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Folks already know about Caitlin Clark's popularity, but the WNBA might have discovered its newest television ratings bump in 2025 top overall draft pick Paige Bueckers.
According to a report from Front Office Sports, Friday's opening-night game between Bueckers' Dallas Wings and the Minnesota Lynx, coupled with the back-half of that doubleheader, averaged over 612,000 viewers, which was a 121 percent increase over a comparable window from the previous season.
Due to the Clark effect, Ion's 43 games broadcasted last year averaged 677,000 viewers, a 133 percent increase from 2023 -- before Clark's rookie season with the Indiana Fever.
But removing Clark games from the equation, Friday's two broadcasts -- the late contest was the first game for the expansion Golden State Valkyries vs. the Los Angeles Sparks -- were the second- and third-most watched games ever on Ion, per Sports Media Watch. Ion announced on Tuesday the viewership was 649,000 for Lynx-Wings and 581,000 for Sparks-Valykyries.
Bueckers was a three-time All-American at the University of Connecticut and the national player of the year in 2021. She had career averages of 19.8 points, 4.7 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 2.1 steals for the Huskies, becoming the sixth UConn player to be selected first in the WNBA draft.
The rookie finished with 10 points and seven rebounds in 30 minutes for the Wings in a 99-84 home loss.
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'Slow Is A Great Word To Describe It': WNBA CBA Talks ‘All Over the Place’ As Insider Reveals Major Update
The WNBA is taking a slow time in dealing with the issue of a new Collective Bargaining Agreement or CBA, and one insider revealed the real status behind the scenes. As revealed by ESPN insider Kendra Andrews, talks and negotiations within the WNBA have not progressed much and are not expected to have any significant progress soon, as the pace of negotiations has been slow so far. “I think slow is a great word to describe it… There was hope that maybe we could speed this up, meeting face-to-face,” Andrews explained. “So many players showed up… hoping, okay, not only face-to-face, but like we have this power behind us… and so many players said it was really disappointing and wasted opportunity.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ebMi4xgnY4 feature=youtu.be The WNBA’s collective bargaining agreement expires on October 31, and negotiations between the league and the Women’s National Basketball Players Association have accelerated, with revenue sharing as the central issue. Players, spearheaded by union president Nneka Ogwumike, want a system where salaries and the salary cap grow based on a growing percentage of revenues that the league and teams generate, rather than the fixed annual escalations of the current agreement. WNBA Ratings, Attendance Remain Strong Despite Star Injuries The WNBA is enjoying another season of growth in both television ratings and attendance, even as several of its most marketable stars have missed extended time due to injury. Caitlin Clark, Breanna Stewart, Napheesa Collier, and Angel Reese have all been sidelined in recent weeks, yet ESPN broadcasts are slightly up from last year, and ABC games have surged 17% in viewership. Attendance has also held firm, buoyed by the debut of the Golden State Valkyries, who have sold out every home game and are averaging more than 18,000 fans per night. League parity and competitive play have helped offset the absence of marquee names. Minnesota has gone unbeaten in three games without MVP frontrunner Collier, extending its lead atop the standings, while Indiana has posted a 6–2 record over its last eight contests without Clark, who has been out for nearly a month with a right groin injury. Clark, speaking on Sue Bird’s podcast, acknowledged feeling a “responsibility” to play given her role in attracting new fans, but vowed to continue traveling to every road game to support her team. New York has navigated an up-and-down stretch without Stewart, who is targeting a return by month’s end from a bone bruise in her right knee, while Chicago continues to miss star Angel Reese. In spite of these difficulties and challenges that teams face, it seems that the WNBA as an entire league is still doing okay in the area of ratings and viewership.
Pete Alonso gets awesome gift from Mets after breaking HR record
Pete Alonso is officially the New York Mets' all-time home run king, and the team has pulled out all the stops while crowning its slugger. Alonso hit the 253rd and 254th home runs of his Mets career in the team's 13-5 win over the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday night. He surpassed previous franchise record-holder Darryl Strawberry, who hit 252 home runs with the Mets from 1983-1990. Prior to Thursday night's game against the Braves, the Mets presented Alonso with a custom painting that was made from 253 baseballs. The portrait shows Alonso in the home-run trot from his 253rd homer. That was not the only gift the Mets had for Alonso, either. They also gave him a new Ford F-150 truck. Alonso entered free agency last offseason but did not generate as much interest as he had hoped. He wound up returning to the Mets on a two-year, $54M deal. The second year is a player option, and Alonso is widely expected to opt out. One Mets player suggested that Alonso's new home run record could inspire the 30-year-old to re-sign with the team, but New York would have to pay up to make that happen. Alonso entered Thursday batting .272 with 28 home runs and an MLB-leading 98 RBI. His relationship with the Mets seems strong at the moment, and the gifts may have helped solidify it even further. That does not mean Alonso is going to offer any type of hometown discount.
