Mark Cuban Wants More Users On X Rival Bluesky, NFL Says No To Teams Using Platform

In a recent interview, NBA team owner Mark Cuban highlighted the differences between X and Bluesky with a preference for Bluesky due to no algorithm and the ability to truly hide and block people.

While Cuban is a fan of Bluesky, the National Football League isn't quite convinced and has told teams to pause their usage of the X rival.

What Happened: Bluesky has attracted strong user growth since the 2024 presidential election as social media users look for alternatives to the Elon Musk-owned X.

A recent podcast appearance by Kraft Sports + Entertainment Vice President of Content Fred Kirsch revealed that the NFL isn't ready to take advantage of the Bluesky growth yet, as reported by Sportico.

"Right now we're not allowed to," Kirsch said of having an active team using Bluesky. "Whenever the league gives us the green light, we'll get back on Bluesky."

Kraft Sports + Entertainment is the owner of the NFL's New England Patriots.

An NFL league source told Sportico that the NFL and its teams only have official presences on platforms where the league has partnership agreements. The NFL does not currently have a deal with Bluesky.

Deals for the NFL include TikTok, X and YouTube. These deals can include license fees, the split of advertisement revenue and be used for marketing purposes.

An NBC Sports report said the NFL's policy not allowing NFL teams to post on Bluesky could raise antitrust concerns due to the league's partnership with platforms like X. NFL teams operate as independent businesses and should be able to make their own decisions over which platforms to be on, the report said.

X announced a renewed content partnership in April 2024 and saw the launch of a new NFL-specific portal in October 2024.

You may not be a billionaire like Mark Cuban, but you can uncover hidden gems in the stock market using our proprietary data and pattern recognition — check out five stocks flying under the radar that deserve your attention.

Why It's Important: Bluesky continues to grow and has over 29 million users according to the report. This is significantly less than the number of users that are on X and platforms like Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and YouTube. The NFL may be hesitant to sign a partnership with a newer platform.

Cuban is one of the most followed people on Bluesky with one million followers. Cuban is a part owner in the NBA's Dallas Mavericks. A quick search for the Mavericks on Bluesky brought up what looks like the team's official account, which had one post back in May 2023 and has not posted since.

Several sports media personalities, including some from ESPN, can be found on Bluesky as the platform grows.

For Bluesky to continue its growth, the platform likely needs more well-known names, celebrities and sports teams to join. The NFL's decision will be closely monitored going forward.

Read Next:

• Bluesky Planning Payment Platform That Could Arrive In 12 Months, Says COO Rose Wang, Aims To Align Financial Incentives With Users

Photo: Mojahid Mottakin via Shutterstock