Inside The Modern College Sports World: How Storytelling Drives College Athletics

10-20 years ago, the creative content aspect within college athletics was almost an afterthought. A singular intern may have been hired to run an entire team/athletics program's social media pages. Using a collegiate men's basketball program as an example, the posts may have looked like game highlights, maybe a picture or two during the week of practice, etc. and then move onto the next thing.

Now? The creative content department is the heartbeat of many collegiate athletic programs across the country. It's so much bigger than just a simple social media post now. Every photo, video, game presentation element, and marketing activation shapes how fans, recruits, and stakeholders connect to and remember your team's brand.

Storytelling through creative content has become the identity for marketing in collegiate athletics.

My day job at the moment is to help manage the creative content for Arizona Men's Basketball. I help with everything from shooting photos, videos, gameday presentation, helping coordinate a team of interns, and ultimately helping to advance the brand that is Arizona Men's Basketball. Whether it's a simple carousel on Instagram of practice photos, hype video edits to get fans excited for a gameday, or remembering past legends/moments of the program - each and every piece of content that is produced is built to further our story as a team. These pieces of content help to drive recruiting, keeps our fanbase engaged, and connects the next generation of Wildcat athletes/staff to the team's storied history and what it means to the greater Tucson community.

In the early 2010s, what "content" might have looked like for a college athletics program was game photos, a couple highlights, and maybe posters/print ads around campus to highlight upcoming games and the team schedule. Today, creative content is not only embedded as a fundamental aspect of a college athletics program's marketing strategy, it has become the core of what drives profit within these athletics programs. As a digital content creator, we aren't simply creating content to sell tickets - what we're really selling is the emotion of the fan experience at Arizona Basketball.

Now, what does this look like, in practical terms? The excitement might start on the social media page - a video gets posted to the account that flashes game highlights, the emotion of the players/coaches, and the incredible atmosphere of watching a game at the McKale Center. While at the game, a spectator now watches an intro video before the starting lineups are announced, setting the tone for the fans in the arena for the show they are about to watch. These clips that are spliced together suddenly go from simple captured videos to storied pieces that are used for recruiting videos, brand campaigns, social media pieces, player-driven content, etc. all coming together to showcase the frontlines of a program's identity.

As an elite collegiate basketball program, Arizona Basketball is competing for more than just championships in the digital age - we are now also competing for attention - which is now earned through creative content and storytelling. We're doing more than just selling tickets, we're now selling the emotion of being at a game and supporting the Arizona Wildcats. The team photographers, videographers, editors, designers, and creative directors all work together behind the scenes to not only capture moments, but shift them into movements.

What are some incredible Arizona Basketball moments? One could never forget the 1997 National Championship run the Wildcats had. Or, what about Derrick Williams's tomahawk dunk in the 2011 March Madness Sweet Sixteen round, helping the Wildcats advance past Duke? Of course, Caleb Love's game-tying halfcourt heave vs Iowa State last year to send the game to overtime could never be forgtten. Better yet, just recently, Koa Peat's thunderous entrance to the college basketball ranks on November 3rd, scoring 30 points in a signature victory for the Cats, taking down the #3 ranked and defending national champions the Florida Gators. Whether you're an Arizona Wildcat diehard or just an avid college basketball fan, these are moments that are forever frozen in time.

But, what turns these simple highlight moments into feelings for the fans? It's the story behind it. The struggles Caleb Love faced with his on-court shooting performance in the game leading up to that shot - or the fact that many media outlets were saying Koa Peat may not in fact be ready to contribute right away at the collegiate level. From a broader perspective, you may think of the culture that turns raw talent into unified teamwork, or the rivalry game between schools that has been brewing to a boiling point. At Arizona Basketball, when we shoot a game, take photos at practice, or design a graphic, we're not just creating a singular piece of content - we're helping to forge a narrative. Because the truth is, anyone can post a simple highlight, but it's the storytelling that helps to build the brand. Creative content doesn't just reflect the culture, it helps to push it forward. When players see that their program is represented with pride, they are more likely to buy in. Coaches can share the team's creative work with their players, showcasing how it aligns with their message. This strengthens not only their belief, but also reinforces the standard that the program has set.

As the digital world keeps evolving, so does the content that comes along with it. Cinema cameras are now commonplace among creative departments at the Power 5 collegiate level. Undergraduate interns are now well-versed in both graphic design, editing, and even 3D animation. The use of AI within creative content is going to become even more widely used. Through it all, these new tools and skilled individuals are continuing to advance the boundaries of digital storytelling.

At the core of college basketball, the game itself will always remain at the center. However, the way people experience the game is due large in part to the work of the creative department. While the box score might tell you who scored the most points and which team won or lost, the creative team tells you exactly why that mattered. The best programs in college sports today don't just help to build a fanbase, they help to build and create a legacy that will extend far beyond their time.