During a commercial break in Game 1 of the NBA Finals, ESPN aired a “moving portrait” of Tony Parker celebrating the Spurs’ 2003 title.

However, something looked off… and people recognized immediately.

Within minutes, side-by-side comparisons featuring the original photo were flooding Twitter, and it was clear that Tony’s face was altered by AI.

The backlash got so bad that an ESPN spokesperson had to confirm the use of AI to Front Office Sports, stating that it was “an experiment” and they are “evaluating” whether to continue using the technology in Game 2.

This was the perfect encapsulation of the past six weeks since ChatGPT introduced their Images 2.0 model.

On one end, AI has led to some brilliant, highly-effective content.

But on the other end, it has generated some of the laziest, sloppiest content that we’ve ever seen.

One thing is has become clear: there is a right way and a wrong way to use AI, and if you don’t follow the rules, your reputation is at stake.

The day after Images 2.0 was released, I posted my instant reaction to LinkedIn, stating that it was officially “survival of the fittest”, and that designers might need to evolve into “prompters”.

I saw a lot of similarities to “vibe-coding” which leveled the playing field, but also gave superpowers to elite developers.

As a freelance graphic designer of six years, I felt uniquely qualified to speak on this subject.

The post went pretty viral and reached the designer-community, who disagreed with my opinions to say the least:

“The most creative people win either way; AI has never concerned me.”

“I’m not worried about it. You need a pretty good imagination to come up with the final idea.”

“It seems foolish to consider AI to be a serious contender in the design world.”

“Design principles and proper taste is something that is difficult to learn.”

Now that the dust has settled, it’s worth revisiting this conversation.

Over the past month and a half, teams, athletes, brands, and creators have tried their hand at AI-generated content.

We’ve seen a wide range of results, but the criticism has drowned out the praise.

It got to the point where professional teams were literally standing-up against AI to preserve their credibility:

We also saw more teams and designers posting their behind-the-scenes process to prove that their work was human-made:

So why exactly is everyone so angry about AI? Four main reasons:

1) Fear and Frustration

People are sick and tired of their lives being consumed by AI — especially the younger generation.

We saw this on full display at several college graduation ceremonies, as students booed commencement speakers who voiced their support for AI.

When humans are being replaced, and quality is being sacrificed due to AI, people have every right to be angry.

2) Decrease in Quality

If you’re going to use AI, at least use it to improve the product.

Letting it diminish the quality of your work is downright inexcusable.

The Arizona Cardinals’ recent schedule release video is a prime example.

2.2M views… 1.1K likes, 900 comments and 800 re-tweets.

Yikes.

3) No attention to Detail

I have been stunned by how many obvious errors go unfixed.

From faces, to body parts, logos, uniforms, spelling errors, and fonts, there are so many ways to easily identify AI.

In the case below, the Fever probably would have gotten away with this graphic if they didn’t completely mess up Caitlin Clark’s hand.

These mistakes just fuel the fire.

4) Lazy Prompts

This is more of a problem on the “amateur” side, but its very clear who is typing a basic prompt into ChatGPT and calling it a day.

If your reputation doesn’t matter, and you’re just looking for speed, then fine.

But if you want your brand taken seriously, you need to show effort.

Below are recent graphics posted by one of my former clients — a varsity lacrosse team — and my former soccer club.

Yes, that means I was actually replaced by AI!

The default design style, fonts, lighting, and small-text slop is a dead giveaway.

The Bright Spots

Amidst the fear, denial, and disgust, some people have embraced AI, and it has led to some incredible results that were once difficult (or impossible) to create.

However, none of these are one-shot prompts, and that is what separates “slop” from legitimate art.

Here are five use-cases that are here to stay:

1) Headlines

Traditionally, reporters and outlets have used generic, quick-to-edit templates to break news.

However, 433 and Fabrizio Romano — the world’s biggest football channel and reporter — have started using AI-generated images to illustrate headlines.

They’re not trying to fool anyone with these illustrations, which is a key reason why it has worked.

