NFL bars teams from using Bluesky
The NFL is sticking to its guns about how its team members use social media — namely, by keeping teams off of X competitor Bluesky.
This tidbit comes courtesy of the sports media site Awful Announcing, which caught an exchange on Patriots Unfiltered. In response to a fan suggestion that the team expand its social media footprint to Bluesky, Patriots VP of content Fred Kirsch revealed that "right now we’re not allowed to."
Kirsch explained that while the Patriots had briefly tested the waters on Bluesky, "the league asked us to take it down because it’s not an approved social media platform for the NFL yet," he said.
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Bluesky, now boasting over 28 million users, has emerged as a leading alternative to X in the wake of Elon Musk’s and Mark Zuckerberg’s apparent shifts toward far-right politics. Sports teams are increasingly exploring life beyond X, with Bundesliga clubs like FC St. Pauli taking the leap as early as November, following the U.S. presidential election.
More recently, several major sports-focused subreddits have floated the idea of banning X links entirely, even though much of their content relies heavily on posts from the platform. At the same time, prominent sports journalists and media personalities have started building active presences on Bluesky, making X’s role as a go-to hub for sports fans feel increasingly redundant.
As for the NFL's presence on Bluesky? It’s basically nonexistent. The league maintains active partnerships with Meta and X, and despite the wave of sports fans and media personalities migrating to Bluesky, the NFL has yet to follow suit. The decision seems to stem less from ideological alignment with Musk or Zuckerberg and more from the league's business interests and active brand partnerships with both platforms.
An NFL spokesperson did not immediately respond to our request for comment.
That said, a handful of NFL teams appear to have a foothold on Bluesky — kind of. The Detroit Lions (53.8k followers at the time of publication), New York Giants (13.5k), Minnesota Vikings (22.7k), and Philadelphia Eagles (50.6k) all have accounts that look legitimate. But based on Patriots VP Fred Kirsch’s recent comments, these accounts are likely fan-run, as they’re unverified and unofficial.
Chance Townsend is the General Assignments Editor at Mashable, covering tech, video games, dating apps, digital culture, and whatever else comes his way. He has a Master's in Journalism from the University of North Texas and is a proud orange cat father. His writing has also appeared in PC Mag and Mother Jones.
In his free time, he cooks, loves to sleep, and greatly enjoys Detroit sports. If you have any tips or want to talk shop about the Lions, you can reach out to him on Bluesky @offbrandchance.bsky.social or by email at [email protected].
