Hello world, my name is Ben Duff and I am here to discuss my own social media sport “Diet.”
Over the past decade, the sports communication landscape has transformed exponentially, driven by social media, streaming services, and new technology. My own sports media diet reflects these changes. Today, I consume sports content on a range of platforms, including social media (Twitter/X, Instagram, TikTok), dedicated sports apps (ESPN, Bleacher Report), streaming services (ESPN+, DAZN), and podcasts. I even follow the social media accounts of individual players, which give behind-the-scenes insight not as readily available previously. Five years ago, my consumption of sports media was more centralized. I relied primarily on traditional television broadcasts and sports websites for news, game highlights, and analysis. Social media was used mainly for breaking news and the occasional highlight clip. Podcasts and on-demand streaming were still emerging trends, and athletes engaging directly with fans was less common.
Looking ahead to the next five years, I expect even more immersive, interactive, and personalized sports media experiences. Advances in augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) will likely allow fans to view games from the perspective of players or to have courtside seats from their living rooms. AI-driven algorithms will offer hyper-personalized content recommendations, and fan engagement may be enriched with real-time, interactive betting and fan polls integrated directly into live broadcasts.
If I could wave a magic wand and change one thing about the current sports communication landscape, I would increase access to good-quality sports content at an affordable rate.
Fans are being bewildered and made to pay more due to media rights fragmentation across multiple streaming networks in order to follow their club and leagues of choice. Consolidation of access or the creation of universal platforms that give a broader range of sports coverage at a reasonable cost would be more pleasurable for the fan and more encompassing of sport consumption.