Caitlin Clark, a night of skirmishes, and a WNBA product out of control
INDIANAPOLIS — Not one ponytailed girl hanging over the railing cried out for the attention and the autograph of a referee. Not a single ticket-buying fan walking around the concourse at Gainbridge Fieldhouse wore a fawning T-shirt with the image of a goat blowing a whistle. And yet, when the Connecticut Sun faced the Indiana Fever Tuesday night, the officials muscled their way into the spotlight.
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20 minutes ago
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Top WNBA Team Suffers Major Blow on Tuesday
Top WNBA Team Suffers Major Blow on Tuesday originally appeared on Athlon Sports. It was a busy night in the WNBA on Tuesday as 12 out of the 13 teams in the league were in action. One of the biggest games of the evening came in the form of the Minnesota Lynx hosting the Las Vegas Aces at Target Center in a pivotal Commissioner's Cup matchup. Advertisement In the end, it was the Lynx who secured a crucial win of 76-62 which saw them clinch the No. 1 spot in the West for the Commissioner's Cup. This means that Minnesota is now headed to the championship game on July 1. They will defend their title against Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever, who clinched their spot in the Final with an 88-71 win over the Connecticut Sun. The bad news for the Lynx is that they lost their best player in Tuesday's game. This is after Napheesa Collier was forced to exit the contest in the third quarter due to a back issue. Minnesota later announced that Collier would not be able to return to the game due to the injury. She finished with seven points on 3-of-9 shooting, six rebounds and one assist in 19 minutes of action. Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier (24)© Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images The details of Collier's injury have not yet been revealed, and it remains to be seen if the four-time All-Star will be forced to miss time because of this problem. Advertisement The Lynx should provide an update on their star forward's injury soon, but until then, Collier's status for Minnesota's home game against the Los Angeles Sparks on Saturday will be up in the air. Collier has been the backbone of the Lynx's success this season. The reigning Commissioner's Cup MVP entered Tuesday's win averaging 26.1 points on 53.3% shooting, 8.8 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 2.0 steals, 1.6 blocks and 1.6 triples per game. Minnesota currently occupies the No. 1 spot in the WNBA with an 11-1 record, and they would not be where they are right now had it not been for Collier's dominant play. Related: Minnesota Lynx Make Important Napheesa Collier Announcement on Sunday Related: Former Chicago Sky Star Leaves No Doubt on Her Opinion of Caitlin Clark This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 18, 2025, where it first appeared.
New York Times
25 minutes ago
- New York Times
Debunking Red Sox conspiracy theories, Fanatics' $200 million bet, new PGA CEO: MoneyCall
Welcome back to MoneyCall, The Athletic's weekly sports business cheat sheet. (Want to receive it every Wednesday in your email? Subscribe here.) Name-dropped today: John Henry, Florian Wirtz, Mario Lemieux, Brian Rolapp, Caitlin Clark, Joey Chestnut, JJ Spaun, Louis Vuitton, Michael Rubin, Pope Leo XIV, Ares Management, Kylian Mbappe, Angel Reese, Simone Biles and more. Let's go: The reality of the Devers trade It is convenient — and undoubtedly cathartic — for Red Sox fans to blame this week's seemingly lopsided Rafael Devers trade on owner Fenway Sports Group's wider holdings across the Sox, Liverpool and the Pittsburgh Penguins. Advertisement As tempting as it is to construct a corporate conspiracy, three things can be true at once: 1 Red Sox honcho Craig Breslow — presumably with the blessing of principal owner John Henry — felt like the Devers' drama wasn't worth the dollars owed through 2033 and found a way to get out from under the deal (even if it meant losing a great player for modest return). 2 Liverpool, coming off a Premier League championship season, had the opportunity to sign arguably the best player in Europe, Florian Wirtz, which was going to require paying a premium. But what's the price of sustained Premier League glory? 3 As for the Pens, FSG identified that the market for selling stakes in teams playing in major U.S. sports leagues has never been hotter, so they are looking into cashing in during a frothy moment to sell a non-controlling stake. Conspiracy?!?! No. Just the reality of multi-team ownership groups navigating opportunities (and, yes, challenges) within — not across — each portfolio team. A sharp golf hire, plus a shrewd WNBA TV deal Big talkers from the sports business industry: NFL No. 2 Brian Rolapp named PGA Tour CEO: This is an A+ hire for the PGA Tour, which is expected to consolidate its power structure around and under the veteran media leader over the rest of this year. As the PGA juggles a new infusion of investment billions, new competitors and the need to find