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Giant Ten Lacrosse Wishes a Giant 12 months

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Giant Ten Lacrosse Wishes a Giant 12 months

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The Big Ten as a lacrosse conference has faced some tough years lately. While the ACC has surged ahead, making leaps and bounds above the other conferences in Division 1 lacrosse, the Big Ten hasn’t been able to keep up. This creates an imbalance that can affect the future of the sport. With the resources the Big Ten schools have at their disposal, you’d expect to see them competing more closely with the ACC each year, but it hasn’t been the case. The main question now is: can Big Ten lacrosse close the gap with the ACC and step up as true national contenders?

Looking at last season’s NCAA tournament, the Big Ten had a mixed showing. Maryland entered as the seventh seed, Johns Hopkins at third, while Penn State and Michigan entered unseeded. Out of these four, only Maryland managed to make it to Championship Weekend but ultimately fell short, getting throttled by Notre Dame in the title game. The prior year, in 2023, offered a little more promise. Michigan entered the tournament unranked, but Penn State, Maryland, and Hopkins were all seeded fifth, fourth, and sixth, respectively. The only Big Ten team to reach Championship Weekend was Penn State, who suffered an unlucky loss on a fluke goal that should have been overturned against Duke. And if we rewind to 2022, the Big Ten fielded just Maryland as the top seed, along with unranked Ohio State and sixth-seeded Rutgers. Maryland did go on to win it all, but they had one of the easiest paths ever seen in the NCAA tournament.

There’s some good to be taken from this. The Big Ten has managed to place teams in the NCAA tournament consistently, with both ranked and unranked teams making an appearance. But the real issue here is their struggle to make it to Championship Weekend, let alone win it all. When we talk about top-tier programs, Championship Weekend should be a baseline goal, and the Big Ten schools are falling short of that more often than not. We don’t need to go game by game, but there have been plenty of NCAA tournament matchups in recent years where Big Ten teams fell short in games they probably should have won. Outside of Maryland and Penn State, no Big Ten team has been a reliable contender for Championship Weekend over the past decade. With the ACC only getting stronger each year, the Big Ten has to step up when it counts if they want to stay competitive.

The 2024 season stats tell the story: Johns Hopkins, Penn State, and Maryland each put up 11 wins, with Michigan trailing close behind at 10. But when you look over at the ACC, Notre Dame hit 16 wins, Syracuse pulled in 12, while Duke and Virginia notched 13 and 12 wins, respectively. If the Big Ten can’t find a way to compete, it risks falling further behind. Top recruits are increasingly drawn to the ACC, where they feel they have the best chance to win a national championship. The only Big Ten program that can confidently promise a national title shot is Maryland, with Penn State perhaps in the conversation based on recent performances. If the ACC keeps dominating the recruiting trail, it will only strengthen, leaving everyone else struggling to catch up.

This season is pivotal for Big Ten lacrosse. To keep Division 1 lacrosse strong and balanced, the Big Ten needs to show up and handle its business. The conference doesn’t necessarily need a team to win it all, but it does need multiple programs that can genuinely claim to be in the hunt for a national championship. Championship contenders must emerge out of the Big Ten this season to keep the sport healthy at the highest level. A successful year for the conference would mean at least two Big Ten teams making it to Championship Weekend, with multiple teams entering the NCAA tournament ranked. This isn’t a dig at Big Ten lacrosse—in fact, the opposite. As a fan of Big Ten lacrosse, I want nothing more than to see these teams get over the hump and start competing head-to-head with the ACC. That’s why this season matters so much: it’s a chance for the Big Ten to close the gap and prove they can play at the level of the ACC.

We’re still a ways off from the college lacrosse season, but this year could be a turning point for Big Ten lacrosse. With the talent, resources, and potential each school brings, it’s time for the Big Ten to step up and re-establish itself on the national stage.

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Megastar-powered LA Dodgers and NY Yankees meet in International Sequence

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Megastar-powered LA Dodgers and NY Yankees meet in International Sequence

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The GIST: Grab some peanuts and cracker jacks — the best-of-seven World Series begins from LA tonight at 8:08 p.m. ET, featuring an epic coastal battle between the megawatt NY Yankees and LA Dodgers.

  • These teams last met in June, where the Dodgers won two out of three games, but plenty has changed since then and it’s a whole new ballgame come October. Here’s what to know about each star-powered squad.

Shohei Ohtani and LA Dodgers swinging for eighth franchise trophy: The Blue Crew are back in the Fall Classic for the first time since winning it all in the COVID-shortened 2020 season, thanks in large part to the one and only Ohtani. The generational talent is exceeding the hype in his first career MLB postseason appearance, boasting an impressive .286 batting average.

  • With Ohtani, World Series vet Mookie Betts, and NLCS breakout star Tommy Edman (just to name a few), the Dodgers have had no trouble putting up runs this postseason, posting a whopping 46 in their last six games. Hits all around.
  • The biggest question mark is their pitching staff, specifically top starters Jack Flaherty and Yoshinobu Yamamoto — they’ve been up and down in the playoffs and will be tasked with shutting down a strong Yankees offense.

