Chantel Jennings
@ChantelJennings
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Senior women's basketball writer at @TheAthletic | Previously: Knight-Wallace Fellowship, ESPN, The Michigan Daily | chantel @theathletic .com | she/her
Minneapolis, MN
Joined November 2009
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Last Seen Profiles
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There aren’t many moments that feel too big for Caitlin Clark, but last night, as she soaked in the celebrations of becoming the DI leading scorer, it was her family and the little kids that made her most emotional.
From an historic night in Iowa City:
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Reminder: My female colleagues and I have run the same number of college/NFL routes as most of our male colleagues.
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This job is amazing. But it can’t be done unless people let you in.
In 2014, three months after moving to the west coast I heard that Mike Leach walked to work every day. I asked if I could join one day. He didn’t really know me but he said “Sure. Wear good shoes.”
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Just imagine if the NCAA had always invested…
March 2021 > April 2024
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Stanford sports performance coach Ali Kerschner posted this to Instagram earlier today, comparing the men's and women's facilities in their respective bubbles.
Women's teams get six sets of dumbbells, yoga mats and a single stationary bike until the Sweet 16...
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Imagine how far it would've looked if she played in Portland...
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To the Alabama football player who was shocked that female sportswriters were coming into the locker room after the game: It’s 2018, I can handle myself and you can take your chauvinism elsewhere.
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"If Jacob Blake were a dog, and the police were to shoot him seven times in the same spot, we would have a lot more people up in arms. So, what does that tell you about my value?" — Chicago Sky coach James Wade
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On the WNBA site currently, there are no Chicago jerseys available to buy. On DICKs, you can get a Diamond DeSheilds or Courtney Vandersloot jersey.
No Kahleah Copper. No Candace Parker. No Allie Quigley. No Azurá Stevens.
It's the playoffs. The league needs to figure this out.
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On a scale of 1-10, how difficult is it to change the logo on a court like this? Because a WNBA Playoff game shouldn’t be played on a court without a WNBA team logo.
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#WNBA
commissioner Cathy Engelbert says that there was a 68% increase in regular season average television viewership across all networks.
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Seriously, sportswriters: If you aren't crediting the WNBA for the way they've led sports (and the country) on these issues, what are you doing? Where have you been?
The WNBA has led. Period. End of sentence.
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Like many others, I got the call today from ESPN that today would be my last with them. A few parting words:
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The defense the NCAA thought it had...
What the Supreme Court heard in the NCAA's defense...
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Grateful to SNL for gifting us this. 10/10 will use in my daily life.
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Why should you support local newspapers? Because the
@indystar
did some incredible initial reporting on the Larry Nassar abuse scandal. Other outlets have followed and done incredible work but The Star got the ball rolling.
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Cheers (with coffee) to a true original, the pirate of football. May we all stay half as curious as Mike Leach always was.
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Some news…
I won't be covering women's hoops for the next few months. My husband and I welcomed our first child last week so I'll be on parental leave (and off Twitter) until late 2022.
There are no words for how happy we are — quite the feat when you write as much as I do.
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I will never forgive college football for the dissolution of Pac-12 women's basketball.
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July 12, 2016: Lynx players hold press conference and wear Black Lives Matter t-shirts. Four off-duty cops, who were acting as security for the game, walk off the job.
Aug. 26, 2016: Colin Kaepernick sits for the anthem.
Aug. 26, 2020: NBA players boycott.
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South Carolina women's basketball coach Dawn Staley to the fans who oppose her players' national anthem protests: "Instead of being disappointed for seeing them sit ... help them stand."
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This was the story from Pullman.
It's still one of my favorite reporting experiences and it marks a pivotal point in my career, for which I owe largely to Mike:
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The US soccer team looking solid tonight.
(I think we can agree that for the next few years we don't need to specify "women's" team.)
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Baylor coach Kim Mulkey, who tested positive for COVID this season, in the postgame:
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New York native Stef Dolson has agreed to terms to a multi-year deal with the New York Liberty, per sources.
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There are a ton of media members in Minneapolis for the Final Four, and it's a good reminder for all involved in sports that when you allow good access, you get so many unique and interesting stories. Here are a few I've loved this week 🧵:
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Shey Peddy was cut six times before she made a WNBA roster at 30 years old. Truly, one of the best stories in sports.
