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Been thinking a LOT about the sports media landscape on X.
Most of these influencers and "new media" pundits may not realize the power they have. Agents, sponsors and other stakeholders who have a large investment in a player are willing to pay for said player to get propped up or even just have their highlights hyped online.
I think we assume that sports influencers post for the love of the game... and maybe that is more often than not the case. But how often do you think accounts that are viewed as fan or sports meme accounts in reality are paid to share certain narratives?
And if this paid engagement isn't happening already in the year 2026, when will it? Because it would be dumb for agents PR representatives and agents not to pursue this.
Sports accounts on X rack in millions of views and can change the perception of a player overnight or with one highlight (or lowlight) video.
I don't want to make people distrust every piece of sports content, but even when it comes to fandom or a simple take related to sports-- don't take everything you see at face value.
Sports is a business. Your views, belief in and fandom for a team or player is valuable and yours to control. It drives popularity and revenue for these players.
As for me, I value authenticity from my favorite athletes. In this increasingly paid sports media environment in addition to gambling and other massive industries throwing money and sponsorship deals into sports, it is important to decide what you want to get out of your sports media consumption and continue to improve your media literacy.
Very Interesting to think about as money continues to drive sports media.
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