Sports

Packaging and Selling Sports on FAST

Published

8 months ago

May 14, 2025

On Wednesday, May 21, Michael Nagle, Founder and CEO, Ashling Digital, will moderate the Streaming Media Connect May panel “FAST Break: Packaging and Selling Sports on FAST.” Premium sports streaming is a big event business, with licensing fees reaching into the stratosphere and large-scale, global delivery traffic demands threatening to overload the most formidable networks. The highest-profile sports streams happen on premium subscription services and draw users through exclusivity. As sports increasingly makes inroads with FAST, exclusivity is a much smaller part of the equation, according to the latest Gracenote data. What do FAST sports channels look like, what kind of sports programming works on FAST, and how do successful FAST sports channels target audiences and satisfy advertisers while breaking ranks with the industry trend of sports rights exclusivity?

Confirmed panelists include:

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Michael Nagle has spent his entire career in media. He is the Founder and CEO for Ashling Digital, where he assists FAST channels with distribution, marketing, and partnerships. Home Media Magazine listed him as one of its “Digital Drivers” in both 2016 and 2017. Nagle has served in leadership roles for Bloomberg, Playboy, Nature Vision, and Invincible Entertainment. He was GM of Streaming for USA TODAY and USA TODAY Sports from 2022 to 2024. In 2023, Michael was honored as one of “Gannett’s Greatest” for Diversity & Inclusion. He also teaches Advertising and Marketing Communications at Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) in New York.

“I’m seeking to get a better understanding of which sports help FAST stand out and whether live broadcasts are a crucial element for streaming sports,” Nagle says. On the panel, “I think we’re also going to cover some sports betting topics and what is necessary to draw not only viewership but also advertisers.”

Christy Tanner has transformed the world’s most recognizable brands and startups into dominant, profitable multi-platform media competitors. Recognized internationally for her innovations in live-streaming, AI, and social and digital growth strategies, Tanner currently chairs Swerve TV, serves as a Board Director of Audacy, and is a trusted C-suite consultant. Previously, as the leader of two divisions for CBS Interactive, she launched game-changing new streaming services that established market dominance and created exponential revenue growth for CBS’s Sports, News, Local, and Media businesses.

“Live sports viewership is surging in FAST—from well-established sports such as boxing to ascendant sports such as MMA. At Swerve, we’re focused on helping leagues expand their fanbases and on providing more opportunities for fans to watch the sports they love,” Tanner shares. “We have found that exclusivity is not critical to drawing audiences and monetizing content. In fact, our partners see a lift across the board in their sport’s fandom, whether that’s attendance in-person or viewership on other platforms.”

Cathy Rasenberger is President of Rasenberger Media LLC, a leading media industry consulting firm providing business development, outsourced management, and strategic advisory services. Rasenberger is also a Founder and Co-President of Sports Studio, a global sports platform, distribution, and monetization company dedicated to delivering and monetizing free, high-quality sports programming across linear and on-demand platforms. Sports Studio, owns and operates Free Live Sports TV, which is among the world’s largest dedicated free sports platforms. Rasenberger has been included among CableFax’s “Top 100 Heavy Hitters” and “Most Powerful Women,” and she was inducted into the Cable TV Pioneers.

“Sports on FAST is experiencing a big transformation. Until recently the most underrepresented category in FAST, sports is now the fastest growing, with sports FAST channels more than doubling in the past 9 months from 107 channels to 220 channels,” Rasenberger states. “Sports FAST services are adding many more marquee and live events, including the Super Bowl on TUBI, MLB and Formula 1 on ROKU Channel, and NBA on Amazon Prime Video. As viewership continues to shift from cable to streaming, major sports leagues and programmers are moving more premium and live content to FAST to reach audiences no longer watching traditional TV, particularly Gen Z. The growth of live sports on FAST will be a major driver for user acquisition, viewership and monetization on FAST, just as live sports on ESPN drove the early success of Cable TV.”

