Sports
Why an e
Ratih is optimistic that a (slightly reformulated) esports industry can make these negotiations, with a few global, multi-game teams emerging from the esports winter (into the esports spring, presumably) with strong global foundations to bear future industry shocks. After all, she says, it’s an industry that still (like so many of its players) retains its youth. “Because we are so young as an industry, we have room to structure agreements and do creative deal-making… there’s no set rules or boundaries that you see a lot in traditional sports because it’s a matured business model. They don’t have the leeway that you have in esports.Performance remains key for these clubs: while players take a chunk of tournament prize pool winnings, good results mean longer tournament runs, more viewers, better exposure for sponsors and more fame. But tournament results are far from everything. At present, for G2, sponsorships make up about 60% of revenue, payments from the publishers that make the games it plays contribute 30% and a final 10% comes from a constellation of direct-to-consumer (D2C) plays: physical merchandise, ‘skins’ and other virtual assets, as well as an app and premium membership tiers.
Cast a casual eye at the esports world over the last year and it’s easy to see a jamboree of mega-events, massive viewership and increasing mainstream adoption.Behind the scenes, though, the esports industry is deep into a well-publicized slowdown. Following an investment gold rush in the 2010s (Deloitte reported a .5bn investment influx in 2018 alone) and a 2020 lockdown-based viewership boom, gamers everywhere have been lamenting an ensuing ‘esports winter’ since at least 2023.The agency will operate within G2 and build from its existing 30-strong marketing team. Its goal, Lacrouts says, is to become the world’s “leading gaming agency” and continue the diversification from there “to become one of the most renowned entertainment agencies.” Services will include creative advertising, paid media services and production.The bridge between that world and this one will be the next few years – years in which Dechelotte says to expect further consolidation while a few esports organizations grow into truly global powerhouses and others continue to fall.
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Media, media, media house
Dechelotte has big dreams for his industry and his club. A former international Rugby player, he long dreamed, he tells The Drum, of being an exec at a rugby or a football club. Now, he sees G2 gearing up for a future where it could one day own a football team. “We are the Real Madrid of esports already in terms of competition, accomplishment and brand. We’re not going to just sit on the dream and wait. We’re building the next dream for G2 – to become the G2 of sports. The future of G2 is to be a club involved in esports, sports and what I call the ‘augmented sports’ – where the worlds of virtual and physical merge with technologies such as VR and AR. How far are we away from Tron? I think a few years. G2 will be this new-generation club that bridges the gap between communities and games.”There was the League of Legends World Championship Finals in London, drawing tens of thousands of IRL fans and a peak of 7 million viewers (261 million people worldwide, apparently, watch esports at least once a month). There was the controversial 2024 Esports World Cup (its m prize pot drew hundreds of professional gamers to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia). And not long after, there was the announcement that the International Olympic Committee would mint its first official Olympic Esports games, to be held later this year, also in Saudi Arabia.While it’s tempting to view esports through the lens of traditional sport, in other words, the environment is inherently different. Most conspicuously, nobody owns football or cricket; League of Legends and Counter-Strike are entirely owned by their publishers, Riot Games and Valve. “Dependency will always be there to a certain extent, especially because we lack the big bucket of media rights,” Ratih explains. “We have the necessity to get more creative and build direct-to-consumer avenues and B2B revenue streams. We can’t afford to rely purely on publisher revenues or sponsorship.”“If Twitch understands that they need to offer more targeting options and more freedom of targeting, then we’re going to see much more investment…. If people start investing on Twitch, then, they will do more than one-off media on Twitch because they can. It’s easy.”Then there’s audience diversification: to, in Ratih’s words, “attract fans that are not regular esports viewers… getting out of the esports shell is not only necessary in order to capture the full revenue potential – it’s also, audience-wise, the place to go”.AdvertisementLacrouts isn’t the only advertising veteran at G2; chief executive Alban Dechelotte is a strategist by training, with a decade at Havas under his belt (he ended up as managing director for Germany), as well as CV entries for the aforementioned Coke and Riot Games.
Dreaming big
“We just don’t have enough people in the marketing department yet who have experienced gaming and esports,” Lacrouts explains. “There are not enough gamers in key decision positions… Most brands have explored so far. That’s it. They’ve done R&D.” There are some exceptions – Coke, for example, made its big ‘Real Magic’ play in 2021 to mixed results – but gaming is struggling to shake off this one-off approach. “They don’t necessarily have the renewal budget for the next year… [And] agencies are looking for the award-winning campaign most of the time. So when you’re briefing an agency to do something in gaming, it’s just a one-off campaign”.Other diversification pushes include renegotiating terms with publishers for a “more sustainable model” for everyone. Despite the impossibility of full broadcast, Premier League-style media rights, there’s also a drive to find “equivalent media rights that you see in traditional sports.” Then there’s global expansion – for European-headquartered G2, that means further development into North America and, especially, China, an enormous gaming market “of which we’ve barely scraped the surface.”Spurred by the wider tech slowdown, layoffs in the gaming industry were so widespread that they have their own Wikipedia page. Esports companies were among the high-profile casualties: major player Faze Clan laid off a fifth of its staff and saw stocks lose 80% of their value; competitor CLG went belly-up then was bought out by a competitor; publications and tournament organizers shuttered; a planned m esports arena in Philadelphia quietly pivoted to retail. Some sponsors and advertisers were spooked – BMW announced that it would “end its esport engagement” back in 2023 (though it has continued to do some work in related spaces).
