Ben Portnoy has covered college sports for Sports Business Journal since 2023. He joined the publication following nearly five years in daily newspapers covering the SEC, including stints on the South Carolina and Mississippi State beats.  A native of Washington, D.C., he's a graduate of Indiana University.


Players Era expanding deal with The LinkU

Players Era and The LinkU are set to announce an expansion of their deal that makes the latter the official NIL platform of the Players Era Men’s and Women’s Championships. Exact terms were not immediately available.

SBJ College: Behind the Pop-Tarts mascots’ Irish adventure

The Aug. 26 edition of the SBJ College newsletter reports on the Pop-Tarts Bowl connection in the Week O Aer Lingus College Football Classic, Wisconsin's latest spree of alcohol sponsors, insights from Southland Conference Commissioner Chris Grant on their ESPN media deal extension and final thought...

Lee Corso’s colleagues remember his lasting impact on college football

Distilling the endless tales about college football’s favorite uncle, Lee Corso, into one story was a borderline impossible task. I tried to narrow it down with one question: What’s the best Corso story no one has ever heard?

Wisconsin adds alcohol sponsors ahead of football season

Wisconsin fans looking to incorporate a few extra Badger logos into their homes have a new option -- cases of beer.

Southland gets ESPN spotlight in Week Zero

It’s been a busy couple weeks for Southland Commissioner Chris Grant.

How the Pop-Tart mascots made it to Dublin for Week Zero

The Aer Lingus College Football Classic has become a Week Zero mainstay. An activation from Pop-Tarts, though? That’s new.

Univ. of Texas, Humann agree to significant, wide-ranging sponsorship deal

The Univ. of Texas and Humann, a cardiovascular health brand based in Austin, have agreed to a wide-ranging sponsorship deal that will include on-field signage at Darrel K Royal Texas Memorial Stadium, among other facets.

Elevate adding new exec on college side

Elevate is set to announce the hiring of Celine Mangan as VP/Business Development for College. Mangan spent the previous four years at Altius Sports Partners, most recently as the vice president of ASP College. Prior to Altius, she spent over three years at Women Leaders in Sports, where she led rev...