Aaron Judge and NY Yankees seeking MLB record-extending 28th title: Speaking of, the storied Bronx Bombers are making their first World Series appearance since 2009, riding slugger Judge to reach the big stage once again. The AL MVP favorite had a concerningly slow start to October, but is always a threat to change the game with one swing of the bat. All Rise.

  • And while the Dodgers have some red flags in their rotation, NY boasts two sure things: ace Gerrit Cole and closer Luke Weaver. Play — and we cannot stress this enough — ball.



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WNBA: Lynx exemplified selflessness, toughness all the way through 2024 run

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WNBA: Lynx exemplified selflessness, toughness all the way through 2024 run

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How does one eulogize the journey of a championship runner-up in the WNBA? A team that comes achingly close to the ultimate goal, only to finish second—perhaps an even more hurtful ending than not making the playoffs at all?

The Minnesota Lynx are the team that must bear that title in 2024, having lost in the Finals to the New York Liberty in a competitive and dramatic (and at times controversial) five games. The fact that the Lynx were mere seconds from upsetting the Liberty in the deciding game but ended up losing in overtime may further complicate the narrative for some.

Make no mistake about it, though: The 2024 Lynx were a special team and deserve to be celebrated all the same. It’s not just what they accomplished in their playoff run—taking the favored Liberty to the brink after dispatching the Connecticut Sun in the semifinals—that warrants praise. It’s also how they went about their business, quickly going from a team that seemed to have a patchwork roster with a questionable offensive hierarchy to a well-oiled basketball machine that emphasized modern offensive concepts and hard-working and disruptive team defense, regularly outclassing teams thought to be superior on pape— but, as it turned out, not on the hardwood.

Minnesota’s team chemistry was evident from the beginning

The Lynx went into the 2024 regular season with modest expectations. Most preseason projections ranked them either in the middle of the pack or as a draft lottery team, and while the additions of veterans such as guard Courtney Williams and forward Alanna Smith in free agency did enough theoretically to shore up Minnesota’s depth, the team didn’t acquire multiple All-Stars like its conference rivals in Seattle did, nor did it make big waves in the 2024 WNBA Draft like Indiana or Chicago.

When the games began, however, it quickly became evident that this Lynx team would outperform those lukewarm predictions. Minnesota got off to a fantastic start at 7-2 and just kept winning, improving to 14-4 at the end of June and 17-8 by the Olympic break. The Lynx were near the top of the leaderboards in several statistical categories—most notably, 3-point field goal percentage, assist rate and defensive efficiency—though head coach Cheryl Reeve frequently pointed to several key intangibles as the reasons for her team’s success.

The level of chemistry the Lynx had in 2024 greatly contributed to the team’s on-court success.
Photo by Catalina Fragoso/NBAE via Getty Images

“We’re always a team that has some level of chemistry. This year’s team has maturity with their chemistry,” Reeve said after a Lynx win in mid-June. “They’re smart basketball players.”

It’s as good of an explanation as any for what Minnesota achieved in 2024. The Lynx finished the regular season assisting on 76.4 percent of their made baskets (a WNBA regular-season record, according to Across the Timeline), which is a surefire sign of an unselfish group of players that’s willing to make the extra pass time and time again. The Lynx also finished second in defensive rating, allowing 94.8 points per 100 possessions—something that’s only possible on a team with excellent trust and communication.

It all fit together like a jigsaw puzzle: a heady guard in Williams, a group of knockdown 3-point shooters including Kayla McBride, Bridget Carleton, Natisha Hiedeman and Cecilia Zandalasini, several skilled bigs such as Smith and Dorka Juhász and one of the most fundamentally sound scorers in the WNBA in Napheesa Collier. Together, these players formed a unit that kept the floor spaced at all times and, despite lacking a traditional, ball-dominant distributor in the backcourt, excelled at the connective areas of the game that separate good offenses from truly great ones.

Collier’s career year led the Lynx to new heights

The formula for success that the Lynx established in 2024 was definitely a scenario of a whole being greater than the sum of its parts, but that’s not to say that the team lacked individually talented players, either.

In fact, Minnesota features one of the WNBA’s best in Collier, who had the best season of her career to date. Ever since she was drafted by the Lynx in 2019, Collier has gotten the job done on both ends of the floor, and as she’s grown over the years from an elite complementary player to a full-fledged star, she’s leaned on the same strengths: defensive versatility and playmaking, efficient scoring and an unmatched grasp of the fundamentals that often makes her seem a step ahead of every opponent she matches up against.

2024 was, simply put, a Collier masterclass. Not only did she average better than 20 points per game for the second consecutive season, but she also upped her rebounding to 9.7 per game and her assists to 3.4 per game, putting together one of the most impressive traditional stat lines of any WNBA player. In true Collier fashion, she also racked up the defensive numbers, averaging 1.9 steals and 1.4 blocks per game and winning the 2024 Defensive Player of the Year award.

