The study offers insights to help broadcasters and leagues connect with fans

WSC Sports has become an important partner for sports networks and leagues looking to deliver content and connect with fans on various digital and social-media platforms. In addition to its experience, it undertakes research to better understand sports fans, demographic shifts in technology use, and much more. It’s latest? The 2025 WSC Sports Fan Engagement Study. Chock-full of insights and learnings, it can be downloaded by clicking here. WSC Sports Content Executive David Gavant (a multiple Emmy Award–winning producer) sat down with SVG to explore the study and offer some deeper insights.

WSC Sports’ David Gavant: “Fans respond to timely content that feels relevant to them. When that relevance comes from an efficient workflow, personalization becomes sustainable and helps reduce churn.”

Your report says that Gen Z feels more connected to athletes than to teams. How can teams leverage that? Should they help athletes create content?
“The age of ‘we cannot do that’ is starting to crumble,” as a panelist said at our Madrid Huddle. For a long time, athlete-driven content struggled to move forward because the instinct was to control the message and keep everything tightly aligned. That mindset is shifting, and teams and leagues now see how much stronger the fan connection becomes when athletes can show more of themselves.

Teams can lean into this shift by giving athletes room to speak in their own voice and by offering tools that make content creation easier and more consistent. Gen Z gravitates toward personalities who feel close and unfiltered, so support that helps athletes share their routines, reactions, humor, and point of view goes a long way. The goal is not to script them but to remove friction and let them publish at the pace fans expect.

This works best when teams treat athletes as collaborative creators rather than marketing channels. That might mean help with filming, editing, and distribution or access to fast-turnaround tools like automated highlights or ready-to-post clips. It keeps the team visible in a landscape where fan loyalty moves quickly and personality drives attention.

Your report says fans cancel streaming services because of weak personalization. How can WSC help lower costs, and how granular should personalization get?
Personalization becomes expensive when every clip depends on manual work. Automation solves that by taking on the volume. LALIGA is a good example. In a single season, they create more than 260,000 match highlights automatically through WSC Sports’ AI-powered platform, which drives engagement without adding headcount. At our Athens Huddle, Esteban Gonzalez, 3×3 digital content senior manager, Fiba, captured the value well when he said, “I manage 50 people. Without the right tech, I’d probably need 200 because we have 150 events a year.” Automation gives organizations room to personalize at scale without overwhelming their teams.

Granularity should follow real fan behavior, not theoretical segmentation. You do not need hundreds of variations. Focus on the patterns that matter, like player affinity, storylines, and key match moments. Fans respond to timely content that feels relevant to them. When that relevance comes from an efficient workflow rather than a heavy production lift, personalization becomes sustainable and helps reduce churn.

Creators influence how younger fans follow sports. How important is it for traditional media to build relationships with them? Should those relationships be exclusive?
Traditional media gains a lot by bringing creators into their universe instead of trying to compete with them. Creators offer speed, tone, and connection that younger fans trust. When media groups invite them into studio formats, social series, or alternate broadcasts, they expand reach and add flavor that fans recognize immediately.

Exclusivity often limits the upside. Creators thrive on wide distribution, and their value comes from cultural familiarity, not containment. Thinking of them like modern distribution partners works better. When media groups build open, recurring collaborations, they create a broader pathway for engagement and keep pace with the fast-moving creator ecosystem.

The barrier to scale for alternate angles and broadcasts is collapsing. What does this shift mean for traditional linear broadcasters and streamers?
The shift takes away one of the long-standing advantages linear broadcasters relied on. When production becomes flexible and affordable at scale, the real differentiator becomes the experience built around the content. Broadcasters who move quickly can turn this moment into an advantage by offering richer feeds, more ways to watch, and formats that feel right for different groups of fans.

For streamers, this is a clear opportunity to experiment with speed. They can try new angles, voices, and storytelling styles without the old production limits. When you can offer different angles or voices, the moment something happens, fans notice. It feels modern and aligned with what they expect.

