Sports
Endorsement Ink, Entertainment Reboots & Postseason Heartbreaks


Welcome back to the Spotlight! In the past 7 months, I have borne witness to monumental postseason collapses by two of my favorite professional sports teams: my beloved hometown New York Yankees and New York Knicks. Last October, in epic fashion, the former blew a five-run lead in the top of the fifth inning in Game 5 of the 2024 World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, en route to the Yankees’ eventual demise. And this past Wednesday night, the Knicks lost Game One of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals against the Indiana Pacers, despite having held a 14-point lead with about 2:30 left in the fourth quarter. There are a litany of other heartbreaks over the years. Begging the question of why I (and others) keep coming back for more? For one thing, it’s the drama of the game – each has a story to tell. Sometimes, that story is a reminder that those who rake in the big bucks through endorsements and salaries, often appearing larger than life, are still human. Or maybe I just like to be miserable. After all, it’s the losses – torturous as they can be – that teach the greatest lessons and make the wins that much sweeter.
- Following fellow recording artist Post Malone’s limited edition run of signature Oreo cookies, Selena Gomez has partnered with the brand to roll out her own spin on the iconic sandwich cookies. Perhaps the cookies will become collector’s items. Though if the artists really wanted to stand the test of time, they’d launch their own Twinkies.
- Jason Momoa and WWE wrestler Roman Reigns are among those signed on for a Street Fighter movie, rebooting a film based on the video game of the same name. Meanwhile, I am still waiting on a call from my agent on my Pong screenplay.
- Hip hop duo Salt-N-Pepa are suing Universal Music Group in an effort to reclaim the rights to their catalog recordings including their late 80s and early 90s hits “Push It” and “Shoop.” Fortunately for the duo, their legal team is said to be seasoned.
Endorsement Deals, Sponsorships & Investments
Steve Madden Sues Adidas to Protect Its Own Use of Stripes
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Selena Gomez, Oreo Team Up on a New Flavor: When You Can Get It
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“NIL Go”: Deloitte Establishes Basic Framework to Review Third-Party NIL Deals
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Quinn Ewers Scores Historic Payday for 7th-Round Pick
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The Best Things Stars Have Influenced Us to Buy, From Taylor Swift’s Lipstick to Rip-Resistant Tights
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Pacers-Knicks Game 1 Drew 6.6M Viewers, a 7-Year High
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2025 Sports Emmys Winners List: Lady Gaga, Charles Barkley, Peyton Manning & More
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Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese Break 25-Year WNBA TV Ratings Record
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Brooks Koepka Beer-Gate Goes Viral Amid PGA Championship Dismissal
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Music Biz
Signed: Warner Music Latina Inks Trio of Rising Stars; Of Mice & Men Strike Label Deal for New Music
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Salt-N-Pepa Sue Record Label to Reclaim Rights to Their Recordings Including ‘Push It’
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Sound Royalties is Now Offering Financing to YouTube Creators
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How Much is the Song of the Summer Worth?
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Film & TV
Sony Pictures Acquires Remake Rights To French Box Office Hit ‘A Little Something Extra’ – Cannes
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Andrew Koji, Jason Momoa, Noah Centineo & Roman Reigns In Talks For Legendary’s ‘Street Fighter’
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Samuel Goldwyn Films Acquires Action Thriller ‘Tin Soldier’ Starring Scott Eastwood, Jamie Foxx & Robert De Niro
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Viral Basketball Star Nkwain Kennedy Subject Of Doc From Joel Embiid’s Miniature Geant, Bark Bark & Deon Taylor’s Hidden Empire Film Group
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Emerging Sports
Can Gaming Go Glam?
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Sports
Penn State Women’s Volleyball Outside Hitter Karis Willow Enters Transfer Portal

