Sports
Why USC sold Coliseum field space to DirecTV: It's 'an adapt-or-die scenario'
When USC fans get their first, long-awaited glimpse inside the L.A. Memorial Coliseum on Saturday night, they’ll be greeted by an unfamiliar sight at the back of both of the century-old stadium’s end zones.
An on-field sponsor ad, painted in black over the field’s white apron, urging them to “STREAM TROJAN FOOTBALL” on DirecTV.
That message might not have landed so well last weekend, after Disney pulled access to DirecTV amid a contract dispute, leaving more than 10 million in Southern California unable to stream USC’s season-opening win over Louisiana State on ESPN. But by Saturday, DirecTV will be front and center for all to see in the Coliseum end zone — assuming, of course, you have Big Ten Network.
USC will be among the first in college football to take advantage of the NCAA’s new rules allowing schools to sell on-field sponsorship ads as new means for revenue. Even fewer have sold on-field ad space to a second sponsor like USC, which will display the logo of crypto investment platform, iTrustCapital, along one sideline boundary of the Coliseum’s end zone.
But as athletic departments across the nation brace for revenue sharing and other costly changes to the landscape of college athletics, most stakeholders agree on-field corporate sponsors are just the beginning of college football’s march toward commercialization.
“There’s a lot of pressure to maximize their commercial revenue in a way that hasn’t really existed before,” said Christy Hedgpeth, president of PlayFly Sports Properties, which holds the multimedia rights to USC athletics and many other top college sports programs. “They’re being forced to consider things they might not have otherwise.”
The question, as schools seek out new sponsors and fresh creative revenue streams, is where that line should be drawn.
At USC, that conversation began long before the NCAA changed its rules in June. In 2018, the university struck a 16-year, $69-million deal with United Airlines that would have renamed the stadium the “United Airlines Coliseum”. But that deal came under intense scrutiny, when Janice Hahn, the president of the Coliseum Commission, spoke out fervently against it, suggesting that it “insults the memories of [World War I veterans] the Coliseum was intended to honor.”
The backlash nearly sunk the deal, which USC desperately needed to fund the stadium’s costly renovations. Ultimately, though, the two sides decided on a new alternative. Instead of naming the stadium, USC struck a 10-year deal with United for the naming rights to the field, which has since been named “United Airlines Field at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum”.
“United Airlines Field” has since been displayed prominently on both 25-yard lines, the most valuable on-field real estate that athletic directors can sell. Selling more of that real estate, without overwhelming fans with ads, is a delicate balance that many in the space are still trying to strike.
At USC, with its rich history and deeply entrenched traditions, officials have tried to be especially cognizant of where that line could be. USC football coach Lincoln Riley said Thursday that he’d “battled with” that balance himself.
But even Riley agrees a more commercial approach is inevitable, considering where college football is headed. He called it “an adapt-or-die scenario.”
“We do have so much history and tradition here at USC, and that’s never going to go away,” Riley said. “But we also have to understand that the world around us is changing, and we can’t just sit there and only live on everything that’s happened in the past. It’s on us to find those balances, to honor that, but also not doing anything that would hamper our ability to climb, not just as a football program, but a whole athletic department.”
That approach aligned with DirecTV’s own intentions in the space. Josh Stern, DirecTV’s associate vice president of brand strategy and investments, said the goal was to be “organic” and “non-invasive”, so as to catch fans’ attention, but also not upset them.
There’s no “one-size approach” that fits all schools in determining that balance, Stern says. But he believes that fan tolerance is much higher than it once was.
Still, some schools remain reluctant amid concerns over that tolerance.
“I don’t think schools have carte blanche yet,” Hedgpeth, the president of PlayFly Sports Properties, said. “Old habits die hard, and traditions are really sacred. These college programs, they’re older than most pro teams. You have such fervent loyal, passionate, engaged fans. There’s definitely a segment of fan bases at some schools that have some pause.”
Those holdouts, however, are dwindling, just as athletic departments grow more desperate for new revenue streams. Hedgpeth, who worked with the NBA when it first welcomed corporate logos on jerseys, believes college football isn’t far off from allowing similar jersey patches.
According to valuations released in June from Elevate, a sports business consultancy firm, upper-tier college football programs could command as much as $6 million per year for stitching a corporate logo to their school’s jersey.
That’s no small chunk of change, considering the costs to come in college sports. But at what cost could that come to tradition?
Riley thinks it’s possible to balance both.
