Fox Sports broadcasted Sunday afternoon’s highly anticipated matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara. However, before the game even kicked off, the network found itself embroiled in a controversy over the use of video footage.
During the pregame coverage, Fox Sports aired a segment featuring Patrick Mahomes, his wife Brittany, and Chiefs defensive star Chris Jones attending a local high school football game at Blue Valley High School in Overland Park, Kansas.
The Chiefs stars had shown up to support the son of Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy, who plays for the team. The footage captured the moment and offered fans a cool behind-the-scenes glimpse of the NFL players supporting their coach’s family.
However, it soon emerged that the video shared by Fox Sports did not originate from their own production team but from a local sports reporter. KSHB 41 News sports reporter Matt Foster, who was present at the high school game, had taken the footage on Friday night and was quick to call out the network for using his video without permission or credit.
Foster took to social media to express his frustration, tweeting: “Nothing like a major sports network using video you shot—without permission or even a courtesy ??? good work, @NFLonFOX.”
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The situation gained even more attention when fans rallied behind Foster, with some pointing out that Fox Sports had also cropped out the watermark that identified the footage as his. Social media users were quick to add “Community Notes” to the video, making it clear that the footage was sourced from Foster. One note read: “This video of the Chiefs players and coaches is from Matt Foster of KSHB in Kansas City.” Another comment noted, “Fox also cropped out the Watermark in the video.”
While it’s not unusual for major networks to use video from smaller outlets, it’s typically done with permission and proper credit given to the original source. The omission in this case left many viewers scratching their heads, wondering why Fox Sports dropped the ball in what should have been a routine process.
As of now, Fox Sports has yet to publicly respond to Foster’s complaint. However, the situation highlights the ongoing issue of larger media networks using content from local journalists without due recognition.
Many in the sports journalism community have rallied to Foster’s defense, emphasizing the importance of acknowledging the hard work of local reporters, particularly when their footage is aired on a national platform.
For now, Foster remains the central figure in a growing conversation about media ethics and the responsibility major networks have to credit smaller outlets and reporters for their work.
It remains to be seen whether Fox Sports will address the situation and take steps to ensure proper attribution in the future.
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