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“I think it’s also fair to cut our industry a bit of slack, because we are so young still. To compare us always to traditional sports I find a bit unfair… if we want to build this industry for the long term, yes, we have to compete with revenue buckets that you see in Formula One and football, but it’s fair to give ourselves the time to get there.”
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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State track & field is set to begin its indoor slate with a three-meet split-squad weekend. The Nittany Lions will start their week in Philadelphia on Friday, Dec. 5 at the Penn Opener, also competing on Saturday, Dec. 6. On Saturday, there will also be Nittany Lions competing at the Bucknell Opener in Lewisburg, and the Sharon-Colyear Danville Season Opener in Boston on Saturday. Dec. 6.
Penn State is set to begin the 2025-26 indoor season while continuing to build off its success from a season ago. The men’s squad finished 12th in the Big Ten last indoor season while the women finished seventh. The squad returns six All-Americans from last year’s indoor team including 2024 First Team All-Americans Handal Roban and Hayley Kitching.
Head Coach John Gondak enters his 12th season leading the Nittany Lion track & field program. His coaching resume includes 62 First Team All-Americans and 11 Big Ten team titles.
PENN OPENER – Friday-Saturday, December 5-6
Live Results | Watch on Saturday (ESPN+)
Penn State will send seven athletes to compete at the Penn Opener. Maddie Pitts will be the lone competitor on Friday in the pentathlon.
BUCKNELL OPENER – Saturday, December 6
Live Results
The largest group of Nittany Lions will be headed to Lewisburg to compete in the Bucknell Opener. 36 athletes in field events and sprints will be the main competition group for PSU this weekend at Bucknell.
SHARON COLYEAR-DANVILLE SEASON OPENER – Saturday, December 6
Live Results | Watch (FloTrack)
Penn State will be sending 10 athletes to Boston for season opening action. The middle distance/distance group will make up the group competing against some of the top talent in the nation.
FULL 2025-26 INDOOR TRACK & FIELD SCHEDULE
Dec. 5-6 – Penn Opener | Philadelphia, Pa.
Dec. 6 – Bucknell Opener | Lewisburg, Pa.
Dec. 6 – Sharon Colyear-Danville Season Opener | Boston, Mass.
Jan. 17 – Nittany Lion Challenge | University Park, Pa.
Jan. 24 – Penn 10 Team Elite | Philadelphia, Pa.
Jan. 30-31 – Penn State National Open | University Park, Pa.
Feb. 7 – Sykes & Sabock Challenge | University Park, Pa.
Feb. 13-14 – Tyson Invitational | Fayetteville, Ark.
Feb. 13-14 – David Hemery Valentine Invitational | Boston, Mass.
Feb. 20 – Penn State Tune-Up | University Park, Pa.
Feb. 27-28 – Big Ten Indoor Championships | Indianapolis, Ind.
Mar. 13-14 – NCAA Indoor Championships | Fayetteville, Ark.
FOLLOW THE NITTANY LIONS
Follow along with the team on our social media pages on Facebook (PennStateTFXC) and X/Instagram (@pennstatetfxc). Live updates on race day regarding start times and other important notes will be posted on X.
Sports
#11 Creighton Volleyball Outlasts Northern Colorado to Advance to Second Round of NCAA Tournament
Courtesy of Rob Anderson, Creighton Athletics
OMAHA, Neb. — No. 11 Creighton Volleyball was pushed to the brink but survived to win its 21st straight match on Thursday evening, opening up NCAA Tournament play with a 3-2 victory over Northern Colorado. Scores of the Bluejay triumph were 25-12, 23-25, 23-25, 25-17, 15-8.
Creighton earns itself a Second Round match-up against Northern Iowa (26-5) after the sixth-seeded Panthers finished off their first reverse sweep in the NCAA Tournament since 2022 with a 15-25, 21-25, 26-24, 25-20, 15-10 win over Utah. Creighton defeated the Panthers at D.J. Sokol Arena on Sept. 14 to close out play at the Bluejay Invitational.