Mike Vrabel jumps into the middle of another training-camp fight
New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel has taken quite the beating during training camp this year, and it seems like that is just the way he wants it. Vrabel made headlines last week when he jumped into the middle of a fight to separate his Patriots players from Washington Commanders players during a joint practice. The coach was left bleeding from the side of his face when the dust settled. The minor injury did not deter Vrabel. When the Patriots got into another scrum on Thursday, this time during a joint practice with the Minnesota Vikings, Vrabel was quick to put himself right in the middle of the action again. You can see a video here. Vrabel, a former Pro Bowl linebacker, is known for being hands-on during practices. The 50-year-old has an intense side to him, which is something a lot of players respond to. Patriots quarterback Drake Maye had a great reaction the last time Vrabel jumped in to break up a fight. Vrabel played for the Patriots from 2001-2008 and won three Super Bowls with the team. This is his first year as the head coach in New England, but he has plenty of experience from the six seasons he spent as head coach of the Tennessee Titians from 2018-2023. The Patriots are hoping Vrabel can lead them back to the playoffs after they won just four games in each of the past two seasons. It remains to be seen if he can do that, but there is no denying his level of intensity on the practice field.
Big Brawl Ignited By Unexpected Steelers Player As Things Got Heated With Buccaneers
The Pittsburgh Steelers hosted the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for a joint practice at Acrisure Stadium on Thursday ahead of the two team's second preseason game on Saturday. The game this weekend won't feature a ton of starters from either side, so the scrimmage was the best opportunity to see what the matchup looked like with both team's starters on the field. Unfortunately, local media was not allowed to report much from the practice session, but it did come out that Pittsburgh struggled on defense, and a little brawl broke out between the two sides at one point. Practices ahead of the season always get heated, and while the Steelers were in Latrobe, the team had its fair share of inter-squad brawls. However, things especially get chippy during joint practices. This has been seen around the NFL going on every week, and most of them have some fireworks. That was the case on Thursday for Pittsburgh, as punter Cam Johnston picked a fight with Tampa Bay during a special teams period. A lot of the special teamers for Pittsburgh got in on the action during practice, as Johnston, Christian Kuntz, and Corliss Waitman all got involved in the brawl. It has been said that Johnston was not happy with how close a defender was to hitting his plant leg on a punt, which is not something you want to see, let alone during a practice period. It is definitely understandable why Johnston would have the reaction that he did during practice on Thursday. It is the same exact scenario that ended his 2024 season during the first game of the year. A blocker was rushed back into him while he was punting, and he suffered major damage to his knee that he has spent the last year rehabbing. He does not want an instance like that happening again, especially not during practice. Johnston finds himself in the middle of a position battle with Waitman, who happens to be the player that was able to pull him out of the fight during practice. Both punters will likely have starting jobs somewhere during the 2025 season, with Johnston being the favorite to stay in Pittsburgh. Waitman filled in nicely in 2024, and he has made a name for himself within punting circles in the league. The organization might look to trade one of the punters, which would probably end up being Waitman due to his lower salary. Steelers Seemed To Struggle In Joint Practice With Buccaneers As mentioned, reporting during practice was not allowed on Thursday, but it seems like Pittsburgh struggled when going up against Tampa Bay, especially in the two-minute drill. The defense had issues dealing with the talented wide receiver room of the Buccaneers, and the offense struggled to get anything going outside of a dominant seven shots period. Things are going to need to improve mightily before the regular season begins at the start of September, because after just one joint practice, this team seems like it might be more of the same of what has been seen in years past. Pittsburgh went all-in on winning during the 2025 offseason as it made significant upgrades on both sides of the football. Those upgrades don't seem to be paying off quite yet, but there is still a ton of time for that to change as the organization prepares for its second preseason game of 2025.
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