Brands Might Want to Play Ball with These TikTok Sports Stars

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TikTok is increasingly the place to be for marketers seeking to reach sports fans. Among the platform’s audience, 38 percent of users identify as casual fans, while 35 percent define themselves as aficionados, according to a recent TikTok survey, which also finds that 59 percent of the app’s users agree that watching sports content on the platform can be more entertaining than actually watching sports.

Game to read on? If so, let us introduce you to three SportsTok champs with followers in the millions.

@alwayshockey

He shoots, he scores! Zac Bell, aka the Hockey Jedi, is a Canadian trick shot artist with 1.1 million followers on TikTok. Bell is to hockey what the Harlem Globetrotters are to basketball, and it’s a lot of fun to watch his stick tricks. Bell, who has played since he was a kid, wanted to join the NHL, but head injuries ended his dream of going pro. Even so, his talent and passion for sharing his creativity on social made Bell a superstar in the hockey world anyway.

@alwayshockey We have touched down in florida for NHL all star ? #zacbell ♬ original sound – Zac Bell

@ilonamaher

A member of the U.S. Women’s Rugby team, Maher debuted on TikTok during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics to bring attention to the sport and her fellow athletes. Today, she has over 1.1 million followers. Maher is strong and funny. She is also refreshingly honest and vulnerable, sharing the negative feedback she gets about her size as she encourages everyone to embrace their bodies. In recent weeks, Maher has chronicled her recovery from a broken ankle, suffered during a scrimmage in March. No doubt this amazing athlete will return to the pitch soon.

@ilonamaher

Everyone feels stupid. Everyone feels insecure. You are not alone.

♬ Originalton – ᴘᴇᴛʀᴏᴠᴀ

@brodiepawson

Mere mortals take the stairs. Brodie Pawson scales walls like a spider. Hailing from Brisbane, Queensland, the parkour pro made a name for himself when he competed on Australian Ninja Warrior a few years ago, alongside his identical twin brother Dylan. Today, Pawson is one of the most popular parkour practitioners on TikTok, with more than 8 million followers. The athlete routinely posts failed attempts of fantastic feats so we can truly appreciate how much practice goes into perfecting such high-flying, gravity-defying stunts.

@brodiepawson Hard ? #parkour #tiktok #foryoupage #foru #escape #brisbane #4u #australia #training #viral #risky #exercise #explore #spiderman #tiktokau #jump #aussie #go #danger #jackiechan ♬ Paris – 斌杨Remix