• Loading stock data...
Saturday, August 2, 2025
Tuned In returns to NYC on September 16. Hear from the biggest names in sports media. Click here to get your spot

ESPN Defends AI Game Coverage Amid Backlash

  • The company said Thursday it would produce AI-generated game recaps in at least two sports.
  • The Associated Press has already done so for years.
Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

ESPN announced Thursday that it will use generative AI to write recaps of Premier Lacrosse League and NWSL matches. The company said the articles will begin to appear starting Friday.

The company said each AI-generated story will get reviewed by a human editor, and all stories will have “ESPN Generative AI Services” as a byline.

Fans and media members were outraged on social media following the announcement, questioning whether this type of “coverage” would benefit those sports. An ESPN spokesperson defended the use of technology and pointed to several personnel moves. “The AI-generated recaps are an opportunity for ESPN to responsibly leverage new technology and provide coverage of every PLL and NWSL match for the first time,” the spokesperson said. “These automated recaps will allow ESPN staff to focus on feature, analysis and breaking news coverage. ESPN has always worked to combine human capability with emerging technologies as part of its mission to serve sports fans.”

The ESPN representative also pointed to the company’s recent hires of writer Jeff Kassouf and former player Ali Krieger to cover women’s soccer, and said it had several journalists on staff who cover lacrosse. 

A representative for the NWSL declined to comment.

PLL president Paul Rabil said he was comfortable with the arrangement in an interview with Front Office Sports. “To be able to get more content out—not just game recaps as they cited, but also highlights and closed captioning—I view it as augmenting effectiveness and not replacing,” Rabil said.

ESPN’s own rollout contained what appeared to be AI-generated errors, with the date of an NWSL game wrong and an incorrect record for one team. The company deleted the erroneous graphic Thursday and replaced it.

The Associated Press also uses generative AI to write game recaps. A spokesperson for the outlet tells FOS: “AP uses artificial intelligence and automation when it can free up our journalists to do more meaningful work. We use AI to produce audio-to-text transcriptions, create shot lists in predictable environments, tag content for search, and write corporate earnings reports and some sports preview and recap stories. We also use automation for the distribution of financial markets and sports data.”

The AP spokesperson added that the practice of auto-generated stories about corporate earnings dates back a decade and that any story generated with the technology contains a disclaimer.

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Coco Gauff at New York Liberty

How the New York Liberty Became the Hottest Ticket in Town

Once banished to the burbs, the Libs are now Brooklyn’s marquee attraction.
Leo Messi
exclusive

MLS Commissioner Don Garber Defends Messi Suspension

Messi was punished for skipping the MLS All-Star Game.

Commanders Seal Stadium Deal As D.C. Approves $1.1B in Funding

The NFL team’s return to its prior home receives key political support.
Feb 20, 2011; Calgary, AB, Canada; Canadian hockey fans wave a flag and display a banner before the Heritage Classic between the Montreal Canadiens and the Calgary Flames at McMahon Stadium. The Flames beat the Canadiens 4-0

Where Does Hockey Go After the Hockey Canada Verdict?

After the sexual assault trial, hockey is split over the path forward.

Featured Today

Las Vegas sign

College Sports Embracing Vegas After Years of Cold Shoulder

The Big Ten became the latest newcomer to Sin City.
2000, Jupiter, FL, USA; FILE PHOTO; Montreal Expos pitcher Hideki Irabu in action on the mound against the New York Mets at Roger Dean Stadium during Spring Training
July 28, 2025

Dead Sports Franchises Are Alive and Well on Twitter

The Expos, Sonics, and Whalers have active social media accounts.
Limited Hype
July 27, 2025

Sneaker Reselling Was Once Easy Money. Success Is Now Complicated

Vendors need to evolve what they’re selling and how they do it.
HAPPY GILMORE 2. BTS - (L to R) Adam Sandler as Happy Gilmore and Rory McIlroy as himself on the set of Happy Gilmore2.
July 26, 2025

‘Cool As Hell’: How ‘Happy Gilmore 2’ Hooked Golf’s Top Stars

The process was “cool as hell,” Adam Sandler tells FOS.
Jul 15, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) reacts to the crowd as they take on the Connecticut Sun in the first quarter at TD Garden.

WNBA Viewership Up Across All Networks Compared to 2024

Non-Fever games are up 37% compared to the full 2024 season.
Jul 27, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Sky guard Kia Nurse (11) drives to the basket against Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham (8) during the second half at United Center.
July 29, 2025

Fever-Sky Draws 1.5M Viewers Despite Clark, Reese Absences

Clark and Reese both missed the game due to injury.
NASCAR Cup Series driver Bubba Wallace (23) celebrates winning Sunday, July 27, 2025, the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
July 30, 2025

Amazon, TNT Post Near-Identical NASCAR Ratings in Debut Season

The cable channel is a new media-rights partner this season.
Sponsored

Game On: Portfolio Players Stories, Brought to You by E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley

Dealmaker Jeffrey Kaplan maps the evolution of sports as an asset class
July 29, 2025

WBD Restructuring Shows What’s Old Is New Again

WBD will become Warner Bros. and Discovery Global as two separate entities.
July 24, 2025

CBS Sports to Get New Owner As Skydance Merger Clears FCC Hurdle

The long-awaited, but highly debated, merger gains regulatory approval.
Dec 7, 2024; New York, New York, USA; A general view of Times Square during the MLS Cup Times Square Watch Party prior to the game between the LA Galaxy and the New York Red Bulls.
July 24, 2025

MLS Reveals Apple TV Streaming Numbers, Raising Questions

The league gives a rare glimpse inside the high-profile streaming pact.
A Peacock sideline reporter holds a microphone with the NBC Peacock logo during Michigan State's football game against Washington on Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023, at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing.
July 24, 2025

‘Unusual’: NBCU’s Surprise Interest in a New Cable Sports Network

Its previous channel NBCSN was shuttered less than four years ago.