new audience and revenue growth, Rolapp is as well-positioned as anyone they could have hired to map it out. Club World Cup lightning round: Fields: Bad (MetLife esp) Attendance: Iffy! (Very!) Politics: Controversial Must-see team: Boca Juniors Marketing: Michelob Ultra winning? Weather: It's hot (WC26 preview?) Caitlin Clark Effect, cont'd: CC returned from injury last Saturday for Fever-Liberty, and the game proceeded to drive 2.2M viewers, the third-most ever for a WNBA game on ABC. Advertisement Related: WNBA and Scripps extended their win-win ION Friday TV deal. Other current obsessions: Joey Chestnut returning to Nathan's July 4 hot dog contest … Real Madrid x Louis Vuitton … the MLB collectible concession-food trend … Apple's 'haptic' trailer for 'F1: The Movie' … The biggest draw of Fanatics' new mega-event Fanatics Fest returns to New York City this weekend. Michael Rubin's Fanatics — which has expanded from a place to buy fan gear to a collectibles juggernaut — has invested in making its annual convention the glitziest collectibles event of the year. This year will include appearances from a ton of star athletes, including Tom Brady, LeBron James and Peyton Manning. The Athletic will have a team of five reporters on the scene. I asked our Memorabilia & Collectibles editor Brooks Peck what part of the weekend fans will be talking about most: 'The 'Museum of Greatness' is going to be pretty incredible. This is going to be a 10,500-square-foot experience bringing together over $200 million worth of sports cards and memorabilia, some of which has never been publicly displayed before, from the private collections of an unnamed assortment of athletes and collectors. 'It's supposedly the most valuable collection of sports memorabilia ever assembled. 'But it's not just the display itself that's notable, it's the security around it, too. The exhibit will be guarded 24/7 by two dozen armed security guards, undercover police officers, security dogs and more. This all sounds like the setup for a heist movie.' Payout of the Week: $4.3M Can't say U.S. Open champ J.J. Spaun didn't earn it. Related: My colleague Elise Devlin on four lessons anyone can learn from Spaun's success. (Not included: How to drain a 64-foot putt to clinch a championship.) Number to Know: 39,255 That's MLB's average attendance on Father's Day this year, the highest on any Sunday since … Father's Day 2008. Advertisement Brand Watch: '47 The hat company (part of New Era) got a boost when Pope Leo XIV was photographed wearing a White Sox cap earlier this month. My colleague Dhani Joseph looked into what happens to a brand when that kind of serendipitous marketing moment occurs. TIL: NFL Chess Champ? Didn't know this existed: NFL players competed in a blitz chess competition, and Justin Reid beat Kyler Murray for the title. (Next year, this needs a much bigger TV platform.) Investor of the Week: Ares Management SailGP investment isn't just for Marvel characters and soccer stars. Per my colleague Asli Pelit, the investment firm with the $3.7B sports-only fund jumped in to take a big stake in Kylian Mbappe's French team, expanding an Ares portfolio that already includes stakes in the Miami Dolphins, Inter Miami and Atletico Madrid. Executive Q&A Series: Reebok CEO We're experimenting on a new Q&A series with sports executives. Most recent: Reebok CEO Todd Krinsky on the brand's return to basketball and betting on Angel Reese. Speaking of … Trademark Search: 'Mebounds' Yup, Reese submitted a trademark application based on fan mockery of her playing style. No athlete in sports right now is more innovative about turning criticism into opportunity than Reese. Peak of the Week: Commencement '25 Derek Jeter at Michigan. Simone Biles at Wash U. Mia Hamm at UNC. Carmelo Anthony at Syracuse. Loved this story from Rustin Dodd about the different inspiring messages being relayed from sports figures to college graduates over the past month. Great business-adjacent reads for your downtime or commute: My colleague Damon Sayles made the short trip from Dallas to Bells, Texas, to see first-hand the replica of Fenway Park built for wiffle ball. Living vicariously through that assignment! Two more reads worth your time: 'Previously …' in MoneyCall, we featured the Orlando Magic's branding return to the old, beloved pinstripes. Then my colleague David Betancourt dug into why the team did it, a great case study in marketing. Advertisement 'From women-specific locker rooms to sensory spaces and breastfeeding facilities for the fans, the design adds a thoughtful layer of creativity, exploring how a stadium can function and feel when women are considered equally.' — Asli Pelit, on innovation in soccer stadium design with women in mind. Back next Wednesday! You know the drill: Please forward MoneyCall to a couple of friends or colleagues, with your personal recommendation to subscribe to get the newsletter every Wednesday (totally free, as are all The Athletic's other newsletters).
Yahoo
26 minutes ago
- Yahoo
WNBA players, fans deserve better than Fever-Sun disaster, but will the league finally take action?
