• Loading stock data...
Wednesday, October 15, 2025

The Checkdown Wants to Be More Than a Social Media Account

The Checkdown - Sports - Football

Anyone with a phone can create content nowadays. In fact, global internet users post 49,380 photos to Instagram every minute of every day.

So, with so much content out there, how can one distinguish themselves?

For the NFL, that is through finding unique ways to verticalize its content through accounts like The Checkdown.

“With The Checkdown, we wanted to cover more of the surrounding football stories from youth football all the way up to college football,” said Ben Gallagher, Head of Social Content for The Checkdown. “We really wanted to broaden our content offering from the league perspective.”

Only a year old, The Checkdown has found a way to make an impact in more ways than creating content that resonates with its audience.  

Two of the most recent examples include getting a young player to practice with the Buccaneers and finding a way to get a Marine veteran signatures from Eagles players on his prosthetic.

“We started The Checkdown to encompass stories like those that reach outside of the traditional storylines,” added Gallagher. “The goal for us is to ‘take the helmets off the players’ and shed light on the game in ways that are different than normal.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/BmWi5WRl4Ss/

Many of today’s best social accounts — team and league related, or not — are driven by either great curation or great creation.

Gallagher wants The Checkdown to be known for being great at both.

“We knew that to stand out, we had to offer best in class curation as well as original content. Being associated with the NFL, we have access that no other outlet has. I believe that’s really what is our competitive advantage and what has allowed us to tell deeper, more meaningful stories.”

Relying on a content team of five people who work exclusively for The Checkdown as well as leaning on a group of content producers of more than 30 people inside the NFL Social Lab, the account is able to capitalize on moments with furious pace and creativity.

READ MORE: Inside the NFL’s New Partnership With ‘Fortnite

Outside of serialized and original content, the team at The Checkdown also produces a Snapchat show and a Twitter show — something that Gallagher sees as further proof to why The Checkdown isn’t just an average social account.

The goal of these initiatives? Find a way to recapture the youth audience that football — and the NFL in particular — is desperately trying to get in front of.

“We’re trying to kind of recapture the youth audience with our Twitter and Snapchat shows, which is another thing that makes what we are doing more than just a social media account. We’re not just putting up a one-off post; we’re coming up with serialized, original content, and we’re putting on productions.”

While creating quality content, Gallagher and the team have been able to find ways for the league to monetize their efforts, with partners like Samsung coming onboard.

The pitch? Reaching an engaged audience that skews more towards Gen Z than any other distribution channels or network partnerships that the NFL has.

“Brands know that we can help them reach a desirable demographic in a way that feels bespoke to the platform,” said Mark Pesavento, Vice President of Digital Content for the NFL. “We have a creative studio that works closely with our partners to create assets that achieve their goals while engaging the audience with unique and compelling content.”

Today’s athletes and influencers are driving more social conversation and attention than ever before, something that brands can’t replicate in terms of sheer relatability, but that doesn’t mean that a brand can’t have a voice.

[mc4wp_form id=”8260″]

For The Checkdown, that voice is derived from a personality-driven approach that places the emphasis on the account being more of a gathering place than anything else.

“We want to become a personal account,” said Gallagher. “We want people to come to the account and not know that they are on a corporate account. There are emotions involved and that is OK.”

While a checkdown during the game might be a safe play for the quarterback, the NFL is betting on accounts like The Checkdown being the future when it comes to its social strategy.

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Texas-Oklahoma Gets 8.7M Viewers, Most-Watched CFB Game of Week 7

The Red River Rivalry was the most-watched game of the weekend.

Bears Hit Another Speed Bump for New $5B Stadium in Suburbs

A new state bill would impose several conditions on the NFL team.

Belichick’s Tar Heels Are Losing Momentum on the Field—and on TV

ESPN passed on airing Virginia–North Carolina on Oct. 25.

Featured Today

Las Vegas Aces center A'ja Wilson (22) celebrates with her teammates after her last second shot to take the lead 90-88 against the Phoenix Mercury in Game 3 of the WNBA Finals at Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix on Oct. 8, 2025.
exclusive

Standoff Over WNBA’s Future Has Dominated Finals

CBA negotiations have stolen the spotlight from the Aces’ dominant performance.
Paul Cartier
October 5, 2025

Sports Organists Are Still Thriving in the Era of Raucous Arena Music

“When they walk out and they see a real organ guy, it’s like, ‘Wow.’”
Sep 27, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Brewers center fielder Jackson Chourio (11) rounds the bases after hitting a home run during the sixth inning against the Cincinnati Reds at American Family Field.
October 4, 2025

Milwaukee Moneyball: Brewers Are Beating MLB’s Deeper Pockets

Milwaukee is holding its own against big-budget competitors.
Kōloa Rum Company Rum Rusher
September 27, 2025

Panthers Bubbly, Jets Wine, Manning Whiskey: The Sports Booze Boom

A sommelier dives into the sports booze trend—and tries Jets wine.
Oct 10, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Las Vegas Aces center A'ja Wilson (22) celebrates with teammates after game four of the 2025 WNBA Finals at Mortgage Matchup Center.

WNBA Finals Draws 1.5M Viewers, Second-Highest Series on ESPN

The four-game series averaged 1.5 million viewers.
Micah Parsons
exclusive
October 14, 2025

NFL Scorigami Creator Blames Glitches on Twitter Platform Changes

The bot has been glitching all NFL season, and fans have noticed.
MLS
October 14, 2025

MLS Publishes Unchecked AI-Generated Game Recaps

Humans are not reviewing the articles for accuracy.
Sponsored

How Jenny Just Is Shaping the Future of Sports Ownership

Jenny Just on bringing her investment experience to sports ownership.
Sep 5, 2025; Flushing, NY, USA; Carlos Alcaraz of Spain and Novak Djokovic of Serbia embraces after their match in the semifinal of the men’s singles at the US Open at Arthur Ashe Stadium in Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.
October 13, 2025

Six Kings Slam Returns With Record $6M Prize, Netflix Deal

The Six Kings Slam is held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Mar 5, 2023; Dallas, Texas, USA; A view of the NBA logo and NBA app logo and basketballs in front of the base during warms up before the game between the Dallas Mavericks and the Suns at the American Airlines Center.
October 13, 2025

NBA Will Take Over League Pass After WBD Divorce

The league now has full operational control of those media assets.
Aces
October 10, 2025

WNBA Finals Most Viewed In 25 Years Despite Possible Aces Sweep

Games 2 and 3 have averaged more than 1.2 million viewers.
Spectrum
October 10, 2025

ESPN Streaming Service at Core of New Spectrum Plan

The No. 1 U.S. distributor further blends linear and streaming TV.