Lauren Betts has UCLA women dreaming of their own NCAA history
LOS ANGELES — John Wooden's name graces the hardwood, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's No. 33 jersey is pinned to the wall, and a record 11 NCAA championship banners hang in the Pauley Pavilion rafters. Greatness remains an immersive experience in Westwood, even if the most illustrious dynasty in men's college basketball ended a half-century ago, and even if it's been 30 years since UCLA captured its only championship of the post-Wooden era.
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Washington Post
31 minutes ago
- Washington Post
The leaders of college sports still don't get it
A quarter century ago, the NCAA invested $150,000 in lobbying on Capitol Hill. To a couple of lobbyists. For one year. In the first quarter of this year alone, the college sports governing body spent more than a quarter of a million dollars on the same. Using more than a dozen lobbyists. After having spent more than half a million dollars on lobbying last year, just as it had in each year since 2021. While throwing its authority behind bills such as H.R. 8534, titled the 'Protecting Student Athletes' Economic Freedom Act,' which would actually do anything but by restricting college athletes from being classified as employees who receive a paycheck and benefits like everyone else working in college sports. The NCAA's lobbying fund has been well spent. So too, apparently, was the $200,000 that the bellwether college athletic conference, the SEC, spent in 2025's first quarter to get its concerns before legislators, on top of the $800,000 it doled out last year. And the $160,000 the Big Ten spent in this year's first quarter, chasing the $460,000 it paid in 2024. Because listening Thursday to a congressional subcommittee discussing the barely week-old court approval of the multibillion dollar House v. NCAA settlement, which codified for the first time that colleges can pay their athletes directly, it was clear that what much of the media touted last week as a landmark victory for athletes may have been a big win for those who have always controlled them — the NCAA and the colleges and universities for whom they toil. Certainly, the Republicans who control House Energy and Commerce subcommittee on commerce, manufacturing and trade sounded Thursday as if they had bought what those entities were selling, from outdated terminology describing college athletes to ideas about how to manage them in the future, no matter last week's liberating decision. They called the hearing, 'Winning Off the Field: Legislative Proposal to Stabilize NIL and College Athletics.' The senior member of the committee, Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R-Florida), and most others referred to college athletes as 'student-athletes,' the misleading phrase created by the modern NCAA's architect, Walter Byers, as a prophylactic for the NCAA and its member schools against claims that college athletes were employees entitled to compensation and, particularly if injured, benefits. Most of the inquisitors — 14 of the subcommittee's 25 members are Republicans — seemed to prefer answers from one of the four witnesses, SEC associate commissioner William King, who in his opening statement regurgitated the false bromide about college athletes: 'We're the only country in the world where elite athletes … can use their athletic ability to receive a college education for free while pursuing their athletic goals at the same time.' Free? Their athleticism, which results in scoring touchdowns and getting buckets, is called labor. In return, they get room and board and the chance to pursue a degree. Meanwhile, King, on the backs of those athletes' labor, was paid three-quarters of a million dollars last year and his boss, SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey, pocketed $4.2 million. SEC football and basketball players are no less employees than the conference