't just play the sport I love. I'm not going to make millions playing rugby, I'm not even going to make six figures playing rugby - that's the sad truth.

"I'm not going to be like a men's player - I can't put all my focus here. I have to put it into everything else as well and somehow that's translated into being the biggest star in rugby because of my personality."

By her own admission, Maher is not the world's best player, mentioning New Zealand's two-time Olympic gold winner Portia Woodman and Maddi Levi of Australia, among others.

"But I have something else I can bring, which is personality," she said.

Maher has it in spades. With just shy of eight million followers on