YouTube is the common ground for fans. How can a rightsholder without YouTube distribution still build presence and relationships there?
Rightsholders should aim to show up on YouTube because it is where fans of every generation spend time. When an official presence is not possible, creators become the most effective way in. They already operate at scale on the platform, they understand its pace, and they know how to speak the language of the audience. Supplying them with fast, flexible highlight packages, analysis clips, or storytelling assets keeps the rightsholder visible even without direct distribution.

There is also plenty a rightsholder can share without full match rights. Behind-the-scenes access, athlete-led moments, commentary formats, training features, and short analytical clips all travel well on YouTube. These formats help build recognition and keep fans close, especially when supported by creators who can carry the content into the wider ecosystem. The goal is to stay present in the places fans gather, even when the rights picture creates limits.

By: Tim Flynn

Colorado Running Company Pre-Holiday Invite & Multi

Friday-Saturday – hosted by UCCS – Colorado Springs, Colo. [Live Results] [RMAC Network] [Schedule]

OREDIGGERS SEND TWO TO UCCS

After opening the new indoor track & field season with a bang last weekend, Colorado School of Mines sends two competitors to this weekend’s Colorado Running Company Pre-Holiday Invite & Multi, hosted by UCCS in Colorado Springs. Nick Stade will compete in the Orediggers’ first multi of the season, while Jennifer Jarnagin looks to build on a strong season opener in the weight throw. 

LIVE COVERAGE

This weekend’s meet will stream live on the RMAC Network, with live timing from RapidResults. Starting this year, the RMAC Network has moved to a pay-per-view model for all events. Fans can purchase monthly and annual subscriptions that will provide them access to all regular-season, championship, and archived broadcasts on the RMAC Network; for track & field, there is also a day-pass option to view multiple event streams in the same day. A monthly subscription costs $25, and an annual subscription costs $130. Single-game/day passes are available for $10, which grants access for 24 hours. For technical support questions, fans can contact Hudl Support or email the RMAC directly (rmac@rmacsports.org). For further support, fans can visit the RMAC Network Help page.

WHAT TO WATCH

Jennifer Jarnagin will kick off the weekend at UCCS, competing in the women’s weight throw Friday at 10:30 a.m. Jarnagin, the defending RMAC champion, opened her senior season last weekend at the Mines Alumni Classic with an impressive series of throws topped by an 18.75m mark, less than a quarter-meter off her career best (18.99m) and the fifth-best performance overall in program history. Nick Stade, the 2025 RMAC heptathlon champion, competed in three events last week highlighted by a personal-best 11.56m shot put performance; he also vaulted 4.50m and hurdled in 8.68 seconds. Stade, who holds a career-best heptathlon of 5,123 points, starts the competition Friday at noon and continues Saturday at 10 a.m.

LAST WEEK REWIND

Mines had a terrific start to the season at two meets last weekend, starting in Golden where freshman Violet Williams smashed the program long jump record (6.21m) and Tim Thompson broke the Steinhauer Fieldhouse 800m mark (1:51.25). On Friday, Alejandro Philippart won the men’s long jump at 7.38m in his debut, and Franklin Rambo took the men’s shot put with a 16.58m start. On Saturday, Jathan Busby became Mines’ fastest man indoors with a new program record 6.78 in the 60m dash, Jarnagin won the women’s weight throw and Imani Fernandez-Gorbea was first in the women’s 800m. 

Mines’ distance runners had a fantastic meet at Boston University’s Sharon Coyear-Danville Season Opener, with the women’s 5,000m group running five of the top eight all-time performances in Mines history. Emily LaMena’ 15:57 made her the #5 all-time performer in D-II history ahead of Grace Strongman, whose 16:06 put her at #9 in divisional history; Margaux Basart, Sierra Wall, and Lexi Herr also ran Mines all-time top-10 and NCAA provisional times. Paul Knight, Dawson Gunn, and Ethan Grolnic all made NCAA provisional cuts in the men’s 5K while Brock Drengenberg’s 4:03.57 is the early leader for the top mile time in the country this season.

