Sky Sports hell-bent on Youtube-ification of our beautiful game - and you're paying for it

Callum Vurley

By Callum Vurley


Published: 28/10/2025

- 17:07

Updated: 28/10/2025

- 20:31

GB News senior sports reporter Callum Vurley gives his verdict on Sky Sports and their latest obsession

Honestly, if it could be ignored, I wouldn't give it the time of day. But Sky Sports seem obsessed with shoving this garbage down our throats, so let us take a look at it.

Ballers League, the latest hare-brained scheme conjured up by giddy children in the Sky Sports offices, piling money into its dazzling lights, has-been players and YouTube content creators.


Now in its second 'season', Sky Sports made a big hoo-hah over securing their partnership with Ballers League for another year - as if anyone else would even bother challenge them for the rights.

But with Sky Sports subscriptions only going up in price, it is good to know where your money is going!

Monday night heralded the beginning of another grueling three-month period where you will hear nothing else other than how 'AngryGinge' has been riled up this week, or how KSI has pulled out some pathetic attention-seeking stunt.

You have to question who is the target audience here? Because it certainly isn't the bill payer.

KSI has been given unprecedented power to pull pranks on live TV to a paying audience

KSI has been given unprecedented power to pull pranks on live TV to a paying audience

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SKY SPORTS

The opening night saw the introduction of the 'Masked Premier League star', who had been built up as this mysterious Cristiano Ronaldo-regeneration.

The objective was obvious, generate some social media trend, all asking the same question 'who' through an army of AI bots to garner some form of interest.

As it turned out, this masked man came on, hit a free-kick, and went back off. My money's on some bloke in the car park.

But crucially it meant one thing, the football is secondary, clicks and views are paramount.

Who is the masked Premier League player? And who cares?

Who is the masked Premier League player? And who cares?

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SKY SPORTS

It is just the latest bastardisation of our beautiful sport by the ubiquitous influence of social media and YouTube.

Football is not the only victim, look at The Hundred, where the geniuses in charge of the sport seem to believe that less cricket is what people want.

Yet if you asked 100 people on the street who won this year's tournament, they'd be hard-pressed to even name one of the teams - let alone the winner.

All of this when cricket already serves up excruciating storylines that no other sport can provide.

Look at the England and India Test series over the summer, drenched in drama right until the end, show that to the kids.

England cricket

England and India served up a thrilling Test series - exactly the kind of event that Sky Sports should be pushing

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GETTY

But with the Ballers League, it appears that the more you try to ignore it, the more Sky Sports seem to want to cram it down our throats.

As interest no doubts drains throughout its lifespan, you can expect Sky Sports to try more and more audacious stunts to pull you in.

Expect John Terry paragliding onto the pitch within a month, or more manufactured aggro from teams whose 'fights' are more fictitious than WWE.

Honestly, just give us Masters Football back.

Still, at least we don't have to put up with Gary Lineker.