A few blog posts on sports media written for my English 202D class...
The NIL Era Is Rewriting College Sports Media
College sports media is being reshaped by Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) policies. Since the NCAA allowed athletes to monetize their personal brands, storytelling has shifted dramatically.
Athletes are no longer just subjects of coverage and interviews, rather being content creators themselves. Platforms like Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok allow them to bypass traditional media and speak directly to fans.Examples of this include North Carolina women’s tennis’s Anna Frey and Nebraska basketball’s Connor Essegian, who’s provided behind-the-scenes looks at the Cornhuskers program during his injury recovery.
According to a study done at the University of South Florida, college sports media has changed, and there’s a “significant role of social media in this transformation, allowing college athletes to create personal narratives that resonate with fans and create authentic connections.” This transformation has been proven by many athletes having thousands, and even millions in some cases, of followers who want to see content produced by those athletes, rather than them being the subject of others’ content.
So What?
This shift forces journalists to think differently. Reporting now blends sports, business, and digital culture. It’s no longer just about getting players to be the subject of an interview, story, or other content form, as reporters are forced to engage fans in a different way than the players are able to on their own platforms.
For student-athletes entering sports media, this evolution creates opportunity, and understanding branding, marketing, and digital storytelling is now essential to them, a different story from before NIL was a part of college athletics.
For sports media professionals, they’re being forced to not just report news, but also interpret the business behind it, including with college students.
Athletes are no longer just subjects of coverage and interviews, rather being content creators themselves. Platforms like Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok allow them to bypass traditional media and speak directly to fans.Examples of this include North Carolina women’s tennis’s Anna Frey and Nebraska basketball’s Connor Essegian, who’s provided behind-the-scenes looks at the Cornhuskers program during his injury recovery.
According to a study done at the University of South Florida, college sports media has changed, and there’s a “significant role of social media in this transformation, allowing college athletes to create personal narratives that resonate with fans and create authentic connections.” This transformation has been proven by many athletes having thousands, and even millions in some cases, of followers who want to see content produced by those athletes, rather than them being the subject of others’ content.
So What?
This shift forces journalists to think differently. Reporting now blends sports, business, and digital culture. It’s no longer just about getting players to be the subject of an interview, story, or other content form, as reporters are forced to engage fans in a different way than the players are able to on their own platforms.
For student-athletes entering sports media, this evolution creates opportunity, and understanding branding, marketing, and digital storytelling is now essential to them, a different story from before NIL was a part of college athletics.
For sports media professionals, they’re being forced to not just report news, but also interpret the business behind it, including with college students.
From Sidelines to Studio: Why Former Athletes Thrive as Color Commentators
One of the most noticeable trends in sports media is the rise of former athletes as color commentators. Networks like ESPN, CBS, and more consistently hire ex-players to provide analysis during live broadcasts.
The Positives
The reason is simple: experience matters. Former athletes bring firsthand knowledge that traditional broadcasters often cannot replicate, understanding game strategy, locker room dynamics, and in-game adjustments at a deeper level.
Color commentators complement play-by-play announcers by explaining why and how something is happening, not just what is happening. Analysts like Kirk Herbstreit and Tony Romo have built careers translating complex plays into accessible insights for viewers.
This trend is especially strong in college sports as former college stars often return to cover the same programs or conferences where they built their reputations, especially for the team’s radio network. This creates a powerful storytelling element, allowing them to connect past and present while also breaking down current performances, and fans already have a good understanding of who they are.
The Drawbacks
However, hiring former athletes isn’t without challenges. Not every great player becomes a great communicator. Broadcasting requires clarity, timing, and storytelling skills, abilities that must be developed.
In a story in Sports Broadcast Journal, it’s explained that former players often think fans understand the terminology they use in broadcasts, but for the average viewer, that’s often not true. These broadcasters will use advanced game knowledge to explain why or how a play happened, but going too deep can actually hurt. But, many networks now invest in media training to help former players transition successfully into broadcasting roles. So, while it comes with its issues, hiring former athletes as color commentators is a golden opportunity for broadcasts to be the most engaging it possibly can be.