“You see it happening in professional sports all over the place, at some of the most storied, successful franchises and organizations,” Riley said. “They’ve been able to have all the history and tradition you want, but also be able to adapt to a new world.”
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Sherrone Moore’s booking photo was released about a week after the former Michigan Wolverines football coach was fired from his job and arrested on several charges.
Fox News Digital obtained the booking photo of Moore on Thursday. The picture showed a red-eyed Moore appearing downcast in the Washtenaw County Jail in Michigan.
Sherrone Moore’s booking photo was obtained by Fox News Digital on Dec. 18, 2025. (Washtenaw County Jail)
The photo’s release came as new details emerged in the Moore scandal, including allegations that he “had a long history of domestic violence” against the staffer with whom he allegedly maintained an inappropriate, yearslong relationship.
Court documents obtained by Fox News Digital revealed allegations made by the staffer’s attorney, Heidi Sharp, on the day that Moore allegedly entered her home without permission, which later resulted in his arrest.
Moore appeared in a Washtenaw County court on Friday, where his bond was set at $25,000 and included several conditions, including no contact with the alleged victim in the case. A not guilty plea was entered for him.
Prosecutors detailed the alleged events that led up to Moore’s arrest, including that Moore had engaged in an “intimate relationship” with the Michigan staffer for “a number of years” and that the woman had broken up with him two days before his arrest.
Former Michigan football coach Sherrone Moore appears via video in court in Ann Arbor, Michigan, on Dec. 12, 2025. (Ryan Sun/AP Photo)
MICHIGAN FOOTBALL RECRUITS DE-COMMIT FROM PROGRAM AMID SHERRONE MOORE SCANDAL
Prosecutors accused Moore of contacting the staffer via phone calls and texts after the breakup, prompting the victim to contact the University of Michigan and cooperate in its investigation. Moore was subsequently fired from his position as head football coach, which prosecutors said prompted him to show up at the woman’s home.
Moore then allegedly “barged” his way into the residence, grabbed a butter knife and a pair of scissors and then began threatening his own life. According to prosecutors, Moore allegedly told the staffer, “My blood is on your hands” and “You ruined my life.”
Fox News Digital reached out to Moore’s attorney for comment.
Moore faces a felony charge of home invasion in the third degree and two misdemeanor charges of stalking and breaking and entering without the owner’s permission. He was released on bond and is due back in court on Jan. 22.
Sherrone Moore, then-of the Michigan Wolverines, looks on during the second half against the Maryland Terrapins at SECU Stadium on November 22, 2025 in College Park, Maryland. (Chris Bernacchi/Diamond Images via Getty Images)
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Moore took over as head coach for Jim Harbaugh when he left to take the Los Angeles Chargers’ job.
Fox News’ Paulina Dedaj contributed to this report.
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HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL
WEDNESDAY’S RESULTS
BOYS
CITY SECTION
AMIT 59, Sun Valley Magnet 38
Bernstein 71, Contreras 26
Crenshaw 55, King/Drew 39
Fulton 50, Vaughn 48
Hollywood 104, Belmont 10
LA Hamilton 71, Downtown Magnets 69
MSAR 67, Valor Academy 56
MSCP 84, Larchmont Charter 25
Northridge Academy 59, VAAS 12
Orthopaedic 69, Animo Bunche 34
RFK Community 73, Jefferson 70
Royal 54, Mendez 52
View Park 55, Bell 48
Wilmington Banning 62, Elizabeth 26
SOUTHERN SECTION
Arroyo 54, South El Monte 50
Chadwick 91, Paramount 63
Damien 66, Aquinas 41
Downey 57, Workman 22
Edgewood 52, West Covina 43
Flintridge Prep 80, ISLA 15
Gabrielino 91, Mountain View 46
Garden Grove 58, Irvine University 56
Hemet 56, Valley View 55
Highland 68, Lancaster 34
Hillcrest 57, Orange Vista 56
Indian Springs 64, Citrus Valley 55
Laguna Beach 70, Costa Mesa 46
Lakeside 54, Canyon Springs 50
La Palma 69, Westminster 18
Maricopa 47, Laton 17
Moreno Valley 52, Arlington 42
North Torrance 75, Bellflower 30
Pasadena Marshal 75, El Monte 51
Peninsula 65, Redondo Union 63
Perris 63, Riverside North 62
Pilgrim 71, Westmark 39
Public Safety Academy 51, River Springs Charter 44
Quartz Hill 76, Antelope Valley 44
