How athlete-created content is changing the Olympics

LEXINGTON, Ky. (March. 27, 2026) — As the Olympic Games evolve in the digital age, so too does the way audiences experience them. With athletes now sharing behind-the-scenes moments, personal stories and real-time updates across platforms like TikTok and Instagram, the traditional boundaries between competitors and fans are rapidly disappearing.

UKNow recently spoke with Jennifer Smith, assistant professor in the School of Journalism and Media in the College of Communication and Information, about how athlete-generated content is reshaping storytelling, humanizing Olympians and transforming the future of sports media. Even as this year’s Olympic Games conclude, the ways athletes connected directly with fans continue to influence sports storytelling well beyond the closing ceremony.

UKNow: How has athlete-created content on platforms like TikTok changed the way audiences experience the Olympic Games?

Smith: Two years ago when the International Olympic Committee relaxed its athlete social media guidelines and started allowing participants to record video inside protected areas, it was hard to imagine the impact it would have on how we experience the Olympics now. It completely changed how we view athletes, the Olympic Games and the marketing of brands. We really saw all of that come to the forefront at Milano Cortina. And it’s likely only going to get more interesting at future Games.

We now see Olympians not just as competitors in this one brief moment in time but also as creators, influencers, artists and, well, humans. We see athlete-controlled storytelling without the traditional media filtering. We see them owning their own image and messaging. We see the power dynamic shifting more in the favor of the competitors, including eliminating traditional brand endorsements and moving forward with authentic, user-generated content which makes them more marketable to a global audience. These platforms are not only changing the way audiences experience the Olympic Games, but they’re also changing the way athletes can connect with those audiences and make money off of those connections. It’s changing how brands and athletes engage with fans in real time.

UKNow: How does athlete-generated content humanize competitors who might otherwise feel distant or untouchable?

Smith: They’re often now more like friends than icons in these more personal, intimate spaces like TikTok, Instagram and YouTube. In the past if we had an athlete like skier Lindsey Vonn crash out at the Olympics, we might get a sentence or two update from the hospital they flew her to about her condition. Instead, Vonn took us on a journey through social media videos and pictures. We saw her share X-ray images of her snapped bones and graphic shots of her open wounds after operations, helping her avoid possible amputation. We saw her mourn the loss of her dog after her crash. There’s nothing more human than what Vonn showed us from her hospital room. And I’m not sure we would’ve had any of that access without these platforms and athletes so willing to share their lives in such an unfiltered way.

I’ve been thinking a lot about the kinds of content we might’ve gotten about athletes of the past. Imagine if Jackie Robinson had documented his first season with Major League Baseball on YouTube. Or if Simone Biles had been able to document her experiences and the backlash she lived through when she experienced the “twisties” in the 2021 Olympics in Tokyo. I love thinking about those examples and how athletes through history might’ve been able to show us what it’s truly like to be them in difficult and delightful moments. Now we’re able to see that in real time.

UKNow: Why do audiences seem to connect so strongly with behind-the-scenes and day-in-the-life Olympic content from athletes?

Smith: For better or for worse, we’re all a little nosy. We all have a little voyeur in us. We all want to know what’s happening in the house across the street or what’s being said at the table next to us at a restaurant. Having Olympians sharing their lives with us in authentic, intimate ways is cool. It’s fun. It’s special and it only happens like this every couple years. My first social media Olympic memory was watching a Norwegian swimmer turn his passion for Olympic village muffins into 80 million views on Instagram. Or seeing what a U.S. swimmer ate in a day while training. We all want to feel like we’re in on it, like we have insider information and knowledge that we can get from this type of content. Sites like TikTok, YouTube and Instagram have torn down this wall that used to be built around the Olympic village and competition venues and made them accessible. It’s like we all have an all-access press pass to the Olympics — frankly it’s more than a press pass because the athletes are able to take us places that the media isn’t even allowed to go. Athletes are showing us tailored content that might appeal to specific audiences like their diets, workouts and recoveries. We hear about sleeping arrangements and frisky business going on in the village. The stories feel real and authentic, which is what all of us want in times when we’re not always sure what’s real.

UKNow: How has athlete social media changed younger audiences’ engagement with the Olympics?

Smith: There’s a reason large, major media corporations like NBC have continued with their Creator Collective format that takes dozens of influencers on platforms most popular with young people and sets them loose on the Olympics. They know that younger audiences spend a ton of time on platforms like TikTok, Instagram and YouTube. Short-form, super shareable videos are made for the younger demographic. Old, more dated takes on the Olympics from traditional, legacy media don’t draw as much interest from the younger generation and we’re seeing those platforms grab and draw in a brand-new audience for the Games. We saw it starting to happen two and four years ago, but it skyrocketed this year. And stories associated with some of that short-form content drew viewers back to watch the sports-related content being provided on legacy media like NBC and Peacock. Young viewers seem to be looking for authentic, real content and experiences. The Olympic athletes on social media are able to provide access to new people and new places that younger audiences want to go. Those audiences aren’t okay with being spoon-fed the same storylines every couple years. Or with just being able to see the pristine mountain where the skiing event will be or the antiseptic ice rink where figure skating is held, they want to see the fresh perspective of figure skaters huddled near the rink cheering on fellow competitors. They liked watching Alex Hall, the U.S. freestyle champion, joking with competitors before events and in the village. And I don’t think it’s just young people. Even long-time viewers seem to enjoy being able to engage with the Games in a different form and format.

UKNow: From a journalism standpoint, what’s most significant about athletes controlling their own Olympic narratives in real time?

Smith: Keep in mind that I spent more than 20 years telling stories in a more traditional format for a daily newspaper. That’s where I grew up as a journalist, so of course I’m more partial to good storytelling in long-form pieces with fact checking and verification and all that legacy news media can offer its audiences. In the 21st Century Sports Journalism UK core class I teach in our School of Journalism and Media, though, I suggest to the students that they are in kind of an amazing time for sports storytelling. They can eat from a literal buffet of media forms and formats. And each of those offers something the others cannot.

The Olympics are still a highly controlled, highly monitored and staged event, so what we think we’re seeing that’s unfiltered might’ve gone through filters we don’t even know about. The sports and news media codes of ethics encourage us to tell the truth even when it’s difficult or painful or dangerous. We are encouraged as journalists to serve as independent watchdogs and give voices to the voiceless and hold powerful entities — like the IOC — accountable for bad acts. But in general, as a society, we need all kinds of media in this wonderful sports media ecosystem. And we’re lucky to live in a time when that’s possible.