‘I’m getting my mama a new house’: what happens when a huge pay boost changes WNBA players’ lives?

The WNBA is entering its 30th season, a milestone worthy of as big of a celebration as its players could muster – and this year, they mustered up a lot. The Women’s National Basketball Players Association (WNBPA) negotiated a landmark collective bargaining agreement (CBA) with the league that, among other things, introduces a revenue sharing system and an estimated average salary of $583,000.This season, all players will make the minimum of $270,000, up from $66,000; others may make as much as $1.4m. It’s money that Alysha Clark, a veteran forward for the Dallas Wings and vice-president of the WNBPA, describes to the Guardian as “amazing”

The Spin | Dangerous, decadent, depraved: cricket’s love affair with the cover drive

Taunton, 3 April 2026. Somerset are hosting Nottinghamshire, the defending county champions, in their first fixture of the new season and are 20 for two having been sent into bat. It’s murky and cold. The batters wear cable-knit sweaters and the spectators in the crowd have wisely decided not to eschew their winter coats. Plenty peer out at the action from under tightly drawn hoods

Viral volleyball star Jordan Lucas: ‘I’m celebrating like NFL players, just in a more feminine way’

The Cal State Northridge player has attracted millions of views for his hair flicks and dismissive waves. He says navigating the fallout has been a career of its own“I think people are really enamored with me because you don’t often see someone like me – animated, flamboyant – but still able to back it up on the volleyball court,” says Jordan Lucas, the outside hitter for Cal State Northridge’s men’s team.Although college volleyball has a devoted following and can attract big crowds – 92,000 fans went to see Nebraska take on Omaha in 2023 – it doesn’t usually attract the same attention as basketball or football. That changed last month though when clips of Lucas’s “flamboyant” play – he’s fond of celebrating with a flick of his hair or a dismissive wave at his opponents – went viral, amassing millions of views on social media. College athletes enjoying social media fame is hardly new: stars such as Paige Bueckers, Harper Murray, Olivia Dunne and Shedeur Sanders all had their viral moments

The problem with RFU’s handling of Six Nations review is that England fans aren’t stupid | Robert Kitson

There has been a lot of fuss in recent days about French TV directors not giving rugby fans the full picture. In that particular department, sadly, there remains a runaway market leader. To say the Rugby Football Union’s public response to England’s disappointing Six Nations campaign has failed to supply all the relevant angles is an understatement.In an ideal world, there would have been a media conference with Bill Sweeney, the RFU’s chief executive, alongside Steve Borthwick, his head coach, presenting a united, purposeful front and outlining precisely why the status quo needs preserving despite England having racked up four championship defeats for the first time since 1976. Instead, there was only a “Don’t tell ‘em, Pike” statement on email best summarised in four words: “Nothing to see here

From the Pocket: uncomfortable questions have rightly been asked of Carlton – their response doesn’t cut it

What stood out in both the AFL and Carlton’s statements regarding what happened to Elijah Hollands at the MCG three weeks ago were the things that weren’t and couldn’t be said. There were legal restrictions. There was medical confidentiality. There was a WorkSafe investigation. There was a universal acceptance that the privacy and wellbeing of the young man at the centre of all this was the most important thing

Timberwolves accuse Wembanyama of goaltending after Spurs star sets NBA playoff block record

The Minnesota Timberwolves have questioned whether Victor Wembanyama’s NBA playoff record 12 blocks were legitimate.The San Antonio Spurs star set the record during his team’s conference semi-final loss to the Timberwolves on Monday night. But Minnesota coach Chris Finch believes the refereeing during the game was questionable.“Historic night. But when we looked at [Wembanyama’s blocks], at least four of them were goaltending,” Finch said on Tuesday