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WNBA schedule release shows Caitlin Clark effect is real
The Indiana Fever haven't even drafted Caitlin Clark yet, but the WNBA has already set the team up with a massive number of nationally televised games.
The league revealed its TV schedule on Tuesday, and as Indiana Pacers beat writer Scott Agness noted, 36 of Indiana's 40 games this season will be televised on a national network.
Fever news: WNBA national TV schedule is out and, no surprise, their scheduled is filled with appearances.
— Scott Agness (@ScottAgness) April 10, 2024
Just four of 40 games are NOT on a national network.
2 CBS
2 ABC
6 ESPN/ESPN2
4 Prime
8 ION
13 NBA TV
1 CBS SN
Clark is widely expected to make her WNBA debut on May 14 against the Connecticut Sun in a game that will be televised on ESPN2.
Her first meeting with Sabrina Ionescu, the league's top three-point scoring threat, and the New York Liberty will stream on Prime Video two days later.
The 2024 WNBA Draft is set for Monday, April 15.
It makes sense that the league and its media rights partners would want to capitalize on the Clark effect.
On Monday, it was revealed that 18.7 million viewers watched the 2024 women's NCAA Tournament championship game between Iowa and South Carolina, the largest audience for any basketball game since 2019.
It still speaks to Clark's impact that the Fever, a franchise that has a 58-174 record since 2017 and hasn't had a winning record since 2015, is must-see TV before she even has her first practice with the franchise.
Clark will partner with Aliyah Boston, Kelsey Mitchell and NaLyssa Smith to give Indiana a strong core.
Boston and Mitchell were both named All-Stars last season, and Smith finished fourth in the league in rebounds per game (9.2).
Clark is undoubtedly the main reason for the increased national interest in the Fever, but fans of the NCAA's all-time leading scorer should quickly learn that the team has much more to offer.
More must-reads:
- NCAA Tournament final sets another viewership record for women's basketball
- The respect between Caitlin Clark and Dawn Staley is real
- The 'Women's Naismith Award winners' quiz
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'Dad never showed me enough attention': Travis Kelce jokes about Ed Kelce only caring about Jason
Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce and former Eagles center Jason Kelce have four Super Bowl wins, 17 Pro Bowl selections and 13 All-Pro selections combined. Today, they have their own unique podcast, "New Heights." Outside football, the Kelce brothers share a strong bond with their parents, Donna and Ed Kelce. In the last few years, their mom, Donna, has become a social media sensation. Growing up, though, she had her hands full, raising the Kelce brothers. In their latest episode of "New Heights," Travis and Jason had their mother join, and they spoke about their family dynamic. At one point, Donna recalled a story on when Travis went to school and cut his neck with a paper clip, saying his father did it. Jokingly, Travis said he did that because his father never showed him enough attention and only cared about his older brother Jason. “Both of you guys would put a towel around your shoulders, you’d put a chip clip right here you would cut your neck, I took you into daycare and you said your father cut you with a knife,” Donna recalled. “Dad was out of the country, he was in Mexico.” “It’s coz dad never showed me enough attention,” Travis replied. “He only cared about Jason.” Earlier in the episode, Jason asked their mother Donna if she finds it weird that Travis still calls her mommy. She said she finds it funny because she thinks he’s doing so with intentions to make her laugh. “It’s kinda funny, I find it hysterical,” said Donna. “I take it as, I get a chuckle, cause I know he’s doing it to make me laugh,” said Donna. And, Travis, seemingly embarrassed, acted accordingly. Seeing how Donna and Jason laughed at his reply, Travis added the matter was between he and his mother and joked at Jason saying, “This is what happens when you’re the first born.” Evidently, the jokes continued with Donna saying that Jason has some redeeming qualities (after being compared to his father) as the three laughed. Meanwhile, the recent episode showed exactly the tight bond the Kelce brothers have with their mother Donna. It highlighted how Donna was as a mother raising her sons, encouraging them through sports. Donna did a lot of hard work raising her two sons while her husband Ed was away due to work. Ed was a military man-turned-steel worker.
Pope Leo XIV's three surprising connections to the sports world
On Thursday, white smoke arose from the Sistine Chapel's chimney in Vatican City, confirming the Roman Catholic Church had elected a new pope. Soon after, Robert Prevost emerged on the central balcony of St. Peter's Basilica, taking the name Pope Leo XIV. The 69-year-old Chicago native is the first American pope. A pope seems like he would have no connections to the sports world, but that's not the case with Prevost. With that in mind, here are three: He's a fan of a well-known baseball team Prevost grew up on the South Side of Chicago, home to the Chicago White Sox. According to his brother, John, the new pontiff is indeed a fan of the South Siders, contradicting an earlier report. "He was always a Sox fan," John told Chicago's WGN. "He was never, ever a Cubs fan. So I don’t know where that came from." The White Sox faithful have been suffering as the team continues to produce miserable results on the diamond. The White Sox haven't seen postseason action since the 2021 season and are unlikely to break that trend in 2025. Of course, the 2024 White Sox were historically bad, losing an MLB-record 121 games. Perhaps having a high-profile fan at the Vatican can help the franchise turn things around. For their part, the White Sox have claimed him. “Family always knows best, and it sounds like Pope Leo XIV’s lifelong fandom follows a little closer to 35th and Shields,” the Sox said in a statement, referring to Rate Field, via the Chicago Tribune. “Some things are bigger than baseball, and in this case we’re glad to have a White Sox fan represented at the Vatican. A pinstripe White Sox jersey with his name on it and a hat already are on the way to Rome, and of course, the Pontiff always is welcome at the ballpark.” His election highlights the Bears' ineptitude On his X account on Thursday, Dan Treacy of The Sporting News tweeted, "Chicago produced a pope before a [4,000-passing-yard] quarterback." While this seems like a joke, it's true. The Bears have never had a QB throw for 4,000 or more passing yards in a season, via Pro Football Reference. QB Caleb Williams may have a decent shot at becoming the first Bear to hit this mark. During his rookie season in 2024, the No. 1 overall pick had 3,541 passing yards in 17 games. Until that happens, the Bears will be considered a scrap heap for QBs. Since 2000, Chicago has started 29 QBs, including the 2022 Heisman winner. He has a tenuous connection to the Knicks Prevost attended Villanova, where he earned a degree in math in 1977, via the school. He earned his divinity degree at the Catholic Theological Union, a graduate school in Chicago, in 1982. The New York Knicks feature three former Villanova stars: forward Mikal Bridges and guards Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart. In an Instagram post on Thursday, director Spike Lee — a Knicks superfan — wrote that Prevost's election is a "holy blessing" for the team. Bridges, Brunson and Hart won a national championship at Villanova during the 2015-16 season. Now, they aim to carry the Knicks to their first championship since the 1972-73 season. New York leads the Boston Celtics 2-0 in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Game 3 is on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC. This is just a coincidence, though, and doesn't mean the Knicks are destined to hoist the Larry O'Brien Trophy.