Five women had multiple kills in the first set as Creighton powered past Northern Colorado, led by six kills from Ava Martin. Martin also had a pair of aces late in the set to solidify CU’s 25-12 victory. The Jays hit .438 and had 17 kills to UNC’s six kills on .000 hitting and never trailed in the frame.
UNC snapped Creighton’s 17-set win streak with a 25-23 victory in the second set, which featured nine ties and five lead changes. Isabel Bennett had go-ahead kills to make it 23-22 and 24-23 and Alayna Tessena put down the winner on set point. Northern Colorado had 15 kills and 18 digs in the second set and held the Bluejays to 11 kills and .200 hitting. Martin had seven kills for CU in the second set, while Sydney Breissinger added six digs.
The Bears won the first three points of the third set and moved in front 8-4 to force an early timeout from CU head coach Brian Rosen. The stoppage did little to improve the fortunes for the hosts, who called another timeout six points later after falling behind 12-6 to the Big Sky Tournament champions. The second timeout did the trick, as the Bluejays countered with an 8-2 burst to even the score at 14-all. Northern Colorado settled down, never surrendering the lead, and led 23-20 before one last push from the hosts. Martin pounded her 18th kill of the night, and Nora Wurtz followed with her 56th ace of the fall to cut CU’s deficit to 23-22 and lead UNC coach Lydnsey Oates to call timeout. Martin slammed a cross-court kill to tie the score at 23-all, but UNC answered with a Zoe Gibbs kill for a set point opportunity. The Bears won the set on a Bluejay attack error, 25-23.
The Bluejays got off to a 6-2 lead in the fourth set thanks in part to three early UNC hitting errors, then extended the advantage to 14-6. The Jays won the set 25-17, with freshman Abbey Hayes stepping up with a team-best four kills. CU had 4.5 blocks in the set, including one of set point from Reinhardt and Martin.
Creighton got off to a quick start in the fifth frame, scoring the first three points on two Martin kills and a UNC attack error. CU led 8-3 at the changeover
Martin was dominant with 30 kills on 65 swings, while Jaya Johnson finished with 12 kills. Reinhardt rounded out the Bluejays in double figure kills with 10. Annalea Maeder closed the match with a double-double, delivering 53 assists and 20 digs.
Tessena led Northern Colorado with 14 kills, while Brynn Reines finished with 11 kills
First serve of tomorrow’s Second Round match is at 6:30 p.m.
NOTES: Creighton improved to 18-14 all-time in 15 NCAA Tournament appearances, including a 12-3 mark in the First Round … Creighton has won 21 straight matches, its third-longest streak in program history … Creighton is now 8-4 in home matches in the NCAA Tournament, including five straight victories … Creighton has won its last 11 home matches this fall … Creighton is now 4-1 all-time against Northern Colorado … Creighton has won 68 straight matches over unranked foes and 56 non-televised matches in a row … Ava Martinmoved into third place in CU history in career service aces with 126 … Ava Martinhad her 25th straight match with 10 or more kills and 108th in a row with five or more kills … Ava Martin had her 13th career match with 20+ kills, and seventh this season.
LYNCHBURG – Propelled by a pair of personal-best performances in the weight throw, the Elon University women’s track and field team opened its indoor season Thursday at the Liberty Kickoff inside the Liberty Indoor Complex.
In the women’s weight throw, the Phoenix placed two athletes inside the top four. Adriana Clarke claimed runner-up honors with a personal-best toss of 18.14m, moving into third on Elon’s all-time performance list. Isabella Johnson finished third overall at 17.33m, also marking a new PR for the sophomore.
Elon also featured three competitors in the pentathlon. Senior Lizzie Lopez was the top Phoenix finisher, placing seventh with 3,510 points. She highlighted the event by tying for first in the high jump with a clearance of 1.65m. Freshman Greta Urbonaviciute debuted with a tenth-place finish and 3,309 points, landing inside the program’s top-10 performance list. Classmate Carolina Frada scored 2,832 points to place 11th in her first collegiate pentathlon.
ON DECK
Elon continues action at the Liberty Kickoff on Friday, beginning with the women’s 5,000-meter run at 10 a.m.
— ELON —
SAN BRUNO, Calif. – The West Coast Conference officially announced its Volleyball All-Academic team for the 2025 season on Thursday afternoon.
For San Francisco, Crystal Galaviz, Jamie Low, Shannon Knight, Astrid Puig, and Abby Wadas earned WCC All-Academic Honorable Mention honors.
At the conclusion of each athletic season, the West Coast Conference selects an all-academic squad for each conference-sponsored sport. To be considered, a student-athlete must maintain at least a 3.20 cumulative grade point average, while also being a significant contributor to her team and in at least their second year at their school.
