Toronto Tempo's Sandy Brondello joins top-paid WNBA coaches list

What she said.

Toronto Tempo’s Brondello joins WNBA’s highest-paid coaches list

The Toronto Tempo has officially landed a sideline leader, with the 2026 WNBA expansion team announcing ex-New York Liberty boss Sandy Brondello as their inaugural head coach on Tuesday — and making her one of the league’s highest-paid coaches in the process.

• “This is the place I wanted to be,” Brondello said in her introductory press conference. “To build a team from the ground up, that really excited me.”

• Brondello joins the Tempo as a two-time championship winning coach, first with Phoenix in 2014 before taking New York to the 2024 title.

Cashing in: The WNBA’s first Canadian team is doubling down on their choice, with multiple reports valuing Brondello’s multi-year contract at over $1 million annually.

• The 57-year-old Australian Olympic medalist joins the Mercury’s Nate Tibbetts and Aces’ Becky Hammon as the league’s only known coaches earning seven-figure salaries.

• And according to Front Office Sports, Brondello received a more lucrative offer from a different WNBA team, but thought Toronto was the better fit.

• “This is a place that’s serious about doing things the right way — about excellence, about people, about community — and that’s exactly the kind of environment every coach wants to be part of,” Brondello said in team statement.

Bottom line: As the offseason coaching carousel nears its final turn, resources will be tested as teams prep for big spending — and a contentious new CBA — in 2026.

NWSL reckons with attendance issues as league sees 5% dip

The NWSL’s regular-season attendance numbers are in, with Sports Business Journal reporting a 5% decline from 2024’s record highs.

• Despite setting a new single-game record in August, the league averaged 10,669 fans per game this season, down from 11,250 last year — though this year’s numbers do mirror 2023 averages.

• “Our underlying business is incredibly strong,” NWSL COO Sarah Jones Simmer told SBJ, citing multiple single-game team highs. “Across the league, we’re seeing consistent attendance growth, franchise-best seasons, and record-breaking moments in markets big and small.”

Highs and lows: Portland unseated Angel City as the NWSL’s top-supported team, with the LA club seeing a 15.8% drop in overall attendance before missing the playoffs for the second straight season.

• San Diego saw the steepest fall, with ticket sales down 26.4% from 2024 and 35.2% from the club’s Shield-winning 2023 campaign.

• Some teams did see gains, with North Carolina improving attendance 40.8% in the last two years while Washington’s numbers jumped 42.3%, Gotham’s rose 41.1%, and 2024 champs Orlando’s grew 51.5% over the same period.

Stay tuned: With two new teams launching next year — and even more in the pipeline — sustainability concerns like these are increasingly coming into focus.

Tennessee opens NCAA season on shaky ground with NC State loss

No. 8 Tennessee opened their 2025/26 season on a down note, falling to No. 9 NC State 80-77 on Tuesday as the Volunteers hope to better last season’s Sweet Sixteen finish under second-year coach Kim Caldwell.

• Vanderbilt transfer forward Khamil Pierre led the Wolfpack with 21 points, while Tennessee junior Talaysia Cooper led the game with 23 points.

• “We wanted to see where we were early, so we had time to fix it,” Caldwell said postgame. “I think that’s exactly what we got out of it. We have a lot of things we can fix. We can get a lot better.” (Watch full highlights)

Shaky start: Tennessee announced a late roster change ahead of this week’s tip-off, dismissing starting guard Ruby Whitehorn after the senior’s second offseason arrest.

• “I love Ruby and will always be rooting for her, but my priority is to uphold the respected reputation of the Lady Vols,” Caldwell said in a statement.

• “I have failed to uphold the standards of the lady vol legacy and what it represents and for that I apologize,” Whitehorn posted in response.

Up next: Tennessee’s slate softens from here, with the Vols’ next ranked matchup set for November 30th — plenty of time to get things in order before another big test.

Stanford holds court as NCAA soccer conference tourneys kick off

The NCAA soccer postseason has arrived, as conference tournaments set the scene for November 10th’s Selection Sunday — and the 64-team NCAA tournament.

• Stanford enters the weekend at No. 1 in the United Soccer Coaches rankings, with the ACC regular-season title-holders advancing to Thursday’s conference tournament semifinals.

• “We’ve got to keep getting better,” coach Paul Ratcliffe said. “If we want to win the national championship, you gotta learn from each game and continue to push forward and improve.”

Big picture: After sending four teams to the 2024 College Cup, the ACC remains on top of the women’s college soccer landscape — though other contenders loom.

• No. 3 Memphis remains the year’s surprise success story, vying for their fifth American Conference championship this weekend after multiple ranked regular-season wins.

• Washington enters the Big Ten tournament semifinals as the No. 1 seed, while upsets already ousted SEC No. 1 Arkansas and Big 12 No. 1 TCU from their respective tournaments.

Tune in: Conference semifinals kick off on Thursday, with live coverage across Big Ten Network and ESPN+.

Aryna Sabalenka to feature in December’s Battle of the Sexes

World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka is back in the headlines, agreeing to feature in next month’s “Battle of the Sexes” against No. 652-ranked ATP player Nick Kyrgios.

• The exhibition match is set for December 28th at Dubai’s 17,000-capacity Coca-Cola Arena, taking advantage of a quiet period in the tennis calendar.

• “I genuinely think that I’m going to win. I’ll definitely go out there and I’ll try my best to kick his ass,” Sabalenka said.

Big picture: The concept mirrors 1973’s world-famous “Battle of the Sexes” between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs — with King winning in straight sets.

• December’s match will be a best-of-three affair with a 10-point tiebreak played at 1-1, with Kyrgios serving toward a slightly smaller court and both participants restricted to one serve each.

• “I have so much respect for Billie Jean King and what she has done for the women’s game,” Sabalenka continued. “I’m proud to represent women’s tennis and to be part of this modern take of the iconic Battle of the Sexes.”

Quote of the day

The NWSL
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