You gotta hand it to Elon Musk. Every time you think his X platform (formerly Twitter) can prove itself as unreliable and untrustworthy as possible, it fosters an environment that allows things to sink even lower than imagined.
These days, the idea of fake reporters posting fake breaking news in order to go viral is quaint. We’ve even almost gotten used to it, and some companies are even partnering with them to drive leads.
However, familiarity breeds contempt, and as X users have seemingly accepted the notion that their feeds will be full of fake information, it now appears that “legitimate” accounts are getting in on the fake news action.
On Wednesday, the X account of sportsbook BetMGM, which boasts over 322,000 followers, posted a breaking news post that North Carolina had hired legendary NBA coach Phil Jackson to replace Hubert Davis as their men’s basketball coach. The post also drew a parallel to UNC’s football coach, Bill Belichick, who was a legendary pro coach the school hired last year.
It’s the kind of news that seems too good to be true and was destined to go viral. Of course, that’s because it was too good to be true. It was completely made up on purpose to snag engagement on a social media platform that incentivizes that sort of thing.
It’s one thing to see a fake “insider” or Ballsack Sports post something like that, but it’s another thing altogether to see what’s supposed to be a legitimate sports-adjacent account blatantly post fake information in order to go viral.
And plenty of people noticed this before BetMGM eventually deleted the post.
official account of a $10b market cap company tweeting fake news but lol nothing matters etc etc https://t.co/NvgicUH8dM
— Daniel Roberts (@readDanwrite) March 25, 2026
I yearn for the days when we all complained on here that random unedited/unvetted Bleacher Report writers (lot of them in high school) were showing up as top results on Google for major athletes.
Multiple social networks now incentivize this purposeful misinformation. pic.twitter.com/7EnIv3cfuP
— Ben Koo (@bkoo) March 25, 2026
Totally ridiculous. https://t.co/EY3RUhC8oR
— Dustin Gouker (@DustinGouker) March 25, 2026
We’ve gone from parody pages slanting the truth “for fun” to legitimate companies now telling outright lies because it gets eyeballs on their brand.
Don’t tell me I’m overreacting. The slope isn’t just slippery anymore. It’s getting steeper and steeper the more time passes. https://t.co/Js638CNCwf
— Spencer Davies (@SpinDavies) March 25, 2026
Gambling companies are tweeting lies as if it’s legitimate news because it brings more attention to them.
Facts matter. Slippery slope when gambling companies that leagues and media outlets are partnered with are lying to fans.
It undermines all of sports. pic.twitter.com/e5qqDzyOSY
— Joon Lee (@joonlee) March 25, 2026
What’s the purpose of this post? It’s not funny. It’s just a fake Woj post, but from a sports betting company https://t.co/sR2xBnw7ZZ
— Gifdsports (@gifdsports) March 25, 2026
It’s hard not to see this as the evolution of regulated gambling companies, feeling the need to keep pace with prediction markets, which have used their unregulated status to run wild, partnering with fake insiders and pushing the boundaries of good taste.
BetMGM eventually deleted the post, given the intense negative pushback, but the fact that they felt like they could even try it says everything about the state of X and social media in general.
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.