Athletes Are Going All In on Content
A new generation of pros is taking up side hustles as content creators.
WORDS
Daysia Tolentino
ILLUSTRATIONS
Giacomo Bagnara
Amid all the professional accomplishments shown on her Instagram, Brittany Dubins sprinkles in lighthearted Reels showing the less-than-perfect side of padel.
Dubins, the top women’s padel player in the U.S., is known for her impressive game. But to her over 11,000 followers, she is also beloved for her funny and relatable sense of humor. Whether it's freaking out over a missed shot or losing your voice after an impassioned match, Dubins demonstrates that, despite her pro status, she’s just like every padel fanatic.
This is a strategy that has become ubiquitous on social media, especially among media and entertainment figures who share content about their aspirational lives and careers. Beyond the accolades, these people are simply passionate about something — just like you are. Across the sports world, athletes have realized the value of building and connecting with their own audiences online through their shared love of a game — and padel is no exception.
“You're starting to see padel players post more on and off court sort of things, or vlogs about what the tournaments are like, and trying to put more of that unique personal touch to it,” Dubins said.
By giving people a peek behind the curtain, players unlock a new level of engagement with fans. Before social media, athletes seemed almost mythical in their ability. Fans would only see the culmination of all the hard work put in before a big game, match, or tournament. The specifics on how to get there were more elusive. Instead, they’d see their favorite player on a Wheaties box or in a Gatorade commercial and assume that this endorsement was somehow connected to the sports star’s success.
These days, the details are a lot clearer and far more thorough. The top padel players can show the exact exercises they do, diets they maintain, and supplements they take to perform at their best. Casual players and aspiring pros are eager to know these things, so they follow their favorite players to get intel on how they can improve their game.
Ysabella Affatato, who is currently ranked No. 72 among U.S. women, has quickly risen the ranks of competitive padel and social media in less than a year. After starting her Instagram in January 2025, she has amassed over 18,000 followers who are invested in her padel development. At the start of her journey, Affatato said she was clearly a “tennis player inside a padel court” to her followers.
“In the matter of six months, people were seeing a huge change in my game,” Affatato said.
Shortly after this, she began getting messages from people sharing how they felt inspired by her improvement. Affatato embraces the title of “influencer” because she has seen firsthand how her content has impacted people and clubs. In her home club in Orlando, Florida, she said she has seen dozens more girls start playing in the past few months, many of whom follow her. She’s happy to dole out advice and encourage people to start playing padel, which is still breaking out in the U.S.
Social media has helped with padel’s visibility, bolstering both the sport and its athletes in emerging markets like the U.S. and the U.K. It has helped fans and brands discover the sport while helping players secure lucrative opportunities. Whether you’re a full-time pro like Dubins or an emerging competitor like Affatato, online fandom helps athletes attract and maintain relationships with sponsors, which is critical for any career in sports.
Dubins and Affatato have both been invited to new padel club openings and connected with major sponsors in part because of their growing followings. Each has earned supplemental income through their social media work. While posting isn’t her main priority, Dubins said her sponsors, which include Nox Padel and Original Penguin, encourage her online presence because it helps with exposure. Meanwhile, Affatato snagged a coveted partnership with Wilson primarily because of her following. She says her success on Instagram has allowed her to get sponsors faster than is typical of a newer player at her level.
“Sponsorships that you can get from your social media help a lot in actually competing and making the sport what it is,” Affatato said. “Because the more people get involved, the more companies get involved, then everything just goes from there.”
Social media stardom has infiltrated the top ranks of the sport, too. Arturo Coello, the number one men’s player in the world, has quickly grown a fanbase of over 38,000 subscribers on his YouTube channel, which he launched last October. His vlogs show viewers a more down-to-earth look at his life on and off the court, illustrating how relatable he is to his Gen Z peers. Videos are auto-dubbed across several languages, making his padel content accessible to enthusiasts around the world.
Meanwhile, OnlyFans has courted a number of pro padel players, including Jon Sanz, Jessica Castelló, and Victoria Iglesias. While it is often associated with NSFW creators, the company has been pushing to diversify the type of content on its site over the past few years. This has presented a great opportunity for athletes and fans to connect more directly, while presenting new revenue streams. The platform allows subscribers to support their favorite players in exchange for exclusive advice and behind-the-scenes content from tournaments, training, off days, and more.
In many ways, online platforms have democratized the media ecosystem, which has given every niche expert the chance to reach an audience. This includes padel players, who are still inching their way into the mainstream in the U.S. As consumers become more aware of the sport in the region, Padel22 CEO Ben Nichols said that it’s important that athletes “find ways of telling their story, of building their brand, of building their profiles” during this period of growth.
“They don't command those big, big salaries that some of the mainstream sports do,” Nichols said. “So they've got to earn their sponsorship money. They've got to monetize in every way they can. To do that, they've got to grow a profile.”
Like every social media creator, athletes experience first hand the finicky nature of the algorithm. Affatato initially blew up on TikTok, but she pivoted to Instagram after the Chinese-owned video app faced potential shutdown in the U.S. She also emphasized the responsibility that athletes have to wield their influence thoughtfully, especially when it comes to products like supplements or equipment. Authenticity is the key to building trust between athlete and fan.
“You're saying that these things are working for you, so other people are going to think so too, especially the people that follow you,” she said. “That's when trust comes into play when you say something, make sure that you're saying the right information.”
While social media isn’t the main focus of every pro padel player’s career, it does undoubtedly create a foundation for their future beyond the sport. Even after an athlete’s professional career dwindles down, their love for padel remains. Luckily, social media provides an opportunity to continue making a living off this passion.
“I'm not going to be a player forever, so it's great to have another avenue, in terms of, hopefully, making money, or just putting myself out there,” Dubins said. “When you have a following on social media, in such a niche world, I think the opportunities are endless.”✷
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Daysia Tolentino
Daysia Tolentino is a freelance culture journalist based in Brooklyn, NY. She has covered internet culture, the creator economy, trends, and technology for outlets like NBC News, GQ, Fortune, and more. She writes an internet and pop culture newsletter at yapyear.com.