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Penn State women’s volleyball outside hitter Karis Willow will enter the transfer portal, she announced on Instagram Monday.
“The last three seasons have been an absolute dream,” Willow wrote. “There have been so many highs and lows but I would not trade my experiences for anything in the world.”
In three seasons with the Nittany Lions, Willow struggled to find consistent playing time. Eleven of her 14 match appearances came this season, and she only totaled six kills.
Willow will look for a new home for her final year of eligibility after graduating from Penn State in May.
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Sports
UW-Oshkosh women’s volleyball team wins national championship
Dec. 8, 2025, 6:55 p.m. CT
UW-Oshkosh freshman Callie Panasuk celebrates with her team during the Division III national championship match against the University of La Verne on Saturday, Dec. 6, in Bloomington, Illinois. The Oak Creek High School graduate was one of four Titans on the All-Tournament Team.
Kodiak Creative
UW-Oshkosh freshman Maren Motz, an Arrowhead High School graduate, celebrates during the 2025 Division III NCAA Women’s Volleyball Tournament. UW-Oshkosh won the national championship.
Kodiak Creative
UW-Oshkosh freshman Callie Panasuk accepts the national championship trophy as her women’s volleyball teammates celebrate the Division III title in a sweep of the University of La Verne on Saturday, Dec. 6, at the Shirk Center Arena in Bloomington, Illinois.
Kodiak Creative
UW-Oshkosh freshman Callie Panasuk celebrates with her team during the Division III national championship match against the University of La Verne on Saturday, Dec. 6, in Bloomington, Illinois. The Oak Creek High School graduate was one of four Titans on the All-Tournament Team.
Jimmy Naprstek / Kodiak Creative
Senior Jaclyn Dutkiewicz, a Franklin High School graduate, sets up one of her hitters during a match for the UW-Oshkosh women’s volleyball team during their run ot the national championship.
Jimmy Naprstek / Kodiak Creative
Callie Panasuk serves during the UW-Oshkosh women’s volleyball team’s match in the Division III national championship final against the University of La Verneon on Saturday, Dec. 6, in Bloomington, Illinois.Panasuk made the all-tournament team.
Jimmy Naprstek / Kodiak Creative
UW-Oshkosh senior Jaclyn Dutkiewicz reacts during a match for the 2025 Division III national champion UW-Oshkosh women’s volleyball team.
Jimmy Naprstek / Kodiak Creative

Maren Motz, UW-Oshkosh women’s volleyball freshman from Arrowhead High School.
Ashtin Elder / Kodiak Creative

Jaclyn Dutkiewicz, UW-Oshkosh women’s volleyball senior from Franklin High School
Ashtin Elder / Kodiak Creative

Callie Panasuk, UW-Oshkosh women’s volleyball freshman from Oak Creek High School.
Ashtin Elder / Kodiak Creative