“[We had] 12 people who bought into the game plan and bought into what we’re trying to accomplish this year,” Collier said as she accepted the award. “It takes a lot of trust, and that trust is built with putting yourself out there and your teammates having your back.”

2024 WNBA Playoffs - Connecticut Sun v Minnesota Lynx

Collier was voted as the WNBA’s Defensive Player of the Year for 2024.
Photo by Jordan Johnson/NBAE via Getty Images

In addition to Defensive Player of the Year honors, Collier was also named to the All-WNBA First Team for the second season in a row. And while “almost” doesn’t typically yield much hardware, Collier’s second-place MVP finish to the Las Vegas Aces’ A’ja Wilson spoke not only to how far she’s come as a player, but also to her importance to the Lynx. As the team’s unquestioned leader and go-to scorer, Collier inevitably got the lion’s share of credit for Minnesota’s second-place regular-season finish, and her statistical production put her in conversations centered on the league’s elite players.

The 2024 Lynx’s legacy should be one of selflessness

Ultimately, the Lynx fell just short in the Finals, and the controversial ending put even more of a damper on what was already a heartbreaking result for Minnesota.

Reeve—who took home a bit of regular-season hardware herself with her fourth Coach of the Year honor—stood up for her team in front of the media, making it known that she believed the Lynx deserved better in their final game. Ever the optimist, she also dropped a gem of a comment when asked to describe what kind of message she shared with her players. An emotional Reeve said:

We never got “the disease of me.”No one ever put themselves first. That’s incredibly difficult to find in this day and age … I wouldn’t trade them for anyone.

Reeve went on to mention the number of people who were personally impacted by Lynx basketball and the number of people who had reached out to her to say how much they enjoyed watching the team play. At such a critical juncture in the WNBA’s growth, that certainly speaks for something: both longtime fans and newcomers appreciated what the Lynx brought to the court, very nearly completing a Cinderella story and winning over countless fans in the process. And given how far Minnesota got in 2024, don’t be surprised if the team runs it back next season; the infrastructure is already in place, and as one of the WNBA’s most respected franchises, the Lynx are likely already evaluating how they can get back to the Finals in 2025.

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The Execs and Cons of a Difficult Lacrosse Agenda

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The Execs and Cons of a Difficult Lacrosse Agenda

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At every level of lacrosse, there’s a big question every coach or program director has to answer: do you schedule easier games, or do you pack your lacrosse schedule with tougher opponents? In travel lacrosse, this could mean deciding which tournaments to attend. In high school, it’s all about filling up your non-conference schedule with challenging teams. And at the college level, it could mean committing to long bus rides to face top-ranked programs with national implications. Sure, the stakes might vary depending on the level, but the main question stays the same: what are the real pros and cons of scheduling a tough out-of-conference slate?

Let’s dive into that and see where it lands.

The main reason anyone would schedule a tough lacrosse schedule is to play the best opponents. It’s really that simple. Playing stronger opponents puts you in a position to understand exactly where your team stands, especially if you’re aiming to compete for a championship. If you only go up against teams that aren’t at your level, you’ll never really know your full potential until it’s too late. Early-season out-of-conference games are exactly where those big games come in, and they’re critical for building a team that knows how to handle high-stakes moments before conference play even begins. It’s just like practicing how you play. If you’ve never put yourself in those pressure-cooker games, don’t expect to perform at your peak when those situations finally come around.

Playing against top-tier opponents also raises the bar for your team’s overall skill and chemistry. When you go up against good teams, you quickly find out what works—and what doesn’t—because there’s no room for mistakes. If you can’t execute fundamentals like clearing the ball, a tough team will expose that, no questions asked. This forces your team to make adjustments, and fast. Going up against quality opponents means every goal and every defensive stop has to be earned, which is how players and teams really develop. If you aren’t being tested, you’re just not going to grow. And let’s talk about confidence. Beating a challenging opponent early in the season can give your team a massive boost, setting a tone of belief and momentum that can carry through to the next game. Confidence is everything. If you’re not confident, executing becomes nearly impossible. When you pull out a gritty win against a solid opponent, that sense of confidence starts to grow within the team.

Now, let’s get into the cons. The biggest downside to a tough lacrosse schedule? You’re more likely to lose. That’s just reality. Playing teams at or above your level means taking on the risk of losing, and if you lose enough games, or even just one tough one early on, it can derail an entire season. For teams with a shaky culture, back-to-back losses to strong opponents can start chipping away at their confidence. And if confidence goes out the window, it’s a tough road to get back on track. Everyone would love players to be focused purely on their personal process and development, but that’s not always the case. If a team keeps racking up losses, morale can take a serious hit. It’s tough to stay motivated if it feels like you’re not getting closer to your goals.

Then there’s the mental toll of constantly gearing up for big games. If you’re playing top teams week in and week out, it’s easy to slip into complacency or burnout. If “big game” becomes the norm, players can lose that edge to fight for a win. This exhaustion isn’t just mental; physical fatigue can creep in too, especially if you’re up against opponents that push you to play more physically. And when you’re constantly in those intense, physical games, injuries become a real risk. You’re just not going to get through a season like that without bumps and bruises, and sometimes worse.