executives, athletic directors and coaches for whom they perform. And they should be treated as such. Sharing in the revenue they produce in addition to selling their name, image and likeness. Enjoying the ability to organize. Being represented at the bargaining table. But the Republicans running Thursday's subcommittee have also floated legislation titled the 'Student Compensation and Opportunity through Rights and Endorsements Act of 2025' that includes, among other restrictions on those athletes, several provisions ensuring those athletes would not be designated as employees. Unless and until those who control college athletics fully acknowledge and treat athletes as the employees who make college sports thrive, it will forever be a queasy enterprise, morally and ethically. Even Supreme Court Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh underscored as much four years ago in the ruling that tipped the scale and helped make last week's ruling possible. 'The bottom line is that the NCAA and its member colleges are suppressing the pay of student-athletes who collectively generate billions of dollars in revenues for colleges every year,' Kavanaugh wrote in NCAA v. Alston. 'Those enormous sums of money flow to seemingly everyone except the student-athletes. College presidents, athletic directors, coaches, conference commissioners, and NCAA executives take in six- and seven-figure salaries. Colleges build lavish new facilities. But the student-athletes who generate the revenues, many of whom are African American and from lower-income backgrounds, end up with little or nothing.' Yet these legislators, so many college athletic administrators from the most powerful conferences such as the SEC and, of course, the NCAA, still don't want to share the whole loaf. Only a slice. Last week's agreement gives colleges the options to share up to $20.5 million with their athletes over the next year. But that's a fraction of the wealth produced by college sports. King defended using the vernacular vestiges that deny employment status to college athletes by claiming, without evidence, that most SEC athletes don't want to be employees of their universities. This is the same conference that I found talking its football players into playing amid a newfangled pandemic with long-term health consequences unknown at the time. It strains credulity, of course, that those athletes wouldn't want to be paid like King, or their coaches, or even someone on the maintenance crew — and to receive all the same health benefits, long-term and short, and worker's comp. After all, the NCAA likes to tout that most of its athletes 'go pro in something other than sports.' Which means college is their biggest opportunity to earn money from their athletic talent. Don't be hypocritical by denying them.
New York Times
3 hours ago
- New York Times
Men's College World Series 2025 players talk toughest opponent, favorite venue and more
OMAHA, Neb. — Eight teams descended on Omaha for the 2025 College World Series. On Thursday, following a short workout at Charles Schwab Field, the players met with the media in an informal setting. I grabbed a few from each team to ask them a series of questions about their toughest opponent, their favorite venue, their head coach and more. Advertisement The sweeping takeaways: Everybody wants to play shortstop, most position players think they can pitch, but not all pitchers think they can hit. Also, everybody loves their coach (or at least says they do). Let's get going. Dalton Beck, P/OF, LSU: Probably Nate Snead at Tennessee. Either him or the sidearm guy from Alabama, Carson Ozmer. Logan de Groot, OF, UCLA: The lefty reliever from ASU, Cole Carlon. Daniel Dickinson, 2B, LSU: Jared Spencer from Texas. Kasen Khansarinia, UTL, UCLA: Jason Reitz from Oregon. He's like 6-11. Their Sunday guy. Matt Klein, C, Louisville: Jared Spencer for Texas, the Friday guy. Dustin Mercer, OF, Murray State: The guy we faced last at