Before this fall, the closest association between MrBeast, the biggest star on YouTube, and the world of sports was probably the jersey patch worn by the Charlotte Hornets, which is sponsored by the YouTuber’s chocolate company.
But suddenly, the YouTube phenom, who has more than 330 million subscribers and a massive net worth, is becoming a major sports content figure.
MrBeast, whose real name is Jimmy Donaldson, popped up last month to set up a livestreamed race between popular YouTube streamer iShowSpeed and the world’s fastest man, Olympic 100M gold medalist Noah Lyles. Then he helped soccer legend Cristiano Ronaldo get his channel off the ground with a 14-minute video conversation that reeled in 50 million views, the most by far of any video Ronaldo had uploaded.
In the conversation, MrBeast gives Ronaldo YouTube thumbnail tips and tries his best to make the absurdly rich 40-year-old soccer star seem entertaining and relatable.
Now, MrBeast is back with a massive sports video of his own. The competition video shows random guys competing against legendary athletes for money. A high-schooler throws downfield against Tom Brady, a chubby guy tries to run 140 meters before Lyles can run 200, Big Justice from the Costco Guys tries to hit better than Bryce Harper — you get it.
If you can ignore the mixing on MrBeast’s voice and editing whiplash that are recognizable parts of his video brand, the video isn’t all that different from reality and competition shows like Shaq Vs., Wipeout or American Ninja Warrior from a previous generation.
The video amassed more than 75 million views in its first three days on YouTube, which is par for the course for MrBeast but game-changing for the athletes involved.
If viewers scroll down a bit from that video, they will see it is sponsored by Yahoo Sports. The online sports outlet used the deal to launch its Daily Draw game this week, which it hopes will gamify live sports and bring elements of gambling and fantasy to its platform. Ideally, that means bringing in younger fans like the ones in MrBeast’s audience.
Perhaps sports were an inevitable land to be conquered by the MrBeast empire. With online personalities like iShowSpeed, Dude Perfect and Jake Paul increasingly overtaking sports with creator-led leagues, sports-focused content, and athlete collaborations, it would be a missed opportunity if MrBeast didn’t get in on the sports craze.
However, these buzzy videos all come right as MrBeast is facing trouble off the field.
Five contestants on Donaldson’s upcoming Amazon Prime Video competition series sued Amazon and Donaldson over working conditions on Beast Games. The lawsuit alleges unsafe working conditions, underpayment, and sexual harassment on set of the show, which will be released on Dec. 19.
In a post on X in early December, Donaldson wrote that the allegations were “blown out of proportion” and insisted that behind-the-scenes content from the Amazon show would vindicate him.
We have tons of behind the scenes dropping when the show does to show how blown out of proportion these claims were. Just can’t release it now because it would spoil the games.
— MrBeast (@MrBeast) November 25, 2024
At the same time, Donaldson paid for an investigation into a longtime friend and YouTube collaborator who was accused of grooming. The friend, Ava Tyson, left the company over the summer, and her initial accuser decried the grooming claims.
Still, Donaldson pressed on with the investigation. On Nov. 1, he released a statement from a third-party law firm stating the grooming claims were “without basis” and “soundly rejected” by alleged victims. The investigation also found that MrBeast took “swift and appropriate actions” to handle other instances harassment and misconduct when they arose in recent years.
Of course, these defenses were mounted by MrBeast himself, and an investigation he funded. They won’t fully tamp down the questions around his operation. At 26 with a massive fortune inside the uninhibited machine of YouTube, MrBeast is far from the first creator to be questioned.
MrBeast will never say he embraced sports to get away from the heat of these legal disputes. But he also wouldn’t be the first one to do it. MrBeast seemingly getting cleared on the legal issues is just a cherry on top of this smart PR strategy.
From political candidates to world leaders to failed actors, sports are often a place to rinse off a reputation. Even away from Olympic host nations or American elections, The Rock returning to WWE wasn’t just because he missed the ring. He has a few movies to sell this year and next, and was fading from stardom.
As MrBeast continues to expand beyond his historic YouTube kingdom, sports were a logical next step. They also are a nice, friendly place to find a new audience and generate buzz that doesn’t have to do with legal filings and misconduct claims.
