WNBA triggers revenue sharing for the first time

Absolutely no notes.

Geno Auriemma makes AP Poll history

UConn head coach Geno Auriemma sits above the rest, with the Huskies boss making his record 655th career appearance in the AP Top 25 women’s basketball poll on Monday.

• Auriemma officially broke a tie held with legendary former Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer, as UConn spends another week as the unanimous No. 1 team in the country.

• The Huskies are nearing a perfect regular season with only two games remaining in Big East conference play, with a 13th-straight regular season title already wrapped up.

Big picture: The top five places in the AP Poll remained unchanged for another week, though No. 8 Michigan, No. 10 Louisville, No. 12 Duke, and No. 13 Ohio State all saw dips in their rankings after suffering losses this week.

• Tennessee fell out of the rankings entirely for the first time this season as the Lady Vols navigate seven losses in their last nine matchups, while nine ranked teams underlined the SEC’s depth as a conference.

• No. 7 Oklahoma and No. 9 Iowa saw the biggest jumps, after both squads saw wins over ranked competition.

WNBA triggers revenue sharing for the first time as season delay deadline looms

The WNBA continued to make headlines this week amidst its ongoing CBA battle, as the WNBPA confirmed reports on Monday that the league passed the threshold for net revenue sharing in 2025 for the first time in history.

• The 13 teams who participated in competition in 2025 will receive a total of $8 million out of an earned $16 million, to split directly among active players from last season.

• The other $8 million will be invested into league marketing agreements, in which select players receive promotional work for the WNBA in the offseason.

• The union has also begun distributing a total of $9.25 million of licensing revenue compiled from 2020-25 to players during those years, with a maximum cap of $50,000 to those active all five seasons.

Big picture: The union’s 2025 success comes as the WNBA set a hard deadline of March 10th for ongoing CBA negotiations on Monday. The 2026 WNBA season, set to tip off in early May, will officially be affected should a deal not be reached by then.

• ESPN reported Monday that over 50 players participated in a bargaining session early this week, as the union prepares a response to the league’s most recent counterproposal.

ESPN announces ‘NWSL: The Final Third’ documentary

Prior to the league’s 2026 kickoff, ESPN will recount three stories from last year’s NWSL season, announcing on Monday the upcoming premiere of ‘NWSL: The Final Third,’ on February 25th.

• The three-episode series will follow Angel City, Washington, and Kansas City at pivotal points of the 2025 NWSL season, “shaped by rising expectations, increased investment, and relentless pressure to win,” per a release.

• “The three teams we embedded with were navigating very different realities as the 2025 regular season concluded, and the drama that unfolded was incredible to witness," said producing partner Words + Pictures director Marie Margolius.

Big picture: The docu-series will primarily feature Washington Spirit standouts Trinity Rodman, Hal Hershfelt, and Esme Morgan, Angel City rookie Riley Tiernan, and Kansas City captain Lo’eau Labonta.

• Episodes will drop into the 2025 NWSL season as it nears its close, following the action of the Current’s shocking playoff exit to Gotham, Washington’s championship game run, and Angel City’s plans for the future.

Tune in: ‘NWSL: The Final Third’ will premiere on the ESPN App on February 25th, before making its linear debut on March 2nd at 9 PM ET, live on ESPN2.

Lindsey Vonn almost had leg amputated after Olympic crash

US skier Lindsey Vonn faced a possible leg amputation after a devastating crash in the downhill event at the Milan Cortina Olympics, she said on social media on Monday.

• In addition to a broken right ankle and fibula fracture, Vonn suffered a complex tibia fracture in her left leg after clipping a gate mere seconds into her downhill run, just days after tearing her ACL in her left knee immediately prior to Olympic competition.

• After reconstructive surgery, the 41-year-old experienced a complication called compartment syndrome, which in serious cases can lead to nerve and muscle damage, and even limb loss — necessitating a six-hour procedure called a fasciotomy.

Big picture: Vonn actually credited her torn ACL with saving her leg, as the previous injury was why Dr. Tom Hackett, who performed the emergency fasciotomy, traveled to Italy with the skier.

• “If I hadn’t torn my ACL, which I would have torn anyways with this crash — if I hadn’t had done that, Tom wouldn’t have been there. He wouldn’t have been able to save my leg,” Vonn said. “I feel very lucky and grateful for him.”

Naomi Girma plays hero in FA Cup fifth round

The women’s FA Cup competition has reached its last eight contenders, and even perennial winners needed a little bit of late-game magic to advance out of this weekend’s fifth round.

• Six-time winners Chelsea needed a game-winner by US defender Naomi Girma in the 99th minute of extra time to get past Manchester United, advancing to face Tottenham Hotspur in the quarterfinals.

Big picture: The quarterfinals will feature more than a little US flair as midfielder Sam Coffey’s Manchester City advanced to face WSL2 club Birmingham City, and defender Emily Fox will take on Brighton with Arsenal.

• Despite battling relegation in 11th place in WSL play, Liverpool will face WSL2 side Charlton Athletic — who are in place to rise to the WSL next season — in April’s quarterfinals.

Quote of the day

USA Hockey
respectfully declining a White House invitation to attend this evening’s State of the Union address.