Duke, (James) Tallon. He was pretty dang good. And Mason Morris from Ole Miss was up there as well. Steven Milam, SS, LSU: Liam Doyle (Tennessee). Zion Rose, OF, Louisville: I'd give it to Jamie Arnold (Florida State). Tommy Splaine, 1B, Arizona: Ryan Prager at (Texas) A&M. Chris Stanfield, OF, LSU: I'd say Liam Doyle. Easton Talt, OF, Oregon State: Jamie Arnold was really tough for FSU. Justin Thomas Jr., OF, Arkansas: That's tough. Kade Anderson (LSU). Gavin Turley, OF, Oregon State: Off recent memory, I'd have to say Jamie Arnold. He was pretty nasty. Aaron Walton, OF, Arizona: Ryan Prager, from A&M. And the Mississippi State bullpen was incredible. I don't remember their names, but they were all lights out. Josh Alger, RHP, UCLA: Leadoff hitter for Michigan (Benjamin Casillas). Jaxon Appelman, RHP, Coastal Carolina: The kid from Wake Forest, the shortstop, Marek Houston. Landon Beidelschies, LHP, Arkansas: Slate Alford from Georgia. He's a tough at-bat. Wyatt Danilowicz, LHP, Louisville: Brendan Summerhill of Arizona. Advertisement Patrick Forbes, RHP, Louisville: Max Belyeu from Texas. He was a tough guy to get out. That was our first game of the year. He had a few hits off me. Jacob Hustedde, RHP, Murray State: Probably Judd Utermark at Ole Miss. Luke Jones, RHP, Coastal Carolina: Cam Cannarella, from Clemson. Nelson Keljo, LHP, Oregon State: Alex Lodise (Florida State). Matthew Potok, RHP, Coastal Carolina: Probably Ike Irish (Auburn). Mason Russell, LHP, Arizona: Zion Rose at Louisville. Josh Alger, RHP, UCLA: I was very impressed by Maryland early in the year. Very impressed. Jaxon Appleman, RHP, Coastal Carolina: Definitely Wake Forest. They are always a fight for us. Dalton Beck, P/OF, LSU: Honestly, Little Rock. You can go back and look at our game — it was a dogfight. We have a lot of respect for Little Rock. They made us earn all 27 outs. Landon Beidelschies, LHP, Arkansas: Probably Vanderbilt. Very well coached. Phoenix Call, 2B, UCLA: Oregon was pretty good. I thought UCI was really good. Cal Irvine, very good team. Chase Clatur, RHP, Murray State: Definitely Georgia Tech. Wyatt Danilowicz, LHP, Louisville: Probably Florida State or Miami. Logan de Groot, OF, UCLA: Probably Oregon. Daniel Dickinson, 2B, LSU: Probably Tennessee. Kane Elmy, RHP, Murray State: Ole Miss. They were a tough squad. Max Fraser, LHP, Oregon State: Oklahoma. Patrick Forbes, RHP, Louisville: Florida State. Kingsley Guthrie, C, Murray State: Georgia Tech. Jacob Hustedde, RHP, Murray State: Probably Kentucky. Aiden Jimenez, RHP, Arkansas: Florida was very solid. Tennessee was very good, too. Luke Jones, RHP, Coastal Carolina: I thought Southern Miss was really good, just a hard lineup. Really good, one through nine. Nelson Keljo, LHP, Oregon State: Florida State. Advertisement Kasen Khansarinia, UTL, UCLA: Either Vanderbilt or Oregon. Both very good teams. Complete teams. Matt Klein, C, Louisville: Hard not to say Texas, but we also played Florida State and North Carolina. All three of them were pretty good. Roman Martin, 3B, UCLA: I'd say Oregon. Dustin Mercer, OF, Murray State: I think Georgia Tech was a relly good squad. Steven Milam, SS, LSU: Tennessee. Elliott Peterson, C, Arkansas: Vanderbilt. Matthew Potok, RHP, Coastal Carolina: Auburn. Danny Rollins, C, Murray State: Georgia Tech, for sure. Zion Rose, OF, Louisville: Wake Forest. Mason Russell, LHP, Arizona: Tennessee. Tommy Splaine, 1B, Arizona: North Carolina. Chris Stanfield, OF, LSU: Tennessee. Easton Talt, OF, Oregon State: FSU was really good. Virginia was good. I'll say Oklahoma. They had two really good starting pitchers. That is my answer. Justin Thomas Jr., OF, Arkansas: Tennessee. Gavin Turley, OF, Oregon State: I'd say Florida State. Aaron Walton, OF, Arizona: Tennessee. Josh Alger, RHP, UCLA: Purdue's field was super nice. I liked that. Jaxon Appelman, RHP, Coastal Carolina: I'm a freshman. I just got here. I really like ODU's new stadium. I thought it was very