Latest news with #GoodGame
Yahoo
14-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Would Paige Bueckers still be No. 1 if all college players were WNBA Draft-eligible?
As Sarah Strong dominated the South Carolina frontcourt during UConn's national championship victory, gobbling up rebounds, protecting the rim and scoring from everywhere on the court, it was easy to imagine her also doing so at the next level. WNBA executives had to be drooling over the idea of drafting the next Huskies star. But they'll have to wait another three years. Under the collective bargaining agreement, which expires at the end of the 2025 season, American-born players are eligible to be drafted after completing four years of college. The one exception is that players can declare after their junior seasons if they turn 22 during the calendar year of the WNBA Draft. Since Strong has a February birthday, that won't be an option. Advertisement As women's basketball booms, players have more choices in shaping their careers, whether that's in college via the transfer portal or professionally with new leagues. However, this is one decision that remains out of their control. 'I definitely think we should have the option,' USC star JuJu Watkins said on the 'Good Game with Sarah Spain' podcast. 'There's just been such a growth in college basketball, where it's like, why would you want to leave? Because you're able to have that experience and build your brand here in college as well. I would say we should definitely have the option, but I think college is a way to prepare us for the pros as well. … It's a touchy subject, but I'm for it.' Although a change to allow players to declare early is unlikely, enough underclassmen are tempting pro prospects right now, headlined by Strong. Watkins, who has two remaining years of eligibility, would be a no-brainer lottery pick, even with a torn ACL that would keep her sidelined for this upcoming WNBA season. Madison Booker of Texas has a WNBA body and pull-up game, and her fellow SEC players Ashlyn Watkins (South Carolina) and Talaysia Cooper (Tennessee) also could be pro-ready. The idea of the age limit has historically benefited most parties, even if it diminished individual player agency. The WNBA is already the hardest league in the world to make and earn a second contract in, and it doesn't behoove the current player pool to add more competitors for the limited roster spots. Advertisement Until recently, player experience was better in college than in the WNBA. It often didn't make sense for athletes to sacrifice the ability to earn a college degree to pre-emptively join a league that didn't pay that well. Certain players nevertheless took advantage of the opportunity to go pro after three seasons, including No. 1 picks Jewell Loyd and Jackie Young. Satou Sabally, the No. 2 pick in 2020, cited finances as the reason she left Oregon early, as she was in college before athletes could make money. Foreign-born athletes don't have to deal with the same age-related constraints as their American counterparts. Players born outside the U.S. can declare for the draft the year they turn 20, provided they don't attend college in the NCAA system, presumably as a way to incentivize talent around the world to play in the WNBA. Those concessions have never been made for American players, who already grow up dreaming of playing in the league. Now the WNBA has better accommodations, more lucrative salaries and a higher profile, but college sports also offer money from collectives and the ability to profit from NIL deals. Athletes are no longer missing out on their earning potential by being denied early entry into the professional ranks. The league benefits from the age limit as well. In addition to rookies being more physically suited for the pro game, the NCAA is a fantastic marketing tool for the WNBA. Players come into the league with four years of national exposure and oodles of name recognition. Though casual NBA fans struggle to identify one-and-dones, most WNBA fans are intimately familiar with the likes of Paige Bueckers, Aneesah Morrow and Hailey Van Lith before they even play their first professional game. Advertisement As a result, even though a new CBA is being negotiated, don't expect the age limit to be a point of contention. 'It has been mentioned; I don't think it's a high priority,' Seattle Storm guard Lexie Brown said on 'The Ringer WNBA Show' last month. 'Going out into the world at 18, 19 years old as a young woman with no degree to go play a sport with nonguaranteed contracts, it's kind of a recipe for disaster.' There is a reasonable discussion to be had about whether Bueckers would be the No. 1 pick if every player in college this season were draft-eligible. Strong's overall game, combined with her youth, in a league that still runs through the post, makes her a tantalizing selection. Watkins' prodigious skill and star power put her in that hypothetical conversation as well. For now, this exercise remains theoretical. College basketball is still a more popular product, and the WNBA can afford to remain exclusive and close its doors to younger players with all of the talent that already exists within its ranks. The subset of players who could realistically make the jump early is limited — too small to rewrite an entire set of rules for. Advertisement This article originally appeared in The Athletic. Connecticut Huskies, WNBA, Sports Business, Women's College Basketball 2025 The Athletic Media Company
New York Times
14-04-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Would Paige Bueckers still be No. 1 if all college players were WNBA Draft-eligible?