Sports channels showing pickleball, cricket, poker, MMA fights, and other events that aren’t necessarily mainstream “are also finding success on FAST,” she says, because “FAST has made these niche sports accessible due to lower costs and [fewer] barriers to entry.” Rasenberger adds, “According to eMarketer, Free Ad Supported Streaming accounts for 20% of all media viewership, yet ad spend on FAST is only 8% of total. The growth of more sports on FAST will be the magnet to attract bigger brands and ad budgets to FAST and help close that gap.”

Pamela Duckworth is an award-winning executive producer with extensive experience across all production disciplines and brand marketing. She is head of Fubo Studios, which is Fubo’s original production division dedicated to sports and entertainment programming across multiple formats. Duckworth brings more than 25 years of production experience—from initial conception to final distribution—in pay TV (live streaming, cable), commercials, live sports and events, syndicated television series, and short-form content to Fubo. In her role, Duckworth is responsible for all strategy, creative direction, and original programming for the company’s growing owned and operated TV networks, including Fubo Sports, Fubo Movie Network, and Fubo Latino Network.

“More audiences are watching sports on FAST platforms than ever before,” Duckworth agrees. “In 2024, global sports channel viewership on FAST increased 150%, according to Amagi’s Global FAST Report,” she notes. “FAST has carved out space for all types of sports and leagues to land broader distribution and attract more eyeballs. Now it’s not just the major leagues that are commanding viewers, it’s also the niche and emerging sports that are thriving thanks to FAST.”

Duckworth says that this is evident on Fubo Sports, “where we stream over 900 hours of live sports content a year, including breakout leagues like Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship and classics like World Poker Tour.”

Tom Buffolano is Head of Business Development at Tata Communications. He previously served as Head of Business Development, College Sports, at The Switch. A seasoned expert in the sports broadcasting and entertainment industry, his experience spans business development and partnerships, sales and marketing, rights acquisition, programming and production, distribution, and monetization. Buffolano holds decades of experience growing businesses and driving new partnerships at leading media companies, including MTV Networks, CBS College Sports, LTN Global Communications, BitFire Network/Studios, and LiveU. Buffolano co-founded and was Chairman of the SVG College Sports Summit and College Sports Media Awards.

“FAST Sports content can be programmed in a variety of ways, including live content and VOD according to the target audience preference, location/time zone, language, and sponsor integration,” Buffolano shares, and in addition, the content “does not rely on subscription, so it is 100% accessible to be viewed when and where you want it.”

He observes that sports that are too niche don’t really work, because “[w]hile FAST can help grow an audience, you need to sow revenue to offset operations costs, and you need a relatively large audience to do that.” The most important thing is “finding a target audience that will be loyal to your FAST Channel, [which] comes with research and a comprehensive programming plan, providing a predictable viewing experience.”

H. Robert Muzac is Director of Operations at HRM International Media. Muzac created a Sports Documentary Series called “Lacrosse Legends.” A comprehensive look at America’s greatest game featuring Legends past, present, and future. In 5 years “Lacrosse Legends” has played a part in getting at least 8 different lacrosse players induction in various Hall of Fames. Muzac also runs HRMI Media, a company which creates media advertising campaigns, by producing video & audio commercials and scheduling them on broadcast platforms throughout the country. Muzac has been in advertising sales since 1998. At Power 99fm (Philadelphia), HOT97fm, WCBS Newsradio 88, and the NY Yankees (NY). Muzac also successfully completed the 2010 Broadcast Leadership Training Program given by the National Association of Broadcasters (Washington DC).

