WNBA fandom is shifting to a more tribal, toxic atmosphere
Then, last season, after nearly three decades, everything clicked.
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Yahoo
15 minutes ago
- Yahoo
5 position battles to watch at Steelers training camp
With just a few days until the Steelers report to training camp on July 23, fans have several positional battles across offense, defense, and special teams to look forward to. Here are the five biggest starting roles up for grabs in Latrobe this summer. Long snapper Although not the flashiest position in the NFL, Steelers starting LS Christian Kuntz will attempt to fend off journeyman LS Tucker Addington — who signed with Pittsburgh in June. Free safety While all signs point to FS Juan Thornhill as the go-to replacement for ex-Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, an undrafted rookie could push the two-time Super Bowl champion for the starting role — none other than standout Iowa Hawkeye DB Sebastian Castro. Fullback Hybrid player Connor Heyward may have hinted at a full-time switch to fullback this offseason — but he first needs to beat out undrafted rookie FB DJ Thomas-Jones, a sleeper to make the 53-man roster. Punter After Steelers starting punter Cameron Johnston suffered a season-ending knee injury last season, Corliss Waitman stepped up in a big way for Pittsburgh. Only one punter will remain in the Steel City — but whether it's the now-healthy Johnston or the talented Waitman who takes the role remains to be seen. Running back Jaylen Warren's time to shine as the Steelers' lead rusher could be in jeopardy — as Pittsburgh drafted one of 2024's best college running backs in Kaleb Johnson. Training camp will serve as the first of many battles to decide whether or not Warren can fend off the rookie third-rounder — and a strong outing in Latrobe could decide the fate of the starting running back position. For up-to-date Steelers coverage, follow us on X @TheSteelersWire and give our Facebook page a like. This article originally appeared on Steelers Wire: Steelers training camp: 5 starting spots up for grabs in Latrobe
New York Times
17 minutes ago
- New York Times
Dustin Poirier's final war: Even in defeat, UFC legend retires with storybook fight
Dustin Poirier couldn't have gone out any other way. For over 15 years, he left jaws on the floor of every arena he fought in. Millions of fans fell in love with the scrappy striker from Lafayette, La., who had blistering combinations, a relentless pace and an unshakable willingness to bite down on his mouthpiece and trade punches. Advertisement Entering Saturday night's UFC 319 main event, Poirier promised this would be it. One final war, one final memory, no matter how his trilogy bout against fellow beloved striker Max Holloway ended. For the 32nd and final time, Poirier exited a UFC octagon bloodied, grateful and, like so many times before, to a standing ovation, even with Holloway's hand being raised as the victor via unanimous decision (48-47, 49-46, 49-46). 'Man, it's been overwhelming,' Poirier said afterward. 'I feel appreciated, I feel seen. I've never got to step outside of fighting and look at it this way … I feel loved by the fans, Louisiana and the company. It's been incredible.' Holloway proved to be the perfect dance partner for Poirier's swan song. Fighting in front of Poirier's rabid home crowd in New Orleans, Holloway settled into a strong groove in the first round, knocking Poirier down with a straight right hand as the chanting crowd was quickly hushed. Then, all hell broke loose in the second. In the first half of the round, Poirier got dropped again, that time by a gnarly uppercut, which Holloway followed with damaging ground strikes. A minute later, however, Poirier turned back the clock and floored Holloway with a vintage four-punch combo that had the Smoothie King Center roaring back out of their seats. By the third, Poirier was doubling up on his jabs while Holloway was stringing six-strike combos together. By the fourth, both men were bloodied, exchanging flurry after flurry. By the fifth, no one was sitting — every punch looked like it might end the fight. At final tally, Holloway threw and landed more shots. Poirier connected with more power. As the final horn rang, the only unhappy people in the arena may have been the three judges who had to determine the winner. In the end, 'The Diamond' still got his storybook ending, even in defeat. Advertisement 'I didn't know I touched as many people as I did just by chasing my dreams. I'm forever grateful, I love you all. I'm a kid living my dream,' he said. After a tribute video narrated by numerous legendary UFC champions, Poirier couldn't hold back his tears as he gave his final thanks to the promotion and the fanbase. 'Thank you for following my journey and playing a part of it,' he told The Athletic he wanted to tell his longtime supporters. 