Malia Winchel, UW-Oshkosh women’s volleyball junior from Oak Creek High School.
Ashtin Elder / Kodiak Creative
Sports
Mario Andaya to Step Down as Head Coach of CWU Volleyball to Become Next Deputy Athletics Director
ELLENSBURG, Wash. – Mario Andaya, the Head Coach of the Central Washington University volleyball team since 1996, will step down from his position at the helm of the program to begin a new chapter as the new Deputy Athletics Director of CWU. Lauren Herseth, the Associate Head Coach of the program, will be named the next head coach of Wildcat Volleyball, CWU Director of Athletics Dennis Francois announced on Monday.
“It has been amazing to work with Mario over the past 13 years and witness not only the success he has had leading our volleyball program, but also the trust and respect he has earned from our entire athletic staff,” Francois said. “His passion for CWU is unmatched, and his commitment to excellence is evident in everything he does. I am confident he will approach his new role as Deputy Athletics Director with the same level of commitment and be instrumental in the future successes of all of our programs and the Department as a whole.”
A former track and field standout at Central in the long and triple jump, Andaya first joined the CWU volleyball team in 1992 as a Student Assistant Volleyball Coach under his predecessor, the late John Pearson. He then became the Wildcats’ Junior Varsity Volleyball Coach from 1993 to 1994, while also serving as Assistant Volleyball Coach until the end of the 1995 season. Andaya was then named Head Coach of the program before the school’s penultimate season in the NAIA in 1996. Andaya proceeded to guide Central Washington through its final days in the NAIA into its move to NCAA Division II with a three-year stay in the Pacific West Conference (1998-2000), before its move to the GNAC in 2001.
Andaya and the Wildcats saw great success in 2004, when the team won all 26 of its regular-season matches, becoming just the sixth team in NCAA Division II history to complete the regular season without a loss while also capturing their first GNAC title. The Wildcats repeated as conference champions in 2005 and, after receiving an at-large berth in the NCAA tournament, Andaya guided Central to its first postseason victory since 1991 with a five-set defeat of second-seeded Cal Poly Pomona. The Wildcats also came within one game of the regional championship match, losing to Cal State San Bernardino in five sets in the regional semifinals. The Wildcats’ success culminated with Andaya earning GNAC Coach of the Year honors for both 2004 and 2005.
Under Andaya’s guidance, the Wildcats have also produced five 20-win seasons and 18 winning campaigns, including making the NCAA Tournament every year since 2012. In 2024, Central had its best season since 2005–going 18-7 overall, while going 16-2 in the conference to capture the program’s third GNAC title, with Andaya earning his third GNAC Coach of the Year honors. The ‘Cats followed that up this season by going 18-7 overall, with a 14-4 conference record that saw CWU claim its second consecutive title and fourth total, as the Wildcats finished the season in a four-way split for the GNAC regular season title. Central went on to defeat Simon Fraser 3-2 in the first round before narrowly falling to Fresno Pacific 2-3 in the regional semifinals.
“The experience leading this program was more than I could have ever imagined when I began my coaching career over thirty years ago,” Andaya said. “All the people that I have shared this experience with throughout my tenure is what I will cherish the most. I am very sad to leave this current team and coaches, but I am so excited to see what they will accomplish in the future. I have been blessed to have had this final season with them and for the journey we experienced together. I want to thank the alumni and supporters of this program for making Wildcat Volleyball such a wonderful family to be a part of. I am so excited for Lauren to step in as the new leader of this program and for the new era of CWU Volleyball.
I want to thank Dr. Dennis Francois and President Wohlpart for the opportunity to move into a new role with CWU Athletics. We have incredible people working in this department and institution, all who have high expectations and energy to achieve big things. I am excited to get started.”
Since joining the Division II ranks, the Wildcats have appeared in 15 NCAA Regionals, produced 23 AVCA All-Region selections, 16 AVCA All-Americans, seven GNAC Players of the Year (overall and defense), and 41 All-GNAC first-team selections.
Off the court, Andaya has coached over 100 academic all-conference players during his tenure. In 2002, the Wildcats set a then-conference record with eight selections to the GNAC Academic All-Conference team and posted the highest team grade-point average in the 10-team league. Six different times, a Wildcat has posted the highest individual GPA in the GNAC.
Andaya finishes his tenure at CWU as the winningest coach in program history with an overall record of 489-315, while going 328-186 in conference.
Andaya will begin his new position effectively on Dec. 16, 2025.
Sports
No.1 Defeated by Two-Time Defending National Champions in Five
SIOUX CITY, Iowa [BOX SCORE | BRACKET | SCHEDULE] – In the 2025 NAIA Women’s Volleyball National Semifinal Round, the Indiana Wesleyan Wildcats emerged victorious over the Eastern Oregon Mountaineers with a hard-fought 3-2 battle (25-20, 23-25, 19-25, 25-15, 15-11).
The Wildcats started strong, taking the first set 25-20, but EOU quickly responded by winning the next two sets 25-23 and 25-19, respectively. IWU rallied to win the fourth set 25-15, forcing a decisive fifth set. In the final stretch, Indiana Wesleyan went on a 9-2 scoring run to clinch the victory with a 15-11 set win.
Indiana Wesleyan was led by freshman rightside hitter Shae Williams, who recorded 25 kills and an impressive hitting percentage of .477. Marissa Mullins also contributed significantly with 16 kills and a .536 hitting percentage, while Eva Joldersma added 22 kills. Setter, Abbigail Porter, dished out 61 assists at 12.2 per set, to go along with 17 digs. IWU’s backline was led by Dayessi Luis with 21 digs and Cadee Notter with 20.
The Mountaineers’ efforts were highlighted by Keira Vaughn, who delivered 20 kills and maintained a .236 hitting percentage. Brooke Womack contributed 13 kills, and Kiauna Mack added nine kills. Kate Stidham and Madison Vaughn led EOU’s offense with 26 and 21 assists, respectively. Defensively, Jaycee Villastrigo led the team with 23 digs, followed closely by Womack with 22.
With the loss, Eastern Oregon is eliminated from championship play.
IWU moves on to play in the championship match for the third year straight and third in program history.
Indiana Wesleyan is in a position to win a third Championship title in three years. The last time a team won three in a row was 2007-10 when former member, Fresno Pacific (Calif.), won four in a row. Only three teams in NAIA history have won three or more titles in as many years.
The Wildcats will return to action Tuesday, December 10, at 7 p.m. CT, taking on the winner of Concordia (Neb.) vs. Northwestern (Iowa) to decide who wins the Battle for the Red Banner.
Sports
Florida volleyball’s Jaela Auguste enters transfer portal
Florida volleyball’s Jaela Auguste has entered the transfer portal, sources told On3.
Auguste was named to the 2025 All-SEC First Team and was previously the 2024 SEC Freshman of the Year.
The 6-2 middle blocker had a team-best .359 hitting percentage during the regular season, with 250 kill. She also totaled a team-high 97 blocks and led Florida with 27 aces.
Transfer portal background information
The NCAA Transfer Portal, which covers every NCAA sport at the Division I, II and III levels, is a private database with names of student-athletes who wish to transfer. It is not accessible to the public.
The process of entering the portal is done through a school’s compliance office. Once a player provides written notification of an intent to transfer, the office enters the player’s name in the database and everything is off and running. The compliance office has 48 hours to comply with the player’s request and that request cannot be refused.
Once a player’s name shows up in the portal, other schools can contact the player. Players can change their minds at any point and withdraw from the portal. However, once a player enters the portal, the current scholarship no longer has to be honored. In other words, if a player enters the portal but decides to stay, the school is not obligated to provide a scholarship anymore.
The database is a normal database, sortable by a variety of topics, including (of course) sport and name. A player’s individual entry includes basic details such asynchronous contact info, whether the player was on scholarship and whether the player is transferring as a graduate student.
A player can ask that a “do not contact” tag be placed on the report. In those instances, the players don’t want to be contacted by schools unless they’ve initiated the communication.
Track transfer portal activity
While the NCAA Transfer Portal database is private, the On3 Network has streamlined the reporting process tracking player movement. If you find yourself asking, ‘How can I track transfer portal activity?’ our well-established network of reporters and contacts across college athletics keeps you up to speed in several ways, from articles written about players as they enter and exit the transfer portal or find their new destination, to our social media channels, to the On3 Transfer Portal.
The transfer portal wire provides a real-time feed of player activity, including basic player profile information, transfer portal ranking and original On3 Industry recruiting ranking, as well as NIL valuation (name, image and likeness).
The On3 Transfer Portal Rankings allow for you to filter the On3 Industry Rankings to find the best of the best in the portal, starting with Overall Top Players.
The On3 Transfer Portal Instagram account and Twitter account are excellent resources to stay up to date with the latest moves.
Sports
Kelly Sheffield discusses NCAA volleyball transfer portal window
Dec. 8, 2025, 9:43 p.m. CT
- Wisconsin volleyball coach Kelly Sheffield believes the timing of the NCAA transfer portal is a “damn shame.”
- The portal opened on Dec. 7, while top teams like Wisconsin are still competing in the NCAA tournament.
- Sheffield explains why the timing works against both players and teams’ best interests.
MADISON — Wisconsin volleyball is a few days away from its most important match so far of the 2025 season.
The third-seeded Badgers will face the second-seeded Stanford Cardinal in the NCAA tournament regional semifinals on Friday, Dec. 12. If they win against the Cardinal and again two days later against Texas or Indiana, they would go to the Final Four.
It also is the start of a key phase of the offseason. The transfer portal window for volleyball opened on Dec. 7 — a day after the second round of the tournament wrapped up — and will remain open through Jan. 5.
To Wisconsin coach Kelly Sheffield, that timing is a “damn shame” on a couple different levels.
“Teams that are still playing — they want to focus on their current teams and their current rosters,” Sheffield said in his Dec. 8 press conference. “Players that are potentially still playing that think they’re wanting to leave are being torn between being in the moment. But also the longer that you wait, you could possibly be losing out on opportunities. Schools that may need your position that no longer do once you’re gone.”