Ashton Jeanty nearly sets NFL record without playing a snap
Ashton Jeanty has yet to log a mandatory practice as an NFL player, but the former Boise State star nearly set a new record on Thursday. The Las Vegas Raiders selected Jeanty with the No. 5 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. On Thursday, the team announced that its new running back has officially signed his first contract. As ESPN's Adam Schefter notes, Jeanty has signed a four-year, $35.9M contract that is fully guaranteed. Jeanty's contract, like that of all other rookies, was determined by the rookie-wage scale that was negotiated in the collective bargaining agreement between players and team owners. The deal nearly gave Jeanty the highest guarantee of any running back in NFL history. Earlier this offseason, the Philadelphia Eagles signed Saquon Barkley to a two-year, $41.2M extension that includes $36M in guaranteed money. That is the highest total guarantee for any running back in NFL history. Jeanty rushed for an absurd 2,601 yards and 29 touchdowns at Boise State last season. He averaged 7.0 yards per carry. He is viewed by most as being bust-proof, but he will need to immediately become one of the best running backs in the NFL just to live up to his rookie deal.
Steelers Could Acquire Tyreek Hill For Cheap After Recent Reports Out Of Miami
The Pittsburgh Steelers finally addressed their George Pickens issue on Wednesday morning by trading the wide receiver away to the Dallas Cowboys. Pittsburgh received a third-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft as well as a fifth-round pick in the 2027, while also giving up a sixth-round pick in 2027. It is essentially a third round pick in 2026 to go along with a late pick-swap in 2027, which is not bad considering that Pickens is going into the final year of his deal and has been a public issue for years now. Thankfully, Pittsburgh addressed the wide receiver position earlier in the offseason by trading for and extending star wide receiver DK Metcalf. He is now the unquestioned number one receiver in Pittsburgh, but the organization should be expected to explore some opportunities when it comes to adding to that room. This can be through trade or free agency, where there are some intriguing names still available, but one option via trade stands out and that is Tyreek Hill of the Miami Dolphins. Hill has been flirting with a trade request throughout the entire 2025 offseason after having one of the worst seasons of his career in 2024. He has not formally requested a trade, but it is not unreasonable to think the Dolphins would want to explore moving on from the veteran. Dolphins beat writer for ESPN, Marcel Louis-Jacques, recently wrote about the health of Hill and his timeline. "Hill had his wrist surgically repaired earlier this offseason after playing through what Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel described as a ligament issue. Hill's most recent surgery involved the removal of previously placed screws." Louis-Jacques wrote. "[Mike] McDaniel told reporters at the NFL scouting combine in February that Hill likely would not resume football activities until 'around summertime going into training camp.'" Hill has undergone two operations throughout the 2025 offseason, one to repair his wrist and the other to get the screws taken out. Dolphins Head Coach Mike McDaniel has said that the team expects Hill to resume playing football around the time training camp begins, but it isn't out of the realm of possibility that Hill could be playing elsewhere by that time. The speculation of a potential trade between Pittsburgh and Miami began when Hill was posting cryptic messages on his social media, seeming to be hinting at leaving the Dolphins. This was brought back to light after Ian Rapoport reported that the Steelers should be expected to make a move to replace Pickens after the trade went through. Hill would be quite the upgrade at the position with his undeniable speed. With Hill's two offseason procedures, his expensive contract, and his age, the Steelers should be able to land him for somewhat cheap. Something similar to what the organization received for Pickens seems fair, especially with the way Hill has spoken in the past about retiring early. The veteran wide receiver is only under contract for two more seasons, which could also aid Pittsburgh in potential trade negotiations. Steelers Have Other Options To Consider At Wide Receiver Position Aside from Hill, there are plenty of options around the league that should be considered for Pittsburgh. The Green Bay Packers selected two wide receivers during the 2025 NFL Draft, so it is reasonable to assume they could be interested in moving on from some guys that are currently under contract. Romeo Doubs as well as Dontayvion Wicks are names to consider the Steelers targeting. Outside of a trade, there are some decent veteran options available on the free agent market. Amari Cooper is probably the top name, while Gabe Davis and Keenan Allen are also some good options. Davis probably has the highest upside out of that trio due to his younger age.
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