Should Athletes Be Superheroes on YouTube?

Colin Rosenblum and Samir Chaudry say an athlete on YouTube has two directions: stay a superhero, or show up as a person. Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan worked as superheroes. Fans wanted that light, not a scene of them at home eating cereal.

When the pair first started on YouTube, they helped NBA player Jeremy Lin. He was relatable, and he went on Ryan Higa's channel like a working YouTuber. Cristiano Ronaldo sits on the superhero side, but the draw is the raw state. That is why the meeting with Celine is the video people watch. Cutting most of the montage uploads would make the channel better.

Billie Eilish shows a mix that works: mostly music videos, then a vlog of the human side. Ronaldo's Road to the USA and Next Stop Miami sit in the middle. They are not a stripped-down vlog and not a high-end sports documentary. The footage feels like a photographer and a videographer at a distance, as if he never got access to his own life on his own channel.