As Olympic champions and world record-holders drifted between interview stations at the World Athletics Ultimate Championship media day on Thursday, many had one eye on the cameras and another on their phones.
In modern athletics, social media is no longer just a way to connect with fans. Athletes and independent content creators have become an increasingly important part of how the sport promotes itself and reaches new audiences.
For a growing number of athletes, it is part of the business plan. With few guaranteed salaries and major sponsorship money concentrated among the elite, athletes are increasingly relying on content creation, brand partnerships and side ventures to supplement their income.
But as the sport embraces the creator economy, the growing presence of influencers at live events has also prompted debate about where promotion ends and disruption begins.
That erupted last week at the US Open when a chair umpire reprimanded patrons for staging a photo shoot while Naomi Osaka was serving during her first-round win over Anastasia Zakharova, raising questions about where content creators belong at live sporting events.
