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Madkour

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Madkour


Highlights of my conversations with sports leaders after two weeks on the West Coast.

• Discussion around growth focused on women’s sports, ranging from investment in sponsorships; media rights; merchandise; player IP; female-specific performance data and training facilities; and stadiums. Fans sense that the brands sponsoring women’s sports “stand for something,” which makes the organizations feel positive about building their brand through that platform. Sponsorship of women’s sports feels different for fans than sponsorship of men’s sports, which feels more transactional. The second most popular growth area was the professionalization around college sports. Despite animus toward the transfer portal, there is wide-eyed optimism around many other areas in the collegiate landscape, especially the revenue opportunities in the venues, adjacent entertainment districts, more commercial inventory at higher price points and overall smarter use of the entire footprint. Related to that, there is tremendous interest around creating programming for 24/7, 365 use of all sports venues and neighboring developments, but there aren’t a lot of examples of teams, events or organizations doing it well.

• Young fans’ avidity today is with athletes and not teams, making the athlete’s intellectual property one of the greatest revenue-growth opportunities. Meanwhile, one suggestion was that teams work harder in building out their “talent roster” so that fans aren’t just following the top two or three players on a team. There are stories across an entire lineup and teams must do a better job of telling them, getting those athletes more exposure and adding more roster depth for a stronger fan following.

• There are questions about the depth of the sponsorship marketplace, especially with World Cup and LA28 on the horizon. There are more events, more leagues and more teams than ever, and one wonders if more sponsors are coming into the marketplace or if sports is just dividing up the base of sponsorship dollars into smaller slices. Many stress that sponsorship will continue to increase as long as properties demonstrate enough creativity to grow the pie. Some brands argue that the new leagues and sports launching are giving them a very targeted and affordable way to reach consumers, and they hope it challenges the traditional leagues to be more creative and flexible in their relationship. We all know that brands face more pressure than ever to resonate and be extremely relevant in their daily battle to win market share for consumers’ interest, attention and wallet.

• The continuing battle over ingress/egress and getting fans in and out of sports facilities quicker constantly weighs on operational staff. Many are using AI to enable autonomous and frictionless resources to improve the fan journey, especially around entry, concessions and transportation. Meanwhile, with the emphasis on premium offerings, the concept of “premium for all” was shared with me a number of times, as many team leaders believe there is no reason every fan can’t have a premium experience in some manner. That’s why it was so interesting that the Miami Dolphins launched a premium experience around newly renovated bar-style clubs in the upper deck of Hard Rock Stadium for young, 20-something adults where they packaged in postgame transportation. The club tickets, which start at $120, include bus transportation after the game where these young people can continue their party at hotspots in Miami and Fort Lauderdale.

• There is more and more concern about the future impact of sports betting on competition, integrity, fandom and the player/fan relationship. There is a real anxiety from a solid block of leaders — not everyone, but many — who fear that while sports betting drives engagement, it doesn’t drive team loyalty or engender following storylines. This bettors’ transactional mindset focuses on tracking outcomes and adds to the vitriol against players over performance. There is also apprehension that the number of investigations into illegal betting by players will continue to worsen. This doesn’t even factor in the concerns over prop bets in the college environment. Bottom line: The worry is real and growing that the entire relationship between sports and legalized betting could end badly.

• The viability of pickleball as a growth sport comes up frequently. Proponents argue it’s the fastest growing participatory sport in the United States; it’s democratized and accessible; has a “cult-like” following of passionate advocates; sponsorship of players and events is growing; and it is an appealing live-event experience. Detractors counter that it’s not a strong TV product or a compelling watch, and there are no star players — yet — and that it will need those, as well as heroes and villains, to become more of a viable business property.

• Finally, many of these discussions came after the horrific events at the NFL headquarters in New York, where Commissioner Roger Goodell was charged with holding his scared office staff together in the aftermath of their building lobby, elevators and floors being penetrated by a killer. Safety and security has always been a major threat to sports, and this brought to the forefront, again, how the industry must do everything it can to protect staff and fans.

Abraham Madkour can be reached at amadkour@sportsbusinessjournal.com.

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NCAA Volleyball Regional Schedule Set

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December 8, 2025

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BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The fourth-seeded Indiana volleyball team (25-7, 14-6 B1G) will play in the Sweet 16 for just the second time in program history. The NCAA announced start times and dates for next week’s regional semifinals on Sunday (Dec. 7) afternoon. The Hoosiers will play top-seeded Texas at Gregory Gymnasium on Friday (Dec. 12) afternoon at Noon ET on ESPN.

 

Following the greatest regular season in program history, IU was awarded a top-16 national seed and the chance to host the opening two rounds of the NCAA Tournament. The Hoosiers made quick work of their first two matchups, sweeping Toledo and fifth-seeded Colorado in Bloomington to advance to the Sweet 16.

 

IU is one of five Big Ten programs remaining in the NCAA Tournament. Of the 16 schools left in the big dance, IU is one of two teams (Cal Poly) that didn’t make the big dance last year. The Hoosiers have already set a single-season program record for wins (25) and will attempt to advance to the regional final for the first time in program history.

 

The other matchup in the Austin Regional will pit second-seeded Stanford and third-seeded Wisconsin against each other. Their match will begin 30 minutes after the conclusion of IU’s. The winners of both regional semifinals will meet on Sunday (Dec. 14) afternoon for a spot in the national semifinals in Kansas City.



