There’s no denying the power of a sports edit.

Overtime chief growth officer Tom Weingarten remembers a Tom Brady edit that “made me love him, actually.” For casual sports fan Kathryn Winn, who writes a newsletter about memes, a Joe Burrow edit finally explained his career arc and appeal to her in a matter of moments. “I love getting my sports news through TikTok edits,” she wrote recently.

But defining what an edit is? That’s more challenging.

“Edits is the term that we’ve all kind of decided on, even though it’s not super descriptive,” Winn said.

Here’s my best attempt …

Sports edits are highly stylized, 15-100 second mini-movies set to popular songs. They often start with an extended single clip before moving to a faster-cutting style, weaving together various moments from a player’s career or team’s season.

… maybe just watch one?

Winn distinguishes edits, which often have narrative weight, from fancams, which focus on how attractive or cool their subject is (and which can be quite powerful in their own right). Others are more liberal with the “edit” label, seeing it as the next evolution of the mixtape.

Both formats have roots in anime and K-pop fandom. They are acts of Gen Z idolatry. But unlike previous generations’ collections of magazine clippings and collages, these are shared as mass entertainment. 

“It builds the legend of some of these players,” Weingarten said. “When I think about this next age of big-time athletes—LaMelo Ball, Anthony Edwards, Ja Morant … Those are the players that you’re seeing these edits be based around.”

Other edits spotlight stars of the past—like Allen Iverson, Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant—or up-and-comers like Class of 2026 recruit Taylen Kinney. 

Critically, top edits almost always work in some element of off-court persona, from youth basketball clips to locker room high jinks to ad spots.

“When Overtime first started, a mixtape or a sports edit would just be like, ‘Alright, we put a bunch of highlights together, right? And you put a really cool sound on it’,” Weingarten said. “And now this evolution, especially with TikTok, you see more storytelling in these where it’s not just from one game or from one moment, but instead, it’s like, ‘How do I put this edit together where you feel something, you get emotion, and you feel like you would learn the whole story about one specific player or one specific moment.’”

Whereas YouTube is a place for wows, and Twitter a home for takes, TikTok edits have come to inspire tears.

But not only tears. Last year, a common trend involved unexpected edits, where seemingly random scenes from old TV shows or outdated memes would serve as the lead-ins of a video. Edits can be comedies too, it turned out.

Part of why defining edits is so challenging? The form is new. Edits are evolving. Weingarten’s team tracks small accounts to keep up with the times and draws inspiration from non-sports genres. Fans of Hollywood celebrities have been making similarly stylized edits for years, even if some teenagers crafting NBA videos might be hesitant to connect their work with pieces deifying Tom Holland or Zendaya.

“A lot of these people you’re seeing on TikTok, they’re kids in middle school, kids in high school,” ESPN social media manager Dylan Anderson said. “They’re able to do it on their phones now.”

Anderson himself edited as a side gig while working at a local grocery store before being discovered by current ESPN digital and social content commentator Omar Raja. “There wasn’t too many of us at the time,” Anderson said.

Jordy, a college-age Californian who asked to be referred to by his online username, started making sports edits to share with his friends less than two years ago. In November 2023, a Draymond Green-focused video drew 20 million views. 

Jordy kept posting. He perfected his signature format, combining his passions for music, basketball and video editing.

Record labels reached out, hoping to get their songs used in his edits. Athletes contacted him too, looking for some shine. 

He has 650,000 TikTok followers now, and when the NFL recently posted a reel of Travis Hunter clips, topped with a Druski meme, commenters wondered if the shield had hired him. Last year, 20-year-old video producer Gage Duchon’s work for the Celtics consistently went viral. Other teams have also let fan edits inspire their in-house style. 

Jordy has his sights set on building his own media company off his success, expanding into longer videos and more sports.

But before that, he’s thinking about his next release.  

“Right now what’s on my mind is—you know that song, ‘WTHELLY’ by Rob49—I can’t get that song out of my head so …” he said. 

If Jordy gets his next edit just right, soon enough the song will be on your mind too.