As Sarah Strong dominated the South Carolina frontcourt during UConn's national championship victory, gobbling up rebounds, protecting the rim and scoring from everywhere on the court, it was easy to imagine her also doing so at the next level. WNBA executives had to be drooling over the idea of drafting the next Huskies star. Advertisement But they'll have to wait another three years. Under the collective bargaining agreement, which expires at the end of the 2025 season, American-born players are eligible to be drafted after completing four years of college. The one exception is that players can declare after their junior seasons if they turn 22 during the calendar year of the WNBA Draft. Since Strong has a February birthday, that won't be an option. As women's basketball booms, players have more choices in shaping their careers, whether that's in college via the transfer portal or professionally with new leagues. However, this is one decision that remains out of their control. 'I definitely think we should have the option,' USC star JuJu Watkins said on the 'Good Game with Sarah Spain' podcast. 'There's just been such a growth in college basketball, where it's like, why would you want to leave? Because you're able to have that experience and build your brand here in college as well. I would say we should definitely have the option, but I think college is a way to prepare us for the pros as well. … It's a touchy subject, but I'm for it.' Although a change to allow players to declare early is unlikely, enough underclassmen are tempting pro prospects right now, headlined by Strong. Watkins, who has two remaining years of eligibility, would be a no-brainer lottery pick, even with a torn ACL that would keep her sidelined for this upcoming WNBA season. Madison Booker of Texas has a WNBA body and pull-up game, and her fellow SEC players Ashlyn Watkins (South Carolina) and Talaysia Cooper (Tennessee) also could be pro-ready. There's a world where JuJu Watkins decides to sit out the upcoming season, using both of her final years of eligibility, and enters the 2028 WNBA Draft that features Sarah Strong. If you were a GM with the No. 1 overall pick, who would you choose? — I talk hoops 🏀 (@trendyhoopstars) April 11, 2025 The idea of the age limit has historically benefited most parties, even if it diminished individual player agency. The WNBA is already the hardest league in the world to make and earn a second contract in, and it doesn't behoove the current player pool to add more competitors for the limited roster spots. Advertisement Until recently, player experience was better in college than in the WNBA. It often didn't make sense for athletes to sacrifice the ability to earn a college degree to pre-emptively join a league that didn't pay that well. Certain players nevertheless took advantage of the opportunity to go pro after three seasons, including No. 1 picks Jewell Loyd and Jackie Young. Satou Sabally, the No. 2 pick in 2020, cited finances as the reason she left Oregon early, as she was in college before athletes could make money. Foreign-born athletes don't have to deal with the same age-related constraints as their American counterparts. Players born outside the U.S. can declare for the draft the year they turn 20, provided they don't attend college in the NCAA system, presumably as a way to incentivize talent around the world to play in the WNBA. Those concessions have never been made for American players, who already grow up dreaming of playing in the league. Now the WNBA has better accommodations, more lucrative salaries and a higher profile, but college sports also offer money from collectives and the ability to profit from NIL deals. Athletes are no longer missing out on their earning potential by being denied early entry into the professional ranks. The league benefits from the age limit as well. In addition to rookies being more physically suited for the pro game, the NCAA is a fantastic marketing tool for the WNBA. Players come into the league with four years of national exposure and oodles of name recognition. Though casual NBA fans struggle to identify one-and-dones, most WNBA fans are intimately familiar with the likes of Paige Bueckers, Aneesah Morrow and Hailey Van Lith before they even play their first professional game. As a result, even though a new CBA is being negotiated, don't expect the age limit to be a point of contention. Advertisement 'It has been mentioned; I don't think it's a high priority,' Seattle Storm guard Lexie Brown said on 'The Ringer WNBA Show' last month. 