Tier 2 · Anchor · NCAA D-I FCS · Athletics department · Prepared for College of the Holy Cross leadership · RUTS desk

College of the Holy Cross

College of the Holy Cross ranks #157 of 363 in NCAA D-I FCS on the RUTS Team Visibility Score (59.4). Scale posture.

53
BRAND LEVERAGE / 100
Build
Engagement posture
Tier 2 · Anchor
26,148
Venue capacity
MA, MA
5
Audience pools mapped
Monthly recalibration
$526K–$2.3M
Modeled Y1 return
HSMG-activated
The thesis

NCAA D-I FCS · Patriot League · 9 varsity sports. The visibility base is carried by Digital / social at 44 index, while City / state / diaspora is the drag at 12. The department already produces 13 eventable dates and 104 modeled clip slots a year across 110 athlete channels — inventory that is currently unpriced. The brief below models what that inventory is worth once it is packaged, distributed and sold as one system.

Brand & audience brief

Where the club stands, by the numbers

Public-source brief. Planning figures are not forecasts. Prepared without access to club internal data.

Loading roster audience…
Opportunity map

One measured baseline, eight departmental lenses

DepartmentWhat we seeOpportunityHow we measure
MarketingStory coverage thin beyond the stars.Storyline bank: four evidence-based paths per player (roots, grind, craft, impact) from published coverage.Narrative and identity scores; content views
Sponsorship activationValue concentrated in a few players.Sponsor-fit index by category across the roster, a rate card for the long tail, proof reports after each activation.Sponsor-fit coverage; delivered views; renewals
EventsHome dates and tentpole moments.Moments calendar and hometown-based appearance matching.Event attendance and engagement
Premium servicesSeat yield and member value.Audience segments and player-led content for premium audiences (needs club data; optional).Premium engagement and conversion (club data)
CreativeContent capacity stretched across the roster.One shoot day planned from the storyline bank into many short and long assets.Assets per shoot; cost per delivered view
Sales analyticsNo shared score for athlete reach.Locked baseline, quarterly re-score and peer-set percentile for the club and each player.Score movement per activation
Owned mediaOwned content engine.Player-led series and a connected-TV test channel through LookHu.Views, completion, ad yield
International / diasporaHeritage players and diaspora markets.Market and diaspora map plus roots-based player content.Community growth vs dated baseline
Media

Creators and writers covering the team

Beat writers from the media directories

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From gap to inventory

Turning concealed value into department plays

Players at or above the roster median RUTS (0.0) whose measured attention lags are undervalued inventory for content, sponsorship and experiences, not just roster depth. Concepts below are proposals for piloting, not commitments or forecasts.

No players currently score above median with below-median reach.

DepartmentHow to frame the gapTalking point
Content & creativeUnder-told, authentic stories versus star-driven content fatigue.3–5 series built around high-RUTS, low-attention players: process, preparation, local roots, position craft.
Sponsorship activationAuthentic, lower-cost talent for partners who want real over celebrity.4–6 players matched to performance, family, community or underdog categories; activations that feel earned.
Events & premiumExclusive access that feels special because the player is not over-exposed.Suite visits, practice access, community days with concealed-value players.
Sales analytics & engagementA measurable lift opportunity.Follower change, engagement rate, share of voice, premium interest, sponsor satisfaction vs star-content baseline.
Team network (VEN)Fresh programming that widens the roster narrative.Recurring segments humanizing high-RUTS, low-visibility players, linked to team storytelling.
Brand / fan engagementConnection beyond the obvious stars.Local affinity and underdog identification build longer-term fandom.
Pilot A · 30 days
Process series + one sponsor test

Content/network and creative produce a 4-part process series on two concealed-value players; sponsorship activation offers one partner a presenting slot. Analytics measures lift against each player's dated baseline and against star content.

Pilot B · 60 days
Scarce-access premium experience

Events and premium services host one small-group experience featuring concealed-value players. Sales analytics tracks premium interest signals, attendee satisfaction and resulting social engagement.

Bottom line: these ideas can be piloted this season with existing creative, events and network resources, need no new headcount, and widen the usable roster narrative for engagement and sponsorship beyond the highest-attention players.

Proposed first step

A 30-day baseline pilot

Week 1
Baseline

Lock a dated RUTS baseline for College of the Holy Cross and a first group of 12–15 players. Verify handles and counts.

Weeks 2–3
Build

Storylines for five players, a sponsor-fit index for one category, a market and diaspora map, a test content calendar.

