Sports
X Looks to Expand its Video Push With 'X Originals'
X is looking to sign-up more original content, as part of its expanded video push, with the launch of a new “X Originals” moniker for its expanding slate of programming. As explained by X: “Over the last year, we’ve released a slate of premium content series, together with some of the internet’s top talent […] […]

X is looking to sign-up more original content, as part of its expanded video push, with the launch of a new “X Originals” moniker for its expanding slate of programming.

As explained by X:
“Over the last year, we’ve released a slate of premium content series, together with some of the internet’s top talent […] We’ve already released 17 shows with over 300 episodes across the US, Japan, and MENA, and we’re just getting started – continuing to build premium original content series for X’s most popular communities like sports, pop culture, business & finance, and more. Nowhere else can you watch a new series with your favorite creators AND talk to them immediately below the episode.”
Which has always been the allure and appeal of X (and Twitter), that it’s the top host of TV show discussion online, and if there was some way that you could integrate the two, combining content consumption alongside all that real-time chatter, the platform could become an entertainment powerhouse.
“Could” being the operative word.
Previous Twitter management tried out many ways to merge the two behaviors, even signing expensive hosting rights deals with the MLB, NFL and NBA to broadcast games directly in the app.

Given that sports is the most discussed topic segment in the app, and live sports, in particular, drive huge engagement, an integrated Twitter/TV offering seemed to make sense, bringing the top tweets and posts right to the same screen, so more users could view and interact with the expanded discussion,

But it didn’t work. For some reason, users prefer to use Twitter/X as a second screen, while viewing sports on another surface (or in person).
Twitter also tried the same with TV shows and exclusive video content, to limited success.
But X believes that it now sees a new path to entertainment dominance, though it’s exclusive content slate, at this stage, remains limited.
Over the first year of its video content push, X has signed deals with and/or hosted exclusive video content from:
- Khloe Kardashian on her “Khloe in Wonderland” interview show
- Anthony Pompliano for his business-focused program “From the Desk of Anthony Pompliano”
- Paris Hilton, on a yet-to-be-announced project (which now seems to have been dumped)
- Tucker Carlson, whose interviews had been generating millions of views in the app (before he migrated to his own platform)
- Don Lemon, whose X show was canceled after he interviewed Elon Musk
- Tulsi Gabbard, who had been developing a series of documentary-style programs focused on U.S. politics (now seemingly dumped)
- Jim Rome who’s still airing his show “The Jungle” in the app
- WWE, which is airing a weekly “WWE Speed” show in the app
- The Big 3 league of retired NBA players, which aired weekly games in the app during its most recent season
- Rap battle show Verzuz, which is looking to make a comeback on X
- Investment-based show “Going Public” (still airing on X)
- Football docu-series “The Offseason”
- NHL’s “4 Nations” tournament
- Athlos athletic events
- Special docu-series “The Art of the Surge” focusing on Trump’s re-election, and “All-In with the Boston Celtics”
That’s not bad, I guess, in terms of expanded original programming. But 15 or so shows is also not going to make X a serious player in this space, especially with every other platform offering more incentives for creators to share their content exclusively in their apps, which have even bigger audience reach.
In this sense, X remains a niche offering, and with its overall audience reach in decline, not an overly appealing one for those looking to build their online media foundations.
But again, X does host a lot of related discussion, and it’s hopeful that those additional community engagement benefits will be of interest to more content creators moving forward.
Which will then enable it to build out its X Originals slate, though how X sees itself as a “video first” platform at this stage is still unclear.
X is not a video-first platform. TikTok is, as is YouTube, and both Instagram and Snapchat are inching ever-closer to being video-first in their own ways.
X isn’t. The app doesn’t open to a video feed, and only offers video as a secondary element, that users have to actively seek out. Which will always impede its expansion on this front, and I don’t really see how X has done much to shift user attention towards video, other than adding a video tab, and proclaiming that it’s now a “video first” business.
Sure, video views in the app are increasing, but some of that comes down to how X is measuring video “views,” along with broader online posting and consumption trends.
Given this, I’m not sure X’s Originals are going to see any significant expansion, unless X spends a lot of money to do so. And as noted, that hasn’t worked in the past, so I’m not entirely sure why X thinks it can make it happen with this effort.
But maybe, with X CEO Linda Yaccarino’s experience and connections, based on her years of working NBCUniversal, it has some more tricks up its sleeve on this front.
Sports
Two Tigers Named to CSC Academic All-District Team – LSU
BATON ROUGE – Emily Meyer and Skylar Martin, two standouts for the LSU Beach Volleyball Team, were selected for the Academic All-District Team by CSC on Wednesday. Throughout her LSU career, Meyer compiled 45 victories. She competed on Courts 4 and 5 at various times through her two seasons with the Tigers. In 2024, Meyer earned […]