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Sneak Preview: Publishers Pay to Play Free: Next Steps in Ad-Based Streaming Monetization

On Thursday, May 22, Brian Ring, Principal Analyst, Ring Digital llc, will moderate the Streaming Media Connect May panel “Publishers Pay to Play Free: Next Steps in Ad-Based Streaming Monetization.” Increasingly, content publishers are finding they need more control over their ad stack. This panel looks beyond the touted monetization-ready feature sets in streaming playback solutions and drills down with key content providers on how well these solutions facilitate ad signaling and ad stitching and integrate with ad servers, discussing what kind of reporting they provide to measure success. The panel also highlights the differences in ad-based monetization strategies as between CTV platforms, online video players, and mobile apps. And finally, panelists dig deep into critical emerging standards that are changing SSAI this year.

14 May 2025

Fubo Brings Live European League of Football to Fubo Sports FAST Network With Multi-Year Agreement

FuboTV Inc. (d/b/a Fubo) (NYSE: FUBO), the leading sports-first live TV streaming platform, and European League of Football (ELF) announced today a multi-year agreement for distribution on Fubo Sports, Fubo’s FAST channel, available on streaming and over-the-air (OTA).

13 May 2025

Sports and Short-Form Keys to Accelerating Europe’s FAST Growth

Sports are an “accelerator” for ad-supported streaming in Europe with short-form sports content emerging as a key driver of engagement, says Keith Bedford, GM EMEA at CTV data company Wurl. “As studios and sports broadcasters struggle to tie in major upfront deals and connect with younger audiences, new models for revenue and content discovery will be required,” he says. “Short-form video could be one way we start to see sports content companies garner interest and boost engagement for their long-form and TVOD (transactional video on demand) businesses.”

12 May 2025

NBA, DAZN, Mtech, WTFast, Hub Will Talk Next-Gen Sports Streaming at Streaming Media Connect

On Thursday, May 22, the NBA’s Michelle Auguste, DAZN’s Joe Caporoso, MTech’s Matt Stagg, and WTFast’s Darcy Lorincz will join Hub’s Jon Giegengack for the Streaming Media Connect May panel “Highlights First: Gen AI, Gen Z, and Next-Generation Sports Streaming.” As a new generation of highlights-first fans moves into the sports fandom mainstream, sports broadcasters need the agility and tech-savviness to produce and monetize personalized, short-form sports content at scale that meets the experiential demands of Millennial and Gen Z fans. If you’re a sports rightsholder and you’re not gaming out how to bring a personalized SportsCenter to every viewer, you’re looking at where the puck was and not where it’s going.

06 May 2025

In AI We Trust? AI and Content Authenticity

On Thursday, May 22, Nadine Krefetz will moderate the Streaming Media Connect May panel “In AI We Trust? AI and Content Authenticity,” featuring Think Alchemy’s Andy Beach, I2A’s Renard Jenkins, and Stringr’s Lindsay Stewart. As generative AI is finding its way into streaming in many ways, this panel looks at two popular use cases: deep fakes and captioning. We’ll discuss initiatives like C2PA to address emerging content authenticity issues and evaluate the current state of the art and tech.

05 May 2025

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Blum outside hitter takes top honor on Texas 1A all-state volleyball team | Sports

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2 minutes ago

January 1, 2026

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Belmont Student-Athletes Have Another Impressive Semester in the Classroom

Published

18 minutes ago

January 1, 2026

Your Sports Nation

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – – Belmont University student-athletes recorded another remarkable semester in the classroom as 2025 fall semester grades were finalized last week.

For the 2025 fall semester, the departmental grade-point average (GPA) was 3.530, which marked the 56th consecutive semester that Belmont student-athletes have earned a GPA of 3.0 or higher. In addition, it was the 12^th straight semester that the department GPA was over a 3.5.

“Our student-athletes continue to do an amazing job in the classroom,” said Scott Corley, Belmont’s Vice President/Director of Athletics. “That success is a credit to our student-athletes, coaches, and academic support staff who continue to maintain our department’s commitment to academic excellence.”