The full 2025 West Coast Conference Volleyball All-Academic Team can be viewed below:
2025 WEST COAST CONFERENCE VOLLEYBALL ALL-ACADEMIC TEAM
| Name | School | Class | GPA | Major |
| Genevieve Bane | Saint Mary’s | Gr. | 3.70 | Busiiness Administration |
| Olivia Bennett | San Diego | Sr. | 3.54 | Behavioral Neuroscience |
| Lucie Blazkova | Washington State | So. | 3.92 | Psychology |
| Maddie Boerstra | LMU | Gr. | 3.82 | Sociology |
| Nevaeh Bray | Portland | Gr. | 4.00 | Sports Business |
| Lucia Busso | Portland | Sr. | 4.00 | Marketing |
| Alyson Cox | Pacific | So. | 4.00 | Computer Science |
| Alyssa Eimer | Santa Clara | Sr. | 3.94 | Marketing |
| Grace Flanagan | Santa Clara | Jr. | 4.00 | Studio Art |
| Kate Herrick | Gonzaga | So. | 3.91 | Biology |
| Emma McMahon | Pepperdine | Sr. | 3.83 | Psychology |
| Chloe Pravednikov | Pepperdine | So. | 3.63 | Pre-Business Administration |
| Maui Robins | Portland | Sr. | 4.00 | Marketing |
| Lauren Rumel | Oregon State | Sr. | 3.91 | Speech Communication |
| Cate Shanahan | Santa Clara | Jr. | 3.83 | English |
| Lexi Trapani | Santa Clara | Jr. | 3.88 | Business |
For more information and updates on the University of San Francisco volleyball program, follow the Dons on Twitter @USFDonsVB, @USFDonsVB on Instagram, and @USFDonsVball on Facebook.
The Aggies ensured their third-straight tournament berth under the leadership of head coach Jamie Morrison, concluding the regular season and SEC Tournament with a 23-4 record. Their performance throughout the year earned them the highest AVCA ranking in program history of No. 6 and their first NCAA Tournament hosting opportunity since 2019.
Shining at home this season, the Maroon & White boast a 9-1 ledger at Reed Arena with its lone loss coming against then-No. 3 Kentucky (3-1). The 12th Man has been a force all year, as they helped break the program attendance record standing 9,801 strong versus Texas as well as accounting for another five top 10 attendances during the 2025 campaign.
Texas A&M’s depth of talent has been evident throughout the year and was rewarded during the SEC’s postseason honors, as a conference-high four Aggies were named to the All-SEC First Team including Logan Lednicky, Ifenna Cos-Okpalla, Maddie Waak and Kyndal Stowers. The honors didn’t stop there as Lednicky was named an AVCA Player of the Year Semifinalist, while the group accounted for 24 total accolades throughout the season.
The Matchups
Texas A&M enters its third NCAA Tournament with coach Morrison at the helm of the program, coming off a sweet 16 run during the 2024 season. The Maroon & White played the role of the hunter last season, downing No. 3 seed Arizona State in on their home court in the second round and came up just short in a five-set thriller against No. 2 seed Wisconsin.
The Aggies earned their highest seed since 2015 at No. 3 and welcome Campbell, TCU and SFA to Aggieland. They open their campaign versus the Camels who hold a 23-6 ledger and earned their second ever NCAA Tournament bid after winning the CAA Championship title in a five-set battle with Hofstra.
Friday’s meeting will be the first all-time between Texas A&M and Campbell. The Camels hold a strong 8-3 record when playing on the road but will come against the 12th Man and the Maroon & White’s 9-1 ledger in Reed Arena. On the stat sheet the Aggies hold the advantage in five of the seven team statical categories leading Campbell in kills per set, assists per set, hitting percentage, opponent hitting percentage and blocks per set, while the Camels have the upper hand in aces per set and digs per set.
Tracks and Trends
Logan Lednicky sits nine kills away from climbing to fourth in career kills at Texas A&M, she would pass three-time Olympian Stacy Sykora who has 1,586 kills.
Ifenna Cos-Okpalla has 159 blocks on the year and is three away from breaking her single season best of 161 and six from recording the most in a season since 1999 (165).
Streaming & Stats
Fans can watch the match on the ESPN+ and follow stats on 12thman.com.
Tickets
Fans can purchase their tickets to the opening round matches through 12thman.com/ncaatickets.
Students will be granted free admission to tomorrow’s game if they show their student ID’s at the north entry of Reed Arena.
Parking
Make plans to arrive early and exhibit patience for the expected traffic and parking congestion around Reed Arena. Multiple parking options are available for fans:
- General parking is available around the arena on gameday for $5 – cash AND card payments accepted.
- Fans with a valid TAMU parking pass can park for FREE in lots surrounding the arena. Make sure to have your pass barcode ready to show the lot attendant.
Follow the Aggies
Visit 12thMan.com for more information on Texas A&M volleyball. Fans can keep up to date with the A&M volleyball team on Facebook, Instagram and on Twitter by following @AggieVolleyball.
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