nice. Nice little area. Dalton Beck, P/OF, LSU: I'll say Texas A&M. It's funny with their student section being on top of you. You can hear everything. Landon Beidelschies, LHP, Arkansas: I liked Florida a lot. Phoenix Call, 2B, UCLA: I loved Purdue. Really nice surface. Chase Clatur, RHP, Murray State: Ole Miss for sure. The atmosphere was electric. Wyatt Danilowicz, LHP, Louisville: Clemson was a really cool environment. Logan de Groot, OF, UCLA: Oregon. Daniel Dickinson, 2B, LSU: Auburn. Kane Elmy, RHP, Murray State: Let's go with Indiana State. Patrick Forbes, RHP, Louisville: I liked Clemson's field a lot. Advertisement Max Fraser, LHP, Oregon State: Cal Poly. That was really fun. Kingsley Guthrie, C, Murray State: Ole Miss. Jacob Hustedde, RHP, Murray State: Ole Miss. That was pretty cool. Aiden Jimenez, RHP, Arkansas: LSU was pretty cool. Luke Jones, RHP, Coastal Carolina: Auburn. It was really nice. Nelson Keljo, LHP, Oregon State: Arizona. Kasen Khansarinia, UTL, UCLA: I might say Oregon again. Playing Nebraska here (at Charles Schwab Field at the Big Ten tournament) might not count, but that was a great environment. Matt Klein, C, Louisville: I'd say Florida State from last year. Roman Martin, 3B, UCLA: Probably have to be Oregon. I like playing at Oregon. Dustin Mercer, OF, Murray State: Swayze (at Ole Miss). No doubt about it. It was incredible. Steven Milam, SS, LSU: Mississippi State. Elliott Peterson, C, Arkansas: LSU. Matthew Potok, RHP, Coastal Carolina: Auburn or UNC. I like UNC's field a lot. Danny Rollins, C, Murray State: Ole Miss. That place gets loud. Zion Rose, OF, Louisville: I like Clemson. And FSU. Tommy Splaine, 1B, Arizona: West Virginia. Chris Stanfield, OF, LSU: Mississippi State. Easton Talt, OF, Oregon State: UCLA was really cool. I had never been there. I was injured when we went there my freshman year. Justin Thomas Jr., OF, Arkansas: Definitely LSU. Gavin Turley, OF, Oregon State: I really liked playing at Nebraska.. Aaron Walton, OF, Arizona: West Virginia was a cool atmosphere. They had a lot of fans there. Josh Alger, RHP, UCLA: I'd be an outfielder. Jaxon Appelman, RHP, Coastal Carolina: I would definitely say center field. I like to run out there and catch fly balls and make some diving plays. Landon Beidelschies, LHP, Arkansas: Shortstop, no doubt. Phoenix Call, 2B, UCLA: I play center field, too. That is where my heart is. Advertisement Chase Clatur, RHP, Murray State: I played left field in high school, so left field. Wyatt Danilowicz, LHP, Louisville: Center field. Logan de Groot, OF, UCLA: Probably third base. Daniel Dickinson, 2B, LSU: Shortstop. Kane Elmy, RHP, Murray State: Third base. That's where I played in high school. Patrick Forbes, RHP, Louisville: I was an outfielder my freshman year and then I switched over to pitcher last year. So I'd say outfield. It's pretty fun. Max Fraser, LHP, Oregon State: First base. Kingsley Guthrie, C, Murray State: Pitcher. Jacob Hustedde, RHP, Murray State: Probably center field. I played the outfield in high school. Aiden Jimenez, RHP, Arkansas: Shortstop. Luke Jones, RHP, Coastal Carolina: Probably shortstop. That's where I played in high school. Nelson Keljo, LHP, Oregon State: Left field. Kasen Khansarinia, UTL, UCLA: I'd be a pitcher. Matt Klein, C, Louisville: First base. Roman Martin, 3B, UCLA: Shortstop. Dustin Mercer, OF, Murray State: I would like to think I would be a pitcher. Steven Milam, SS, LSU: Center field. Elliott Peterson, C, Arkansas: Shortstop. Matthew Potok, RHP, Coastal Carolina: Probably third base. I like to think I could field a little bit. Zion Rose, OF, Louisville: Catcher. Mason Russell, LHP, Arizona: Outfield, for sure. Tommy Splaine, 1B, Arizona: Pitcher. Chris Stanfield, OF, LSU: Shortstop. Easton Talt, OF, Oregon State: I was a catcher my freshman year. I'd say shortstop so I could do something different. Justin Thomas Jr., OF, Arkansas: Definitely shortstop. Gavin Turley, OF, Oregon State: I wish