Sports Media's AI Problem Has No Success Stories
Sports Illustrated pulled multiple articles this week after a freelance writer used AI to plagiarize content from Sportico and other outlets. The company cut ties with the writer, removed the pieces, and absorbed the reputational damage that comes with publishing AI-generated content on a major sports platform.
SI editor-in-chief Steve Cannella attempted damage control by noting the writer worked for "On SI," a separate contributor network, and shouldn't be seen as a "real" SI writer. The distinction matters inside the company. It doesn't matter to readers, who see one brand and one credibility problem.
A Pattern of Failures
This is the latest in a long string of AI missteps across sports media. Cleveland.com faced criticism for using AI to promote podcasts. Radio stations published AI-written social media posts with factual errors. NFL insiders shared AI-generated images. Fox Sports created unnecessary AI videos. Yahoo burned readers with AI fantasy sports content.
ESPN's AI-generated soccer recaps missed historical context. Sportsnet's AI video of baby analysts flopped. Wondery's attempt at an AI sports podcast host got rejected. Gannett's AI sports writing program became a cautionary tale. Even Google's Super Bowl commercial featured an AI fact error.
SI itself has done this before-publishing AI content that included fabricated writer names.
Why Newsrooms Are Blocking It
The public rejection of AI content in sports media is nearly universal. Mentions of AI drew boos at college graduations. One school's graduation ceremony was disrupted when AI failed at a simple administrative task that didn't need automation in the first place.
That failure captures the core problem: AI is being applied to problems that don't exist, often making situations worse instead of better.
Many newsrooms have responded by heavily restricting or banning AI use entirely. The mere suggestion that AI created a piece of content is now enough to damage a media outlet's reputation with its audience.
The disconnect between boardroom enthusiasm and public rejection has become impossible to ignore. Outside executive offices, no one is asking for this.
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