Scheduling tough opponents can also limit a coach’s ability to experiment. When you’re locked into win-now mode, trying new things can feel risky. If you’re playing against teams you’re expected to beat, there’s more flexibility to try different lineups or test out new plays. But if you’re going up against top competition, you have to stick to what you know works, or face answering tough questions if it backfires. In these situations, experimenting can lead to losses that may put the coach’s game plan under scrutiny.

At the end of the day, it’s all about balance. A balanced lacrosse schedule allows for a season with highs and lows that lets you test your team while still building confidence and keeping morale high. It’s a yin and yang scenario; you can’t have one without the other. Running your team through a gauntlet of games week after week can make or break a season, depending on the results. Mixing in winnable games with the tougher ones is the best way to set your team up for mental and physical success, building confidence while still getting tested in ways that count.

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Lisa Leslie Says No Recreation is Misplaced via One Second

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Lisa Leslie Says No Recreation is Misplaced via One Second

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The Associated Press dropped its NCAA preseason All-America team on Tuesday, with Trojan guard JuJu Watkins and forward KiKi Iriafen representing a highly anticipated new-look USC on the list.

The 30-member national media panel also named UConn superstar and projected 2025 WNBA Draft No. 1 pick Paige Bueckers, Texas sophomore Madison Booker, and Notre Dame guard Hannah Hidalgo to the exceptional five-player squad. What’s more, Watkins and Bueckers received unanimous nods.

New-look USC faces high NCAA expectations

Last season, Watkins put together arguably the most impressive freshman campaign in NCAA basketball history, averaging over 27 points per game and setting a national freshman scoring record with 920 points.

Along with this week’s AP nod, the sophomore secured the 2024/25 Big Ten Preseason Player of the Year vote last month.

In grad student Iriafen, USC landed this offseason’s top transfer, as the Stanford standout flew south in the wake of both the Pac-12’s 2024 dissolution and the April retirement of Cardinal leader Tara VanDerveer — the winningest coach in NCAA basketball history.

Last season, Iriafen averaged a double-double at 19.4 points and 11 rebounds per game. Now on the preseason No. 3 team, she’ll aim, alongside Watkins, to improve on the Trojans’ 2024 Elite Eight run — their best March Madness performance in 30 years.

USC head coach Lindsay Gottlieb called Watkins the X-factor in Iriafen’s transfer decision.

“Kiki came because she wanted to play with JuJu, who recruited her because she wanted to play with Kiki,” she explained. “It’s exciting to see their personalities mesh.”

NCAA preseason All-America team pick Madison Booker had a standout freshman season at Texas. (Soobum Im/Getty Images)

Underclassmen lead the charge in NCAA preseason All-America team

With the sophomore trio of Watkins, Booker, and Hidalgo, young players are leading the 2024/25 NCAA season, even before the November tip-off.

“It’s unbelievable,” remarked Gottlieb. “Those players excelled as freshmen and their teams won. They did it in multiple ways. It’s really exciting for the game and the future of it.”

Last season, Hildago’s 22.6-point average led Notre Dame to the ACC Tournament title and the NCAA tournament’s Sweet 16.

Booker, on the other hand, had an unexpected breakout season after the star Texas guard Rori Harmon was sidelined with an ACL injury. The newly minted starter stepped up for Texas in a big way, ultimately averaging 16.5 points, five assists, and five rebounds through her freshman year.

Last season, Booker also led the Longhorns to a Big 12 Tournament title.

South Carolina players chat during a 2024 preseason women's college basketball game.
None of the 2023/24 undefeated South Carolina players made the 2024/25 preseason All-America team. (Justin Ford/Getty Images)

South Carolina snubbed?

Notably, the preseason All-America team does not include any players from reigning NCAA champion South Carolina, who went undefeated in their 2023/24 campaign. The news comes a little over a week after the Gamecocks topped the preseason AP women’s college basketball rankings.

“We knew we’d have a target on our backs this season as the reigning champions and this preseason ranking just confirms that,” South Carolina coach Dawn Staley told the AP last week. “We appreciate the recognition, but I know our coaching staff and our team are more focused on what we see in the gym every day. And that’s every player working extremely hard to get better individually and as a team.”

The publication first started compiling an NCAA preseason All-America team ahead of the 1994/95 season.



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FIBA: Howard ratings 35, highlighting Week 3 of EuroLeague Ladies

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FIBA: Howard ratings 35, highlighting Week 3 of EuroLeague Ladies

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The vets came out to play in Week 3 of the EuroLeague Women competition, with some familiar names delivering memorable performances.

