The rapid incursion of so-called social media influencers and imposters into South African football journalism is muddying a space that’s already losing its value and respect because viral clickbait is glorified over credible reporting.
Nowadays big football events, where authentic journalists used to interview people of interest without any hassle, are awash with new-age “influencers”, leaving traditional media with no choice but to scramble for space and feed off the crumbs.
Most of these “influencers” given first preference in football ceremonies are hired by big brands, who are pumping a fortune into the game via sponsorships, but a little bit of respect for legitimate football journalists wouldn’t cost anything. Instead, it would give the local game more exposure.
A certain kwaito legend, whose only known stake in football is being a diehard Orlando Pirates supporter, has been seen on at least a couple of occasions entering the pitch and interviewing players for his social media feed.
Accredited journalists can only dream of this exclusivity, as PSL accreditation doesn’t allow any print media and radio reporters to set foot anywhere near the pitch.
The infiltration of content creators into football journalism reared its ugly head at Bafana Bafana’s send-off ceremony, arranged by one of their sponsors, at the DP World Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg on Saturday, two days before the Hugo Broos-coached team finally left for Mexico ahead of the upcoming World Cup.
Some animals are more equal than others; the organisers and SA Football Association shamelessly refused to make players available for interviews to journalists. But guess what? A few influencers, most of whom have no sports background, were allowed to speak to the Bafana players.
As if the striking invasion of these content creators wasn’t bad enough, some of them asked the players totally irrelevant questions, missing an opportunity to inform the nation while subjecting themselves to social media mockery.
What’s unfair is that the very same social media ends up lumping these so-called influencers into the same category as real journalists. We now read, almost daily, some disenchanted social media user bemoaning that “there are no football journalists in this country”. Most of these complaints would be directed at the mishap of an influencer masquerading as a journalist.
Sure, social media is powerful in this digital age, playing a central role in bridging geographical gaps and in driving economic growth through cost-effective marketing. But the PSL and Safa must still guard against rolling out the red carpet for glory hunters armed with a cellphone and a camera at the expense of traditional media, which widely remains a credible, trusted source of information.
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