'I've always given my all. I've never cut corners; I was always dedicated. I really gave this sport my all, and I appreciate everybody who followed the journey, man. … So I'm just thankful for the sport, thankful for the fans. Thanks for the company, and it's been a blessing, man.' There was no championship gold on the line Saturday, but there was symbolic silver. The BMF belt, which Holloway won by knocking out Justin Gaethje in a 2024 thriller, was on the line, and Holloway leaves New Orleans as the first BMF champion to ever defend the belt. 'I love you Louisiana, I know I had to be the villain and I'm sorry, but thank you for the hospitality,' Holloway told the crowd afterward before stepping out of the way, 'This ain't my moment, I'm done talking, this is Dustin's retirement fight, give it up for the man.' With his gloves left in the octagon, Poirier's career ends with a record of 30-10 (22-9 in the UFC). Entering the night, Poirier had never previously lost twice in a row. Holloway was facing the tarnishing of his legacy by going 0-3 in two separate high-profile trilogies. Something had to give, someone had to lose and the fans were bound to win. Laying the gloves down 🫡 [ #UFC318 | @DustinPoirier ] — UFC (@ufc) July 20, 2025 The pair's first battle came in 2012, which marked Holloway's UFC debut. Fighting on the UFC 143 prelims, the featherweight youngsters gave a glimpse of the striking legends they would become before Poirier pulled off a stunning triangle armbar. When they faced again in 2019, Holloway's career was in the stratosphere. 'Blessed' entered the rematch, which was for the interim lightweight title, as the featherweight champion riding a 13-fight winning streak and having defended his title three times. But that night belonged to Poirier as the Louisianian showcased his power advantage on the feet and unbreakable cardio in the championship rounds to win via unanimous decision. Advertisement It would go down as Poirier's lone night of walking out of a UFC octagon holding gold, a fleeting moment of championship validation in a career showered with arenas of adoration. But Poirier said he doesn't look back with any regrets or frustrations for what could have been. 'My goal from the beginning was to find out how good of a fighter I could be, and I did that,' he told The Athletic. 'I did everything that I had and gave everything that I had to put myself in that position to fight the best guys in the world and to travel and learn from the best people in the world and dedicate myself to the sport to find out how good I could be and how far I could take this. And I did. I walked those steps and did this journey and found out.' He would lose that belt to Khabib Nurmagomedov in a title unification bout later that year and find himself staring down a career crossroads. Continue chasing the belt, and risk becoming a divisional gatekeeper who couldn't win the big one but seemingly beat everyone else? Or chase the paychecks, cash in on his acclaim and pick the flashiest fights at the risk of his resume. In typical Poirier fashion, he picked both. He first waged a bloodstained war against Dan Hooker, a legendary slugfest that Poirier told The Athletic was one of his favorite memories as a fighter. Then came two timeless clashes with kingpin Conor McGregor in 2021 — the first a second-round ending in a knockout as Poirier stunned the MMA world, the second in a gruesome leg injury that left McGregor sidelined for good. #OnThisDay in 2021: @DustinPoirier became the first man to KO Conor McGregor 👊 Watch all three of their fights back on @UFCFightPass today! — UFC (@ufc) January 24, 2023 Poirier parlayed the fame of those wins into title shots against Charles Oliveira and Islam Makhachev, both of which Poirier lost via submission. But between those setbacks were wins that re-established his legitimacy, first by crushing Michael Chandler and second by dismantling Benoît Saint-Denis. Advertisement But after the Makhachev loss in 2024, Poirier said he was at peace with the fighting chapter of his life coming to an end. 'That was my third title shot at undefeated gold, and I just don't know if I have it in me to put together what it's gonna take to get a fourth crack at a world title,' Poirier said. The damage on his 36-year-old body had piled up after 40-plus fights, particularly so after the Makhachev battle. A week after the loss, Poirier said he was dealing with a broken nose, broken rib and a partially torn ACL. With a family waiting at home and his legacy more than secure, Poirier was ready to leave his gloves in the cage for good, with no illusions of looking back. This was it. 'I have a daughter at home, have a bunch of businesses that keep me super busy back in Louisiana and my wife's pregnant. It's just a time in my life where I want to leave this sport healthy,' he said last week. 'And that's just it, be a dad. Be home, be normal. … I don't know what it is to be like a normal civilian, not a fighter. I want to see what that's like.'