No starts, no problems

After a close defeat against Venezia last week, Valencia bounced back and beat UNI Győr 74-59. The win was a team effort, as only three players scored in double figures, yet none had more than 12 points. Out of the three, only one came off the bench: Stephanie Mavunga, who had 11 points and 12 boards. Asked after the game whether she approaches competition differently as a sixth woman, she noted that it gives her “a special opportunity to read the game a bit differently,” but ultimately emphasized that playing hard, more than starting or coming off the bench, is her priority.

Hers wasn’t the only off-the-bench performance that stood out during this week’s competition. Yvonne Anderson, this season’s sixth player for ÇBK Mersin, had 10 points, four boards and two steals in her team’s win over Olympiacos (more on that game below). The 34-year-old is excelling in her role this season, while the sixth-player veteran for the other Turkish EuroLeague Women team, Fenerbahçe’s 35-year-old Tina Charles, had 19 points and six boards (more on that game below as well).

Natasha Howard’s big night

This was undoubtedly the performance of the week. Natasha Howard, who had another good season for the Dallas Wings, is again back in Europe and hungry for some team success. At 33 years old, she’s still able to put up dominant performances. She scored her team’s first basket and from then on established a permanent home in the Greek team’s interior. This was a showcase in efficiency (15-for-22 shooting for 68 percent from the field) and under the basket play, as she was getting past her opponents with ease, regardless of who Olympiacos threw her way. She finished the game with 35 points and nine boards, while her team won 81-67.

Fenerbahçe remain unbeaten

Polkowice almost pulled it off. They were up two points against Fenerbahçe, 88-86, with one and a half minutes to play. Yet, they weren’t able to score again during the game. Up until that point, the Polish champs were carried by Latvian Anete Šteinberga and vet Emma Cannon. At 35 years old, Cannon has been phenomenal this season, averaging 21.7 points and 9.7 rebounds per game in the EuroLeague. Cannon met her quota, scoring 22 points on Wednesday, with Šteinberga adding 21. The reigning champs, however, are just too deep and have too many versatile players. Emma Meesseman had 22 points, six boards and six assists. Gabby Williams added 14 points, seven boards, four assists and four steals, while Sevgi Uzun had 12 points, four boards and seven assists. At this stage, it looks that the title is Fener’s to lose.

Week 3 scores

Group A

Perfumerias Avenida 68, DVTK HUN-Therm Miskolc 64

Beretta Famila Schio 64, Basket Landes 60

Group B

Çukurova Basketbol Mersin 81, Olympiacos B.C. 67,

Tango Bourges Basket 91, Žabiny Brno 70

Group C

Fenerbahçe Opet 90, KGHM BC Polkowice 88

Casademont Zaragoza 69, Villeneuve-d’Ascq LM 53

Group D

Valencia Basket Club 74, UNI Győr 59

ZVVZ USK Praha 86, Umana Reyer Venezia 66

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A choice of spooky sports activities tales

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A choice of spooky sports activities tales

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🌩 Effie: The ghost of Oklahoma City

Content warning: The following contains mentions of death by suicide.

When NBA teams travel to play the Oklahoma City Thunder, they typically stay at the city’s Skirvin Hilton Hotel. Some of the league’s biggest stars, like recently-retired Derrick Rose and Metta Sandiford-Artest, have shared stories of spooky interactions or strange experiences after staying there, and many have blamed their unsettling stay for poor performances on the court.

The story behind it? Legend has it, a former hotel employee named Effie (who may or may not have actually existed) had an affair with the hotel’s owner, W.B. Skirvin, and Effie became pregnant.

  • To avoid judgment and criticism from the community, Skirvin supposedly confined Effie and their newborn baby to one of the hotel rooms on the 10th floor. After some time locked away, Effie is said to have jumped from the window, ending both her and her child’s lives.

It’s rumored that Effie and her baby still haunt the halls of the Skirvin hotel. Players and other visitors have reported hearing a crying baby, slamming doors, and other strange sounds throughout the night.

  • One game day, now–Dallas Maverick Kyrie Irving said he woke up with several bed bugs on his pillow along with a few bites, which was enough to convince him to produce a movie about the hotel’s hauntedness.
  • Bill Simmons of The Ringer wrote about his experience staying in the hotel, saying he thought he heard one of his kids crying before remembering that his kids are no longer babies…and also weren’t there in the hotel with him. Spooky.

⚾️ Eddie Plank: The ghost of Gettysburg

A collection of spooky sports stories

Source: Mark Rucker/Transcendental Graphics, Getty Images

Eddie Plank was the first left-handed pitcher to win 300 MLB games, playing for the Philadelphia Athletics in the early 1900s. He finished his career with 326 wins and earned a spot in baseball’s Hall of Fame before his death in 1926.

Seventy years later, the owner of Plank’s former Gettysburg residence, Peter Stitt, awoke to loud noises coming from within his home. Stitt said he could hear loud thuds, grunting, a woosh sound, and footsteps.

  • As the noises continued, they began to sound familiar to Stitt. He said they reminded him of a pitcher tossing balls and concluded that the ghost of the baseball legend must have returned to his home to continue spring training.
  • When the noises halted, just in time for MLB Opening Day in 1996, Stitt, along with many other believers in Plank’s return, surmised that the Hall of Famer must have been satisfied with his final practice session before resting for good.

