Sports Chases Gen Z with Cringe Content, From 67-Point Scorelines to Italian Memes

Leagues and teams are embracing unorthodox tactics to reach the next generation of sports fans.

Published on Feb. 10, 2026

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Sports leagues and teams are struggling to connect with the younger Generation Z and Alpha audiences, who have very different media habits and interests compared to previous generations. From celebrating 67-point basketball games to posting Italian meme videos, organizations are embracing cringe-worthy and unconventional tactics to try to resonate with these digital-native fans who are less interested in traditional sports coverage.

Why it matters

As the next generation of potential sports fans, Gen Z and Alpha represent a crucial demographic for leagues and teams to engage with. However, their media consumption and interests differ significantly from previous generations, forcing sports organizations to rethink their content and marketing strategies to stay relevant.

The details

Gen Z and Alpha consumers gravitate more towards social media, streaming, and personalities rather than traditional sports coverage. Leagues are partnering with creators and influencers, embracing trends like the '6-7' craze, and experimenting with generative AI to create more specialized content. Initiatives like the NHL's youth advisory board also aim to directly incorporate younger fan insights into their strategies.

  • In a January 2026 poll, 20% of Gen Z adults identified as avid sports fans, compared to 33% of Millennials and 27% of Gen X.
  • The NBA is hosting over 200 creators with a collective 1 billion+ followers for its All-Star festivities this weekend in Los Angeles.

The players

Mark Beal

A communication professor at Rutgers University who studies Gen Z and Gen Alpha consumer trends.

Uzma Rawn Dowler

The chief marketing officer for Major League Baseball.

Bob Carney

A senior vice president for digital and social content at the NBA.

Heidi Browning

The chief marketing officer for the NHL.

Trevor McOmber

A Chicago Blackhawks fan and father of Gen Z/Alpha consumer Tye McOmber.

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What they’re saying

“That is a Gen-Z dream right there. You put a Gen Z-er in that between period one and two of a game. By the time they get done … they've live-streamed it, they've shot it, they've put it out on TikTok.”

— Mark Beal, Communication Professor (Fortune)

“For our growth audiences, we partner with influencers in relevant adjacent spaces, whether it's food, fashion, other culturally relevant sort of spaces to reach that casual perspective fan to bring them into the baseball ecosystem through the side door and feed them that adjacent baseball content through the lens of players or influencers to then ultimately have them convert to be that core fan.”

— Uzma Rawn Dowler, Chief Marketing Officer (Fortune)

“On our league-run social channels, we are very deliberate about keeping the content grounded in the same native tools and formats that fans and creators themselves use. That helps the ecosystem feel organic, authentic, and not overly produced.”

— Bob Carney, Senior Vice President (Fortune)

What’s next

The NHL plans to continue regularly consulting its youth advisory board of 13-to-17-year-olds to stay attuned to the evolving attitudes and behaviors of the next generation of sports fans.

The takeaway

Sports leagues and teams face an uphill battle in engaging the digitally-native Gen Z and Alpha audiences, who have fundamentally different media consumption habits and interests compared to previous generations of fans. Embracing unorthodox, 'cringe-worthy' content and tactics, as well as directly incorporating younger fan insights, will be crucial for leagues to stay relevant and build the next generation of passionate sports fans.