ESPN's Social Media Accounts Hacked to Shill Meme Coin $ESPN

No, ESPN isn’t trying to sell you a crypto meme coin — at least not yet. Although you might have thought otherwise based on some of the network’s social media feeds on Thursday night.

Multiple ESPN social media accounts were briefly hacked on Thursday night, with the attackers using the accounts to advertise a cryptocurrency meme coin.

The posts, which touted the meme coin as “the official ESPN token,” were made on ESPN’s and College GameDay’s verified Instagram accounts, as well as ESPN’s Facebook page.

“The future of fan engagement starts now!” the post read while advertising the coin as being available on the blockchain platform Solana.

The posts quickly caught the attention of ESPN fans and cryptocurrency enthusiasts alike, with many speculating on whether or not the network was actually affiliated with the coin.

However, as it turns out, the $ESPN coin was not actually created by ESPN. As noted by Barstool Sports’ Jack McGuire, the coin’s price was initially pumped up around the same time the social media posts were made before the rug was ultimately (and unsurprisingly) pulled out from those holding it.

ESPN eventually regained control of its social media accounts and deleted the posts advertising the cryptocurrency meme coin.

This isn’t the first time that a major entity has been targeted by crypto scammers. In recent months, we’ve seen everyone from Elon Musk to Gordon Ramsay have their accounts hacked and used to promote various meme coins and pump-and-dump schemes.

But while it’s certainly annoying to see these scams being perpetrated on such a large scale, it’s also important to remember that they’re ultimately harmless—as long as you don’t fall for them.

If you see an ad for a cryptocurrency meme coin on your favorite celebrity’s or brand’s social media page, just assume that it’s not real and move on. Don’t click on the link, don’t buy the coin, and don’t spread the word.

By ignoring these scams, we can help to ensure that they eventually go away for good.