00:00I hate to say it, but some of you influencers are ruining the U.S. Open.
00:04Not all of y'all, but definitely a large chunk.
00:07We now live in a sports world where Naomi Osaka is mid-match at Arthur Ashe.
00:13And somewhere behind the Empire's chair, someone's doing a photo shoot with a ring light during a Grand Slam in
00:22real time.
00:23Sounds like it should be a script for a Black Mirror episode, right?
00:28But nope. Welcome to the 2026 U.S. Open, folks, where sometimes the real main event isn't even on the
00:35court.
00:36So here's what happened. Osaka's in the middle of a match, deuce point, fourth game of the second set.
00:43And a group of influencers in a hospitality suite decides that's the moment to break out the lights and start
00:52posing.
00:52The chair umpire had to stop play, grab the microphone, and say, and I'm paraphrasing here, guys, sit down.
01:03I would have used the initialism S-Y-B-A-D. Real ones know what that means.
01:09But that video went viral instantly.
01:12The real tennis fans are upset because this isn't just some one-off incident.
01:17The USTA has handed out close to 100 media credentials to content creators alone this year,
01:25which is almost double last year's amount.
01:28The tournament wants influencer-type energy.
01:32The honey deuces, the fits, the TikToks, because it brings in a younger crowd.
01:37But there's a line and a ring light and sight line of a professional athlete mid-serve.
01:45I think we can all agree that crosses it.