'Going out into the world at 18, 19 years old as a young woman with no degree to go play a sport with nonguaranteed contracts, it's kind of a recipe for disaster.' There is a reasonable discussion to be had about whether Bueckers would be the No. 1 pick if every player in college this season were draft-eligible. Strong's overall game, combined with her youth, in a league that still runs through the post, makes her a tantalizing selection. Watkins' prodigious skill and star power put her in that hypothetical conversation as well. For now, this exercise remains theoretical. College basketball is still a more popular product, and the WNBA can afford to remain exclusive and close its doors to younger players with all of the talent that already exists within its ranks. The subset of players who could realistically make the jump early is limited — too small to rewrite an entire set of rules for. (Photos of Madison Booker and Sarah Strong: Alex Slitz / Getty Images, Joe Buglewicz / Getty Images)
Forbes
22-03-2025
- Sport
- Forbes
Women's March Madness Tournament Structure Critiques
The women's tournament is properly on its way with blowouts and bracket breaking upsets ensuing left and right. However, leading into the tournament after the Selection Sunday show, several of the games most prominent coaches were frustrated with the seeding. When the bracket was revealed last Sunday, UCLA was awarded the overall No. 1 seed placing them firmly in Spokane regional allowing them to play closer to home and commute within their own time zone. This reveal was followed by South Carolina and Texas taking No. 1 seeds that plant them in the Birmingham regional and the University of Southern California taking the final No 1 seed on the Spokane side. When interviewed about this seeding, South Carolina's Dawn Staley was critical of not receiving the overall No. 1 based on the Gamecocks schedule. South Carolina played 19 quad one opponents going 16-3 in that schedule, a feat that Staley felt should have received more praise from the committee. Perhaps even more vocal, Lindsay Gottlieb, Southern Cal's head coach said, 'I never thought I would be a one seed and feel so disrespected.' Gottlieb went on to clearly express frustration on being the overall number four No. 1 seed. Perhaps Gottlieb is disappointed mainly because her regional path now includes going through UConn as the No. 2 seed and an Elight Eight matchup to get to the Final Four in Tampa. To no one's surprise, UConn's Geno Auriemmo was also extremely vocal on the decision-making of the committee. Similar to Staley, Auriemmo was critical over the strength of schedule played during the regular season and how it impacted seeding for the tournament, stating, "Maybe we [UConn] don't get the respect we deserve. If you can go 4-12 in your league and you can still make the NCAA Tournament and get an eight seed, does it matter what you do in the regular season?" Additionally, Auriemmo was on podcast Good Game with Sarah Spain this week where he situated structural issues within the women's tournament needs to fix. He brought up having the regional in Spokane causing teams to travel across three time zones and a lack of fans for east coast teams that travel to the west coast. Furthermore, Auriemmo noted that when women's teams get to the Elite Eight and Final Four they are given less days of rest between games than their men counterparts. Last year the Spokane regional was a hot topic and became noteworthy as hotel space was limited in the city causing many teams to stay across the Idaho border in Coeur d'Alene. Coeur d'Alene, long has a White Supremacy history and the University of Utah encountered racial harassment staying in the city for their regional games. It will be interesting to see this year if despite the regional being in Spokane yet again, if the NCAA has made changes to negate these issues and prioritize player safety. To follow along with coverage of the women's March Madness Spokane Regional starting next week, follow me on Twitter.