These designs are visually appealing, highly-shareable, and very creative.

2) Conceptual Ads

Jeff Cole and Asher Hyde have been posting sports art for years, but their recent set of illustrations went viral.

They’re not hiding anything either, as the captions include “Created with Getty + Photoshop + AI” and “This is Conceptual. It is not for sale.”

The art requires creativity, principles, imagination, and taste.

It is a new form of art, and a valuable tool to generate concepts.

3) Thumbnails

For my previous newsletter’s thumbnail, I practiced what I preach.

Here was my process:

• Took low-definition screenshots

• Cut them out on Photoshop

• Manually positioned them

• Several rounds of prompting

And here were the results:

• The lighting was enhanced

• The faces remained accurate

• The awkward gaps were filled

• The final product is unique

It took me an hour, but it was dramatically easier, quicker, and cheaper thanks to AI.

4) Comedy

This is the best use of AI-generated content.

Mitchell Robinson literally posted this on his Instagram and it has 120K+ likes.

No one is getting “replaced” and no one is debating about ethics.

It’s all in good fun and the results are hysterical.

5) Jersey Swaps

I’ll keep this one short and sweet: the uniform is either accurate, or it’s not.

If you prompt well by providing references and fixing the small mistakes — even if it involves using Photoshop — it’s an incredibly powerful tool that comes in clutch during Drafts, or after major signings and trades.

If you prompt well, supply references, and clean up errors in Photoshop, it's a clutch tool during the Draft or after a big transaction.

But if you press send and forget, there’s a good chance it makes a mistake.

Final Thoughts

I have to admit that my instant reaction was on the extreme end. Now that I’ve had more time to reflect, here’s where I currently stand:

1. Don’t bet against AI; it’s only going to get better — even the text

2. AI and Photoshop are not competitors; they’re teammates

3. The best designers will be the best at using AI to enhance their work

4. Effort, taste, and creativity have overtaken technical skills

5. To survive, designers have to learn to make what AI can’t

We are entering a new era, and people need to take it seriously by following the guidelines, and staying ahead of the curve.

The most creative people will still have legitimate value… just in a different shape than before.

Until next time,

Cole

I talk to a lot of students my age who are gearing up for a career in sports.

Some want to work in sports front offices.

Some want to work in sports business.

Some want to work in sports media.

While the ambition is clear, the path is very difficult.

So how do you set yourself apart and generate opportunities?

It’s not by knowing the most; it’s by proving you know the most.

And the best way to do that is by creating content.

Publicly sharing your opinions and analysis so you can document your best takes, showcase your knowledge, and get on the radar of employers.

Yes, I understand that posting content is an unconventional strategy to land a traditional job, but that’s exactly where the opportunity lies.

Walking into an interview with a collection of receipts — or getting recruited by someone who consumes your content — is a lot more powerful than a one-page, bulleted résumé.

It just takes courage to get started, and stick through the grind.

Redefining Ball Knowledge

The term “ball knowledge” is everywhere right now.

Much of it is associated with trivia, which is naming obscure players, reciting stats, answering questions under pressure.

While trivia is fun (and makes for very effective content) it’s the low-end of ball knowledge.

The high-end is understanding the X’s and O’s, making sense of the film or data, and predicting outcomes before they happen.

And there is an objective way to determine ball-knowledge:

The quality of your findings and the accuracy of your takes over time.

There’s a huge difference between saying “you called it” from the couch, and pulling a post from two years ago where you predicted the biggest steal in the Draft.

Starting from Scratch

Whether you’re simply building a portfolio, or genuinely trying to grow an audience, you need to provide value people can’t get anywhere else.

That means finding the whitespace — the topics, angles, and formats that creators aren’t covering — and using it to make fans smarter.

If you play in the middle by reporting news, reciting stats, and giving basic hot takes, you will see no results.

Everyone starts with zero credibility. The challenge is building it, one post at a time.