Sheffield, in his 13th season at the helm at Wisconsin, also said this is an “emotional time” for many players.
“It’s not just playing, but you’ve got finals and things like that,” Sheffield said. “Homesickness for some of the younger ones. I think we’d be a lot better off, we’d be thinking about the players if there was a little bit more space than what it is right now.”
On3’s Talia Goodman reported that Penn State’s Izzy Starck and Florida’s Alexis Stucky and Jaela Auguste are among the power-conference players who have already entered the transfer portal. (Starck is the only one of the three to make that announcement on social media, though, as of the evening of Dec. 8.)
Those headlines have emerged while the top 16 teams in the country — and theoretically 16 appealing landing spots for top portal talent — are still vying for a national championship.
“You’d like this time of the year to be about the volleyball, the stuff on the court, where the spotlight is on that,” Sheffield said. “I think hopefully we’re heading toward the time where we’re going to put in a window that makes a little bit more sense. I’ve got confidence that we’ll eventually get to that.”

Sheffield said it is “only a distraction if you allow it to be a distraction.” But given its importance in roster construction, it is not something the Badgers can ignore either. After all, the 2025 group has relied heavily on contributions from Oregon transfer Mimi Colyer, Baylor transfer Alicia Andrew and others. With Andrew and Carter Booth graduating, middle blocker may be one of the positions to watch in this year’s portal cycle.
“You have to have somebody on staff that’s kind of paying attention to that,” Sheffield said. “The future will be at your door step at some point, and you better be prepared for that. So the key is how do you organize your staff, your people, and, so yeah, there’s somebody that’s certainly doing that.”
That somebody is Gary White, UW’s director of player personnel and analytics. It is a new role on Sheffield’s staff after White previously served as an assistant coach at UW from 2013-21 and an associate head coach from 2022-24.
“We’re fortunate that we’ve got somebody that can kind of pay attention and kind of is knowing when those things are happening,” Sheffield said. “And then if we need to have a conversation, we’ll have a conversation.”
But for now, Sheffield has his 13th consecutive regional semifinal match to worry about.
“The people that need to be focused on the task at hand in front of us on the court are certainly able to do that,” Sheffield said.
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