Latest news with #MeganRapinoe
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
WNBA Legend Sue Bird Has Strong Message About Caitlin Clark's Injury
WNBA Legend Sue Bird Has Strong Message About Caitlin Clark's Injury originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Caitlin Clark, the Indiana Fever's standout guard, is currently sidelined with a left quadriceps strain. Advertisement The injury occurred following the team's game against the New York Liberty on May 24 when Clark experienced discomfort in her leg. Subsequent MRI results confirmed a strain. The Fever announced on May 26 that Clark would be out for a minimum of two weeks, with a re-evaluation scheduled thereafter. This timeline suggests she will miss at least four more games, including key matchups against the Chicago Sky and Atlanta Dream. The Iowa alum already missed two games, against the Mystics on Wednesday and against the Sun on Friday, but was still seen rooting for her team on the sidelines. Before her injury, Clark was averaging 19.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 9.3 assists per game. Fever guard Sophie Cunningham is out with an injury as well. Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) celebrates during a Smith/USA Today Network via Imagn Images In the most recent episode of "A Touch More," WNBA legend Sue Bird and former soccer player Megan Rapinoe discussed Clark's injury and how people undervalue the WNBA by reacting differently to injuries than they would in the NBA. Advertisement Bird opened up the segment, talking about the time she saw a headline stating that it was "unclear whether the teams will provide any compensation for fans who bought tickets to their games," and Bird was shocked. "Injuries are a part of you bought a ticket to see somebody and they're hurt, I get it, that's a big bummer," Bird emphasized. "But no, you would never say that about men's sports. If LeBron was out or Steph Curry or the big names were out for a couple weeks, [the NBA] would never be like 'Oh we are going to reimburse you guys, sorry about that.' Now you're just not taking the WNBA as a yeah, she's hurt. It sucks. We will continue to go on." Several WNBA venues have been upgraded to larger arenas to accommodate the overwhelming demand for games featuring Clark. For example, the Sky vs. Fever game that will take place on Saturday was moved from the Wintrust Arena to the United Center due to high ticket interest. Advertisement Similar venue upgrades have occurred across the league whenever Clark and the Fever are scheduled to play, highlighting her massive impact on attendance and visibility for the WNBA. Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) takes photos of her Faith Morgan-Imagn Images The Fever will be playing against the Mystics on Tuesday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse at 7:00 P.M. PT. New episodes of "A Touch More" are released every Wednesday and can be streamed on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube. Related: Team USA Sends Strong Message to Sue Bird on Thursday Related: Caitlin Clark Had Three Words for Indiana Fever Teammate on Friday This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 3, 2025, where it first appeared.
The Hill
6 days ago
- Business
- The Hill
MLB to invest in women's softball league
Major League Baseball (MLB) is going to invest in an upcoming women's softball league in the wake of a rise in the prominence of women's sports in the U.S. According to an article on MLB's website about its backing of the Athletes Unlimited Softball League (AUSL), a strategic investment into the AUSL by the MLB was unveiled Thursday. The baseball league also said that joint sales and marketing efforts, as well as widespread promotional support and MLB Network and broadcasts are set to be featured in the investment. 'During this extraordinarily exciting time for women's sports, we want softball to thrive. MLB is committed to help build a sustainable and impactful league that drives fandom, serves the softball community and benefits all female athletes,' MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said via a statement in the article. Women's sports in the U.S. have seen increased attention in recent years, with figures like soccer star Megan Rapinoe and basketball icon Caitlin Clark becoming household names. More viewers tuned into the women's NCAA Division I basketball championship in 2024 versus the men's, the first time in history the women's game had done so, according to The Associated Press. In 2019, Women's World Cup final viewership in the U.S. was over 20 percent higher than the men's a year prior, per Fox Sports. According to an article on the AUSL's website, next week marks the launch of the league. Amid its first season, it is set to feature four teams and 24 games per team.
