Dr. Matheus Simões Mello
Full-time professor at the Federal University of South and Southeast of Pará (Brazil), Department of Communication. He teaches and conducts research on Sports Journalism, Radio Journalism and Podcasting.
Email: matheusenso@unifesspa.edu.br
Dr. Thomas Horky
Professor for Sports Communication at Macromedia University of applied Sciences in Hamburg, Germany. He was visiting professor at Indiana University, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and International Fellow of the University of Iowa.
Email: t.horky@macromedia.de
Bluesky: @thomashorky.bsky.social
For an audience of 1.5 million followers, the video by Argentine Fede Racchi (aka @federacchi) shows the walk through the players’ tunnel and out into a World Cup stadium, where sports photographers are waiting for the match. Another video offers an up-close look—very, very close—at the Brazilian and Japanese players, filmed from areas inside the mixed zone, where sports journalists are not permitted. Accompanying the footage is commentary from Axel Panameno (aka @axel.footy) from Florida for his roughly 250,000 followers: “This is what you don’t see on TV, behind the scenes…”.
These two TikTok videos demonstrate that sports journalism at major sporting events is undergoing a dynamic shift. For organizers and leagues, so-called “content creators” or “stadium vloggers” are becoming increasingly important, as they are able – through (live) coverage on social media – to engage primarily younger audiences with the event. For the Olympic Games, NBC enlisted the rapper Snoop Dogg as an influencer; for the 2026 World Cup, FIFA – in cooperation with TikTok – has now, for the first time, selected and accredited 30 so-called “Creator Correspondents”. This unconventional and journalistic-driven naming alone underscores the apparently high media significance that FIFA attaches to these influencers – who are from four continents, 11 countries, and 22 cities – and who are tasked with “capturing behind-the-scenes moments that bring the competition to life, including bus arrivals, gameday access, training sessions, press conferences, warm-ups, and more.” This inevitably creates a competitive dynamic with traditional sports journalists, who face significant hurdles imposed by FIFA in the form of strict access regulations and exclusive licensing rights.
TikTok and FIFA announced a big success story right after the final: “Together, Creator Correspondents shared thousands of posts and generated millions of views, bringing fans closer to the people, traditions, celebrations, and culture that surrounded the FIFA World Cup™”. Natalie Jarvey also says on Substack: “The 2026 World Cup’s First Winner: the Creator Economy” (July 15th).
To understand the dynamics of this development, ten sports journalists and live streamers in Germany and Brazil – two nations with a rich footballing tradition, winning several tournaments – were interviewed before the World Cup regarding the significance of this shift and the (potential) erosion of traditional sports journalism. The results are very mixed.
Both sports journalists and the content creator highlight journalistic values as core elements of their work. Younger journalists and the content creator tend to place greater importance on social media. Sports journalists draw distinctions between themselves and content creators. However, they note that whether someone can be considered a “sports journalist” depends on the specific case. They acknowledge that some content creators do perform journalistic work. The content creator (who seems to see himself as a journalist) actually draws a sharper distinction between the two categories than the sports journalists.
Sports journalists believe that journalistic norms remain extremely important. Terms such as ethics and credibility were mentioned. They also argue that journalistic norms can help content creators professionalize their work.
Most sports journalists agree that content creators can be granted accreditation, depending on the relevance of each applicant, and the number of available accreditations. In situations with limited accreditation slots, sports journalists feel they should have priority for these privileged spaces. For sports journalists, accreditation for content creators on the one hand, can make an event more attractive. On the other hand, it may lead to ethical transgressions.
Sports journalists believe that digitalization has brought significant changes to the profession, especially regarding production speed and the need to create content for multiple platforms. Sports journalists state that the new scenario affects their work, but not necessarily their job security. Some pointed out that the profession has become more plural. One journalist (and the content creator) also noted that, from an economic standpoint, content creation and independent channels on platforms such as YouTube are more attractive.
Regarding whether content creators represent a threat to traditional sports media, half of the sports journalists agreed, while the other half did not. The argument presented by the second group aligns with studies showing that traditional sports media has increasingly incorporated content creators into their programs and coverage.
These initial findings demonstrate a mix of competition and cooperation within sports journalism—making it difficult to draw a definitive conclusion. Yes, journalistic coverage of the World Cup will continue. FIFA will go on generating billions of dollars from the sale of broadcasting rights. However, there will be far fewer independent, thoroughly researched journalistic stories—such as reports on the manufacture of soccer balls in low-wage countries (the World Cup ball comes from Sialkot, Pakistan) or the sport’s significance for participating nations like Curaçao or Cape Verde. The developments described here are pushing sports journalism to the fringes of the public sphere. The debate will no longer center on the blurring of boundaries within the journalism system; instead, sports journalism itself risks becoming a “peripheral actor” within the media landscape.