BATON ROUGE – Emily Meyer and Skylar Martin, two standouts for the LSU Beach Volleyball Team, were selected for the Academic All-District Team by CSC on Wednesday.
Throughout her LSU career, Meyer compiled 45 victories. She competed on Courts 4 and 5 at various times through her two seasons with the Tigers. In 2024, Meyer earned AVCA Top Flight honors with Yali Ashush on Court 5. In her senior campaign, Meyer was named to the CCSA All-Tournament team and earned a CCSA Pair of the Week with partner Skylar Martin.
Meyer earned her undergraduate degree in May 2025 with a bachelor’s degree in psychology. She was named to the LSU Dean’s List in Fall 2023 and Spring 2024 and named to the 2025 CCSA All- Academic team.
During her first two seasons as a Tiger, Martin achieved 50 wins on Courts 4 and 5. Martin earned a spot on the 2025 CCSA All-Tournament Team and the 2024 CCSA All-Freshman Team. Martin also earned a CCSA Pair of the Week with partner Emily Meyer during the 2025 season.
Martin is currently earning a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology. She was named to the LSU Dean’s List in Fall 2023, Spring 2024 and Fall 2024 and earned a spot on the 2025 CCSA All-Academic Team.
Sports
Good Sports: Valley students team up with Fresno State athletics for second annual Camp of Champions
FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) — Hundreds of valley students are splashing into summer. For the second year in a row, Fresno State Basketball analyst Marc Q. Jones has used his bulldog connections to host the Camp of Champions. a month-long program created for students from Golden Plains and Washington Unified Districts to team up with Fresno […]

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) — Hundreds of valley students are splashing into summer.
For the second year in a row, Fresno State Basketball analyst Marc Q. Jones has used his bulldog connections to host the Camp of Champions.
a month-long program created for students from Golden Plains and Washington Unified Districts to team up with Fresno State Athletes.
“Nothing that we can offer will top swimming with our kids, because they want access to the pool they want to learn how to swim,” Golden Plains Unified superintendent Felipe Piedra said.
One of the host sites, the Fresno State aquatics center.
“The mission is to serve a bunch of kids that wouldn’t otherwise have access to a pool facility,” Fresno State head water polo coach Natalie Benson said.
Benson and her bulldogs have also teamed up with the Water Safety Council of Fresno County to educate students in and around the pool.
“Might as well enjoy it in a safe environment,” chairman Mark Simonian said.
With the majority of students coming from rural communities with little to no access to public pools, some are learning to swim for the first time ever.
“So when they do decide to go out on a family outing, out to the lake we want to make sure they’re not a statistic,” Piedra said.
and who better to help than Fresno State water polo.
“Teach them how to be safe around water, how to respect the water, and make sure they know the consequences of not knowing how to swim,” Water Dogs’ junior defender Susanna Martinez.
“1-on-1 work with the kids. deep dive into some of the fears that they’re having,” Water Dogs’ assistant coach Cecilia Leonard said.
Outside of the pool, students are also getting a first-time feel for life on a college campus.
“Making our kids feel like they belong like this is their second home,” Piedra said.
“It starts boosting their confidence to say ‘Hey mom and dad, I want to go to college,” Sitalic Luna with the Washington Unified School District said.
With the Water Dogs’ keeping safety top of mind, they’re also hoping to gain some new fans along the way.
“You are nothing without the people around you. We all want to have a fun, happy, safe summer but we all know it gets hot here so we want to stay safe,” coach Benson said.
For sports updates, follow Alec Nolan on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Copyright © 2025 KFSN-TV. All Rights Reserved.
Sports
Cathedral Catholic duo leads All-CIF beach volleyball team
2025 All-CIF San Diego Section beach volleyball team Pair of the Year: Lauren Hanson and Jojo Wilson, Cathedral Catholic Hanson, a junior, and Wilson, a sophomore, helped the Dons to the CIF San Diego Section Open Division championship, beating archrival Torrey Pines in the finals. Cathedral Catholic finished 17-0. Wilson is verbally committed to Long […]