I played shortstop. Aaron Walton, OF, Arizona: I'd want to play shortstop. Phoenix Call, 2B, UCLA: Definitely. For sure. No doubt. I have faith in myself. Advertisement Logan de Groot, OF, UCLA: Yeah, I think I could. I could throw strikes and maybe get a few guys out. Daniel Dickinson, 2B, LSU: Absolutely. Kingsley Guthrie, C, Murray State: Yes. 100 percent. Kasen Khansarinia, UTL, UCLA: Absolutely. I pitched in high school. I think I could. Matt Klein, C, Louisville: I could go out there and throw strikes. It just depends on when they pull me. I'd give up runs, but I'd throw strikes Roman Martin, 3B, UCLA: Yes. Easy. Dustin Mercer, OF, Murray State: Yes. I have thrown two innings this year. So, yes! Steven Milam, SS, LSU: Yes. Elliott Peterson, C, Arkansas: Not at this level, no. Danny Rollins, C, Murray State: I think I could get through an inning. I'm pretty crafty. Zion Rose, OF, Louisville: No, not at all. Tommy Splaine, 1B, Arizona: I'd say no. These guys work way too hard. It's not that easy. Chris Stanfield, OF, LSU: Yes. I believe. Easton Talt, OF, Oregon State: Oh, for sure. I've been telling my pitching coach all year to let me on the mound. Justin Thomas Jr., OF, Arkansas: Easily. I definitely could. Aaron Walton, OF, Arizona: No, no shot. Absolutely not. Josh Alger, RHP, UCLA: I think so. For sure. I think I could do it. Jaxon Appelman, RHP, Coastal Carolina: Yeah, I would say so. I was a decent hitter in high school. I could go out there and get some hits. Landon Beidelschies, LHP, Arkansas: I was a pretty good hitter in high school, so I think I could. Chase Clatur, RHP, Murray State: Probably not. Wyatt Danilowicz, LHP, Louisville: No. But I hit a little bit in high school. If you gave me a little bit of time, I'd like to think I could figure something out. Kane Elmy, RHP, Murray State: I feel like I could handle the position on defense, but I don't think I could hit .200. Advertisement Luke Jones, RHP, Coastal Carolina: I could hit .300. Patrick Forbes, RHP, Louisville: Yes, I could. I did my freshman year. Max Fraser, LHP, Oregon State: I don't know about against Omaha pitching. But put me in some midweeks and I've got a chance for sure. Jacob Hustedde, RHP, Murray State: Oh no way. Not a chance. I wish. Aiden Jimenez, RHP, Arkansas: Do I have to hit in the SEC? I could pull out .200 I think. Nelson Keljo, LHP, Oregon State: Yes. Matthew Potok, RHP, Coastal Carolina: Probably not. I think I would hit a home run, but probably wouldn't hit .200. Josh Alger, RHP, UCLA: He's actually funny. He might come off as very serious, but he's actually very funny. Jaxon Appelman, RHP, Coastal Carolina: He's a really funny guy. People don't know this, but Kevin Schnall is a very funny guy. Dalton Beck, P/OF, LSU: He lives, breathes, eats baseball. He is always thinking about the next pitch, the next play, what he can do to help us prepare. He basically lives in his office. Landon Beidelschies, LHP, Arkansas: He's got triplet grandkids. They were born just about the time I was being recruited here, so he had to miss part of my visit for that. Phoenix Call, 2B, UCLA: He's funny. He's serious. But he's funny. Logan de Groot, OF, UCLA: The guy is the hardest worker I've ever seen. Scouting reports. I don't think he ever sleeps. Patrick Forbes, RHP, Louisville: The competitiveness is something that everyone sees in the program, but he has a nice side. He's a really good guy. Jacob Hustedde, RHP, Murray State: He's a really lovable guy. On the outside, he has a hard shell, but he's really a nice guy on the inside. Aiden Jimenez, RHP, Arkansas: He's funny. Luke Jones, RHP, Coastal Carolina: He gets emotional. He shows himself as a hard guy, but he loves us and he gets emotional from time to time. Advertisement Nelson Keljo, LHP, Oregon State: He's a good golfer. Matt Klein, C, Louisville: He has a soft side for his dogs. Roman Martin, 3B, UCLA: He has zero hobbies. He just does baseball. Dustin Mercer, OF, Murray