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Allyson Felix, Sue Bird, Diana Taurasi all heading to their fifth Olympic Games. Just incredible.
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Excited to announce I've joined
@TheAthleticCFB
as a senior writer covering college football.
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Teams that I will not accept compliments about today:
1. Alabama
2. Auburn
3. Clemson
4. Florida State
I do not care if your QB passes for a million yards. I do not care if your RB literally hurdles an entire defense. Get out of here.
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Three shots. Three makes. And Caitlin Clark now stands atop the Division 1 scoring ranks.
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Arizona is up 10 on No. 15 Wazzu and I just remembered this exists:
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Put it on ABC then.
The
#NationalChampionship
between
@UConnWBB
&
@GamecockWBB
was the most-watched
#NCAAWBB
champ game in nearly TWO DECADES
🏀 4.85M viewers
🏀 Up 18% from '21, up 30% from '19
🏀 Peaked with 5.91M viewers
Full
#MarchMadness
viewership details to come
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One time while watching film with him:
“Do you own a dog?”
“No,” I said. He paused. Back to film.
“Are you a middle child?”
“Yes.”
“Did you grow up fishing?”
“No,” I said.
“Have you heard of noodling?”
He proceeded to explain to me noodling — barehanded catfish fishing.
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I had read the stories, seen the interviews and I’d wonder, “Is it just a gimmick?” But I was instantly struck with how he was one of the most genuinely curious people I had ever met (not just at work). He observed everything. He thought out loud. He asked questions. Constantly.
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Just in: San Antonio Spurs assistant and WNBA legend Becky Hammon is closing in on a landmark deal to become the new head coach of the WNBA's Las Vegas Aces, sources tell me and
@ShamsCharania
.
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No WNBA team visited the White House during Donald Trump's presidency. But on Monday, the Storm will be hosted by President Joe Biden and Dr. Jill Biden, celebrating the 2020 WNBA title.
Per release, players will also meet with members of the White House Gender Policy Council.
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In her final WNBA season, Sylvia Fowles is out indefinitely with a cartilage injury in her right knee, per release. Bad news for Fowles, bad news for the Lynx, bad news for women's basketball fans.
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It's not just Iowa women's basketball, though.
- Both LSU-MTSU and UConn-Syracuse drew 2+ million.
- USC-Kansas (which tipped at 10 pm ET!) drew 1.8 million.
- Tennessee-NC State drew 1.2 million.
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Lauren Betts is in the transfer portal. The former No. 1 player spent a season at Stanford. The 6-7 post is going to be a huge add for another team.
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Ole Miss' hiring of Quentin Hillsman sends a loud message to not just the Syracuse players who came forward to tell the truth but players everywhere. They hear: Your story doesn’t matter.
That's wrong. And damaging. Your stories do matter. I promise.
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Dog in Alabama runs marathon (without the knowledge of her owner) and finishes sixth:
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Give John Beilein lemons and he’d make the best damn lemon meringue pie with a lemon drop martini you’ve ever had and you’d be like, “John, you literally ONLY had lemons.”
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Have to respect the dedication of Zach Ertz: with his Olympian wife representing the United States of America, he was with his football team.
Or, we can just say... It was a really great Sunday for the Ertz family.
Have to respect the dedication of Julie Ertz: with her husband playing for a trip to the Super Bowl she was with the national team for a friendly vs Denmark. (And she scored.)
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Two moms headed to Tokyo in the 400. Wow wow wow.
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Mercury coach Vanessa Nygaard said that her 9-year-old son told her today, "You're the shepherd. You take care of the GOAT."
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This 2024 WNBA draft class is silly. No. 8 pick is going to be more valuable than lottery picks in previous years (listed alphabetically).
- Cam Brink
- Paige Bueckers
- Kamilla Cardoso
- Caitlin Clark
- Aaliyah Edwards
- Deja Kelly
- Angel Reese
- Hailey Van Lith
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Gabby Williams, on WNBA prioritization and whether she thinks teams might not have as much interest in her because of her potential overseas playoff schedule:
"Sure. But I'm also shying away from the W because teams aren't touching what I'm making in Europe."