In 2005, ESPN’s Don Barone went to investigate the ghost story for himself, traveling to Gettysburg with a psychic. While Plank didn’t come out and pitch during their visit, the psychic did claim to have a chat with him, during which Plank disclosed that the 1914 World Series was fixed. Spilling piping hot tea from the grave.

  • Of course, many don’t believe this elaborate story, and the original incident is now thought of as a hoax, but it’s hard to rule out the possibility entirely — especially coming from a mysterious city like Gettysburg.

🏒 Toronto’s Hockey Hall of Fame

A collection of spooky sports storiesA collection of spooky sports stories

Source: Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

Content warning: The following contains mentions of death by suicide.

Toronto’s Hockey Hall of Fame is home to one of sport’s scariest stories. The building originally housed the Bank of Montreal, where, in 1953, 19-year-old bank employee Dorothea Mae Elliott attempted to take her own life in the women’s restroom and died in the hospital the next day.

  • Soon after, Dorothea’s former bank colleagues began experiencing strange things, like flickering lights, footsteps following them, shrieking noises, and an overall feeling that someone was watching them — especially while in the women’s restroom.
  • Eventually, due to many reports of strange occurrences and overwhelmingly bad vibes, the bank installed a second bathroom. When the bank relocated, however, the reports from the original restroom continued.

Today, Hall of Fame visitors report seeing a woman with long, dark hair near the women’s restroom on the second floor, along with the feeling of being watched or hearing footsteps and screams, just like the bank employees long ago. Chills.

⚾️ Rochester’s Innovative Field (formally known as Frontier Field)

A collection of spooky sports storiesA collection of spooky sports stories

Source: Tim Clayton/Corbis via Getty Images

Baseball is one of the oldest sports in North America, so it only makes sense that a handful of strange or unusual events have taken place on the diamond. That said, only one park is “officially” haunted — Rochester, NY’s Innovative Field, home of the Rochester Red Wings (the Washington Nationals’ Triple-A affiliate).

  • To make things spookier, unidentified bones were found when ground was broken to begin construction for the field. To this day, no one’s sure if the bones were human or not. *gulps*

Rochester Paranormal declared the field haunted in 2004. Their proof? Photos depicting mysterious figures or “floating entities” and smoky-looking shapes. But what’s more convincing are the stories from those who work there…

  • From the clubhouse manager to the groundskeeper, many of the team’s staff have heard strange noises and seen dark shadows looming around the stadium, not to mention thousands of crows seem to love the location.

🏈 The Gipper and the Fighting Irish

A collection of spooky sports storiesA collection of spooky sports stories

Source: Getty Images

In 1920, Notre Dame football player George Gipp had been out late celebrating the team’s win against rival Northwestern. That night, after being locked out of his dorm room, he slept outside and caught pneumonia, which tragically led to his death at just 25 years old.

After his passing, students who lived in his dorm reported hearing (stop us if you’ve heard this before) strange noises and footsteps in the halls. There were also reports of loud horns going off in the middle of the night.

  • Moments before he died, Gipp told legendary coach Knute Rockne to “win just one for the Gipper,” a phrase still heard among Notre Dame players and fans when they need a rally. His full speech is even showcased on a plaque in the locker room.
  • Gipp’s legacy even made it to the big screen: Prior to his days as president, Ronald Reagan played him in a movie about Coach Rockne and, in Rudy, the title character reads the plaque during his epic speech. We’re not crying; you’re crying.

Students still report being spooked by what they assume is Gipp’s ghost in the halls, but most aren’t afraid for long — “The Gipper” is known as a friendly spirit on campus. Very Nearly–Headless Nick of him.

🍬 Variety pack

A collection of spooky sports storiesA collection of spooky sports stories

Source: Tom Forget / MLB.com

While we couldn’t list all of the chilling stories from around the sports world, today’s as good a day as any to learn about a few more.

  • Baseball has its own version of the Skirvin Hotel — the Pfister in Milwaukee has certainly caused a stir among MLBers. And then there’s Camp Randall Stadium — home of the Wisconsin Badgers — and its ties to the Civil War.
  • Hop across the pond and dive into London’s Langham Hotel, with cricket players fleeing to its third floor due to “something weird going on.”

Sports fans are known to be superstitious, but whether you believe in ghosts or not, it’s certainly fun to learn the sports folklore of communities from all over. Happy Halloween!



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WNBA: Caitlin, A’ja spotlight easiest moments from record-breaking season

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WNBA: Caitlin, A’ja spotlight easiest moments from record-breaking season

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The WNBA has been a must-watch staple for hardcore hoop fans for nearly 30 years. But, the 2024 season was the one that catapulted the W to the mainstream. From rookie phenomenons and history book revisions to sellout crowds and new champions, it was quite a year for the league.

