Major League Baseball (MLB) has acquired a minority stake in digital content company Jomboy Media, formalising a partnership aimed at expanding the league’s reach among younger and more digitally native audiences.

The investment was made through MLB’s investment arm, Baseball Endowment L.P. (BELP), which is co-owned by all 30 MLB teams. The deal allows MLB to integrate Jomboy Media’s content capabilities into its digital and event strategies, including activations around marquee fixtures like the All-Star Game and Home Run Derby.

While the financial details of the investment remain confidential, Jomboy Media confirmed it crossed USD $10 million in revenue in 2024 and returned to profitability following a 44% year-on-year revenue increase. The company has also raised $5 million through a funding round led by Connect Ventures and appointed Courtney Hirsch as CEO in March, positioning the business for further growth.

As part of the partnership, Jomboy Media will gain selective access to MLB and team intellectual property, enabling the creation of licensed merchandise—including apparel and home goods—for sale through its direct-to-consumer channels.

Importantly, the partnership preserves editorial independence for Jomboy, a stipulation acknowledged by both parties.

“It was a very important part of the deal that we don’t have editorial control,” said Kenny Gersh, MLB’s Executive VP of Media & Business Development.

Jomboy Media has built a reputation for candid and at times controversial commentary, notably covering incidents such as the Astros’ sign-stealing scandal and umpire disputes. Retaining creative freedom is seen as critical to the brand’s continued appeal and audience engagement.

CEO Courtney Hirsch noted that discussions with MLB had been ongoing since mid-2024.

“It just felt like the right time… they’re really going to let us continue to do our thing,” said Hirsch.

The deal also opens opportunities to expand Jomboy’s IP portfolio and commercial footprint, with co-branded merchandise and broader content distribution planned. Hirsch and founder Jimmy O’Brien formally presented the proposal to MLB’s Investment Committee last week, receiving strong interest from key owners, including committee chair Mark Attanasio and John Henry.

Jomboy Media reports more than 93 million annual social media engagements and has secured brand partnerships with several MLB sponsors, including T-Mobile and Corona.

The strategic investment highlights MLB’s ongoing shift toward non-traditional media and influencer-driven storytelling to reach fragmented audiences. It also reflects a broader trend across global sports leagues—where digital-first platforms are being integrated into rights holder ecosystems through investment, rather than acquisition.

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EUGENE, Ore. – Memphis throwers Gabriel Koletsi and Sascha Salesius Schmidt are set to make their NCAA Championships debuts on Wednesday, as both will compete on the first day of the NCAA Track and Field Outdoor Championships.  

The events will go from June 11 to 14 at historic Hayward Field at the University of Oregon. A full schedule, live results link and streaming information can be found above. 

Koletsi will be the first to represent the Tigers, with the men’s javelin set to begin at 7:15 p.m. CT. After reaching NCAA Regionals each of the last two seasons at UMBC, Koletsi qualified for his first Championships after placing 11th behind a 67.84-meter javelin throw at the East Regional in Jacksonville.  

Schmidt also will compete in his first Championships after coming up just short in each of his first two seasons at Memphis. His season-best shot put launch of 18.77 meters placed 12th in the competition to earn him a berth. His competition will begin at 8:10 p.m. CT.

Koletsi is the first javelin thrower to represent Memphis at NCAAs since Mona Jaidi and Ashley Pryke in 2018, and Sascha marks the first shot put qualifier in a decade (Vivian Brandhoff, 2015). 

How to follow the Tigers: For complete information on Memphis Tiger Cross Country and Track & Field, visit www.GoTigersGo.com and follow the team’s social media channels on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. 

FREMONT, Neb. – Midland University has released its 2025 volleyball schedule, which features 28 regular-season matches ahead of the postseason. The Warriors, under the direction of new head coach Micah Rhodes, will open their campaign August 21 at the Missouri Baptist University Invitational in St. Louis, Missouri.

Midland will face a challenging schedule right out of the gate, with seven of its first nine opponents having qualified for the 2024 NAIA National Tournament. In total, 11 of the Warriors’ matches will come against national tournament teams, providing early and consistent tests for a program that has made 11 NAIA Championship appearances in the past 12 seasons.

“We will be challenged, and I couldn’t be more excited to hit the ground running with this particular group of young women,” said Rhodes, who takes over the program following the retirement of longtime head coach Paul Giesselmann. “Opening the season down in St. Louis against four teams that advanced to the NAIA National Tournament final site is about as tough as you can get, but the team will be well-prepared. That level of competition is the standard these players have come to know and expect.”

The 2025 slate opens with four matches over two days in St. Louis, including matchups against perennial powers Viterbo and host Missouri Baptist. After their home opener against York University on August 26, the Warriors head to Omaha for the College of Saint Mary Labor Day Classic, where they will take on four more quality opponents including College of Idaho, Benedictine (Kan.), and The Master’s.