Week 4
Readout

Department-by-department dashboard, recommended activations and the re-score method. The club decides what to take forward.

We will not scrape sites that disallow it, republish articles, use any player's name or image without the club and player process, or promise revenue. Not yet known: engagement rates, revenue by line, owned-media audience, international audience by city, deal history.

The asset stack

What's already true · what's missing

● Already true
  • TVS 59.4 · Tier 2 · Anchor
    Rank #157 of 363 inside NCAA D-I FCS. Trend -0.2 on the last pull.
  • 111.1M media impressions
    Broadcast, syndication and national press across the season window.
  • 182.0M digital reach
    Owned, athlete and fan channels combined into one distribution graph.
  • 481K in-market population
    MA, MA core catchment plus tracked diaspora pools.
  • 7 home dates · 26,148 seats
    183K modeled season gate — the physical activation surface.
  • 104 annual clip slots
    13 events × 8 packaged assets. Production capacity already exists.
● What's missing
  • —A single content system across the 110 athlete channels — today they publish independently and the reach never compounds.
  • —Priced inventory: the 104 clip slots have no rate card, so sponsor conversations start at zero.
  • —City / state / diaspora is the lowest normalized input at 12 — the fastest available point gain.
  • —Audience-pool reporting that a donor, collective or sponsor can underwrite against.
  • —Rivalry and postseason inventory reserved ahead of the 1.7–2.2× multiplier weeks.
  • —Monthly RUTS recalibration so score movement is attributable to specific activations.
Audience map

5 pools · real markets, real numbers

MA metro
481K
Home catchment
MA, MA

First-dollar market. Local commerce converts before national does.

NCAA D-I FCS footprint
111.1M
Conference / league cycle
363 member programs

Opponent markets compound every week of the calendar.

Season gate
183K
7 home dates
26,148 capacity

In-venue audience is the highest-intent pool in the stack.

Digital + athlete channels
182.0M
110 channels
Owned + earned social

Athlete channels out-engage institutional accounts on every platform.

Engagement throughput
2.1M
24h interaction volume
RUTS live index

Measures how much conversation the brand already generates unaided.

The multiplier

Modeled year-one economic return

Revenue lineBasisRange
Sponsorship packaging13 events priced at the modeled NCAA D-I FCS band$142K–$466K
Gate + matchday lift7 home dates × 26,148 seats, +4–9% attendance$165K–$476K
Athlete-channel rev share110 channels routed into a shared ledger$99K–$341K
Donor / collective activationContent used for stewardship and gift conversion$85K–$652K
Rivalry + postseason reserveInventory held for the 1.7–2.2× multiplier weeks$36K–$326K
Total HSMG-activated year-one return$526K – $2.3M

All figures are planning estimates. Ranges are modeled from audience math and comparable engagements — not guarantees.

Execution

The phased engine

PHASE 1 · BASELINE
Days 0–30
Lock the score sheet

Verify the CHC inputs, audit every owned handle, and map the 110 athlete channels into one distribution graph.

PHASE 2 · BUILD
Days 31–60
Close the City / state / diaspora gap

Stand up three recurring franchises around the 7 home dates (pre / live / post) and open the local commerce lane in MA.

PHASE 3 · MONETIZE
Days 61–90
Price and sell the inventory

Package 13 events into a season sponsor tier at 142K–466K and route athlete inventory into the rev-share ledger.

PHASE 4 · COMPOUND
Months 4–12
Recalibrate monthly

Target +4.1 TVS on the next pull, with rivalry and postseason inventory released against the multiplier weeks.

Roster chapters

Every player is a content pillar

Lehigh University
LU
TVS 59.6
Rising peer

Closest comparable inside NCAA D-I FCS — +0.5 trend. Benchmark packaging and rate card against this program.

Bucknell University
BU
TVS 59.0
Falling peer

Closest comparable inside NCAA D-I FCS — -3.2 trend. Benchmark packaging and rate card against this program.

Lafayette College
LC
TVS 58.2
Falling peer

Closest comparable inside NCAA D-I FCS — -1.4 trend. Benchmark packaging and rate card against this program.

Colgate University
CU
TVS 57.8
Rising peer

Closest comparable inside NCAA D-I FCS — +3.5 trend. Benchmark packaging and rate card against this program.

Boston University
BU
TVS 57.6
Rising peer

Closest comparable inside NCAA D-I FCS — +1.9 trend. Benchmark packaging and rate card against this program.

The close

College of the Holy Cross already owns the audience. RUTS prices the inventory, builds the engine and reports the return — starting with the City / state / diaspora gap.