Here are the biggest reasons why:

Rookie-Mania

Angel Reese (#5) and Caitlin Clark (#22) in the 2024 WNBA All-Star game.
Photo by Juan Ocampo/NBAE via Getty Images

The 2024 WNBA Draft was stacked with talent. It was headlined by the arguably biggest prospect in league history, Caitlin Clark, and lit up by other prospects, including Angel Reese, Cameron Brink, Rickea Jackson, Aaliyah Edwards and more, making it one of the most memorable draft classes to date and creating tons of new-fan buzz.

The rooks not only stirred up excitement, but they also convincingly broke records. Eventual Rookie of The Year Caitlin Clark became the first rookie to ever record a triple-double. She also wound up setting the single-season record for assists and the rookie record for points, all while helping the Indiana Fever secure a postseason appearance.

Angel Reese broke the record for most single-season rebounds, most consecutive double-doubles, most double-doubles by a rookie and averaged the most rebounds per game in league history. That’s not even all of the accolades she gathered in year one.

The W was on fire this season and this wave of rooks had quite a bit to do with it.

A’ja goes GOAT

New York Liberty v Las Vegas Aces - Game Three

A’ja Wilson (#22) brings the ball up the floor for the Las Vegas Aces.
Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images

We all knew that A’ja Wilson had that dawg in her. But this season, she proved she’s got that GOAT right there next to it.

Nearly anything you could accomplish as a professional basketball player this season, she did. NBA 2K cover, plans of a Nike signature shoe, an Olympic gold medal, another WNBA MVP and only games away from another WNBA Finals. A’ja was on a different type of timing.

Wilson also went on to set the record for most points in a single season, recorded the first 1,000-point season in WNBA history and averaged career highs in points, rebounds, blocks, and steals, while also finishing as the runner-up for Defensive Player of The Year, solidifying what may have been the single greatest season in W history.

The Liberty bring home the hardware

2024 WNBA Finals - Game Five

The New York Liberty lift the WNBA championship trophy.
Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images

After numerous opportunities to bring it home on the big stage, the New York Liberty finally made it over the hump and captured their first WNBA championship after 28 seasons. The Liberty came into the 2024 season after a disappointing defeat to the Las Vegas Aces in last year’s Finals. Instead of hanging their heads, they were firing on all cylinders, bringing New York home their first basketball-related championship since the then-New York Nets won the ABA title in 1976.

The achievement brought a huge sigh of relief and a wave of happiness for one of the WNBA’s original franchises. The series also provided the most-viewed WNBA Finals game in over 25 years, with the Game 5 matchup peaking at over 3.3 million total views, another testament to the growth of the league.

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Chicago Crimson Stars Release Rebrand Forward of 2025 NWSL Season

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Chicago Crimson Stars Release Rebrand Forward of 2025 NWSL Season

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The Associated Press dropped its NCAA preseason All-America team on Tuesday, with Trojan guard JuJu Watkins and forward KiKi Iriafen representing a highly anticipated new-look USC on the list.

The 30-member national media panel also named UConn superstar and projected 2025 WNBA Draft No. 1 pick Paige Bueckers, Texas sophomore Madison Booker, and Notre Dame guard Hannah Hidalgo to the exceptional five-player squad. What’s more, Watkins and Bueckers received unanimous nods.

New-look USC faces high NCAA expectations

Last season, Watkins put together arguably the most impressive freshman campaign in NCAA basketball history, averaging over 27 points per game and setting a national freshman scoring record with 920 points.

Along with this week’s AP nod, the sophomore secured the 2024/25 Big Ten Preseason Player of the Year vote last month.

In grad student Iriafen, USC landed this offseason’s top transfer, as the Stanford standout flew south in the wake of both the Pac-12’s 2024 dissolution and the April retirement of Cardinal leader Tara VanDerveer — the winningest coach in NCAA basketball history.

Last season, Iriafen averaged a double-double at 19.4 points and 11 rebounds per game. Now on the preseason No. 3 team, she’ll aim, alongside Watkins, to improve on the Trojans’ 2024 Elite Eight run — their best March Madness performance in 30 years.

USC head coach Lindsay Gottlieb called Watkins the X-factor in Iriafen’s transfer decision.

“Kiki came because she wanted to play with JuJu, who recruited her because she wanted to play with Kiki,” she explained. “It’s exciting to see their personalities mesh.”

NCAA preseason All-America team pick Madison Booker had a standout freshman season at Texas. (Soobum Im/Getty Images)

Underclassmen lead the charge in NCAA preseason All-America team

With the sophomore trio of Watkins, Booker, and Hidalgo, young players are leading the 2024/25 NCAA season, even before the November tip-off.

“It’s unbelievable,” remarked Gottlieb. “Those players excelled as freshmen and their teams won. They did it in multiple ways. It’s really exciting for the game and the future of it.”

Last season, Hildago’s 22.6-point average led Notre Dame to the ACC Tournament title and the NCAA tournament’s Sweet 16.

Booker, on the other hand, had an unexpected breakout season after the star Texas guard Rori Harmon was sidelined with an ACL injury. The newly minted starter stepped up for Texas in a big way, ultimately averaging 16.5 points, five assists, and five rebounds through her freshman year.