2025 All-CIF San Diego Section beach volleyball team
Pair of the Year: Lauren Hanson and Jojo Wilson, Cathedral Catholic
Hanson, a junior, and Wilson, a sophomore, helped the Dons to the CIF San Diego Section Open Division championship, beating archrival Torrey Pines in the finals. Cathedral Catholic finished 17-0. Wilson is verbally committed to Long Beach State.
Coach of the Year: Huy Nguyen, San Marcos
First team
Name, School, Year
Lauren Hanson, Cathedral Catholic, Jr.
Jojo Wilson, Cathedral Catholic, So.
Holly Cassidy, Torrey Pines, Sr.
Kelly Randolph, Torrey Pines, So.
Ruby Partain, Carlsbad, Jr.
Havani Embry, Carlsbad, Jr.
Aurora Fernandez, Point Loma, So.
Caroline Tadder, Point Loma, Jr.
Kristen White, Scripps Ranch, Jr.
Riley McDonald, Scripps Ranch, So.
Second team
Name, School, Year
Maya Evens, Cathedral Catholic, Sr.
Mae Kordas, Cathedral Catholic, Sr.
Aubrie Dingman, Torrey Pines, So.
Parker Herrin, Torrey Pines, So.
Elyse Taschner, Scripps Ranch, Jr.
Emma Garrett, La Jolla, Jr.
Madisyn Parady, La Costa Canyon, Sr.
Kenidee Wax, Eastlake, So.
Kylie Osborne, San Marcos, Sr.
Alexis Schwartz, San Marcos, Sr.
Note: Team based on vote of Coaches Advisory Committee.
Sports
University of Minnesota Athletics
MINNEAPOLIS – University of Minnesota Associate Head Coach Peter Miller was named the USTFCCCA Midwest Region Assistant Coach of the Year, the USTFCCCA announced on Friday. Miller coached Kostas Zaltos to a Big Ten and NCAA hammer throw title at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore. For Miller, the regional honor is the eighth of his career in his […]

For Miller, the regional honor is the eighth of his career in his 12th season at the ‘U’. Miller has cemented himself as the premier throws coach in the region, and also nationally, as the former Gopher thrower has coached at least one All-American in a throwing event on either the men’s or women’s side in all 12 seasons as a coach at Minnesota. The 2025 men’s hammer throw season goes down as a historic one with Angelos Mantzouranis’ NCAA silver medal pairing with Zaltos’ NCAA championship. The 1-2 finish in the men’s hammer throw made Minnesota the first team to do so since 2011 (Virginia Tech) at the NCAA Championships. With Miller’s coaching the duo of Zaltos and Mantzouranis finished the season first and second in nine of the 10 meets they competed in together. Miller’s coaching on the men’s side was not limited to Zaltos and Mantzouranis with the Golden Gopher men’s hammer throw group setting a new USTFCCCA ‘Event Squad’ record in the event as the first quartet (Zaltos, Mantzouranis, Schafer, Tzamtzis) to average over 70-meters (70.79m | 232-3).
For more information on the Gophers, continue to check back with GopherSports.com. Keep up with the University of Minnesota cross country and track and field team on X, Instagram (@GopherCCTF) and on Facebook, so you do not miss any content during the season.
Sports
Women's tackle football gives female athletes opportunities in game dominated by men
ALLEN PARK, Mich. (AP) — Football players were running, throwing, catching, blocking and tackling — with a steady stream of trash talk between whistles — as the sun set on a recent night in the Motor City. Other banged-up athletes stood or sat on benches behind each sideline, ailing from a torn calf and a […]