New York Times
17 minutes ago
- New York Times
WNBA players wisely use All-Star spotlight for CBA leverage: ‘Pay us what you owe us'
INDIANAPOLIS — The WNBA All-Star Weekend represented the league at its peak: a massive mid-season showcase featuring the best players in the world, hosted in a city that has become synonymous with the rapid explosion of women's sports. But the celebrations took place in front of a backdrop of labor uncertainty. The league and the players' union remain far apart in negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement, with the current CBA set to expire on Oct. 31, 2025. With all eyes on the league, the All-Stars emerged for pregame warmups Saturday to reveal a message on their shirts: 'Pay Us What You Owe Us.' The players had a breakfast meeting the morning of the All-Star game when they collectively decided to make the shirts. The shirt is available for sale on the players' union's Instagram account, with all proceeds going to the WNBPA and the players. A post shared by WNBPA (@thewnbpa) After years of fighting an existential battle for the survival of the league, WNBA players enter this bargaining cycle with a rare power: leverage. The league is generating record revenue, it's expanding, and it's become part of the national consciousness. Now is the time for the players to cash in on what they have brought to the table. They want a business model that allows them to share in the growth of the WNBA and direct more of the revenue towards salaries and player experience. Advertisement 'We see the growth in the league and as it stands, the current salary system is not really paying us what we're owed,' said union president Nneka Ogwumike, a Seattle Storm forward. 'We want to be able to have that fair share moving forward, especially as we see all of the investment going in, and we want to be able to have our salaries be reflected in a structure that makes sense for us.' The league is in a period of hyper growth, as commissioner Cathy Engelbert illuminated in her annual mid-season address. Viewership is up 23 percent year over year, attendance 26 percent, and merchandise sales 40 percent. Money is pouring into the league — via media rights, expansion fees and other avenues — but players need to secure a piece of the growing business before the WNBA enters a sustainability mode. Their prominent message on one of the league's biggest nights, and their commitment to a united front, shows that the union understands its strength and is taking control of the narrative. Doing so on All-Star weekend isn't just about getting all of the players in one room together, though the breakfast meeting composed mostly of union leadership couldn't have happened if the players weren't all in one place. The timing is also important to engage fans when they are paying attention and when players are speaking to a nationally-televised audience on ABC. This effort allowed players to tap into the community that supports them and wants to help. At a panel earlier Saturday, fans asked Dawn Staley, Sydney Colson and Kate Martin how they could make a difference in the negotiations. Fans brought 'Pay the Players' signs to the game, and Mystics guard Brittney Sykes displayed one visible on the broadcast behind Engelbert during postgame interviews. The crowd also drowned out Englebert's speech with chants of 'pay them.' 'Pay them!' WNBA All-Star fans drowned out commissioner Cathy Engelbert during her presentation of the game's MVP award. With several CBA conversations in Indy this weekend, players warmed up in shirts that read 'Pay Us What You Owe Us.' — The Athletic (@TheAthletic) July 20, 2025 'It's huge to have the fans backing us,' union vice president Napheesa Collier said. 'A lot of things are the court of public opinion, and it does matter what people think, they of course, at the league recognize that as well, so adding that pressure is really great for us.' Players are not new to public activism. As WNBPA first vice president Kelsey Plum said, this is a resilient group that was politically outspoken during the Georgia Senate race in 2020. They understand the unity it takes to achieve a desired outcome. Advertisement Fashion as a visual forum for protest is a familiar tactic. The Minnesota Lynx wore T-shirts that said 'Change starts with us' and 'Black Lives Matter' on the back after the police killing of Philando Castile in 2016. The entire league wore Breonna Taylor's name on their jerseys in the 2020 WNBA bubble after she was killed by a police officer. And in 2022, the WNBA All-Stars changed at halftime into Brittney Griner jerseys to bring attention to her detention in Russia. At a moment that is critical to determine their future, players don't want to leave any stones unturned. They need participation from throughout the union, which is why a record number of players showed up to the bargaining meeting. For instance, Satou Sabally was unable to play in the All-Star Game but flew to Indiana on Thursday to attend the negotiations. Players have to publicly apply pressure on the league, using their collective, consistent messaging and their fan bases to rally behind them. They are preparing for a lockout, putting money away in case negotiations stall. They are appealing to Engelbert's legacy: Does she want to be the commissioner who presided over the most significant growth in women's sports history, or the one who oversaw a work stoppage? The wording of 'owe us' on the T-shirts was clarifying. The players have talked about getting what is fair, but this was a crucial change in the strategy to signify that a piece of the business already belongs to them. 'We're going to continue to push for everything that we've earned,' Liberty guard Natasha Cloud said. 'The word earned is something that needs to be highlighted. I think a lot of times you get told to just continue to take crumbs and be thankful for what we have,and that's just not the case anymore.' By hijacking a tentpole event for the league, players are expressing that they will not settle. They can't afford to do anything less. (Photo of Brittney Sykes: Steph Chambers / Getty Images)
