October 24, 2025
I’ve seen this before.
First, it was social media.
I was told it wasn’t necessary to post live during games.
I was told it wouldn’t be a full-time role.
I was told it wasn’t a priority.
Even as platforms exploded and followers grew by the thousands…then tens of thousands…then hundreds of thousands…some people still wrote it off.
Maybe they hoped it would be a fad.
Maybe they hoped it would stay someone else’s job.
Maybe they hoped it would just go away.
It didn’t.
Then came NIL.
Letting student-athletes monetize their name, image, and likeness was a long-overdue correction.
Still, some people in college athletics hated the idea. Some probably still do.
But NIL wasn’t new to sports – just new to student-athletes.
After all, baseball cards featuring pro players’ NIL have been around since the late 19th century.
Yet many schools resisted.
They figured it would just fizzle out.
It didn’t.
Next came NIL Collectives.
A whole new world of support systems built to empower athletes.
And again, schools wanted nothing to do with them.
Wouldn’t talk to them.
Wouldn’t talk about them.
Wouldn’t even acknowledge they existed.
Now?
We’ve seen collective logos on fields and as official sponsors of athletic departments.
They’re shouted out during games.
They’re tagged on social media.
They’re collaborators, not outsiders.
And even with the House Settlement and revenue-sharing model, collectives are still around and a part of the scene.
Which brings us to now – Artificial Intelligence.
Some schools are hesitant. I get it.
New things are scary.
The fear of replacement is real.
So is the comfort of doing things the old way.
But just like social media…like NIL…like collectives…AI isn’t going anywhere.
You can choose to ignore it.
Or you can choose to empower yourself with it.
At FanWord, we’ve been borrowing something that Harvard’s Karim Lakhani said best:
“AI won’t replace humans. But humans using AI will replace humans who don’t.”
And that’s the truth.
Hate it or love it, AI is here.
And this – right now – is the worst it will ever be.
Because every second, it’s learning. Improving. Evolving.
Here’s a simple analogy:
Using AI without guidance is like bowling. You might hit some pins, or you might find the gutter.
But using human-trained AI is like bowling with the bumpers up and the dragon ramp in play – like my toddlers do when they kick my ass at the lanes.
It doesn’t throw the ball for you. It just helps make sure it’s rolling in the right direction.
And that’s what the right AI tool can do for you.
It’s about saving you time by keeping the focus on the task at hand.
Helping you get to a first draft faster.
Freeing you up to do what only you can do – tell great stories, think bigger, or finally get some sleep.
You still hit publish.
You still call the shots.
There’s a framework in communication theory called the Diffusion of Innovation and it breaks down how people adopt new ideas:
- Innovators go first.
- Early adopters bring credibility.
- Early majority follows once it’s proven.
- Late majority waits until it’s safe.
- Laggards hold out the longest.
We’ve already passed the innovator phase and the early majority filling up quick.
So now the question is…where do you fall?
Because AI isn’t the future.
It’s already here.