LONG JUMPERS EARN RMAC ACCOLADES

For their performances at the Mines Alumni Classic, Violet Williams and Alejandro Philippart were named the RMAC Field Athletes of the Week on Wednesday. Williams smashed the Mines record with her mark of 6.21m (20-4.5), the best in the RMAC since 2021 and second on the national list after the opening weekend. Philippart turned in Mines’ best long jump mark in a decade – 7.38m (24-2.5) – to take the early RMAC lead and tie for third on the NCAA Division II national performance list.

OREDIGGERS DOMINATE EARLY NATIONAL PERFORMANCE LIST

Opening weekend saw Orediggers set 16 NCAA provisional performances including a dozen that sit in the NCAA Division II top-10. Brock Drengenberg’s mile currently leads the nation in the mile, Tim Thompson (800m), Violet Williams (LJ), Emily LaMena (5K) rank #2 in their events, while Alejandro Philippart (LJ) and Grace Strongman (5K) are #3, with Liam Currie fifth in the 800m as well. 

XC CLEANS UP POSTSEASON AWARDS

The RMAC announced its postseason cross country awards on Wednesday and Mines picked up three major awards, with Sierra Wall and Cody Wyman earning the Freshmen of the Year honors and Chris Siemers the RMAC Women’s Coach of the Year. They added to already-announced awards for Grace Strongman and Paul Knight – the RMAC Runners of the Meet after earning individual RMAC titles – and RMAC Summit Award winner Margaux Basart.

A HISTORIC FALL SEASON

The 2025 NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships are still fresh on the Orediggers’ minds after two team podium finishes and nine all-American performances on Nov. 22 in Wisconsin. The Mines women had a historic finish placing second overall – their best ever showing – led by Grace Strongman’s second-place run, with Emily LaMena and Lexi Herr adding top-10 performances and Sierra Wall and Margaux Basart also finishing in the top 35. The men placed third – their 10th consecutive top-three trophy – led by Paul Knight’s fourth-place finish, with Dawson Gunn, Ethan Grolnic, and Max Bonenberger also earning all-America spots.

THE CHAMPS ARE HERE

It’s been a tremendous last few years for the Mines women’s track & field and cross country programs, and that reached a new level in October when the Orediggers won the RMAC women’s cross country championship for the first time. With the title, Colorado School of Mines became the first institution in the RMAC to win conference championships in every sport it sponsors. In addition to the XC win, this decade, the women have won RMAC indoor track & field titles in 2023, 2024, and 2025, and won their first-ever outdoor crown in 2024 as well. 

RECORD SETTERS

Mines head into the new season with a strong group of active program recordholders returning for 2025-26, and added to that group last week with new marks by Violet Williams in the long jump and Jathan Busby in the 60m dash. Returning for the men, Jonah Fallon (400m) and Franklin Rambo (shot put) set new individual marks last year, while every piece of the 4×400 relay (Liam Currie, Logan Meade, Tim Thompson, and Fallon) plus three of four legs of the distance medley relay (Drengenberg, Fallon, and Thompson) return from last year’s record-setting groups. The women welcome back Margaux Basart (3,000m) and Avery Wright (60m hurdles and pentathlon) as individual recordholders, while Grace Galvin is also a member of Mines’ record-holding 4×400 and distance medley relays, joined by Imani Fernandez-Gorbea on the DMR.

LOOKING AHEAD

Mines will break for finals and the holidays before returning Jan. 16-17 at the Potts Invitational in Boulder.

 

TUCSON, Ariz. – Arizona Volleyball head coach Charita Stubbs has hired Jhenna Gabriel as an assistant coach. Gabriel will be the setters coach for the Wildcats and comes to Arizona after three years on staff at Missouri as a technical coordinator and assistant coach.
 
“I am excited to welcome Jhenna to Arizona to round out our coaching staff,” head coach Charita Stubbs said. “She is a true competitor in every sense of the word and will make our program better with her experience of playing at a very high level. Jhenna began her coaching career at a high level and she will bring a wealth of knowledge about the game and a good heart to elevate our program and player development.”
 