Highlights from the fall semester included:

64 percent of student-athletes achieved a semester GPA of 3.5 or higher

85 percent of student-athletes achieved a semester GPA of 3.0 of higher

15 percent of student-athletes earned a perfect 4.00 GPA

9 Bruin teams posted a team GPA of 3.5 or higher for the semester.

About Belmont University

Located two miles from downtown Nashville, Tennessee, Belmont University comprises nearly 9,000 students from every state and 33 countries. Nationally ranked and consistently recognized by U.S. News & World Report for innovation in higher education, the University offers more than 115 areas of undergraduate study, 41 master’s programs and eight doctoral degrees. With a focus on whole-person formation and data-informed social innovation, Belmont is committed to forming diverse leaders of character equipped to solve the world’s complex problems. For more information, visit www.belmont.edu.

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Great season for Italian women’s volleyball crowned with the world title – FIVB

Published

35 minutes ago

January 1, 2026

Your Sports Nation

After winning the women’s Volleyball Nations League and the FIVB Volleyball Women’s U21 World Championship earlier in the year, Italy crowned a great season with the 2025 FIVB Volleyball Women’s World Championship title. Turkiye reached a World Championship final for the first time in history and settled for silver, while Brazil completed the podium with bronze. The year’s top event was held in Thailand from August 22 to September 7.

The first World Championship under the new biennial cycle and with an expanded 32-team format marked a breakthrough moment for the sport, with unprecedented audiences across volleyball’s major markets. Volleyball World’s OTT platform, VBTV, added further momentum with more than 7 million views across the championship. The Italy v Brazil semifinal attracted 350 thousand viewers, while the final drew 250 thousand, underscoring the global appetite for premium volleyball coverage beyond traditional broadcast. Social media popularity of the competition was expressed in 7.8 thousand posts and 145 million impressions, as well as 48 million YouTube views.

The 32 participating teams were drawn into eight round-robin pools of four for the first phase of the competition. Reigning Paris 2024 Olympic champions Italy cruised through Pool B undefeated, dropping a set only in their match against Belgium. They went on to sweep their eighthfinal against Germany and their quarterfinal against Poland in straight sets. In a hard-fought semifinal against Brazil, the Italians came back from a set down twice before emerging with a 3-2 (22-25, 25-22, 28-30, 25-22, 15-13) victory. The gold medal showdown in Bangkok was also pushed to five sets. This time Turkiye came back from a set down twice to get closer than ever to the world title, but the trophy went to Italy after they prevailed in the tie-breaker, 3-2 (25-23, 13-25, 26-24, 19-25, 15-8). It was the second world crown for Italy, after their 2002 triumph. They also won silver in 2018 and bronze in 2022.

“I still can’t believe it,” Italian super-star opposite Paola Egonu said after the gold medal match. “I’m really proud of the team and incredibly happy. This is a moment I’ll never forget. It’s probably the last time for some of our players, too, and my heart is full now.”

Turkiye also reached the final undefeated. They did not lose a single set in Pool E, shut out Slovenia in the eighthfinals and beat USA in four sets in the quarterfinals. Another four-set victory, a 3-1 (16-25, 25-17, 25-18, 27-25) comeback in the semifinal against Japan, propelled Turkiye to their first ever World Championship final and secured them their first ever World Championship medal.

2025 FIVB Volleyball Women’s World Championship silver medalists Turkiye

Brazil also won Pool C unbeaten, but only after coming back from two sets down to reverse-sweep their match against France. After a four-set eighthfinal victory over the Dominican Republic and a tight straight-set quarterfinal against France, they lost narrowly to Italy in the semis, but bounced back in the third-place playoff against Japan. A nail-biting 3-2 (25-12, 25-17, 19-25, 27-29, 18-16) win added the sixth medal to their World Championship collection. Brazil now have four silvers and two bronzes.

2025 FIVB Volleyball Women’s World Championship bronze medalists Brazil

Japan, USA, the Netherlands, Poland, France, China, Serbia, Belgium, Germany, Thailand, the Dominican Republic, Canada, Slovenia, Ukraine, Spain, Sweden, Kenya, Greece, Argentina, Cuba, Mexico, Czechia, Colombia, Bulgaria, Puerto Rico, Egypt, Slovakia, Vietnam and Cameroon, in that order, took the places from fourth to 32nd in the final standings.

