Athletes Moonlighting as Sports Photographers Are Generating Millions of Cross-Platform Impressions
A growing number of athletes are taking on guest sports photographer roles at pro games, following Caitlin Clark's courtside photos from a March 25 Pacers-Lakers game. Mikaela Shiffrin photographed the Nets vs. Hornets at Barclays Center in late March, with her images and behind-the-scenes content reaching 115 million combined Instagram followers across the NBA, Barclays Center, Olympics, and Team USA accounts. Simone Biles photographed Bears vs. 49ers on Christmas weekend; Suni Lee shot the Vikings-Lions Christmas game; Commanders cornerback Mike Sainristil photographed a Capitals game in March. Octagon CMO Alyssa Romano, who manages Biles, says there is no standard formula: setups range from a full game to pregame only, and media rights arrangements vary by team. Brooklyn Sports and Entertainment briefed Shiffrin on professional camera technique before sending her onto the court.
THE BREAKDOWN
This format generates a celebrity-voice post for a team's social platforms without a formal endorsement deal, and the athlete gets cross-sport reach into audiences she does not own. Agents should be pitching this as a low-friction, high-visibility play: no product placement, no copy approval, just a media credential and a few hours on-site. Shiffrin's activation produced 115 million social impressions on accounts she does not own, reach that would cost tens of thousands of dollars in paid media to replicate. Brands attached to these athletes capture reflected visibility at no additional spend, making this format worth flagging in sponsor renewal conversations.
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