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For all the criticism it has received under the stewardship of Elon Musk, Twitter/X remains one of the fastest platforms in the world for finding breaking sports news. Fans know it, teams know it, athletes know it and, crucially, sports reporters know it. The moment something happens a line-up is announced, an injury occurs, a shock result lands, or a controversial incident unfolds it is already being discussed and dissected in public..
None of the above is surprising, of course, but it does ultimately shine a light on how the consumption of sports has changed over the last couple of decades. In the 1990s and before, there were definite endpoints to the consumption of a sports event: The game’s television broadcast ended; you had to wait to read about something in the newspaper the next day; you had to wait to go to work to talk with your buddies. Now, it’s a 24/7 never-ending conversation.
That conversation amplifies the drama of sports. There is scrutiny on everything, and it goes well beyond the action on the court or field. It veers into politics, culture wars, and concepts like patriotism. It helps stir debate among fans, who will argue over whether a certain player deserves to be in the Hall of Fame or if a team’s NFL odds are too short for the new season.
The debate can become toxic
Inevitably, those debates lead to toxicity, too. Many athletes have had to leave social media due to the massive amounts of abuse they receive. As you might expect, this tends to be more prevalent among female athletes and people of color. As social media has ramped up the engagement of sports to new levels, it has also facilitated racists and misogynists with a voice, community and platform.
Perhaps the key element overall is that social media has created a kind of ecosystem where fans feel more connected to the teams and athletes, as well as fellow fans. The lines are blurred, as such, allowing fans to feel a sense of ownership. Often this is positive, but it can also be negative. As with politics, there is more engagement with controversial issues, even when that controversy is manufactured.
Younger fans prefer bite-sized media
What is interesting is that the statistics are showing a marked shift among fans, especially younger fans. Gen Z, in particular, seems to prefer consuming sports via social media more so than attending games or traditional television broadcasts. There are worries about this, too, with some citing the fact that their preference for short clips and reels is an example of younger generations’ lack of attention span.
For their part, sports teams and league organizations seem to have embraced the idea that their future lies on social media. Many have signed deals with social media giants for exclusive content, whereas some have given up the battle of trying to block footage from appearing on those platforms for free. They have taken a more pragmatic approach, learning how to monetize it.
None of this, of course, means that sports is viewed as better now that it has this constant flow back and forth between fans, players and institutions. Indeed, you’ll often see fans – particularly older fans – pining for the good old days before the curtain was lifted. But it feels like there is an inevitability to this, and that we should probably accept the direction of travel.