Yahoo
08-02-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Legge hopeful for more opportunities in NASCAR
Katherine Legge wants to do 'all the things' when it pertains to finding more opportunities in racing and that includes NASCAR. Legge will make her ARCA Menards Series debut on February 15 at Daytona International Speedway with Sigma Performance Services (SPS). It will be her first time competing on the oval at Daytona. However, it will not be her first time in a stock car, as she has made five starts in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. But as Legge has prepared for her Daytona debuts, she has made the media rounds. During a stop on the 'Good Game' podcast with Sarah Spain, it was mentioned that Legge would attempt the Memorial Day weekend double between the NTT IndyCar Series and NASCAR. However, as Legge told RACER's Marshall Pruett, there are no solid plans for that to happen, and she's focused on earning her way through the NASCAR process to be able to compete on all types of racetracks. 'I think we've probably got to take it one step at a time and see how we're going to get there,' Legge said. 'I want to do all of the things. I want to do the Daytona 500. I want to do the Coca-Cola 600. I want to do more NASCAR. I want to do more IndyCar. I want to do more sports cars. 'I'm non-discriminatory. I think it would be very cool. I'm no Kyle Larson; I wish I was. I watched him at the Chili Bowl and in that moment, I felt very insignificant and just in awe of the amount of talent that he has. But, you know, wouldn't that be cool? I think that would be cool. So, never say never. Let's put it like that.' Legge made four starts in the Xfinity Series in 2018. In the years since, she's made one more start, which was in 2023. Four of those five starts came on road courses, with the other being the Richmond Raceway short track. A motorsports veteran, Legge has competed successfully in various racing disciplines. In 2005, she triumphed in Long Beach in Toyota Atlantic, becoming the first woman to win a major open-wheel race in North America. In 2023, she became the fastest woman qualifier in the Indianapolis 500's history. But competing in stock car racing is becoming her new favorite, and Legge sees the benefits of being a versatile driver now with stock car experience. While best known for her open-wheel and sports racing drives, Legge has been making forays into stock cars for some time too. Jared East/Motorsport Images 'Yes, I am,' Legge said about being game to drive anything. 'And again, it's making me a better driver and it's actually been one of the coolest experiences that I think I've ever done.' Andy Lally offered an assist to get Legge ready. She had mentioned to Lally during a celebration in Asheville, N.C., for Spencer Pumpelly's 50th birthday that she was heading to Charlotte for a seat fitting. Lally, who has competed in NASCAR, offered to go with her. 'So, he went with me and told me where I needed to sit and all the good stuff,' Legge said. The team was awesome. I turned up for the seat fit; they were organized and on it, everything went so smoothly. I was like, 'This is weird. This never happens. What is going on? It's like I'm living in an alternate universe.' Everything went so smoothly and I loved everybody. They were fantastic. I was like, this is cool.' The two-day test at Daytona last month went well, too. Legge and the team were among the top 15 fastest of the 70 teams participating in the test. Again noting how organized everything was with the team and how good the car was, Legge called the day 'one of the best days' she's had. 'I thought it was the coolest thing,' Legge said. 'I love driving stock cars. I drove Xfinity a handful of times a few years ago, and I wanted to get back to doing more. In NASCAR, you need to earn a license. So, I'm qualified in NASCAR's eye to drive on road and street courses and then probably the short ovals in lower-power cars. But you can't just show up and say, you know what, I want to do the Daytona 500. Because NASCAR will go, you're funny. Unless you're Helio Castroneves, in which case they're like, yeah, sure, we'll make up a new rule for you.' Legge has seen other open-wheel drivers have to prove themselves in NASCAR, getting more opportunities to move upward. Danica Patrick and AJ Allmendinger were the two she specifically mentioned. The ARCA race at Daytona is one of those chances for Legge, and she admittedly is as nervous as excited to compete. 'I hope I'm good,' Legge said. 'And I hope I'm good enough that NASCAR will go, OK, now you're qualified to do the next and the next thing, and I can build on that if the opportunity arises. 'But whatever happens, again, it's going to make me a better driver. It's increasing my resume, and who doesn't want to do these cool things? I just count my lucky chickens. But I'm excited.' Story originally appeared on Racer
