Okay, so I wanted to share something I’ve been working on lately, kind of a personal project to, let’s say, refine my sports media consumption. It all started because I noticed I was getting way too much noise, specifically certain types of hot takes, and frankly, it was bumming me out or just making me roll my eyes constantly. The name ‘realskipbayless’ kept popping into my head because, well, he’s kind of the poster child for that style I wanted to filter.
My Little Feed Curation Project
So, first thing I did was just pay attention. I scrolled through my usual spots – Twitter (or X, whatever), YouTube, even some sports news sites – and just made a mental note of how often takes from folks like him were dominating the feed. It felt like a lot, designed to get a reaction more than anything else.
My initial step was pretty basic. I started using the mute features more deliberately. You know, muting specific accounts known for that kind of stuff. On Twitter, I muted the main account associated with that name, plus the shows he’s on. That helped a little, but related content, clips shared by others, and discussions about the takes still got through.
Then I got a bit more methodical. I thought, okay, keywords are the way. I grabbed a notepad, seriously, like an old-school notepad, and started jotting down common phrases, player nicknames he uses excessively, recurring debate topics he always hammers on. It wasn’t just about his name; it was about the patterns in the content.
Next up, I went looking for tools. I found a few browser extensions that let you filter content based on keywords. Found one for YouTube specifically and a more general one for websites.
- I installed these extensions on my browser.
- I started plugging in the keywords from my notepad. This took some time.
- I added variations – names, show titles, common phrases, even some frequently discussed player names often tied to his segments.
This part needed tweaking. At first, I was too aggressive. My filters blocked some legitimate sports news because a keyword matched accidentally. So, I had to go back and refine the list. Made it more specific. For example, instead of just a player’s name, maybe the player’s name plus “debate” or “hot take”.
On YouTube, besides the keyword blocker, I also started actively using the “Don’t recommend channel” feature whenever his content popped up. I also made a point of hitting “dislike” on those clips, hoping the algorithm would get the hint.
So, after setting all this up, I spent a few days just observing. Checking my feeds to see what got through and what didn’t. When something I didn’t want still appeared, I’d try to figure out why and adjust my keywords or filters accordingly. It was an iterative process, really. Filter, observe, refine, repeat.
The result? It’s much better now. My sports feeds feel cleaner, less cluttered with manufactured outrage. I see more analysis and news I actually find interesting, and less of the stuff that just felt designed to provoke. It took a bit of deliberate effort, like a mini-project, but honestly, scrolling through sports news is way more enjoyable now. Just wanted to share that little journey!