Rhodes has also emphasized growth and development through the junior varsity program, which includes a home JV/Varsity doubleheader against Grand View University and the addition of the program’s first-ever home JV tournament.

“I really want to embrace the concept of using the JV program as developmental for our younger athletes,” he said. “I’m also excited to have added a non-conference home JV/V doubleheader with Grand View to give our home fans another opportunity to see us play.”

Conference play begins September 6 on the road against College of Saint Mary. Midland will play 16 Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) matches, concluding regular-season action at home against Hastings College on November 4.

“As always, our tough preseason and conference schedules are designed to prepare us for when it matters most, which is the postseason and our goal of advancing to Sioux City,” Rhodes said. “We aren’t playing for August and September, but instead for November and December.”

Rhodes also shared his outlook for the program’s new chapter, stating, “I’m excited for the players to embrace the change that comes with new leadership, while remaining true to who we are as a team and program. The standards and expectations are the same. We are competing for a national championship. But my hope is that the players will take pride in beginning a new era of Midland Volleyball.”

Postseason play is set to begin with the GPAC Tournament on November 8, with the NAIA National Championship Opening Round on November 22. The NAIA Championship Final Site will once again take place in Sioux City, Iowa from December 3-9.

Key returners from last year’s squad include All-GPAC First Team honoree and Freshman of the Year Brooklynn Snyder, as well as All-GPAC Honorable Mention selection Cameran Jansky.

2025 Midland Volleyball Schedule Highlights

• Season Opener: August 21 vs. Viterbo University (St. Louis, Mo.)
• Home Opener: August 26 vs. York University (Fremont, Neb.)
• Conference Opener: September 6 at College of Saint Mary
• Homecoming Match: September 27 vs. Dakota Wesleyan University
• Final Home Match: November 4 vs. Hastings College
• NAIA Championship Dates: December 3-9 (Sioux City, Iowa)

NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Southern Connecticut Men’s Cross Country and Track & Field placed 12th for the USTFCCCA Damon Martin Program of the Year Award which is handed out to the top program in all of NCAA Division II. They finished the year with 95 points based on their finishes at the NCAA DII Cross Country, Indoor, and Outdoor Track & Field National Championships. 

The Owls ranked 12th among all Division II school, qualifying for the award by reaching each of three National Championships for the 2024-2025 season. They placed 33rd at the 2024 NCAA DII Cross Country National Championships, 30th at the 2025 Indoor National Championships, and 27th at the 2025 Outdoor National Championships. Cameron Belton was the standout, earning All-American honors for both the Indoor and Outdoor Championships after finishing third and second in the Shot Put, recording personal bests both times. SCSU was the only DII school in the entire northeast to place for the award, with the 11 teams preceding them coming from Colorado (3), California (1), North Carolina (1), Kansas (2), Michigan (1), Montana (1), Illinois (1), and Texas (1). 

To read more and view the full standings, click here. 

Once again Eastview made quick work of its opponent.

This time, the Lightning cruised past Hopkins 25-17, 25-12, 25-19 in a state boys’ volleyball quarterfinal Tuesday.

Jay Thammavongsa had 15 kills, and Brice Dehnel 27 assists for the second-seeded Lightning (28-3), who hae won via sweep in 25 of their 31 matches this season.

“We get pushed a lot in practice. Our bench is constantly making us get better, making us work harder. That prepares us for all our opponents, but also the tougher ones where we have to think more and adjust more … and make the game easier on ourselves,” said Colin Nathan, a middle blocker and opposite hitter.

No. 2 Eastview will face No. 3 Rogers in a Wednesday semifinal. The Royals needed five sets to take down sixth-seeded St. Paul Central.

Hopkins (17-9) is the No. 7 seed, but Eastview coach Ryan Dehnel would not let his team overlook the Royals, especially after the Lightning watched large parts of the Rogers win.

“We knew coming in that if we could execute, we had a great chance to win. But we also knew that if we fell asleep at all, they were good enough and passionate enough that they were going to stick it to us,” Dehnel said. “We’ve got to stay steady and execute no matter what.”

Eastview had a 16-3 run in the second set when Hopkins was forced into some lineup changes due to a senior captain getting with a bloody nose.

The Lightning finished the match with a .395 attack percentage.

“The whole season it’s been that we have to execute. It doesn’t matter who we play. … We have to make sure we play our game,” said outside hitter Owen Kunisaki.

Hopkins stayed within two points for most of the third set.

“We’ve got a lot of resolve,” said Royals outside hitter Joseph Rinaldi. “We’ve had a lot of games where we started down and slowly caught back up. I think we were kind of waiting for that to happen, but it just didn’t.”