State: People have started to catch on, but just how good of a guy he is. He loves us. The connections we build with him, not a lot of players have that. I love that. Steven Milam, SS, LSU: His jokes are really funny. Elliott Peterson, C, Arkansas: He's a stud. Matthew Potok, RHP, Coastal Carolina: He's a Jersey guy. People think he's from (the South), but he's a Jersey guy. A lot of us are Jersey guys, so we have a connection. Zion Rose, OF, Louisville: He's actually a really funny guy. He has good comedic timing. Mason Russell, LHP, Arizona: I think he's very superstitious. Tommy Splaine, 1B, Arizona: He's definitely the best husband and family man out there. Chris Stanfield, OF, LSU: He loves Fleming's (the restaurant). Aaron Walton, OF, Arizona: He's funny. He is a great guy to be around. We like hanging out with him. He's awesome.
New York Post
5 hours ago
- New York Post
Riley Gaines, husband Louis Barker announce pregnancy: ‘God is SO good all the time'
Twelve-time NCAA All-American swimmer Riley Gaines and husband Louis Barker are expecting their first child together. Gaines confirmed the news to Fox News Digital Saturday, adding the couple will welcome a baby girl in September. 'Surprise! we're 26 weeks pregnant,' she said in a post on Instagram. 'God is SO good all the time.' The host of OutKick's 'Gaines for Girls' podcast married Barker in 2022, and they celebrated their three-year wedding anniversary May 22. Gaines has been a staunch advocate for female athletes during the debate about transgender athletes participating in girls and women's sports. She most recently sparred with seven-time Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles over a Minnesota softball team that won a state championship behind the performance of a trans player. In response to Gaines' criticism of a social media post praising the championship team, Biles posted a message calling Gaines 'truly sick' for her stance on trans athletes. She even launched a personal attack on Gaines' physical appearance. 'You're truly sick, all of this campaigning because you lost a race. Straight up sore loser,' Biles said, referencing Gaines competing against former UPenn swimmer Lia Thomas at the 2022 NCAA championships. 4 Riley Gaines and husband Louis Barker are expecting their first child together. @rileygbarker / Instagram 4 The couple celebrated their three-year wedding anniversary on May 22. @rileygbarker / Instagram 'You should be uplifting the trans community and perhaps finding a way to make sports inclusive OR creating a new avenue where trans feel safe in sports. Maybe a transgender category IN ALL sports!! But instead… You bully them… One things for sure is no one in sports is safe with you around!!!!!' The post went viral on social media, with Biles adding in another post, 'bully someone your own size, which would ironically be a male.' Gaines addressed the body-shaming remark during a speech at Turning Point USA's Young Women's Leadership Summit in Texas on Saturday, where she first announced her pregnancy. 4 The couple attended CMA Fest in Nashville last week. @rileygbarker / Instagram 4 Gaines joined President Trump onstage during the 2022 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Dallas. Yuki Iwamura for NYPost 'How many men do you know that have this,' Gaines said as she showed her bump and shared sonograms on stage. Barker also joined Gaines on stage to speak about the exciting news of the new edition to their family. 'The next generation that our little girl is going to be a part of, that is who you all are fighting for and who Turning Point is fighting for. And so from a father-to-be, thank you, keep fighting… and thank you,' he said. Biles later issued an apology to Gaines and said she was 'not advocating for policies that compromise fairness in women's sports.' Gaines responded by accepting the apology and inviting the Olympian to join the effort 'to support fair sports and a future for female athletes.'