Italy’s 27-year-old setter Alessia Orro was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the World Championship. She also headlined the Dream Team, which featured opposite Melissa Vargas (Turkiye), outside hitters Mayu Ishikawa (Japan) and Gabriela Guimaraes (Brazil), middle blockers Anna Danesi (Italy) and Eda Erdem (Turkiye), and libero Monica De Gennaro (Italy).

The 2025 FIVB Volleyball Women’s World Championship Dream Team

Click here for the official FIVB Volleyball Women’s World Championship website.

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Boys Track Small but Mighty at Recent Meet

Published

50 minutes ago

January 1, 2026

Your Sports Nation

Jasper Samuelson and Emmett Schumann on their way to first and third-place finishes in the freshman-sophomore 600-meter run.

A small crew represented Bonac boys indoor track at a crossover meet at Suffolk Community College in Brentwood on Dec. 21, but the track and field athletes who did compete turned in impressive performances.

Coach Kevin Barry said only half of the team was able to participate because of winter recess and illnesses. At least seven runners were out with the flu.

The highlight came from Eduardo Calle, who became the first Bonac long jumper to break 20 feet in 15 years, with a leap of 20 feet 1 inch — good for third place.

“This is his second winter track season,” Barry said. “He jumped 19 feet 1 inch last year and has been improving every meet so far. Twenty feet was the goal for him going into the season. Now he has new goals to set.”

Jasper Samuelson and Emmett Schumann finished first and third over all in the freshman-sophomore 600-meter run, with times of 1:31.89 and 1:36.41. Samuelson also won the 300-meter dash immediately afterward in 40.38 seconds. Samuelson is now the fastest sophomore in Suffolk County, while Schumann is the second fastest freshman, both in the 600-meter distance.

Sean Perez, a senior, finished the 1,000-meter run in 2:50 — good for fifth place.

Coach Barry called his athletes “very dedicated and hard-working,” and said they’ll keep at it over winter recess. “As a team, we are hoping to get some good work done during the holiday break and survive the flu that is going around to set us up for the big meets coming in January.”

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Blue Bell/TSWA Class 2A All-State Volleyball Team

Published

52 minutes ago

January 1, 2026

Your Sports Nation

Blue Bell/TSWA Class 2A All-State Volleyball Team

Published 8:44 am Thursday, January 1, 2026

LONGVIEW – Division II state champion Iola earned the top two honors in voting for the Blue Bell/Texas Sports Writers Association Class 2A All-State Volleyball Team for the 2025 season.

Player of the Year honors went to Iola outside hitter Shaylee McKown, and Iola’s Jamie McDougald earned Coach of the Year honors.

Voting was conducted by TSWA members based on nominations from coaches and media members from around the state.

COACH OF THE YEAR: Jamie McDougald, Iola

PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Shaylee McKown, Iola

FIRST TEAM

Middle Blockers: Kellen Weaver, Beckville; Camryn Powers, Crawford; Kennedy Slay, Tioga

Outside Hitters: Shaylee McKown, Iola; Keegan Kleiber, Mumford; Rayna Sadler, Leon

Setter: Riley Goodney, Iola

Libero/Defensive Specialist: Averi Bolgiano, Crawford

SECOND TEAM

Middle Blockers: Jacie Boles, North Hopkins; Sy Parker, Nocona; Channing Horne, Leon

Outside Hitters: Macey Hoelscher, North Hopkins; Cami Hoyle, Iola; Ava Johnson, Nocona

Setter: Landry Zapalac, Schulenburg

Libero/Defensive Specialist: Jenna Guentert, Schulanburg

THIRD TEAM

Middle Blockers: Katherine Lindemann, Garrison; Tatum Miller, Crawford; Camdyn Owen, Italy