The smartest sports creators, regardless of age or experience, proved that they can grow without the help of a media network.

Here are some of my favorite creators (across three different niches) that are worth referencing and studying:

Film Analysis

Theo Ash & Film Watchers

Despite being college students, Theo and Pete Herzog (a.k.a. “Film Watchers”) became two of the most respected NFL talent evaluators on social media through short-form film breakdowns.

Film Watchers just partnered with NFL+ for a live Draft stream, and Theo was a guest last season on CBS’ NFL Today.

Data and Analytics

Ryan Hammer & Evan Miyakawa

Ryan and Evan became two of the strongest voices in College Basketball through data-driven charts and analysis.

Ryan’s Trapezoid of Excellence became so popular that he launched merchandise with Homefield, while Evan, a PhD statistician, launched a subscription-driven website trusted by 100+ D1 teams.

Business Reporting

The 4th Quarter

Sid Balaga and Suraj Peramanu left their investment banking jobs to build a newsletter, The 4th Quarter, focused on the business of Sports & Entertainment.

Their deep-dives have become an essential read for top executives across sports business.

Business Journalism

Tyler Webb

Tyler creates short-form videos under his personal brand, and newsletters under Bottom of the Ninth, to break down the most interesting stories in sports business that aren’t in the headlines.

He is currently partnered with The Athletic and Sports Business Journal for weekly short-form content.

Recaps and Reporting

Strictly BBall

Joe Doerrer and Nolan Newberg started creating short-form content around local high school basketball games in 2020.

They have turned their niche reporting and storytelling into a tremendous brand with over 5M followers, working closely with the NBA and other partners.

Opinions and Analysis

Elite Takes (Nico Del Frate) & Chase Coburn

Nico (Elite Takes) has been on the grind since 2020, which is around the same age that Chase (just) got started.

Both of them have captivated audiences through passionate, articulate, and genuinely smart NFL + NBA analysis.

Some people are just born with the “it”-factor when it comes to talking about sports, and these two are the textbook definition.

Live Broadcasting

Carlo Jiménez & The Next Network

Carlo started creating content about the behind-the-scenes of being a play-by-play broadcaster, and landed a job as the youngest radio announcer in the NBA for the Los Angeles Clippers.

Michael Mirskiy and Josh Berman from The Next Network have been creating content since middle school, ranging from live play-by-play of big games, to green screen hot takes and analysis.

The Bottom Line

You will get many takes wrong, and people will let you know about it.

You will get your videos sent to group chats and made fun of.

You will spend hours creating content that ultimately flops.

Most people can’t handle it and stop posting after just days, weeks, or months.

That’s exactly where the opportunity lies for the 1% of real “ball-knowers” who want to gain the greatest competitive edge possible.

Start simple, and document what you see, what you think, and what you’ve discovered as much as possible.

A public track record that shows how your thinking evolved is better than a buttoned-up resume that doesn’t tell the full story.

You need to run in the streets to get hit.

Until next time,

Cole

[Follow me on LinkedIn for more]

Welcome to the first edition of Sports Creator Economy; an inside look at how creators turn their ball knowledge into big business.

We’re kicking off the newsletter with a case study about the fastest-growing (and most valuable) modern-media company.

And don’t just take my word for it; the legendary Jesse Itzler told them on camera that he thinks they have a ~$100M valuation and he’d be willing to write a $10M check, on the spot, for 10% of the company.

While they are not necessarily sports-focused, The School of Hard Knocks has interviewed some of the world’s richest sports figures from Tom Brady to Shaq, Arthur Blank, Matt Ishbia, Dana White, Michael Rubin, Skip Bayless, Tim Tebow, Myles Garrett, Jameis Winston, Chris Bosh, and Jaylen Brown… in just the last year.

I got to catch up with the Hard Knocks team twice this year in Austin to learn about their journey and ambitions.

