In today’s digital-first world, social media has become the ultimate battleground for sports leagues and teams looking to deepen fan engagement and expand their reach. Sports fandom doesn’t just live in stadiums — it thrives in scrolls, swipes and double taps. According to STN’s 2025 League Social Performance Report, the leagues and teams dominating on social media aren’t always the ones hoisting trophies — they’re the ones that understand the unique dynamics of each platform and how to create content that feels native, emotional and culturally relevant.

The report confirms what digital strategists have known for years: Follower count is a vanity metric. The real measure of success is engagement rate — and the best content in 2025 overwhelmingly came from non-followers. TikTok, in particular, led the way: 30 of the top 50 posts across leagues came from TikTok, and 92% of viral reach came from users who didn’t follow the account that posted.

Case in point: The Philadelphia Eagles had the top-performing content across all leagues despite not having the largest following. Their “Fly Like an Eagle” YouTube short and multiplayer TikTok........

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