Trinity Rodman's contract saga heats up as Players Association files grievance
The NWSL Players Association alleges the league is violating its own CBA by vetoing Rodman's multi-million dollar deal.
The NWSLPA slams “flagrant” free agency violation in Rodman contract saga
The NWSLPA’s position is that Rodman’s ongoing contract offer breaks no league rules. (Dustin Satloff/NWSL via Getty Images)
The NWSL Players Association has filed a grievance against the NWSL league office in response to the reported blocking of a multi-million dollar offer from the Washington Spirit to retain forward Trinity Rodman, alleging the league is committing a violation of multiple sections of the CBA.
Commissioner Jessica Berman reportedly vetoed a four-year, back-loaded deal that would see Rodman compensated by an average of significantly over $1 million a year, saying it violated the spirit of the league’s rules under the salary cap.
The NWSPA instead asserts that scaled contracts are legal under the current CBA, and refutes a league accusation of salary cap circumvention by the Spirit.
Big picture: “It comes down to a very simple premise,” NWSLPA executive director Meghann Burke told The Athletic. “If they can mess with Trinity Rodman’s free agency rights, they can mess with anyone’s. And we won’t stand for that.”
“All parties can do is make a good faith estimate of what they think it’s going to be to negotiate fair market value,” Burke continued, with the understanding that a new TV deal in 2028 could raise the salary cap beyond its current projection of $4.7 million.
League sources told The Athletic that the NWSL would approve a base $1 million-per-year offer immediately, if presented.
Bottom line: The details of Rodman’s offer veto remain murky, but the league will have to show their work sooner rather than later as the Players Association pursues a clear answer.
The South runs the table in ranked SEC/ACC matchups
The SEC completed a 4-0 sweep in all Thursday games including ranked teams. (Lance King/Getty Images)
The SEC showed its dominance as a women’s basketball conference on Thursday, winning all four of the slated SEC/ACC Challenge matchups that featured at least one Top 25 ranked team.
No. 2 Texas handled No. 11 North Carolina 79-64, while No. 3 South Carolina and No. 13 Ole Miss survived nail-biters against No. 22 Louisville and No. 18 Notre Dame.
Big picture: No one had a better night than No. 5 LSU, who proved they can run with Power 4 conference competition in a 93-77 win over Duke, erasing a 14-point deficit with 18 points from Tigers guard Flau’jae Johnson.
“We scored 93 tonight, and look how poor we played in the first quarter. We were behind. Scoring the ball is not going to be a problem,” said head coach Kim Mulkey. “Our problem is we have to just continue to get better on the defensive end and take care of the ball.”
What’s next: The non-conference schedule cools slightly, with the only ranked battle this weekend being between Big Ten foes No. 16 USC and No. 21 Washington.
Tune in: Tip off in LA starts at 8 PM ET on Sunday, live on the Big Ten Network.
The College Cup once again runs through the ACC
No. 1 overall seed Stanford has outscored tournament opponents 21-5. (Eakin Howard/Getty Images)
Despite a few shocking early round results, the ACC has retained its status as a NCAA soccer powerhouse conference, sending three teams to today’s College Cup semifinals to determine this season’s national champion.
No. 1 overall NCAA tournament seed Stanford has been unstoppable, outscoring their opponents 21-5 in the first three rounds to earn a semifinal berth against ACC foe No. 2 Duke.
The afternoon’s other semifinal will feature No. 3 seed Florida State taking on No. 2 seed TCU, who reached the College Cup for the first time in program history with a quarterfinal win over No. 1 seed Vanderbilt.
Big picture: This year’s College Cup will take place on Friday and Monday at CPKC Stadium in Kansas City, the home of NWSL side the Kansas City Current.
Tune in: Today’s semifinal action begins with FSU vs. TCU at 6 PM ET, live on ESPNU.
World Sevens Football kicks off in Miami
The second iteration of the competition will take place from December 5-7th. (Gualter Fatia/World Sevens Football via Getty Images)
The inaugural North American iteration of World Sevens Football (W7F) begins today in Fort Lauderdale, set to determine which American club will take home the largest share of the competition’s $5 million prize pool.
The group stage features eight clubs with championship backgrounds, including NWSL Shield winner Kansas City, Liga MX Femenil Apertura winner Tigres, Northern Super League Shield winner AFC Toronto, and more.
Bayern Munich won the first-ever W7F tournament in May 2025, in a Europe-centric competition in Portugal.
Big picture: 7-v-7 soccer features two 15-minute halves played on a pitch half the size of a regulation field, with smaller goals, no offside rule, and rolling substitutions throughout the game.
The group stage will take place today and tomorrow, with the top four teams advancing to the knockout rounds, set to take place on Sunday.
Tune in: The W7F group stage begins tonight at 6 PM ET, live on TNT.
Playa Society highlights Love and Basketball’s 25th anniversary
The First Quarter drop lands today in collaboration with the film’s director. (Playa Society)
Popular women’s basketball outfitter Playa Society is honoring the 25th anniversary of classic basketball film Love & Basketball this week, dropping a capsule titled “First Quarter: Ball Better Than You,” an iconic quote from the seminal classic.
“I am so humbled by the enduring impact of the film on both ballers and non-athletes, who are inspired by characters who believe in themselves enough to fight for an impossible dream,” the film’s writer-director Gina Prince-Bythewood said of the project.
This week’s collection is just the first of multiple planned collaborations between Prince-Bythewood and Playa Society founder Esther Wallace, “blending nostalgia, culture, and women’s sports in a way that honors the film while pushing the narrative forward,” says the LA Sentinel.
Check it out: You can browse through the collab at 11 AM ET on Playa Society’s website.
Quote of the day
“If you want that shot, you’ve got to be able to handle the fact that it might not go in every single time. If you want to be the hero, you’ve got to be willing to be the goat.”
Louisville women’s basketball head coach Jeff Walz
on missing the game-tying shot in the dying seconds against No. 3 South Carolina on Thursday.