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Louisville volleyball NCAA Tournament bracket, Texas A&M vs UofL game

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December 8, 2025

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Dec. 6, 2025Updated Dec. 7, 2025, 6:08 a.m. ET

After defeating Marquette 3-2 in the second round of the NCAA Volleyball Tournament on Saturday night, No. 2 Louisville will travel to Lincoln, Nebraska, and take on No. 3 Texas A&M in the Sweet 16 at 7 p.m. Friday.

This will be the Cardinals’ seventh consecutive regional appearance but first with Dan Meske as head coach.

Here’s everything you need to know to keep up with the match from home:

No. 2 seed Louisville versus No. 3 seed Texas A&M will be broadcast live on ESPN or ESPN2.

Authenticated subscribers can access ESPN2 via TV-connected devices or by going to WatchESPN.com or the WatchESPN app.

Those without cable can access ESPN2 via streaming services, with Fubo offering a free trial.

Buy Louisville volleyball tickets here

After defeating Marquette, UofL will play Texas A&M in the Lincoln, Nebraska, Regional Friday at 7 pm. Here’s a look at the tournament schedule:

  • First and second rounds: Dec. 4-6
  • Regionals: Dec. 11-14
  • Semifinals: Dec. 18 at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri
  • Championship: Dec. 21 at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri



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The Omaha World-Herald’s Nebraska All-Class volleyball teams

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December 8, 2025

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Men’s T&F Opens Season at Diplomat Open

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December 7, 2025

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Lancaster, PA (December 6, 2025) – The DeSales University men’s track & field team opened the 2025-26 indoor T&F season competing at the Diplomat Open at Franklin & Marshall College on Friday.

The Bulldogs posted 10 MAC qualfying times/marks in the meet.

Among the qualifying times were junior Bryce Guthier taking second in the 400-meters with a time of 52.08. It is the fifth fastest time in indoor history.  Senior Davis Trump also qualified in the 5K with a time of 16:20.32.

In the field events, DSU posted eight qualfying marks. Junior Weston Simak qualified for the MAC Championships in both the long jump (6.52m) and triple jump (13.72m). His triple jump mark was the second best in team history.  First-year Luke Heimann also qualfied in the triple jump (11.86m).

Junior Jonathan Castronovo took home first place in the long jump with a mark of 6.58m, the second best long jump in team history.

First-year John Amoretti qualified in the shot put (12.33m), seniors Jonathan Eudja and Giovanni Wellington qualified in the weight throw with marks of 14.85m and 14.23m. First-year Ryan Rodriguez also quallified in the weight throw (11.89m).

The Bulldogs won’t return to action till the New Year at the Blue and Grey Invitational on Jan. 17th.

 



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Women’s Track & Field Turns in Multiple High Marks to Begin Season at Cornell

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December 7, 2025

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RESULTS

ITHACA, N.Y. –

The Ithaca College women’s track & field team opened its 2025-26 season over the weekend as the Bombers made the short trip across town to compete in the Greg Page Relays hosted by Cornell University on December 5-6.

Lola Gitlin posted a time of 10:25.57 in the 3000-meter run to finish third overall.

Rachel Larson was a fourth place finisher with a time of 8.58 seconds in the 60-meter hurdles. That time is currently No. 1 in Division III after the opening weekend of the season.

Aynisha McQuillar took fifth in the 200-meter dash in a time of 26.61 seconds. McQuillar also ran in the 60-meter dash and posted the 11th fastest time in DIII during the prelim with a performance of 7.78 seconds.

Lyla Powers was fifth in the 500-meter dash with a time of 1:21.75.

Lily Seyfert claimed fifth in the shot put with a heave of 12.78 meters, which is currently ninth in the nation.

Bree Boyle and Erin Eastwood each cleared 3.54 meters in the pole vault, which is tied for 11th on the Division III performance list.

Alexis Brown turned in a leap of 11.02 meters in the triple jump for the 17th best mark in the country.

Ithaca is off for the remainder of 2025 and will return to Cornell on January 10 for the Southern Tier Invitational.

 



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Men’s Track & Field Opens Indoor Season at Cornell Greg Page Relays

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December 7, 2025

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RESULTS

ITHACA, N.Y. –

The Ithaca College men’s track & field team opened its 2025-26 season over the weekend as the Bombers made the short trip across town to compete in the Greg Page Relays hosted by Cornell University on December 5-6.

Anik Vossschulte claimed third in the 200-meter dash in a time of 23.32 seconds, while Jacob Antilety was seventh at 23.71 seconds.

Matt Lokshin posted a time of 8.65 seconds in the 60-meter hurdles to place third in the event. Aidan Irwin took fourth in the high jump with a mark of 1.70 meters.

Quinten Lewis posted a mark of 13.73 meters in the triple jump to place fourth and Sebastien-Oliver Lacrete was sixth at 12.68 meters, while Evan Cherry secured fifth in the long jump with a leap of 6.84 meters.

IC’s 4×400-meter relay team of Damian Simmonds, Griffin Lupes, Noah McKibben and George Nilson placed sixth in 3:34.49.

Luke Ellor finished sixth in the shot put with a mark of 14.40 meters.

Three Bombers finished within the top eight in the 500-meter dash as Brad Kellogg was sixth in 1:09.73, Peter Tysiak followed in seventh with 1:10.74 and Matthew DeJulio was next at 1:11.59.

Kaiden Chandler and Luke Ferrer posted times of 4:41.29 and 4:53.44 in the mile to finish in seventh and eighth.

Raf Campanile was seventh in the pole vault with a clearance of 4.25 meters.

Ithaca is off for the remainder of 2025 and will return to Cornell on January 10 for the Southern Tier Invitational.

 



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