Most people just know them for their street interviews (and are only aware of James, the interviewer) but there is so much more to the story:

The Ultimate Team Effort

On the first day of SXSW in Austin, the three co-founders of The School of Hard Knocks were in two places at once:

Downstairs, one was conducting an interview with Tim Tebow that racked up ~7M views.

Upstairs, two were on stage putting on a masterclass about the creator economy and entrepreneurship.

It was the perfect encapsulation of the machine they built… together.

Over 22 million people follow The School of Hard Knocks across platforms and they generate billions of views per year. They’ve interviewed 41 billionaires and thousands of millionaires across the world.

Most people know James Dumoulin, the interviewer and “face” of the brand.

What most don’t know is that behind every piece of content and business decision are two other founders: Jack Dumoulin and Josh Smith.

While the brothers were students at The University of Texas, they re-connected with Josh, their childhood friend, who took the leap of faith by leaving school and moving to Austin to pursue the dream together.

The trio understood a core business lesson that so many creators and entrepreneurs only learn when it’s too late:

If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go with others.

Journey and Sacrifice

When they launched the channel in 2021, all three partners appeared in the videos as they looked to find their niche through trial and error.

They posted thousands of times, trying just about everything from motivational videos, personal business advice, and interviews with random people on the streets of Austin.

They failed over and over again, struggling to find success.

This is the exact point where so many creators quit, but they kept pushing, making 1% improvements each time.

Eventually, they found their repeatable format — street interviews with wealthy individuals — and doubled down on short-form and long-form.

Nearly two years in, the content was gaining serious momentum.

However, to reach the next level, they made a decision that most co-founders struggle to accept due to fear and ego:

They made James the face, while Josh and Jack stepped behind the scenes.

While James gets the fame for being more recognizable, all three partners have an equal amount of skin in the game.

Build in Reverse

The School of Hard Knocks serves as the perfect case study for how entrepreneurs and creators should build businesses in 2026:

For entrepreneurs, focus on building an audience before selling a product.

This method requires the ability to be patient, and a deep understanding of content creation to build the right audience.

However, if executed properly it’s a cheat code.

When you know exactly what your customers are seeking, and already have built-in trust, it’s far superior to starting from scratch.

For creators, don’t assume what your audience wants; ask, then build.

The School of Hard Knocks’ first attempt at generating revenue outside of content was selling motivational merchandise.

They learned very quickly that no one was interested, and decided to go back to the fundamentals, and ask their followers about their pain-points.

The separation between good and elite creators is their ability to generate revenue outside of brand deals, platform monetization, and merch.

Building an Empire

Behind the billions of views, The School of Hard Knocks has been building a connected ecosystem of relevant communities and services to diversify their business beyond content:

• School of Mentors - private entrepreneurship community

• School of Content - content coaching from massive creators

• School of Scaling - content coaching from Hard Knocks

• Hard Knocks Army - affiliate program for clip distribution

In addition, they just launched brands with new interviewers that leverage their famous repeatable format:

• Hard Knocks Business - behind the scenes of businesses

• Hard Knocks Women - successful female entrepreneurs

• Hard Knocks Pod - conversations with the biggest names

Their YouTube channels are also the home for extended versions of their street and sit-down interviews:

• Hard Knocks YouTube

• Hard Knocks Pod

And in the background, they’re making real estate investments across the US.

According to the team, they are projected to make over $10M this year.

Top 5 Takeaways

1. Build with a team; not on your own

2. Keep iterating until you find the repeatable format

3. Focus on your strengths, even if that means sacrifice

4. Build the audience before the product

5. Diversify beyond brand deals and platform payouts

The School of Hard Knocks’ primary platforms:

• Instagram

• TikTok

• YouTube

That’s a wrap for the first edition of Sports Creator Economy. Thank you to my first 80 subscribers for committing before the first edition even dropped!

I’ll be experimenting with different formats for this newsletter from feature stories to repeatable segments.

In the spirit of the Hard Knocks formula, I’ll let the audience decide what they enjoy more.

Make sure to follow my LinkedIn for more short-form content and updates.

Until next time,

Cole Nevins