WNBA drops historic broadcast schedule

I saw the sign…

WNBA drops record broadcast schedule

The WNBA is taking center stage, with a record 216 games getting the nationally televised treatment this season, including Indiana’s complete 44 regular-season lineup — the most in league history.

• The Fever is the first and only WNBA team with a fully national schedule, as fans await superstar Caitlin Clark’s return from injury and a potential playoff push in Indianapolis.

• The Dallas Wings rank second with 36 national games, after drafting Paige Bueckers (2025) and Azzi Fudd (2026) with back-to-back No. 1 picks, followed by the 2024 champion New York Liberty and 2025 champion Las Vegas Aces. (See full schedule)

Big screens: As part of the WNBA’s blockbuster media deal, NBC is re-joining the national scrum for the first time in nearly 25 years, alongside ESPN/ABC, CBS Sports/Paramount+, Amazon Prime Video, USA, ION, and NBA TV.

• “The return of the WNBA to NBC Sports for the first time since 2002 is a milestone moment — not only for our platforms, but for the league and its fans,” NBC Sports president Rick Cordella said.

• “The WNBA’s unprecedented lineup of linear and streaming partners will shine a light on must-see matchups and the remarkable skills the WNBA’s stars provide each time they step on the court,” commissioner Cathy Engelbert said. (See full release)

Stay tuned: The WNBA’s opening day triple header tips off on May 8th, live on ION.

NWSL & NWSLPA join Project ACL

The NWSL and NWSLPA are teaming up with Project ACL, a research initiative focused on reducing ACL injuries in pro women’s soccer.

• Launched in 2024 by England’s WSL, the US investment represents a coordinated approach between two of the world’s top pro leagues to address the environmental and biological factors behind the epidemic.

• Along with FIFPRO, Nike, and Leeds Beckett University, the partnership is spearheading a three-year study slated for June 2026, with researchers tracking players’ travel schedules, workload, and game minutes — especially when playing on short rest. (See full report)

Big issue: ACL tears are two to six times more likely to occur in women’s soccer athletes than men’s, yet according to Project ACL, just 8% of all sports research specifically targets women’s athletes.

• Chelsea and Australia striker Sam Kerr, US and Gotham defender Tierna Davidson, and England and Arsenal center-back Leah Williamson represent a fraction of high-profile ACL injuries sustained in recent years.

• “We believe that player-centricity and collaboration with key stakeholders are central to establishing meaningful change,” said Dr. Alex Culvin, director of women’s football at FIFPRO. “Players, competition organizers, and stakeholders around the world will benefit from Project ACL’s outputs and outcomes.” (See full release)

Olympic hockey star Hayley Scamurra sets PWHL record

As the 2025/26 PWHL regular season winds down, individual scoring records continue to fall in quick succession.

• Just days after Vancouver’s Jenn Gardiner set the single-game scoring record with four goals against Seattle, Team USA forward Hayley Scamurra scored the fastest hat trick in league history in Montréal’s 4-3 defeat to the Goldeneyes.

• The Olympic gold medalist scored her trio of third-period goals in just two minutes and 44 seconds — also becoming the league’s first player to register a hat trick in a losing effort. (Watch full highlights)

Setting the field: Scamurra’s Victoire can afford the slip-up, sitting atop the PWHL standings heading into Saturday’s regular-season finale with its postseason ticket already punched.

• Boston and defending champion Minnesota await Montréal in the playoffs, with Seattle, Vancouver, and New York eliminated from contention while Toronto and Ottawa battle for the fourth and final postseason slot.

• “It will be like a playoff game before the playoffs,” Ottawa interim head coach Haley Irwin said of Saturday’s Decision Day. “The mindset, in terms of how we play and how we’re going to go about it doesn’t change.” (See full playoff rules)

Tune in: The PWHL’s Decision Day starts on Saturday at 12 PM ET, live on YouTube.

Vanderbilt extends Shea Ralph after historic season

Vanderbilt is locking down its head coach, extending Shea Ralph’s contract after she led the Commodores to last month’s historic Sweet 16 finish.

• Coming off the most successful season in program history, Ralph oversaw a Vanderbilt squad that went 29-5 in the regular season — including 13 wins in the stacked SEC.

• “When I arrived in Nashville, I said it felt like it was only the beginning of something incredible,” Ralph said. “And as much growth as we’ve had, the best part of being at Vanderbilt is I still feel that way every day.” (See full release)

Taking charge: Ralph swept this year’s coaching awards, winning both AP and Naismith Coach of the Year after taking Vanderbilt to the NCAA tournament in three of her five years at the helm — ending the team’s 10-year drought.

• “Her well-deserved recognition only reinforces what we see every day — she makes teams better, empowers women, and brings people together,” Vanderbilt athletic director Candice Storey Lee said.

NCAA gymnastics final draws record viewership

Interest in NCAA gymnastics continues to soar, after Saturday’s 2026 championships final averaged a record 1.1 million viewers on ABC.

• The broadcast peaked at 1.7 million — another NCAA gymnastics record — as Oklahoma won its second straight title in a tight showdown.

• The meet’s viewership was up 10% year-over-year, as well as 9% over its previous high in 2023.

Big numbers: Much like other women’s sports, NCAA gymnastics saw an uptick in both attendance and TV ratings this season — backed by some serious star power.

• ESPN’s regular-season coverage broke records in January, as a high-profile meet between Oklahoma, Utah, LSU, and Olympian Jordan Chiles’s UCLA averaged 838,000 viewers — with LSU and Utah both posting record home opener attendance this year. (See full report)

Quote of the day

US soccer legend Kelley O’Hara
recapping the USWNT’s win over Japan in the latest episode of Time Wasting.