USA Today
23-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Sheffield United vs. Sunderland: How to watch Championship playoff final, live stream
Sheffield United vs. Sunderland: How to watch Championship playoff final, live stream Show Caption Hide Caption Megan Rapinoe shares her experience of getting her jersey retired Former NWSL star Megan Rapinoe discusses the emotions getting her Seattle Reign jersey retired and how Google Pixel was there for her. Sports Seriously The "richest game in soccer" has arrived, with Sheffield United facing Sunderland at Wembley for a place in the Premier League. The two teams reached the Championship playoff final with wins in the semifinal, though their paths were vastly differerent. Sheffield breezed past Bristol City with a 6-0 aggregate win. Sunderland overcame Coventry 3-2 on aggregate thanks to a dramatic second-leg winner from Danial Ballard just seconds before the tie was set for a penalty shootout. Watch Sheffield United vs. Sunderland on Paramount+ The Blades will enter this match as favorites, having finished in third place, 14 points better than fourth-placed Sunderland. The Black Cats will be aiming to reach the Premier League for the first time since the 2016-17 season. The club was relegated to League One following immediately after that relegation, spending four seasons in the third tier before being promoted to the Championship in 2021-22. Sheffield United, meanwhile, is looking to return to the Premier League at the first time of asking after last season's relegation. Here is everything you need to know ahead of the game. Sheffield United vs. Sunderland (Championship playoff final) When: Saturday, May 24 Saturday, May 24 Where: Wembley Stadium (London, England) Wembley Stadium (London, England) Time: 10:01 a.m. ET 10:01 a.m. ET Channel/streaming: Paramount+ (Watch LIVE), CBS Sports Golazo Network. We recommend interesting sports viewing/streaming and betting opportunities. If you sign up for a service by clicking one of the links, we may earn a referral fee. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage
USA Today
21-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Tigres vs. Portland Thorns: How to watch W Champions Cup, TV channel, live stream
Tigres vs. Portland Thorns: How to watch W Champions Cup, TV channel, live stream Show Caption Hide Caption Megan Rapinoe shares her experience of getting her jersey retired Former NWSL star Megan Rapinoe discusses the emotions getting her Seattle Reign jersey retired and how Google Pixel was there for her. Sports Seriously The Portland Thorns will face Tigres in a Concacaf W Champions Cup semifinal on Wednesday night. The inaugural W Champions Cup kicked off in August and featured a group stage with two groups of five teams each. Group winners and runners-up advanced to the final four, which will be held at Tigres' home of Estadio Universitario in Nuevo León, Mexico. Tigres secured first place in Group A with a 3W-1D-0L record, finishing ahead of Gotham FC and local rival Monterrey. Portland, meanwhile, placed second in Group B with a 3W-0D-1L record, finishing runner-up to Club América. Watch Tigres vs. Portland Thorns on Paramount+ Tigres, traditionally one of the strongest sides in Liga MX Femenil, just finished a disappointing Clausura campaign in fifth place. Las Amazonas were then eliminated by Monterrey in the Liguilla quarterfinal. Portland enters this match in fourth place in the NWSL table, having put together a five-game unbeaten streak. The winner of the W Champions Cup will earn a semifinal spot at the FIFA Women's Champions Cup in January 2026, as well as a place at the 2028 FIFA Women's Club World Cup. The winner of this match take on the winner of Wednesday's other semifinal between Gotham FC and Club América in the final on Saturday. The semifinal losers will play earlier Saturday in the third-place game. Here is everything you need to know ahead of the game. Tigres vs. Portland Thorns (Concacaf W Champions Cup) When: Wednesday, May 21 Wednesday, May 21 Where: Estadio Universitario (Nuevo León, Mexico) Estadio Universitario (Nuevo León, Mexico) Time: 10:30 p.m. ET 10:30 p.m. ET Channel/streaming: Paramount+ (Watch LIVE), CBS Sports Network We recommend interesting sports viewing/streaming and betting opportunities. If you sign up for a service by clicking one of the links, we may earn a referral fee. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage
The Guardian
13-05-2025
- Health
- The Guardian
New research into menstrual cycles offers hope of reducing ACL injuries
'I've had not one, two, but three ACL tears – all three have been on my period.' Those were the frank words of the double World Cup-winning former United States international Megan Rapinoe, speaking on her podcast A Touch More with Sue Bird & Megan Rapinoe on 8 May, as they expressed their exasperation at how long it has taken for more in-depth research to be conducted regarded the relationship between menstrual cycles and serious knee injuries in female athletes. Finally, though, something is happening. Trying to help address the issue, with the ultimate aim of reducing instances of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries, is a new, year-long academic study at Kingston University in London, which has received funding from football's world governing body, Fifa. Starting in June, the university's sports science experts Dr Simon Augustus, Dr James Brouner and Dr Michelle Richards, and the project's lead, PhD student Blake Rivers, will analyse hormone concentrations from blood samples collected from 20 to 25 adult female players, aged between 18 and 35, and then examine how they perform specific movement tests at different stages of their individual menstrual cycles. 'We know the hormones fluctuate within those different phases of the menstrual cycle and some of them might be related to things like increased ligament laxity or decreases in neuromuscular control,' says Dr Augustus, senior lecturer in sport biomechanics. 