(Q: ? Sorry)
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What if I told you ... an Alabama basketball team that fielded three players against a top-15 team was more competitive in the final minutes than Alabama football team in the Iron Bowl?
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If you are not someone who follows the Supreme Court at all, Justice Alito bringing up this point is not a good sign for the NCAA.
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A reminder to all the NBA writers out there as you report this story: Do not write the WNBA out of this narrative. Do not leave this league, which is 80 percent Black women, out of this story.
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Mike didn't know me and he still let me in immediately. That's rare. But I wasn't special. He was in that way.
I'm convinced there's someone out there who, as high school reporter, got a 45-minute one-on-one with him.
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After that, whenever we'd talk for a story he would always call me on his walk back at the end of the day. He'd spend the first 15 minutes telling me about crop yields and constellations and Key West.
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Chicago Sky coach James Wade says he just was told that the Atlanta Dream will not be playing tonight.
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I've always appreciated Tara for being 100% herself. Showing up to her final presser with six pages of remarks typed, front and back, is 100% Tara. No other way to go out.
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There are currently 1,084 women's basketball players in the transfer portal.
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Southern Utah punter Tate Lewis with the tribute to the late Mike Sadler:
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How hard is it to make a WNBA roster?
This year, there are 137 (ish) spots (61 players are on protected contracts). Lots of talented players are still on rookie scale contracts.
Realistically, there are probably fewer than nine spots. Some first-rounds picks won't make rosters.
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Was trying to figure out what exactly had made James Franklin so mad. Pretty sure it was one of his players not shaking hands.
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The WNBPA took out a full page ad in The New York Times today (photo cred: Terri Jackson):
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Becky Hammon says the Aces are going to look "a lot different offensively." Wants to give A'ja Wilson, Chelsea Gray and Kelsey Plum a lot of "space to operate."
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That story meant a lot to me in my career. It was the first time I made the big pitch on someone who'd had A LOT written about them ... and still delivered a new angle. I think it changed the way ESPN looked at me as a reporter, but it also changed how I saw myself as a reporter.
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A reminder: You don't need to pat the NBA on the back *that* hard for moving a preseason game back for a WNBA finals-clinching game.
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A'ja Wilson took us all on a real journey after being told she only got four minutes of rest during the entire Las Vegas-Seattle four-game series (including one OT game).
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Tara VanDerveer is asked if she has seen substantive changes in this year's NCAA Tournament in terms of equity.
"Umm, no."
Makes calls for a performance fund similar to the men's tournament and the solo TV package.
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On Saturday, Iowa set a viewership record for a non-Final Four game with 3.23 million viewers taking in Iowa-Holy Cross on ABC.
It took exactly 48 hours for the Hawkeyes to break that record as 4.9 million tuned in to ESPN for Iowa-West Virginia in the second-round.
Nearly five million viewers watch Caitlin Clark, Iowa, escape against West Virginia -- easily the largest audience on record prior to the Women's Final Four.
Viewership is up sixfold over last year, and other games are up big as well:
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Another WNBA team moves its home game against the Fever to a larger-capacity arena.
Entertainment & Sports Arena: 4,200
Capital One Arena: 20,356
We heard you loud and clear! 👂
🚨 June 7th game against the Indiana Fever is being relocated from Entertainment & Sports Arena to
@CapitalOneArena
. We can't wait to see all of the DMV in the building! Tickets on sale April 23rd
Read more:
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The look on Allisha Gray's face the first time she said out loud that she's an Olympic gold medalist. Watching that realization in real time is something else. (Photo via
@DorothyJGentry
's video)
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So, is it just me or is the All-Transfer Portal starting five basically an Elite Eight roster?
- Te-Hina Paopao
- Hailey Van Lith
- Lexi Donarski
- Aneesah Morrow
- Lauren Betts
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Unrestricted free agent Stef Dolson has narrowed her choices to New York and Seattle after eliminating Chicago, Vegas and Atlanta as landing spots, per league source.
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Ross Bowers' mom is the former Washington Huskies gymnastics coach. Pro: He got the TD. Con: Didn't stick the landing.
