While there has been a surge of sports media members signing up for the social media platform Bluesky in recent weeks, many of the larger components of the sports media landscape (networks, teams, major insiders) seemed to be in a holding pattern.
It appears that Bluesky, which is approaching 25 million users, has crossed the threshold for some of those entities to start dipping their toes.
That includes ESPN, which began posting on the platform Friday.
is this thing on?
The arrival was heralded by ESPN NFL analyst Mina Kimes, who has become an advocate on the platform, pushing for more sports media members to join.
Guys *puts on insider hat* I’ve got some pretty big news…
🚨 ESPN HAS OFFICIALLY JOINED BLUESKY 🚨
This is legit! We’re here!!!! Spread and follow 👇👇👇
— Mina Kimes (@minakimes.bsky.social) December 6, 2024 at 2:18 PM
While Bluesky does have a verification system in the form of setting your website as your username, it can still be tough to be sure that an account is official. Awful Announcing has confirmed that this is a legitimate ESPN account, though it was not using the website username process as of Friday. According to ESPN social content commentator Omar Raja, that verification should happen in the coming days.
A similar Bluesky account using the handle espnplus.bsky.social, which visually appeared to be an official ESPN account and had gained over 40,000 followers, was not affiliated with the company. That count appears to have been suspended Friday.
A hodgepodge of ESPN employees and talent has joined Bluesky over the last few weeks as well. While some like Kimes, Pat McAfee, Sarah Spain, and Ramona Shelburne have already built up solid followings, many of the company’s top insiders, such as Shams Charania and Adam Schefter, have yet to set up an account. A Jeff Passan account with almost 20,000 followers has been confirmed to AA as not affiliated with the ESPN MLB insider.
As noted by Front Office Sports last week, most of the major U.S. sports leagues have yet to commit to a Bluesky account or strategy despite having accounts on X and Threads. The lack of an official NFL presence on the platform is certainly a major factor limiting its ability to become “New Sports Twitter.” Meanwhile, several U.S. professional sports franchises have set up shop there, including the Seattle Kraken, Cleveland Guardians, and Buffalo Sabres.
The big question is, what’s the holdup? Even if you don’t believe Bluesky is going to be “the next Twitter” or overtake X as a sports media hub, it sure seems like the kind of place you’d at least want to lock down your account and presence. Is there some kind of user threshold they’re waiting for? Do they worry about being aligned with a “liberal echo chamber?” Is there a fear of upsetting X owner and budding oligarch Elon Musk?
As more companies like ESPN finally set up shop in the coming weeks (or don’t), perhaps we’ll get a clearer answer.
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