ALLEN PARK, Mich. (AP) — Football players were running, throwing, catching, blocking and tackling — with a steady stream of trash talk between whistles — as the sun set on a recent night in the Motor City.
Other banged-up athletes stood or sat on benches behind each sideline, ailing from a torn calf and a torn knee ligament, unable to play in a game watched by about 100 fans cheering for the home team and 11 people backing the visiting squad from Canada.
While the action and the setting was not unusual, the gender of the players did stand out.
“We do it all just like the boys,” Detroit Prowl punter Kelly Bernadyn said. “But we’re women.”
MORE | Sports:
Women have been playing tackle football for decades, mostly under the radar, but two league commissioners believe it will be part of the next wave as interest in women’s sports grows.
When Detroit beat the MIFA All-Stars of Ontario in an American Women’s Football League game at Allen Park High School, daughters, sisters, mothers and grandmothers experienced the joy of big plays and camaraderie along with the pain of inevitable injuries.
After a postgame handshake line along the 50-yard line, the black-clad Prowl and the visitors in pink gathered on the visitors’ sideline to celebrate their sisterhood and shared goal of growing the sport.
“You just begin to love these girls around you,” said MIFA All-Stars quarterback Rachel Vesz, who is from Toronto and played rugby at the University of Waterloo in Ontario. “And, you all support each other.”
Walking wounded
Despite the inherent risk of injuries in football, women are choosing to join pay-for-play leagues for the love of the game and to inspire young girls to play a game traditionally limited to men.
“I use my own health insurance when I am injured, same with all of my other teammates,” said Bernadyn, who works as an EMT and fitness instructor. “But at the end of the day, it’s worth every dollar I’ve paid.
“It’s worth every ice pack I’ve needed to use, every day of rest, every cast, every boot, because I know that I’ll be able to line up on that football field again.”
Playing for championships
The Prowl lost their bid for a second straight AWFL title with a first-round loss in the 14-team playoffs that wrap up with the league’s second championship game July 12 at West Charlotte High School in North Carolina, streaming on BAWLLR TV. The AWFL has 18 teams from eight states and Canada.
Two leagues, meanwhile, have raised their profile enough to have women competing for championships on ESPN2 in high-end venues.
The Women’s National Football Conference will have its title game on the network for the first time on Saturday. The Washington Prodigy will face the Texas Elite Spartans in Frisco, Texas, at the Dallas Cowboys’ Ford Center, which has about 12,000 seats.
“When someone sees the WNFC for the first time, it opens up the possibilities,” said Odessa Jenkins, founder of the WNFC. “It’s like, ‘What a minute. Women play tackle football?’ There’s no greater joy than to open up new possibilities for yourself and others.”
The WNFC does not pay salaries, but does plan to give a total of $20,000 to the players on the championship team and did budget to pay weekly and season award winners thanks in part to financial support from Adidas, Dove and Riddell. The Women’s Football Alliance does not pay players either, but some of their costs are covered by sponsors such as Wilson, ticket sales and licensing rights.
The WFA will be back on the network for its championship game on July 26 at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio, where MVP jerseys from previous title games are on display.
“This new contract with ESPN is a testament to the high level of football played on the field contributing to the growing popularity of our league on a national and international level,” WFA Commissioner Lisa King said.
Two better than one?
Former WFA players include Katie Sowers, who became the first woman to coach in the Super Bowl as an offensive assistant in San Francisco, and Jennifer King, who was the first Black female full-time coach in the NFL in 2021 when she was Washington’s assistant running backs coach.
Jennifer King, who is on the WNFC advisory board, hopes the sport’s top two leagues find a way forward together.
“When you have two champions, you want to know who’s the best,” she said. “It would be great to have one Super League, but it would be really hard to do because both of the leagues are far down the road.”
Sowers agrees.
“A big issues is, everyone has an idea of who can do it best,” she said. “We need to come together and create one powerhouse league that has more resources.”
Flag on the field
The NFL is investing a lot in flag football, which will be an Olympic sport in 2028. The league did give women’s tackle football a platform at halftime of the Pro Bowl in 2020, when 22 players from the Utah Girls Football League were featured in a scrimmage.
Former NFL offensive tackle Roman Oben, the league’s vice president of football development, applauded the commitment women are making to play tackle football.
“It’s been really commendable to see the growth of the sport,” Oben said. “There isn’t a formal partnership with the NFL, but there have been discussions with a few of the leagues. We’re aware these women are paying to play for pads, insurance, equipment and travel and they should be applauded.”
Flag football, Jenkins said, will ultimately have the same effect on women’s tackle football as Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese have had on the WNBA and the sport will benefit from the increased interest in girls and women playing basketball, soccer, softball, volleyball and more.
“Flag football is putting the ball in the hands of more girls and women than ever and it’s going to create the greatest pipeline in the history of the sport,” Jenkins said. “Women have been playing tackle football for 60 years, but now we have brands everyone knows stepping up to alleviate some of the financial pressure on our players and that’s what it is going to take to move it past a club level.”
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Follow Larry Lage on X
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AP sports: https://apnews.com/hub/sports
Sports
VanHootegem Joins Track & Field Coaching Staff
HOUSTON – Jim VanHootegem, a three-time USTFCCCA National Assistant Coach of the Year and Big 12 Conference Coach of the Year selection, has joined the University of Houston Track & Field program as an assistant coach, Director of Track & Field Will Blackburn announced Friday. “This is the realization of a long-held aspiration to […]