To be perfectly, 100 percent, squeaky crystal clear: this is not about protecting Caitlin Clark. Well, actually, it somewhat is. It's about Clark and every other player who dons a WNBA jersey, steps onto the court and battles their heart out every night for the game they love. They all deserve better. WNBA referees are often letting games get so far out of hand that the scuffle to end Indiana Fever's blowout over the Connecticut Sun on Tuesday night was far from a surprise. Advertisement It was expected. Fever head coach Stephanie White said as much in her postgame comments, a continuation of a month of alluding to an impending problem that busted open on a night bulging with high-stakes competition and the Fever's first Commissioner's Cup final berth. 'I think it was pretty obvious that stuff was brewing, right?' White said, handling the officiating questions for players and eating the impending fines. 'When the officials don't get control of the ball game, when they allow that stuff to happen — and it's been happening all season long, all season long. It's not just this game, it's been happening all season long — this is what happens.' "This" was a full-on final-minute quarrel initiated by Sophie Cunningham delivering a hard foul to Sun guard Jacy Sheldon, who fairly took exception. Cunningham held Sheldon in a head lock that could input nicely into a wrestling video compilation, and teammates on both sides rushed over while coaches attempted to pull everyone away for the second time in as many hours. None of that happens in a vacuum. The game was chippy all night, a phrase that's becoming a feature of the league rather than a fun, light bug. It's a misdirect, an illusion to minor banter when what's really on the cusp is line brawls reserved for the ice, not the hardwood. All of it masks the very real officiating issues at play and the worst-case results that can stem from them. Advertisement "That stuff" is missed foul calls, constant hacking and a lack of overall consistency. For every lack of a call, the defenders grow more bold. More physical. More daring in their attempts to do anything that will stop a bucket. It's the same as a shooter making shots and seeing the basket grow bigger every trip down the court. 'You've got competitive women who are the best in the world at what they do, right?' White said. 'And when you allow them to play physical, and you allow these things to happen, they're going to compete. And they're going to have their teammates' backs. It's exactly what you expect out of fierce competition.' And it makes perfect, natural sense. If there is no repercussion, there is no reason to stop the action. And there's every reason to step in on behalf of the aggrieved. Everyone has spent time around a toddler whose parents play fast and loose with boundaries. It's a game of test, test, test to see how far they can go while those around them slowly lose their cool. WNBA players, we've seen, are able to go quite far. No one is better for it. Advertisement The brewing in this specific instance technically dates back to four years of bitter Big Ten heat between Ohio State's Sheldon and Iowa's Clark. One of their more notable college tie-ups came barely 15 months ago. It took on a new tenor in the third quarter Tuesday night when Sheldon swiped at Clark's face on a hard foul, sending her to the ground. Clark popped back up holding her eye and bumped into a chest-baring Sheldon. That sequence could be written away as unintentional by each. Sheldon received a flagrant 1 for "unnecessary" contact with 'wind up and impact,' per the pool report. Marina Mabrey stepping in to shove Clark to the floor is a harder move to excuse. Advertisement Mabrey's repercussion for that? Nothing more than a technical. Same as Clark and a finger-wagging Tina Charles, who were both tagged with it for 'unsportsmanlike manner.' 'The contact made by Mabrey did not rise to the level of an ejection,' officiating crew chief Ashley Gloss said, per the pool report. 'Additionally, [it] did not meet the criteria for a flagrant foul penalty two.' That decision alone, given the cadence of the prior two quarters, created an open season of hard, unnecessary fouls down the stretch that could have been avoided. And no, this is not a specific Fever problem, either. Or a Clark one. Advertisement 'I've seen quite a few dust-ups in the league so far, so I think it's a league-wide issue,' White said. 'Bad officiating is bad officiating.' Forward Olivia Nelson-Ododa said as much in the Sun's simultaneous press conference. 'This isn't the first game that this has happened,' she said. 'You can look over the course of the games in the league and see how much more physical it is this year. When things aren't getting called and things are just blown out of proportion like that. … When you're not managing the game properly, this is what happens.' A'ja Wilson remains in concussion protocol after a hard hit to the face. Paige Bueckers recently sustained a concussion. Players throughout the league, at all positions, are facing defensive tactics bearing more resemblance to checks and tackles. Advertisement Alarm bells have been ringing regularly. White spoke out about a lack of foul calls weeks ago as teams continue to push the boundary and play her Fever team as physically as refs will allow. Los Angeles Sparks guard Kelsey Plum grew emotional last week while talking through her lack of calls despite touching the paint most possessions. She's grown frustrated with how to handle it. 'There's multiple shots at the end of the game either going into the third, into the fourth where they're just coming and f***ing swinging,' Plum said. 'And [refs] just don't call anything.' Lynne Roberts nodded her way through Plum's remarks, hitting the same tired line of so many coaches in this league. 'Obviously the scouting report is to be as physical as you can with her,' Roberts said. 'It's being allowed. And so we've got to talk to the league about that, but it isn't right. I'll echo that.' Advertisement 'Physical' is the new codeword for 'whatever it takes.' Or, rather, 'whatever we can get away with.' And in the end, there's a real chance someone could be hurt in these dust-ups and hard fouls, whether it's by the initiator or the retaliator. Injuries are already mounting, negatively impacting a league with a small footprint and short rosters. Refs carry the weight of safety in their hands, and they've been dropping the ball with a hard thud that's reverberated beyond one single game. To be perfectly clear, the job is difficult. No one is arguing that. The millions watching and re-watching on TV and social media increase that burden. Advertisement Yet, at this level and this moment in the league's history, when more people than ever are interested, the product deserves more than what happened on Tuesday night. 'Everybody's getting better, except the officials,' White said. 'So we got to find a way to remedy it. I mean, you've heard every coach talk about it, so I don't know what the answer is.'
