Member-only story
Content Aggregation and Highlight Culture in Sports: The Rise of Misrepresentation and Instant Reactions
In an age of on demand data, the way that we get our sports news has changed to prioritize speed over accuracy and nuance. But is this the path that we want to follow?
If you have spent any time in the sports section of Twitter (or X as it is now known) you have likely witnessed a cacophony of voices of fans, parody accounts, reporters, and bots weighing in on the sports news of the day. What you also are probably aware of is the rising presence of content aggregator accounts that will try to deliver the news to followers as efficiently and as succinctly as possible.
These accounts often have very large followings for fans that are in need of the latest news. The phenomenon of their success mirrors the model that have made NBA and NFL insiders like Shams Charania and Adam Schefter must-follow for fans. They simply deliver the gut of the news in under 240 characters as quickly as possible, nuance be damned. And while this is effective for breaking stories in NBA free agency, there are other stories in the sports world that deserve more nuance. Content aggregation has become a part of the culture of sports, and in many ways that is not a good thing.