Outside Hitters: Aubrie Kabisch, Nocona; Katelin Sullivan, Flatonia; Haylee Vacek, Schulenburg

Setter: Ainsley Anderson, Crawford

Libero/Defensive Specialist: Ava Bessette, Iola

HONORABLE MENTION

Middle Blockers: Darriyah Thomas, Omaha Pewitt; Ary’anna Mealing, Forsan; Reagan Dusek, Schulenburg; Christian Geary, Sterling City; Cadence Money, North Hopkins; Saylor Smith, Como-Pickton; Maud Poortvliet, Como-Pickton; Harlee Sevcik, Shiner; Kamiah Birmingham, Linden-Kildare; Whitney Arledge, Hamilton

Outside Hitters: Preslee Kittrell, Midred; Ella Connell, Crawford; Lily Bailey, Hawley; Kati Calvillo, Como-Pickton; Kaitlyn Jenkins, Rosebud-Lott; Camdyn Benton, Riesel; Greenli VanZandt, Schulanburg; Charlee Wolf, Windthorst; Anna Claire Cooper, Hamilton

Setters: Claytie Free, Leon; Eden Lewis, North Hopkins; Vada Kendall, North Hopkins; Mhia Garcia, Como-Pickton; Carli Tuttle, Beckville

Libero/Defensive Specialist: Kylynn Ramirez, Shiner; Karissa Fillingim, Windthorst; Avery Futrell, Leon; Tatum Thompson, North Hopkins; Journey Brumley, Como-Pickton; Kaidance Goldbolt, North Hopkins; Aubree Kleinhans, Nocona; Emery Parrott, Hamilton

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LA Tech Athletics’ Highlight Reel, So Far

Published

1 hour ago

January 1, 2026

Your Sports Nation

If the early chapters of the 2025–26 Louisiana Tech Athletics calendar have proven anything, it’s this: tradition still matters and history is still being made.

July: A New League, Familiar Rivals

Summers are usually quite tame in college athletics. Not this time at Louisiana Tech. The 2025-26 athletic season officially kicked off with a banger when on July 16 the University officially accepted an invitation to join the Sun Belt Conference, marking one of the most significant moments in the department’s modern history. The move promises renewed rivalries, improved geographic access for alumni, enhanced recruiting, and a better overall student-athlete experience.

August: Soccer Comes Full Circle

LA Tech soccer literally kicks off the athletic season, every season. More than two decades after the program’s inaugural season began on the rugby field across from the Lambright Center, the Bulldogs returned to their roots – this time at the beautiful Robert Mack Caruthers Field.

Three straight home matches at “The Mack” set the stage, but the third made history. On Aug. 21, LA Tech’s 2-0 shutout of in-state rival UL-Lafayette not only felt good because it was the Ragin’ Cajuns – it marked the 100th home win in program history.

September: Fairways, Firsts, and the National Stage

Early September brought a familiar sight at Squire Creek Country Club, where LA Tech golf once again opened its season on its beautiful home course. Hosting a tournament there has become tradition – this year marking the 22nd home event since 2003 – and the Bulldogs made it count.

LA Tech fired a three-round total of 854 (-10) at the Argent Financial Classic, tying the program record for lowest 54-hole score at the event.

Just weeks later on the tennis courts of Cary, North Carolina, Zoie Epps became the first Bulldog singles player to qualify for the ITA All-American Championships, one of the premier events in collegiate tennis. The junior did not just show up – she belonged, rattling off three straight pre-qualifying wins, including upsets over two seeded opponents, to advance to the qualifying draw and put LA Tech tennis firmly on the national radar.

Halloween Weekend: Legends, Homecoming, and Giving Back

Halloween weekend delivered a whirlwind of celebration and connection. The Bradshaw-Brooks Golf Tournament, presented by Origin Bank, returned after a seven-year hiatus, bringing together two of Louisiana Tech’s most iconic alumni – Terry Bradshaw and Kix Brooks – at Squire Creek Country Club.

