Influencer chaos was brewing long before US Open backlash: Kind of gone crazy

Tennis fans’ patience reached a breaking point this week with the influencer craze that the U.S.Open has leaned into this year to bring more eyes to the sport.Various photos and videos went viral of fans shaming several influencers who disrupted Naomi Osaka’s Monday night match against Anastasia Zakharova at Arthur Ashe Stadium, forcing the chair umpire to step in.

To Justin Morelli, the creator and voice behind “The ShotClock,” the backlash that influencers are getting has been building. “The influencer space has exploded, especially in sports and big events that people like to frequent…,” Morelli, a credentialed influencer for the Open, told The Post on Thursday.“I think this has been brewing the last couple of years, it just didn’t get reported.

This year, it’s kind of gone crazy.”During Monday’s match, a video showed one woman using a ring light to produce content in the middle of a point.A group of influencers in a luxury suite were also seen recording a video and talking in unison, disturbing a fan sitting below them.It has created a discourse around the Open’s first week.

As an influencer and sports fan, Morelli has mixed opinions on the subject.“Tennis is more of a global game and an international game…but it’s not what it used to be in America,” he said.“I think having influencers there, promoting the game in whatever way and just showing that they’re there is good for the game because it gets more people to the U.S.

Open.It gets more people to watch.

It gets more people to know about the event and see tennis.Even if it’s as a casual thing, I think that’s better than nothing.“But at the same time, I think there’s probably a better way to police some of the things that maybe affect the root of the game, which is sometimes people taking photos during a point or something that would distract players on the court to take away from the actual game of tennis.

I think maybe that is where we take it too far a...