Many people have gotten used to seeing their favorite Internet personalities post content on YouTube, Twitch, Discord, Reddit, or any other video website. The content produced by these personalities is extremely widespread. Creators have produced countless hours of videos with content ranging from the Sidemen’s music videos to MrBeast’s videos where he buried himself alive for multiple hours. However, in the past few years many Internet influencers have begun breaking boundaries by entering into the sports industry. This began with a video uploaded in 2017 when two Youtubers, Joe Weller and Theo Baker, fought each other in a match that gained massive views on both of their channels once the video went public. This prompted a later fight between UK influencer KSI and American YouTuber Logan Paul after KSI called out the famous Paul brothers. KSI won the fight against Paul in 2019, which would lead to more fights, including the recent controversial win for Tommy Fury when he fought KSI in October. The inclusion of Internet personalities into the world of professional boxing has spurred a movement for other sports as well.
While boxing kicked off the phenomenon of YouTubers in sports, arguably one of the biggest sports to host internet influencers has been soccer. This has been most prevalent with the Sidemen, a group of UK YouTubers and Internet personalities. Founded in 2013, the group consists of seven Internet personalities, who, according to their website sidemen.com, describe themselves as “a group of friends with a few videos online, over 100 million fans and billions of views.” The group has made a major impact in the sports world as KSI is one of the leading members although they have not only touched onto the boxing industry but also the world of soccer. In 2016, the group announced the plan for a Sidemen-hosted soccer match, where all proceeds would be donated to the “Saints Foundation” charity, an organization that hopes to ensure resources are available for healthcare in all communities. The first match produced over one hundred thousand in British pounds, equating to over one hundred and twenty five thousand US dollars. The Sidemen have since hosted four more matches, with the latest having taken place this past September at West Ham, hosted in London Stadium. The matches have garnered millions of views on YouTube, causing great publicity for both the channel and the charities the money was donated to. The matches also allowed other influencers to gain followings as separate videos were uploaded by the players who participated in the match. Notable participants in the matches include MrBeast, Kai Cenat, and iShowSpeed. The inclusion of different internet personalities, as well as streaming the event and allowing live spectators, brought massive attention to the charity match, in effect leading to more money raised. The Sidemen have not just stuck to soccer, though. In 2019, a group led by KSI climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in an effort to raise money for Red Nose Day, a charity that focuses on ensuring children live a happy and healthy life. The grueling climb helped raise an incredibly impressive amount of over two million US dollars.
Another face that has been ever present in the sports industry is Donald De La Haye, better known by his influencer name “Deestroying.” Haye is a well known athlete who had the opportunity to play college football for the University of Central Florida. He decided against it, instead choosing to pursue a career in YouTube with his growing channel. Known for his football content, Haye produces videos showcasing prominent high school football programs, hosting one on one competitions for cash prizes, and giving in depth online tours of both college and professional football teams’ facilities and programs. Haye prides himself on his “Friday Night Lights” series in which he travels to different high schools to give players a chance to showcase their abilities online. Haye has said before how many players have been offered scholarships after one of his videos reaches scouts who are looking for new players. His videos have given light to many of the unique football programs across both the United States and Europe. His one on one competitions are some of his most popular content as he travels throughout the United States and hosts one on one’s in different towns. Residents sign up and are given the opportunity to display their skills and have a chance at winning big cash prizes at the end of the day. The introduction of this kind of content allows players to get noticed and invited to college or professional level sports.
Overall, the sports industry has been welcoming to influencers who want to bring attention to different causes through physical recreation. The boxing industry embraced YouTuber boxing and even promoted certain fights. Logan Paul has continued to box and even joined the WWE in 2021 and has even signed a contract with the wrestling organization for the foreseeable future. The now professional boxer and wrestler made his debut in 2021 and has since competed in only eight matches but plans to participate in many in the future as part of his contract. Logan’s brother, Jake, has also continued his sports career in boxing with his most recent fight against Nate Diaz and his previous fight against Tommy Fury. Jake has no plan to quit boxing, stating he will only retire once he has won ten matches, has an undefeated record, and has fought for a world title.
The employment of sports and physical activity was a great ploy used by YouTubers to raise awareness for certain issues while also gaining popularity in their content creation careers. The organization of charity games has had a profound impact with charities around the world, while the boxing community has learned to accept the influencers who have chosen to stay with the sport. The inclusion of the influencers has allowed many industries to gain audiences that were not once available to them due to the content creators’ coverage of sports events. The inclusion of influencers in sports has had a largely beneficial impact and it can only hope to continue having such a largely positive effect on the sports industry.