'What we want to do then is to correlate that with how they perform certain physical-performance tests so, in terms of being able to identify ACL injury risk, we do things like change-of-direction tests or a landing test, and really we want to see whether the changes we see in terms of physiology, in terms of the hormone profiles, whether they extend through to changes in their functional movement patterns and how they actually perform these various tasks which might be ones that are indicative of injury risk.' ACL injuries have been prominent in the sport for decades but the issue has been brought into sharp focus in recent years after a string of high-profile cases, such as when the former Ballon d'Or winner Alexia Putellas tore her ACL on the eve of the last European Championship finals at a time when she was widely considered to be the world's best women's player, or when the England captain Leah Williamson suffered the same injury and missed the 2023 World Cup. However, it is much more widespread than those headline cases: in the Women's Super League alone, there are 14 players out with ACL injuries. Experts are not expecting to be able to completely eradicate the problem but the science will aim to help reduce the risk, as Dr Augustustold Moving the Goalposts: 'There are going to be certain injury occurrences that are unavoidable, if you get a bad tackle, your leg is in the wrong position, no matter how much science we can do in terms of the research. 'The ones we might have the potential to intervene with, and lower the rates of, are the ones that seem to happen when players are performing an action on their own, where there are no external forces, no external contact, so ones like when they are changing direction or landing from a header, when they seem to be slightly off-balance. 'These are the ones where, if we can get a really good holistic understanding of the load-demands that are placed on the skeletal and muscular systems, and the various factors surrounding that, if we can really understand how those contribute to the loads placed on the player, then – whether via strength and conditioning, load-management or looking at players' techniques as they develop up through the age groups – these are the ones that we might be able to intervene with and help prevent.' That said, there is not expected to be a one-size-fits-all model for how to mitigate hormonal changes during a player's period. As Dr Augustus explains: 'The important thing to say with this is it's extremely variable within women. If you think about a menstrual cycle, the 'average', which probably doesn't really exist, is 28-35 days, and we know that within naturally ovulating and menstruating women, there should be a certain profile, but even within that, there's going to be a huge variation in terms of how those hormones are released within the individual. 'That's even before we start to think about the many different types of contraceptives that the athletes could be taking, and different contraceptives will do different things to those hormone profiles. So, again, what we're really going to have to get to grips with is making sure we understand the individual profiles of the athletes we're investigating, because that's going to be key if we're going to make meaningful conclusions.' The findings of Kingston's study will be sent to Fifa next year and Dr Augustus added: 'For them to back it and give us some finance to do the project justice is great for us and great for everyone that is pushing towards a greater understanding of these types of things in the women's game. Studies have looked at this before but have potentially not been performed very well. 'The work we're doing is a smaller part of a much bigger jigsaw puzzle in this area. We hope the findings we produce will help contribute, ultimately, to reducing ACL injury rates, but it's part of a much wider effort. There are a lot of different factors.' We want carnage! It's tactically going to be crazy, which I think is what we want. It will make everyone laugh and it is entertaining. My players want to play in it. We'll have to learn the format as we go. The first one will just be utter carnage and fun' – the Manchester United manager, Marc Skinner, discussing his side's upcoming participation in the inaugural World Sevens Football competition in Portugal. Flocking to Switzerland: Ticket sales for July's Euros have reached 550,000, Uefa has revealed, seeing the tournament edge closer to surpassing the record cumulative attendance for the women's event from 2022 in England which was 574,875. Overall, there are 673,000 available tickets for the tournament, meaning that just over 120,000 remain, with under two months to go before the event kicks off in Switzerland. Of the tickets sold so far, 137,000 were purchased by fans from outside of Switzerland, which is forecasted to see an injection of at least 180 million Swiss Francs into the local their prizes: The Spain and Arsenal midfielder Mariona Caldentey was named as the WSL's player of the year at the league's inaugural end-of-season awards night on Sunday, while the Netherlands and Manchester City forward Vivianne Miedema was awarded goal of the season for her curling strike into the top corner at Villa Park. The English second-tier's player of the year prize went to Isobel Goodwin of London City Lionesses, while an award for the best matchday experience went to Manchester City. Swanson announcement: The United States forward Mallory Swanson has announced she is pregnant. The 27-year-old and her husband, Dansby Swanson, a Major League Baseball player, revealed on social media they are expecting their first child and said the news was their 'greatest blessing'. Mallory Swanson, who helped the USA win gold at last summer's Olympics, has not played for Chicago Stars this season, because of what had initially been explained as personal reasons. The latest Women's Football Weekly podcast will be out on Tuesday. Listen wherever you get your podcasts. Barcelona scored nine goals as they wrapped up their 10th Spanish league title and their sixth Liga F triumph in a row, with their 9-0 win on Sunday away at Real Betis, who were relegated with the defeat. Here is Alexia Putellas scoring the seventh after a nice one-two. The WSL season is over, and here's our unrivalled writers' review of the 2024-25 campaign. Good news for Sarina Wiegman and England – three key players are back in the squad after injury. Tom Garry has more. And will a long winless run and 11th-place finish in the WSL cost Tottenham manager Robert Vilahamn his job?
