Major social media platforms and their parent companies have dominated the news cycles in recent months, becoming deeply intertwined in political discourse. Their CEO’s often-alarming actions, cozy relationships with President Donald Trump, and roles in information dissemination in America have captured public attention. The scrutiny extends to their affiliations with major corporations, networks, and sports leagues; having an account or partnership on a particular platform sends a message—intended or not—while the absence of such a relationship can convey a different sentiment entirely.
During the January 26 episode of Patriots Unfiltered, host Fred Kirsch, VP of content for Kraft Sports & Entertainment/New England Patriots, responded to inquiries from fans, including a request for the team to establish an account on Bluesky. “Please consider adding Bluesky to your social media outreach,” Kirsch read. “NFL content/engagement is growing there with folks like Mina Kimes leading the way.” However, he revealed, “right now we’re not allowed to. We had an account briefly on Bluesky, but the league asked us to take it down because it’s not an approved social media platform for the NFL yet.” His co-hosts expressed surprise, with Kirsch affirming, “Whenever the league gives us the green light, we’ll get back on Bluesky.”
There are several New England Patriots accounts on Bluesky that appear official, using the same branding as the team’s X account. Yet, many haven’t posted in a month and lack the platform’s verification system linking back to the Patriots’ website. This pattern seems common among NFL franchises, with similar unofficial accounts for teams like the New York Giants (13.4k followers), Philadelphia Eagles (49.8k), Minnesota Vikings (22.5k), and Detroit Lions (53.4k) also exhibiting this trend.
The NFL acknowledged its awareness of Bluesky but stated in November that it currently does not have an official presence on the platform, rationalizing the decision based on Bluesky’s smaller size and uncertainty surrounding its longevity, especially after a post-election bump. While various other leagues and franchises have begun to join the platform, they typically belong to smaller leagues lacking the NFL’s profile.
Recently, Bluesky saw a surge in users due to factors such as controversies surrounding X owner Elon Musk and brief closures of TikTok. As of now, the platform’s total user count is approaching 29 million. This raises the question: why is the NFL not only refraining from joining Bluesky but also advising its teams to stay off?
The rationale may simply be a desire for a solid partnership agreement before proceeding. Alternatively, it could be a strategic move to appease Musk amid his increasingly volatile nature, as seen in his backlashes against companies that challenge him, which ESPN-parent Disney knows all too well.
Awful Announcing reached out to both the NFL and Bluesky for comment but had not received a response by the time of this writing. While the NFL is not obligated to be on every social media platform, their haste to ensure all teams are on Threads and their close ties with X, Meta, and TikTok invite curiosity about their hesitance to engage with Bluesky.