During her three years at Mizzou, Gabriel was a member of the staff that led the Tigers to NCAA Tournament appearances in 2023 and 2024. Prior to the 2025 season, Gabriel was promoted to assistant coach and helped Mizzou to a 17-win season in 2025.
 
Gabriel played collegiately at Texas from 2018-21 and at UNLV in 2022. At Texas, she led the Longhorns to a runner-up finish in the 2020 NCAA National Championship and was named third-team AVCA All-America and the Big 12 Setter of the Year in 2020. During her season at UNLV, Gabriel was named the Mountain West Newcomer of the Year and led the Rebels to an NCAA Tournament appearance.
 
Following her collegiate career, Gabriel played professionally for Leonas de Ponce in Puerto Rico and the San Diego Mojo.
 
A native of Honolulu, Hawai’i, Gabriel graduated from the University of Texas with her bachelor’s degree in Public Relations in 2021 and completed her master’s in Sport Management in 2022.
 

AUSTIN (KXAN) – As Texas volleyball gets set for a busy weekend hosting the regional semifinals and final at Gregory Gymnasium, the future takes the spotlight as much as the present.

The University of Texas issued a request for proposal (RFP) Wednesday as they look for private developers to help them create the new home for Texas volleyball and a student-athlete housing facility adjacent to the arena.

In a release, the university explained the aim is to have the arena hold around 6,000 fans, with some ability to change that number for shows and university events. The project, which will be located just north of East MLK Boulevard, is set to take up about four acres.

The request does not set a date for when the facility would begin construction, as the university currently seeks, “private developer(s) to plan, design, construct, equip, finance and operate,” the new arena and housing development. Essentially seeking partnership in developing the two buildings, the announcement delivers a message on Texas Athletics’ growing ambition to expand its facilities.

“It is important for us to be strategic about how we use our space and how our students and visitors engage with our campus,” UT President Jim Davis said. “This is a unique development that will enhance the University’s athletics facilities and housing portfolio and benefit students, Longhorn fans and our city for years to come. I am grateful to our Board of Regents for their support for our vision.”

Any initial arguments for a greater fan capacity was supported early this season when the Longhorns hosted Stanford in Moody Center in September. Setting a state of Texas volleyball attendance record of 10,899 fans, the Longhorns certainly made a case for why they deserve more space for their matches.

Texas volleyball currently resides in Gregory Gymnasium, which can officially hold a capacity of 4,000 fans, but can accommodate more if necessary. Regularly attracting a large crowd, Texas averaged 4,393 fans per match in 2024, according to UT Athletics.

“This is a critical step for the future of Texas Volleyball and our student-athletes’ housing experience,” Athletics Director Chris Del Conte said. “It is about creating an experience that our student-athletes, coaches and passionate fans will be proud of in the heart of a district built for elite talent and entertainment.”

The university’s proposal for the new facility will certainly create a new experience for the Longhorns. According to renderings released by the University via X, the arena will resemble the design of the Moody Center, have an upper bowl and a jumbotron over the center of the court.

Dedicating this arena is yet another indicator of the growing influence of women’s volleyball. A sport that continues to gain popularity, this step by Texas Athletics not only shows the team’s commitment to providing its athletes some of the nation’s best facilities, but to the growth of the sport as well.

Fans can watch the Thai women’s volleyball team take on the Philippines in their second group match at the 33rd SEA Games on Thursday, December 11, 2025. The game will be played at Indoor Stadium Huamark in Bangkok, with live online coverage from 5.30pm.

The 33rd SEA Games, the biggest sporting festival in ASEAN, runs from December 9-20, 2025, featuring 50 sports. Thailand has set a target of 241 gold medals. Indoor volleyball at Huamark is one of the main highlights, with both the Thai women’s and men’s teams tipped as strong favourites to win gold on home soil.

This is the seventh time Thailand has hosted the SEA Games, following 1959, 1967, 1975, 1985, 1995 and 2007. Eleven countries are competing: Thailand (host), Brunei, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Timor-Leste and Vietnam. Cambodia has announced it will not take part.