Conquering the Content Grind

Connor Burns (Illinois State ’21) Leads an Exciting Sports Media Career
Alex Beaven (Pennington & Company), contributing writer

As a freshman at ISU, Connor Burns (Illinois State ’21) didn’t hesitate to start exploring Greek life. Sigma Pi instantly provided a great sense of camaraderie that influenced his development and encouraged Burns to pursue his passions that have led to a new role with Barstool Chicago.

A Home Away from Home
Burns knew a few high school classmates at Illinois State but found himself alone on campus during his first semester. Fraternity recruitment offered a quick way to meet new people and get comfortable while he figured out his college plans.

“I met a few Sigma Pi guys at this one event and thought, ‘Alright, they seem like some cool dudes.’ I went over to the Epsilon-Eta Chapter house for a recruitment event and knew I could see myself living there. The rest was history.”

Wearing the Fraternity letters with his newfound brothers gave Burns a sense of pride. He appreciated being a part of a tight-knit community at ISU and seeing fellow Sigma Pi members wherever he went on campus.

Fraternity Connections
Burns’ college years were filled with several Sigma Pi memories like attending Chicago Bears games and supporting ISU athletics. He also had a great time visiting local bars with his brothers once he turned 21.

“One of my favorite Fraternity memories was when I took a Little. That was a great moment, and I ended up taking three more. Hanging out and showing them the ropes of Sigma Pi was definitely a special opportunity.”

Epsilon-Eta Chapter provided Burns a chance to develop organizational and social skills as PR chairman. While his term lasted just half a semester, he enjoyed helping the Fraternity stay on track for various Sigma Pi events.

“There are so many going on … you can only keep track of so much. I really got a grasp of everything we were doing from philanthropy and community service to brotherhood events. I had an eye on it all.”

Following a Dream
Throughout his younger years, Burns had passions for social media and football that he pursued throughout high school. When COVID disrupted his senior year, he took time to think about his future and how he wanted to evolve his online presence.

“I started posting random videos at first, eight per day, and eventually football season came around. I posted a video about the Bears and it did well. I posted another one a week later, and it did well again. It took me until November to realize that I love the Bears and making content about them, so why not just do that the whole time?”

Burns’ social media coverage of the Chicago Bears continued to gain traction until he posted a video criticizing Aaron Rodgers’ performance during a Packers game, leading to the team’s fans mass-reporting his TikTok account.

“I had to restart from ground zero, and this was right when I joined Sigma Pi, so I had to build myself back up throughout college.” Burns has since gained a following of more than 180,000 TikTok users, and he loves meeting his followers at Bears tailgates. “That’s one of the best feelings in the world. A few other accomplishments were shooting the puck during intermission at a Blackhawks game and working with the Bears organization a little bit.”

Barstool’s Newest Bears Fanatic
Burns officially joined the Barstool Sports staff as a full-time content creator in March 2026. This next step in his career involves making content at Chicago sporting events, working in the company’s Chicago office, and covering Bears updates and offseason news.

Burns recently made his first appearance on Barstool Chicago’s sports podcast, The Stretch. He also participated in a company livestream to watch NCAA men’s basketball tournament games with fellow Barstool creators.

“The long-term goal is to just keep on trying to take over Chicago! I’ve been at this for six years, and I just want to keep building this community. I’d eventually like to start my own show here to speak my mind about Chicago sports and the city in general.”

Personal Life
Beyond his busy career, Burns enjoys hanging out with Sigma Pi alumni multiple times each month. He looks forward to visiting Epsilon-Eta Chapter for Homecoming 2026 while staying connected with the brotherhood throughout the year.

You can connect with him at burnstiktok@gmail.com and follow @connor.burns3 on various social media platforms.