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Patriots were reportedly told to shut down Bluesky account
"Whenever the league gives us the green light we’ll get back on Bluesky."
As much as the social media app Bluesky has grown in recent months, it appears official representation by NFL teams remains a bridge too far for the time being.
The Patriots initially had an account on the competitor of “X” (formerly Twitter), but were asked to remove it by the league office, per VP of content for Kraft Sports & Entertainment/New England Patriots Fred Kirsch.
Originally spotted by Sean Keeley of Awful Announcing, Kirsh recently explained the context behind the team’s conspicuous absence from Bluesky.
After reading a question asking the Patriots to consider joining the social media app, Kirsch provided background information.
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“Well, right now we’re not allowed to,” said Kirsch in an episode of Patriots Unfiltered. “We had an account briefly on Bluesky, but the league asked us to take it down because it’s not an approved social media platform for the NFL yet.”
Kirsch foresees the NFL eventually adopting the platform and adding it to the league-approved list.
“So, we’re ready to go,” he noted. “Whenever the league gives us the green light we’ll get back on Bluesky.”
The league’s most recent comment on the matter came in November shortly after the presidential election (another factor in the surge of users fleeing X), acknowledging the rise of Bluesky but remaining noncommittal.
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Per a statement via Front Office Sports, the NFL said it was “aware of Bluesky but currently does not have an official presence on the platform.”
The league has a much longer-standing relationship with other social media platforms. The NFL’s official X account dates back to Jan. 2009, and it’s Facebook was created in April of 2009.
Bluesky has grown in recent months amid the X ownership tenure of billionaire Elon Musk, whose governance of the platform has been criticized. Bluesky currently claims more than 28 million users, having added millions in recent months.
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