“This is the realization of a long-held aspiration to be a part of Houston Track and Field,” VanHootegem said. “I want to thank Eddie Nuñez, Lauren DuBois, Will Blackburn and Carl Lewis for this opportunity. I can’t wait to continue the great Cougar tradition of developing individual student-athletes to the highest levels and contending for team championships. So much of my coaching has been based upon what I’ve learned from legendary coach Tom Tellez, and it’s an amazing honor to follow in his coaching footsteps.”
VanHootegem (pronounced van-OTT-eh-ghem) will coach the horizontal jumps after spending two seasons at South Plains College. During his time with the Texans, he was named the 2025 USTFCCCA Indoor Track & Field Assistant Coach of the Year and helped guide the team to three team NJCAA National Championships, including seven individual National Championship titles.
“We just got even better as an overall program with Jim’s addition,” said Blackburn. “He brings years of experience as both a head coach and assistant, having led the program to win team National Championships titles at the NCAA and NJCAA levels. Our program is built on representing the University of Houston at the highest level in the Big 12, NCAA Championships and on the international level. Jim understands the rich history of Houston Track &Field, and we are excited to have him join the program.”
In his career, VanHootegem has helped guide his programs to 15 National Team Championship titles and 27 conference team titles. Additionally, VanHootegem produced 138 All-American honors as an event coach and 63 honorees as a head coach.
His coaching accolades include the 2016 Big 12 Conference Women’s Outdoor Head Coach of the Year, three USTFCCCA National Assistant Coach of the Year, three USTFCCCA Regional Assistant Coach of the Year honors and five Big East Conference Coaching Staff of the Year recognitions.
VanHootegem brings a wealth of Big 12 experience as he served as the head coach at Oklahoma for six seasons from 2013-19. He guided 83 Sooners to NCAA Championship berths, 62 collected All-America accolades and 28 won individual or relay Big 12 titles. Additionally, 65 student-athletes earned All-Academic honors from the USTFCCCA.
From 2004-2013, VanHootegem served as an assistant coach at Texas A&M where the Aggies won seven NCAA team titles, 22 individual NCAA Champions and 14 conference crowns. VanHootegem was named the 2009 Men’s National Assistant Coach of the Year and a 2012 Mondo Regional Assistant Coach of the Year by the USTFCCCA.
VanHootegem was an assistant coach at Miami from 2001-04, where he won five conference titles and was a member of the Big East Coaching Staff of the Year on five separate occasions.
As a student-athlete at North Central College, VanHootegem helped lead his squad to a pair of NCAA Division III national championships and two third-place finishes. He is a seven-time All-American and was named the team’s most valuable athlete and a team captain.
A native of Kewanee, Ill., VanHootegem earned his bachelor’s degree in physical education from North Central College. He is currently a USTFCCCA Academy instructor for the jumps curriculum. Van Hootegem is a certified strength and conditioning coach by the USTFCCCA Academy and is Level II certified in the USA Track & Field Coaching Education Program.
VanHootegem is married to the former Carmen Melendez, and they have three children, Tori, Quin and Olivia. The VanHootegems also have two granddaughters, Eden and Hazel.
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STAY CONNECTED
Fans can receive updates on #HTownSpeedCity by following @UHCougarTF on X and catch up with the latest news and notes on the team by clicking LIKE on the team’s Facebook page at UHCougarTF or on the team’s Instagram page at @uhcougartf.
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