What It Means
For people, especially students, interested in sports media, this trend highlights the importance of communication. Knowing the basics of how to be a play-by-play broadcaster is important, of course, but so is having the ability to bring in an analyst to drive the show and not getting starstruck when working with a former athlete.
The Positives
The reason is simple: experience matters. Former athletes bring firsthand knowledge that traditional broadcasters often cannot replicate, understanding game strategy, locker room dynamics, and in-game adjustments at a deeper level.
Color commentators complement play-by-play announcers by explaining why and how something is happening, not just what is happening. Analysts like Kirk Herbstreit and Tony Romo have built careers translating complex plays into accessible insights for viewers.
This trend is especially strong in college sports as former college stars often return to cover the same programs or conferences where they built their reputations, especially for the team’s radio network. This creates a powerful storytelling element, allowing them to connect past and present while also breaking down current performances, and fans already have a good understanding of who they are.
The Drawbacks
However, hiring former athletes isn’t without challenges. Not every great player becomes a great communicator. Broadcasting requires clarity, timing, and storytelling skills, abilities that must be developed.
In a story in Sports Broadcast Journal, it’s explained that former players often think fans understand the terminology they use in broadcasts, but for the average viewer, that’s often not true. These broadcasters will use advanced game knowledge to explain why or how a play happened, but going too deep can actually hurt. But, many networks now invest in media training to help former players transition successfully into broadcasting roles. So, while it comes with its issues, hiring former athletes as color commentators is a golden opportunity for broadcasts to be the most engaging it possibly can be.
What It Means
For people, especially students, interested in sports media, this trend highlights the importance of communication. Knowing the basics of how to be a play-by-play broadcaster is important, of course, but so is having the ability to bring in an analyst to drive the show and not getting starstruck when working with a former athlete.
How Conference Realignment has Changed College Sports Media's Scope
Conference realignment in college sports is no longer just about geography. It’s about media rights, with schools chasing exposure and revenue, not the best opponents or most sensical geographical location.
The expansion of conferences like the Big Ten reflects a strategy built around television deals and streaming platforms.
In an ESPN article, former Big Ten commissioner Jim Delaney said aggregating conference media rights is a “business decision” that allows schools to split the revenue that comes in from TV network deals. While the deals are long-term, they provide guaranteed money for athletic programs and not expected money, which is the case for many things in college sports nowadays.
While the business side of these deals matter, they also have an impact on fans.
This conference realignment and TV network deals mean more games on national platforms but fewer traditional rivalries. For media professionals, it means adapting to a national, rather than regional, storytelling approach.
Content now needs to appeal to broader audiences. Local angles still matter, but national narratives dominate, such as cross-country conference matchups like Rutgers and UCLA or Penn State and Oregon.
For those looking to build a career in sports media, understanding media rights deals is critical. They shape everything from kickoff times to which stories get told to which stories matter to audiences.
The expansion of conferences like the Big Ten reflects a strategy built around television deals and streaming platforms.
In an ESPN article, former Big Ten commissioner Jim Delaney said aggregating conference media rights is a “business decision” that allows schools to split the revenue that comes in from TV network deals. While the deals are long-term, they provide guaranteed money for athletic programs and not expected money, which is the case for many things in college sports nowadays.
While the business side of these deals matter, they also have an impact on fans.
This conference realignment and TV network deals mean more games on national platforms but fewer traditional rivalries. For media professionals, it means adapting to a national, rather than regional, storytelling approach.
Content now needs to appeal to broader audiences. Local angles still matter, but national narratives dominate, such as cross-country conference matchups like Rutgers and UCLA or Penn State and Oregon.
For those looking to build a career in sports media, understanding media rights deals is critical. They shape everything from kickoff times to which stories get told to which stories matter to audiences.