Redondo Union 76, Peninsula 18
Riverside King 61, Chaparral 55
Riverside Poly 54, Liberty 43
Samueli Academy 49, Bolsa Grande 48
San Fernando Academy 71, Summit View 19
Segerstrom 66, Loara 38
Sierra Vista 62, Covina 58
Temple City 51, El Rancho 46
Thousand Oaks 65, Shalhevet 38
Torrance 76, El Segundo 37
Vista del Lago 57, Heritage 51
INTERSECTIONAL
Dorsey 60, Lawndale 55
Grace 68, Panorama 34
LA Roosevelt 42, Alhambra 39
San Gabriel 50, Maywood CES 23
Westchester 48, Compton Centennial 36
GIRLS
CITY SECTION
AMIT 25, Sun Valley Magnet 20
Bernstein 56, Contreras 13
Cleveland 64, North Hollywood 24
Hollywood 63, Belmont 13
King/Drew 60, Crenshaw 12
Larchmont Charter 36, MSCP 33
MSAR 42, Valor Academy 29
Orthopaedic 28, Animo Bunche 5
Rancho Dominguez 31, Elizabeth 20
South East 51, Lakeview Charter 23
Washington 65, Fremont 10
SOUTHERN SECTION
Agoura 65, Simi Valley 38
Buena Park 78, Westminster 29
Citrus Valley 43, Indio 24
Covina 56, Garey 25
CSDR 71, Victor Valley 33
El Modena 37, Edison 29
Flintridge Prep 85, Westridge 9
Gabrielino 81, Mountain View 4
Hemet 51, Valley View 24
Jurupa Valley 29, Indian Springs 20
Knight 81, Littlerock 8
Lancaster 60, Highland 40
Laton 29, Maricopa 8
Liberty 59, Citrus Hill 28
Los Altos 59, Anaheim 42
Los Amigos 39, Saddleback 19
Mira Costa 54, West Torrance 50
Newbury Park 53, Oxnard Pacifica 34
Oxnard 50, Santa Paula 42
Quartz Hill 57, Antelope Valley 18
Rancho Verde 46, Perris 19
Ramona 56, Gahr 29
Rancho Christian 100, Heritage 41
Riverside North 47, Vista del Lago 34
Riverside King 63, Xaxier Prep 38
Riverside Poly 73, Paloma Valley 38
River Springs Charter 35, Public Safety Academy 15
San Gabriel 46, Edgewood 26
San Gabriel Academy 63, Compton Centennial 62
Savanna 52, Costa Mesa 38
South El Monte 24, Arroyo 21
Thousand Oaks 69, Shalhevet 39
Torrance 74, El Segundo 36
Upland 44, Rosemead 27
Woodbridge 48, Century 6
Yorba Linda 64, Placentia Valencia 44
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Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen has had a terrific 2025.
He and his wife, actress and singer Hailee Steinfeld, got married in June and last week he announced the two were expecting their first child together. Not to mention, he started the year being awarded the NFL MVP trophy.
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) passes against the New England Patriots during the second half of an NFL football game in Foxborough, Massachusetts, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
Allen expressed some appreciation for how he’s grown as a person since he arrived in Buffalo in 2018 as his life took him from a small town in California to Wyoming to the NFL and on the brink of leading a championship-starved city to a Super Bowl appearance.
“Yeah, I guess it’s like the evolution of life,” he said Wednesday. “I consider this place my home. It’s where I’ve done a lot of growing up. And it’s a place that I’ll raise a family. It’s really cool.”
As his work-life balance becomes more rigid, The Associated Press noted a curious comment he made in October during “Monday Night Football.” He was asked what Steinfeld has taught him during their relationship. He responded, “Maybe I am more than a football player.”
Allen confirmed to The Associated Press that Steinfeld’s pregnancy factored into his response.
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Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen speaks at a news conference after an NFL football game against the New England Patriots in Foxborough, Massachusetts, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
“Overjoyed, absolutely overjoyed,” he said, while confirming that he knew he was going to be a dad before the ESPN interview occurred.
Allen is a three-time Pro Bowler and coming off an MVP season. While he’s done more than enough to warrant talk of back-to-back MVPs, Allen shook that notion off going into Week 16.
“I’m just trying to do my job, just trying to find a way to get in the playoffs here,” he said.
Beating the New England Patriots last week after being down 21 points was a good first step. Buffalo has had ups and downs all season long but the team seems to be hitting its stride now with four wins in their last five games.
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Buffalo will go up against the Cleveland Browns on the road on Sunday.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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