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2014 CFP lesson: Conference championships matter
2015 CFP lesson: Don't lose in conference.
2016 CFP lesson: Whatever. Let's eye test this.
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That first quarter from Caitlin Clark might be the most insane stretch of sports I've ever seen live. "In the zone" doesn't even begin to explain what that felt like in Carver Hawkeye Arena.
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I don't always respond to chauvinistic emails but when I do, I slay.
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And there it is. A triple-double for Sabrina Ionescu. First ever in New York Liberty history, just the ninth in WNBA regular season history.
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Teams that do get to the Sweet 16 receive:
(I'm no weight room expert, but based off counting alone, I'm going to say that it's still less than what's pictured for the men's tournament.)
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Late this summer, in the midst of a pandemic and a Senate election, Raphael Warnock spent 20 minutes talking to me about the WNBA.
At the end of our call, I told him thanks for taking the time.
He said: "I'm honored to speak about the women of the WNBA."
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Diana Taurasi, always happy to mess with everyone, ends her NBC interview by pointing to the camera and saying, "See you in Paris."
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After seeing 43% of the games in women's college basketball were cancelled or postponed today, gotta say, it's disappointing to not seeing more masks in the stands at the Mizzou-SC game.
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I would like to see the Venn diagram of people who say:
1. "Student athletes do get paid — scholarships!"
and
2. "Of course the men have better amenities — their tournament makes way more money!"
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The WNBA needs to do a better job educating its players and teams on how coverage works and why good coverage for other leagues exists. It can't just be a "League X gets so much coverage, what about us?" Coverage requires access. Good and great coverage requires relationships.
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Well that’s a first…
In Miami locker room after the win when I hear screams from behind me.
Naturally, Lil’ Wayne had FaceTimed the Cavinder twins.
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Hailey Van Lith has entered the portal, per a source. She will be eligible to play in the 2024-25 season.
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I'm coming back to The Athletic to cover the WNBA and women's college basketball and I couldn't be more excited:
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A reminder as the NCAA celebrates 68 teams in both the men's + women's NCAA Tournaments: The NCAA owns the men's NIT, so it also sponsors 32 addtl postseason opportunities for men. It doesn't own the WNIT. Therefore, schools pay up to a quarter of a million to participate.
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Sue Bird starting to cry as the Seattle crowd chants "One more year!"
Feels like a bit of a signal.
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I know Will Smith just punched Chris Rock at the Oscars, but we've got a five-point game heading into the fourth with the winner headed to Minneapolis for the Final Four...
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Miami won. I’m watching Moana for the first time tonight. Never imagined those two categories of my life would have a common strand. Thanks,
@TheRock
.
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Moments like this define this game: Army OL Brett Toth helps up Navy LB Micah Thomas before going to celebrate the game winner. 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
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Shey Peddy became a WNBA rookie at 30. She spent the majority of her career overseas. A month ago, the Washington Mystics cut her in the bubble. And last night, she hit the shot that ended their season.
Six seconds. Three dribbles. Two passes. One shot:
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Since 2016, only once has a WNBA Final not been No. 1 vs. No. 2 (and that time it was No. 1 vs. No. 3), the WNBA will have a No. 5 vs. No. 6 final.
What. A. Year.
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"I believe that the WNBA flipped the Senate this year with Georgia. ... There's so much to learn from how they did that." — Mark Davis, Aces owner
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"You kind of feel like the girl who beat Serena. It's bittersweet." — Becky Hammon, on beating Seattle and Sue Bird in game 4
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At this point, I’ve just gotta believe there’s an epic retirement party happening in late September in Mallorca or the Maldives and a year from now we’ll hear the stories from Serena Williams, Allyson Felix, Sue Bird and Sylvia Fowles.
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Stopped by the Nike employee store this weekend while visiting Portland. Wasn’t surprised to see a slew of jerseys for different sports and cities.
Also, wasn’t surprised that *even* on opening weekend of the WNBA, there wasn’t a single WNBA jersey/t-shirt/anything for sale.
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It’s pretty fascinating to realize exactly how many different and unique ways there are to devalue the women’s game.
The NCAA will pay basketball officials for the women's tournament the same amount it pays the officials for the men's competition.
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