Clickbait: How Sports Journalists Use False Headlines for Views.
As social media has continued to become the forefront of the online world. The sports world has transitioned to using social media for sharing news, highlights and game updates. Sports journalists are one of the main users of social media, sharing the news they learn the moment they can. With the articles they share, journalists often use specific players or teams names to help bring traffic to their tweets.
The MLB announced before the start of the 2021–2022 season, they were going to crackdown on pitchers using foreign substances in game. Trevor Bauer, an All-Star, has been called out as the first pitcher who has had his ball checked after a game. Within the article, you can learn that they are taking every pitchers balls afters games and checking for substances, not just Bauer’s. Ken Rosenthal used the Dodgers pitcher name to gather interest.
A major way sports journalist can use clickbait is promoting a popular college player who is heading to the pros. Websites such as ESPN and Fox create fake drafts showing teams getting good talent. Using these players names to get fans to read about their team getting a new star.
Throughout the offseason of different sports, broadcasters and journalists use clickbait to continue to talk about the out of season sports. Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers quarterback, has been on the frontlines of clickbait as Green Bay drafted a QB last year. Reporters use this uncertainty to create stories out of nothing.
In the NBA, ESPN continuously uses players such as Lamelo Ball and LeBron James to increase their views. Adding them to lists or posting videos of them doing average plays. Using the players popularity to bring attention to their own social media.
Sports Journalist and reporters use clickbait to bring fans to their account, giving them more engagements. Fans on social media a such as Twitter and Instagram can be seen as the reason why. When they call a sport like golf “a fake sport” and always ask for LeBron posts. These reporters and sites use this information to learn what is the best for engagements. Then use that to create the click-baits we all know today!
