A heated feud has erupted between two prominent sports betting influencers, Lucy Burdge and Taylor Mathis, over the ownership of a unique content format—analyzing bets while taking a stroll. The conflict has played out publicly on social media, capturing the attention of their combined hundreds of thousands of followers.
Lucy Burdge, who hosts a sports betting show for Audacy, recently accused Taylor Mathis, a well-known social media influencer in the betting space, of stealing her concept of discussing bets during a walk. Burdge aired her grievances on X (formerly Twitter) on Thursday, accusing Mathis of copying her idea after Mathis made a comment about the popularity of “walking bets” on Barstool Sports’ Instagram.
The drama began when screenshots from a Barstool Sports video surfaced, featuring CEO Dave Portnoy criticizing the low viewership numbers of one of his employees. Mathis responded to the clip on Instagram, commenting, “Walking bets get more views,” accompanied by a shrug emoji. This seemingly innocuous comment set off a firestorm, with Burdge taking offense and publicly calling out Mathis for what she perceived as content theft.
“The part where her videos are straight robbery from me,” Burdge wrote in response to the Barstool clip, implying that Mathis had been mimicking her unique approach to sports betting content.
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Supporters of Burdge quickly rallied behind her. One X user accused Mathis of stealing content, writing, “@TMathSports steals all her content. She’s a fraud. Lucy finally called her out.” Burdge responded to the comment, saying, “Had to. Enough is enough,” making it clear that she had reached her breaking point with the situation.
Mathis, who boasts over 125,000 followers on X and 270,000 on Instagram, appeared blindsided by Burdge’s accusations. She expressed her dismay over the public nature of the dispute, especially given that she had previously believed she and Burdge were on good terms.
“Being torn down publicly by another woman in the industry was not on my agenda today,” Mathis tweeted. “I thought Lucy and I were good. I try to support her content and never once claimed she didn’t do walking bets first. Seeing the comments and welcoming people to talk about another woman that way is disappointing.”
The back-and-forth seemed to take a toll on Mathis, who briefly considered ending her “walking bets” series altogether due to the negativity it had sparked. “Have the walking bets come to a conclusion?” she pondered on X. “The internet drama surrounding it is really not my cup of tea. I never once claimed Lucy wasn’t doing walking bets first. I didn’t think it would cause problems.”
However, Mathis didn’t stay down for long.
Just hours after expressing her frustration, she returned to her usual content, posting a fresh “walking bets” video where she shared her top five MLB picks for the day. In the video, Mathis acknowledged the challenging start to her day but resolved to continue being true to herself and her content. “I started this morning a little down in the dumps,” she admitted. “But you know what, I talked to my mom, I’m just gonna be me, gonna be myself, and do my thing.”
As the feud between Burdge and Mathis continues to unfold, it highlights the competitive and sometimes contentious nature of the social media-driven sports betting industry. Both influencers remain committed to their content and their audiences, but the public spat serves as a reminder of the challenges that come with carving out a niche in a crowded and rapidly evolving space.