Held ahead of the university’s 100th Homecoming Game, the event raised more than $100,000 for Louisiana Tech Athletics. It was a reminder that while facilities and conferences change, the bond between Tech and its alumni remains timeless.

That night, LA Tech Football delivered a frightfully dominant performance, steamrolling Sam Houston 55-14 behind a relentless rushing attack at Origin Bank Field at Joe Aillet Stadium. Donning brand new black jerseys, the Bulldogs totaled 646 yards of offense, piling up 425 rushing yards and six touchdowns on the ground while scoring multiple touchdowns in every quarter.

The busy weekend continued the next day on Nov. 1, starting off with LA Tech volleyball delivering its best offensive performance of the season, sweeping New Mexico State inside historic Scotty Robertson Memorial Gymnasium. Playing there for the first time since 2013, the Bulldogs snapped a 23-match losing streak to the Aggies while posting a season-best .376 hitting percentage. Some buildings just know how to deliver magic.

Then that night, LA Tech celebrated excellence across generations, enshrining its 21st Athletics Hall of Fame class. Eight individuals – spanning football, basketball, track and field, and athletic training – were honored for their lasting impact on the university. The ceremony served as a powerful reminder that today’s achievements stand on the shoulders of those who came before.

November: Breakthroughs on Every Front

November arrived fast – and packed plenty of punch.

A week later, the nationally ranked bowling team put together one of the most impressive weekends in program history. Finishing 11-2 with eight ranked wins, including victories over No. 1, No. 2 (twice), and No. 3, the Bulldogs closed the Bulldog Classic with a top five finish and plenty of statement wins.

On Nov. 21, success showed up in the classroom as well. LA Tech student-athletes recorded a department-record 3.353 fall GPA, with 251 Bulldogs and Lady Techsters earning spots on the AD Honor Roll.

Then came Nov. 22.

LA Tech unveiled the Richardson Family Legacy Plaza, complete with statues honoring legendary coaches Joe Aillet and Maxie Lambright. Situated on the southwest corner of Joe Aillet Stadium, the plaza serves as a lasting tribute to two figures who shaped not just a football program, but an identity.

Later on that day came the football home finale. Down 28-7 midway through the third quarter, LA Tech football authored one of the most memorable comebacks in Joe Aillet Stadium history. Fueled by fourth-down conversions, three straight interceptions, and a defense that simply refused to blink, the Bulldogs forced overtime against Liberty. On the first snap of OT, Andrew Burnette took a handoff 25 yards to the house, capping a 27-point rally and clinching bowl eligibility in front of a home crowd that will remember that roar for a long time.

The very next day, women’s basketball delivered its own statement, defeating Stephen F. Austin 93-66 in a matchup featuring two of the winningest programs in the sport’s history. For the Lady Techsters, it was another reminder that tradition still carries weight – and momentum.

December: Rivals, Milestones, and a Bowl Trophy to Top It Off

The calendar flipped to December, and LA Tech men’s basketball also delivered a milestone for its fans.

On Dec. 13, the Bulldogs rolled past UL-Lafayette 65-44 inside the Thomas Assembly Center, securing the 94th all-time win in the rivalry – and win No. 1,500 in program history. Stifling defense, timely shooting, and a packed home crowd turned a Saturday afternoon into another chapter worth remembering.

And then, football decided to cap off the calendar year with a bang in Shreveport.

Down 14-3, LA Tech’s defense slammed the door out of the locker room, forcing turnovers, winning the line of scrimmage, and completely flipping the tone of the afternoon. The offense followed suit, finding rhythm, stacking drives, and clawing back, outscoring the Chanticleers 20-0 the rest of the way to win 23-14 and walk off the Independence Stadium turf as Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl champions, closing the year with one final exclamation point – and a nice piece of hardware.

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