The tennis US Open drew massive crowds to New York-based stadiums and record views in the last week. For example, ESPN’s opening day coverage was up 13% YoY. But the 2026 U.S. Open also put a major spotlight on how fans think creators should participate in these sporting events.
This year, the United States Tennis Association (USTA) invited around 100 credentialed creators to attend matches. That’s nearly double the amount of creators invited in 2025, the first year USTA launched its creator cohort, which gave the program structure: instead of creators attending solely by way of brand tickets and invitations, it gave creators credentials and brands a list of attending creators. USTA was quoted last year saying the cohort generated more than 5.5 million social engagements.
But there’s been some serious backlash. During Naomi Osaka’s opening match on August 31, play was temporarily stopped after several people in a hospitality suite took flash photos during play. A viral video showed a woman using a ring light to take pictures of herself mid-match. ESPN reported the creators in question were not USTA credentials, but that didn’t take the heat off creators.
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