Recent reports of what amounts to a ‘celebrity boxing match’ involving a legend of the sport have shone the spotlight more on problems.
Floyd Mayweather, potentially facing a YouTuber on Pay Per View, an event that will hoodwink social media followers, deepens what is now amounting to a crisis for the foreseeable future.
These latest unsubstantiated rumors given to an ‘influencer’ mean one of two things.
A) We either have a shocking match-up on our hands that will end up killing the lower levels of the sport. Or B) We have the worst kinds of social media rumors wrecking the sport.
The fact every one of the significant outlets has since run the story is a telling sign that where Floyd Mayweather is concerned, media cannot miss out.
Whether it’s rumor or fact, it has to be run – just in case. Those who are attempting to make a name from themselves only from social media have learned the basics. They know this kind of method works to drive up followers.
Those who get their boxing news from this kind of platform can never really be sure what is real, though.
BOXING FAKE NEWS
In the past twelve months, there is a sizeable shift. Fake news and click-baiting are rife. How to decipher what is real or not is tough. Especially for those in the younger generation without prior knowledge of the best sources. They are certainly in danger of being left out of the loop.
The dilemma is a big problem. It also means the newest boxing fans, of which there are few, have to gather their news from these untrusted outlets.
A deepening problem, not only for promoters who want to get the news out there, but for the big players like Google, Apple, and Bing who have to push those headlines to the forefront.
More and more times, when you look at a media aggregator, constant new sources are popping up everywhere. Not to mention that now every man, woman, and dog in the world has their own podcast. The latter of which is just another outlet to confuse.
WBN now gets at least twenty-five percent of new stories from a plethora of podcast quotes sent over every week.
The scrap for places on the site’s daily news page is real. It also means less time for exclusive interviews and reporting, though.
In the ten years since WBN’s inception, this is the most sizeable shift I’ve seen. And if those Mayweather rumors turn out to be accurate, social media news look at themselves as the future.
The views expressed in this article are the opinions of Phil Jay.
WBN Editor Phil has over ten years of boxing news experience. Follow WBN on Facebook @officialworldboxingnews and Twitter @worldboxingnews.
