College of Arts and Sciences Newsroom

By Elisabeth Watson ’26

Behind the scenes of University of Dayton’s Athletics events are dozens of students dedicated to putting on a show for loyal Flyer fans.

For the past nine years, ESPN+ has been working alongside UD students, teaching them how to produce a live sports broadcast. 

The student production crew covers University sporting events for volleyball, soccer, basketball and baseball. The events are broadcast nationally via the ESPN+ streaming service.

Some crew members have worked the NCAA Men’s Basketball First Four games at UD Arena, and captured footage used on NCAA social media channels.

“I came in with no experience in the media production field,” said Jacob Hernandez, a junior sport management major from Mason, Ohio, who has worked with the ESPN+ crew for three years. “This job has helped me learn so much about the field and I really appreciate the amount of work that goes into producing a show. I actually added a minor in media production because I liked the job so much.”

The production crew is composed of 26 students who cover positions such as assistant director, graphics, audio, replay and camera, which can include operating a robotic camera. Ten to 12 students work each game. Many are communication majors but the experiential learning opportunity is available for students of all majors to apply.

Scott Helton, UD director of broadcasting and live event production, oversees the student crew. 

“We give students a hands-on learning approach,” Helton said. “The students are getting as close to a real-world production experience as they are going to get in an academic learning environment.”

Crew members use professional-grade media production equipment. In August 2024, the crew upgraded to a new production truck that rivals a professional mobile unit used by major broadcast companies. 

The student production team also has perks, like being on the ground for UD athletic events.

“I think one of the best memories I have is this past October when I got to work the game where our men's soccer team beat No. 1-ranked West Virginia University,” said Mary Yablonski, a sophomore communication major with a media production concentration from Columbus, Ohio. “It was such a cool game to watch and work, and we all really bonded as a crew.”

Basketball games are a big draw for students, especially for the crew members looking to work games like the NCAA Men's Basketball First Four, which UD has hosted since 2011.

“It was an honor to work the First Four event as a freshman, and it was even cooler to be able to create memories with some great crew members doing something I never would have imagined at the beginning of the year,” Hernandez said.

Working with the crew has also helped create outside opportunities.

“I have been given the opportunity to be a part of the Dayton Dragons tech crew team and do ‘fan camera’ there,” said Collin Maclang, a junior communication major with a media production concentration from Salt Lake City, who specializes in camera work. “Whenever I do ‘fan cam’ for any production, it's a memory in itself.”

Abigail Finke, a first-year communications major with a concentration in media production from Dayton, captured a defensive play that was used by CBS Sports. 

“I was running the robotic camera for a men’s basketball game this season and since CBS Sports was there, I assumed that my shots were only going to be used for our in-house show for the fans in the arena,” Finke said, “To my surprise, my shot was being broadcast on CBS. It was a super-cool experience and now I get to say my camera work has been used on national television!”

Helton said some former crew members have gone on to work for professional sports teams such as the Chicago Cubs and the Savannah Bananas. 

“It's such a collaborative effort that teaches clear and concise communication, and everybody has a role,” Helton said. “Pushing toward a goal of having a good clean broadcast, where everyone has a very specific job and they are all working together and relying on each other, I think that is a really cool experience for them.”

Elisabeth Watson, a junior communication major from Oak Park, Illinois, is a member of UD’s ESPN+ student production crew.

Photos by Julia Daschbach ’26