Given the popularity of sports discussion in the app, this is a clever move for X.
The platform has added a new “NFL Portal” activation, which will make it easier for NFL fans to track the latest news and chatter, while also contributing with their own thoughts and opinions.
As you can see in this example, the new NFL Portal will bring together posts from NFL teams and rights-holder accounts, along with key reporters and fan profiles, to keep football fans updated.
In addition to this, X has also added separate tabs for game schedules and live scores, an overview of the current standings, and team and player stats.
That’ll make it much easier for people to add contextually-relevant commentary, by giving them easy access to key data that can help to better inform opinions and notes.
And again, given the popularity of sports discussion in the app, this could be a very valuable update.
X reported back in September that sports remains the most-discussed topic in the app, with many sports fans now habitual X users, as a complement to their sports experience.
The platform has long been the best tool for keeping up with the latest news, and sports fans, in particular, have formed powerful communities within the app, which will be very hard to shift, even as competing platforms continue to rise.
Even more relevant, X says that around 40% of the sports-related posts in the app are about the NFL. Combine that with the above chart on key topics of discussion and you can get a sense of the full scope of NFL-specific engagement.
A dedicated NFL portal, then, makes a heap of sense, and could end up being big winner for the app. And it wouldn’t be difficult for X to replicate the same for the NBA, MLB, NHL, etc.
This is a solid area of opportunity for X. And while many people have seemingly turned away from the app due to the political opinions of Elon Musk, sports fandoms seem largely immune to this aspect. Or at least, they’re able to ignore it in favor of continuing to consume sports as they’ve become accustomed.
The more X can keep this cohort happy, the better off it will be.