One week ago, UFL players began reporting to the league’s hub in Arlington for the on-boarding process. Once players hit the field a few days later, it was for conditioning tests run by each team’s strength coaches. Tuesday was the first day of practice and pads popped for the initial time in camp on Saturday.
The only way fans have been able to keep up with all the goings-on in camp – and really, the only way they’ve been able to find out most of what is listed above – has been through social media. Team accounts have been active on both “X” (formerly Twitter) and Instagram in posting pictures, videos, and other behind-the-scenes nuggets.
For UFL fans, these accounts have been the lifeline to what’s been happening in the league. Without them, they’d be left in the dark. The UFL website (TheUFL.com) still headlines with a story about the return of Jordan Ta’amu and Luis Perez, a press release that was sent out ten days ago. If you visit the site, you wouldn’t even know training camp has started.
There’s been no coverage from local markets as to the blow-by-blow of training camp as you’d see in an NFL city. Part of that is because the UFL simply hasn’t earned that ink or screen time from newspapers or local TV affiliates. Part of it is because, with training camp being held in Arlington, reporters in cities like Detroit and Memphis won’t go to the expense of traveling down to observe and report on practices. It’s one of the major downsides of the hub setup.
Instead, it’s been social media admins to the rescue. Multiple posts per day have taken fans inside, literally, the on-field drills, affording them a glimpse of some of their favorite players. Naturally, the focus has often been on the biggest names. Nary a day goes by when AJ McCarron isn’t featured by the St. Louis Battlehawks. Tune in to the Memphis Showboats’ page for daily Case Cookus highlights.
Want to know what the players on the team think a Battlehawk or a Brahma is? They’ve been asked. Just the other day, Memphis held an IG Live session with RB Darius Victor. And you wouldn’t know that former NFL All-Pro DT Gerald McCoy stopped by Renegades camp on Saturday had that not been shared through social media.
Social media is not for everyone. More and more, people are shying away from those services for myriad reasons. If you’re a fan of the UFL though, and craving updates on your favorite team or players as training camp progresses, the best way to do that is to follow them on “X” and Instagram. See, social media isn’t ALL bad.
