A umpire halted a US Open match to confront spectators filming disruptive TikToks — and the fallout is forcing brands to rewrite how they manage creators at live sporting events.

The incident played out at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing, NY, during the 2026 tournament. Viral videos showed attendees filming loud TikToks with bright ring lights and firing camera flashes during active play on the courts. Tennis players fielded questions about the distractions in interviews.

The USTA confirmed the people in the viral videos were not credentialed by the association. But the controversy landed at an awkward moment for the organization, which had almost doubled its approved creator credentials in 2026 after launching the US Open creator credential in 2025, bringing in "close to 100" creators representing sports, news, lifestyle, fashion and food platforms.

The stakes are high because sports creators now sit at the center of how younger fans experience sports. A June 2026 survey commissioned by IBM and conducted by Morning Consult found that 60% of global Gen Z sports fans follow sports influencers. Seven in 10 of those followers say they discover lifestyle trends through sports creators.

Agency leaders from experiential, PR and influencer marketing say the fix starts well before event day. Here is what they recommend.

Put expectations in writing — and get on a call

Tyler Williams, managing director and partner of 1Milk2Sugars, recommends documenting everything ("always make sure you have your receipts") and hosting a briefing call so creators can ask questions.

Kate Wolff, founder and CEO of Lupine Creative, says a pre-event briefing should always include a call of at least 15 minutes, because an email often gets skimmed. The call should state what is off-limits and identify whom to contact on-site if something comes up.

"This is exactly where the US Open situation could have been flagged early," she says. "A simple objective like 'capture the moment without disrupting it' would have gone a long way. Always follow up with a one-page recap doc so nothing gets lost between the call and event day."

Before the event date, brands and their agency partners need to communicate event logistics — schedule, arrival, credentials, venue policies — plus clear expectations for content and etiquette specific to the environment creators will enter, the panel agrees.

Set boundaries without scripting every moment

Ann D'Adamo, vp-marketing and communication at Inspira, frames the challenge as a balance between communicating a brand's goals and staying prescriptive. "Explain what you're trying to achieve," she says. "Be explicit about what you don't want to see, then let the creator do what they do best."

Sebastian Genta, creator and co-founder of NextGen Creators, says boundaries around when filming is not appropriate, words that should not be said and areas that should not be accessed still leave room for creative freedom.

"Creators are valuable because they know how to communicate with audiences in a way that feels natural to them," he says. "If a brand scripts every moment, you can lose the reason you hired that creator in the first place."

Wolff draws the line at risk. "Lock down anything with legal, safety or brand-reputation exposure," she says. "Everything else — tone, angle, what they choose to capture — is on the creator."

Staff a point person on the ground

Influencer management does not stop at check-in, Williams says. Brands need a point person on-site who understands both the brand's expectations and the event environment, and who can help creators navigate logistics, facilitate content opportunities and address issues in real time.

Act fast, but privately, when things go wrong

In D'Adamo's experience, situations where creators act out or embarrass the brand are rare when creators are thoughtfully selected, properly vetted and carefully briefed. "But if it happens, the agency representative on-site needs to step in immediately to address the behavior in the moment and remind the creator of their contractual obligations," she says.

Genta recommends addressing the problem quickly, privately and professionally — both to avoid publicly embarrassing the creator and to keep the disruption from escalating. After explaining the issue, give the creator the opportunity to correct it. "If the behavior is serious enough, the brand has every right to remove someone from an experience," he says.

The post-event conversation is where the root cause gets resolved, Williams notes: "Were the expectations unclear, was the creator poorly briefed, or did they simply disregard the rules? The response can range from a direct conversation and clearer expectations to ending the partnership altogether."

His bottom line: "Ultimately, influencer marketing is a partnership. Creators represent themselves, but in that moment, they're a direct reflection of the brand that invited them."

What comes next

Tennis's biggest stages are already diverging on the question. Wimbledon has announced it will not accredit influencers for the 2027 tournament. For brands that still plan to activate creators at events, the difference between reach and reputational damage will come down to preparation — written expectations, a briefing call, a one-page recap and someone on the ground to enforce them.