The success of the recent Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Championship 2024 reiterated the growing influence of sports in livestreaming today. Some of the biggest non-gaming events today involve activities of a physical variety, led by big-name streamers such as Ibai "Ibai" Llanos, Fernando "Westcol" Alvarez, Mohamed Amine "Aminematue" Mahmoud, and Lucas "Squeezie" Hauchard hosting some incredibly popular events.
The demand for the ASEAN Championship 2024 football tournament was so huge that it ended as the most popular livestreaming event ever, ahead of other ventures like esports competitions, rocket launches, and video game showcases. It is also the most watched non-gaming tournament to have been covered live online, led by a hunger for broadcasting that Southeast Asian audiences seemingly specialize in.
There is a case to be made that this success was a while coming, with content creators like Casimiro "Casimito" Miguel (CazéTV on YouTube) showing the world just how sought-after live Sports can be when broadcast. There was also the proliferation of sportspersons turning to livestreaming during the lockdown era. And it could very well be these pro athletes who will be the key to the category continuing to attract record viewership numbers in the years to come.
After all, Brazil football star Neymar Jr taking on and, in some cases, embarrassing professionals in Counter-Strike became a common, and viral, spectacle during the pandemic. There is also the American heptathlete Erica Bougard, whose efforts to advocate for female and LGBTQ+ inclusivity through her gameplay streams won many a heart.
Moreover, a quick look through the statistics shows that the Sports segment witnessed year-on-year Hours Watched (HW) growth in prominent livestreaming services, including YouTube Live and Kick, with football and boxing at the forefront. With that in mind, here are a few prominent professional athletes who have ventured into, and succeeded in, the crazy world of content creation.
Sergio Aguero
One of the best strikers of the modern footballing generation, former Argentina and Manchester City star Sergio Aguero has had quite a solid transition to content creation. The Buenos Aires native had to retire earlier than usual from football at 33 due to heart problems, but he has done well as a streamer on Twitch and Kick. He has also parlayed his fame in both fields to enter the entrepreneurial world, starting an esports organization, KRÜ Esports, and owning a team — Kunisports — in the highly successful media football competition, Kings League.
Lando Norris
Formula One star Lando Norris was one of the many athletes to adopt virtual racing during the lockdown era. Alongside on-track rivals Charles Leclerc, Alex Albon, and George Russell, he formed the famed "Twitch Quartet" of F1, with these stars streaming their gaming sessions to thousands of fans worldwide. The McLaren driver's Twitch channel currently has 1.7 million followers, although he has not been active recently owing to the sport's busy schedule.
JuJu Smith-Schuster
One of the most popular American pro athletes who has shown his mettle in video gaming and livestreaming is JuJu Smith-Schuster. The Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver gained global recognition for his talents in Fortnite. He was even part of a Ninja stream involving Drake and Travis Scott that attracted over 635,000 concurrent viewers, setting a then-Twitch viewership record. The 28-year-old founded the American esports organization Team Diverge, home to other popular video game influencers like Fortnite creator MicawaveTV and Call of Duty streamer CitizenSnipes.
Cristiano Ronaldo
One of the newest, and arguably most famous, names on this list is the star footballer and Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo. He only recently began his YouTube Channel, UR · Cristiano, which became the fastest channel to hit 1 million subscribers on the red platform (ironically, this was achieved in 90 minutes). It currently has 73.3 million subscribers and 89 videos, including collaborations with YouTube megastar MrBeast and former Manchester United teammate Rio Ferdinand.
Demetrious Johnson
American former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Flyweight Champion Demetrious Johnson has been a gaming fan since his childhood when he would play Nintendo games with his mother at the age of four. After retiring from the mixed martial arts (MMA) world, the Madisonville, Kentucky, native moved to the digital realm. His Twitch alias, MightyGaming, is a nod to the nickname he earned as a fighter, Mighty Mouse, with the channel currently boasting 174K followers.
Erica Bougard
The Olympian has been part of the Twitch family, where she operates the ebougardd alias, since August 2020. Known for playing games like Call of Duty: Warzone and Fortnite, Erica Bougard has been a doyen for elite female athletes venturing into the gaming scene and showcasing their digital competitiveness. The Memphis native has also established a female gamer group and expanded her content creation activities by sharing her gameplay on social media platforms like TikTok.
Neymar Jr.
Another highly popular name on this list from the footballing world, Neymar Jr. was on a roll when he used to stream regularly during the lockdown era. His CS plays, especially, became viral, with the world getting to see that he was not only talented on the pitch but in a virtual shooter setting as well. His Twitch channel, neymarjr, has 2.5 million followers, although, like many of his ilk, he hasn't been that active recently.
Xavier Woods
Worldwide Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) superstar Xavier Woods, known to be a massive video gaming fan, has used his success in the squared circle to build a whole YouTube Gaming empire. His channel, UpUpDownDown, boasts over 2.44 million subscribers, with videos ranging from challenges to podcasts to gaming shows involving many other athletes from the pro wrestling juggernaut's roster.
Charles Leclerc
Another F1 racer who was busy during the lockdown era playing sim racing games was Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc. The Monaco native, alongside his Twitch Quartet buddies, regularly livestreamed on platforms like Twitch and YouTube. His channel on the purple platform, charlesleclerc, currently has just over a million followers, with his most recent broadcast dated March 2021.
Gordon Hayward
Charlotte Hornets basketball star Gordon Hayward, or gdhayward on Twitch, is another pro athlete who grew up on a serious diet of shooting games. That is why fans saw him play games like Fortnite often, with his HyperX deal making him the first NBA player to secure an esports endorsement. His most recent livestreams from 2023 saw him play a lot of Chess, which has gained much traction recently and continues to be a draw on broadcasting platforms.
