With Meta's introduction of their social media app Threads on July 5, the social media world is starting to evolve. Now the way sports journalists get their news out to the public can adapt with it. What used to be a simple tweet from a best reporter, could soon turn into a thread.
"We're all sort of waiting to see what happens next with Threads and what happens next with Twitter," Nicole Kraft, professor at Ohio State University, said. "I think Threads has the most potential at the moment to displace Twitter, but it's going to have to evolve extremely quickly." Threads is currently the fastest growing platform, reaching the 100 million users milestone within its first five days of launch. One of the ways it reached that number is its integration with Meta's other app, Instagram. On the other hand, the users of Twitter's app fell from about 88 million users in January to 83 million in June, as traffic on the site steadily goes down. The amount of monthly visits to Twitter dropped 7.3 percent in March compared to April of 2022 when traffic was up nearly 10 percent. With Musk's latest decision to rebrand Twitter as "X," the site is on its deathbed. "Every single move that he's made appears to be intending to kill Twitter in its current form," Kraft said. Kraft, who is also a sports reporter for the Associated Press, uses social media as an essential tool to send out news. "People are using social media as their own personal wire service," she said. According to a Pew Research Center survey, US adults in the age range of 18 to 29 are more likely to use social media with 42 percent considering it their most used news source. Morning Consult found Gen Z sports fans consume their sports content the most by watching highlights. Michael Giardina, a sports media professor at Florida State University, now finds the average sports fan is more likely to go on social media to watch a highlight, or just pull up the score on their phone. "This has caused the demographic of TV sports news to grow older, as younger demographics consume their news on various socials," Giardina said.
Social media isn't the only tool in a sports journalist's arsenal. A rising medium people are using to get their sports news is by listening to podcasts.
More Americans are listening to podcasts now than ever before, and listeners are skewing on the younger side. According to the Pew Research Center, 67 percent of podcast listeners are aged 18 to 29. In 2023, 64 percent of Americans aged 12 and older have listened to a podcast compared to 11 percent in 2006. One of the reasons why podcasts are popular is the freedom to access them at any time. "Podcasting makes it possible for people to get information and get entertainment when they choose to get it," Dennis Deninger, a former production executive at ESPN said. "The independence of listeners and viewers has given rise to podcasting and streaming."
The above graph is interactable. Hover over each data point with your mouse to see the value. Source: Pew Research Center
The podcast has had some growth since the duo started in late 2021. Their total number of listeners is approaching two thousand. "For something that's basically a fun side project for Tom and I, I like to think that's pretty good," Pugliese said.
"I didn't even expect to get any listeners," Bauer said. The podcast used to be only on Spotify, but has expanded onto Apple Podcasts. "Instantly we broke the top 150 podcasts in baseball across the US just because we got probably 250 listens right off the bat going on Apple Podcasts," Bauer said. Bauer, who is a producer for The Michael Kay Show, sees the importance of podcasts while working in sports talk radio. "The shows I work on get Tweets everyday if we don't post a podcast, or if there's a problem they say, 'What's going on with the podcast I'm missing out on this information that's vital to me'," Bauer said. The Michael Kay Show ranks 55 in sports on Apple Podcasts. Ranking towards the top is The Dan Le Batard Show, which ranks second in sports and 31 in terms of all podcasts. That podcast is sponsored by the sportsbook DraftKings, which the rise of sports betting has created another avenue for people to get sports news. SportsGrid is a network dedicated to offering constant coverage of sports betting, and that type of content is becoming a popular way for people to engage with sports news. "As every week in the NFL season goes on you're seeing more and more people post on social media all their bets, and the crazy ways that they hit them," Andrew Bacigalupo, a former producer at SportsGrid, said. "It's kind of taking over the young 18 to almost 30 year old male in the United States."
Ever since the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) was overturned by the Supreme Court case Murphy v. NCAA, sports betting became more easily available. "If there are more people using a service, or doing anything, the media is wise to start providing content for the people who are using those services," Deninger said.
The content at SportsGrid focused on gambling, but it still provided sports news to their audience. "One thing we really stressed was we wanted to give the viewer the news, give the viewer the information, give them the statistics, but try and tie in the gambling side to it," Bacigalupo said. "We want to still provide the viewer with good analysis." As sports networks develop their own gambling shows like MSG Networks "The Betting Exchange" and ESPN's "Daily Wager," it's a sign that the sports media industry has evolved. "When I worked at ESPN we were very strictly prohibited from putting any betting content on the air," Deninger said, having worked at ESPN for 25 years.
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AuthorI'm Alex Wilenski, graduate journalism student at Hofstra University. Former lead producer of the New York Islanders Radio Network. My features aired over ESPN Radio NY 98.7FM and 1050AM as well as my live intermission sports updates. Most of my experience is working in radio, but I have some TV experience in my classes learning how to create TV packages as a video journalist. I've loved sports my whole life. Jets, Mets, and Islanders fan. Played football for 13 years, baseball for 8, and became decent at roller hockey throughout college. ArchivesCategories |