Last season, Booker also led the Longhorns to a Big 12 Tournament title.

South Carolina players chat during a 2024 preseason women's college basketball game.
None of the 2023/24 undefeated South Carolina players made the 2024/25 preseason All-America team. (Justin Ford/Getty Images)

South Carolina snubbed?

Notably, the preseason All-America team does not include any players from reigning NCAA champion South Carolina, who went undefeated in their 2023/24 campaign. The news comes a little over a week after the Gamecocks topped the preseason AP women’s college basketball rankings.

“We knew we’d have a target on our backs this season as the reigning champions and this preseason ranking just confirms that,” South Carolina coach Dawn Staley told the AP last week. “We appreciate the recognition, but I know our coaching staff and our team are more focused on what we see in the gym every day. And that’s every player working extremely hard to get better individually and as a team.”

The publication first started compiling an NCAA preseason All-America team ahead of the 1994/95 season.



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WNBA: From Valkyries to Aces, 5 way-too-early predictions for 2025

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WNBA: From Valkyries to Aces, 5 way-too-early predictions for 2025

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With the New York Liberty defeating the Minnesota Lynx in Game 5 of the WNBA Finals, the 2024 season has officially come to an end.

So with that in mind, now is as good a time as ever to get off some spicy takes and predict what will happen in 2025 as the league continues to grow exponentially. Here are five things I think are locks to happen next year:

The Golden State Valkyries will make the playoffs

That’s right, the expansion team with zero players on its roster right now will go from non-existent to playoff-bound in their first year of action.

Why? It’s because Joe Lacob is the owner, and he is obsessed with winning. Other owners talk that talk, but Mr. Lacob walks it. With the Golden State Warriors, he’s won titles and paid exorbitant amounts of luxury-tax money, and while such a scenario won’t happen in the W, I’m sure he will do everything he can to bring in good players.

They’ll have an expansion draft, where they can pick up players other teams don’t protect. Add in the No. 5 pick in the 2025 draft and plenty of cap space, and I believe he’ll field a team that will crack the top eight. They’ve also already hired a good coach in Natalie Nakase.

Once people see the players they get from the expansion draft, free agency and through the traditional draft, more people will see my point of view. Be ahead of the curve and take my word as gospel. You’ll look like a ball-knowing expert if you do.

The Las Vegas Aces are done

Yes, A’ja Wilson is HER. But she’ll have to be that alone. We finally found what can defeat Las Vegas. And no, it isn’t a group of frat bros on a three-day weekend, but the grind of the WNBA.

The 2023 Aces were one of the best teams I’ve ever seen. Taking just a slight dip from that level of play meant that Las Vegas was fourth-best during the 2024 regular season and beaten by New York rather easily in the second round. Simply put, this team maximized their ability as constructed. If they try to run this back, they’re going to get run over.

They’ll always have a chance as long as they have A’ja, but the Aces need to clean house. Everyone not named Wilson and Jackie Young should be on the chopping block. They need to wheel and deal to stay competitive, and unless they make a blockbuster trade, I don’t see the Aces as threats to the title.

The single-game scoring record will be broken

The current record for most points by an individual is set at 53. Both A’ja Wilson and Liz Cambage reached this exact number, with Wilson doing it in 2023 and Cambage reaching that number back in 2018.

With 3-point shooting increasing by the day in the WNBA, I think a new record will be set in 2025. Players like Caitlin Clark and Arike Ogunbowale are individual scoring machines that can get hot from deep. Wilson could also be a threat, given how she is the center of the Aces’ offense and very much in her prime.

Records are made to be broken and even with just 40 minutes to do it, I think 53 is going down in 2025.

A team will win the treble

Since 2021, there have been three accomplishments a team can achieve in the WNBA: the best record, the Commissioner’s Cup and the WNBA title. Only the Las Vegas Aces, in 2022, have accomplished all three, earning the WNBA treble.

In 2025, a team will accomplish this again. I don’t think it’ll be the Aces, but perhaps it will be the New York Liberty looking to prove the 2024 title wasn’t a fluke. Or, could the Connecticut Sun finally put it all together? Maybe a team like the Seattle Storm fine tunes things and becomes the next WNBA superpower?

The Cup will be the first accomplishment a team can achieve, so be on the lookout for that winner and their position in the WNBA standings.

Everyone will get along

Okay, even I don’t believe in this one. With the sport’s growing popularity, I’ve heard some fans reminisce about the days gone by, when it was just hoop talk in the W. I chuckle at that sentiment.

That’s the nostalgia talking because—for decades now—the WNBA has always had more drama than a telenovela. We’ve had team infighting, players taking shots at organizations on social media and a hilariously small All-Star MVP trophy. Even in these Finals, the refs became a topic of discussion, along with the WNBA Commissioner’s dress.

The W discourse never has been pure hoops; it’s always had a certain percentage of unseriousness. I have no idea what will happen in 2025, but I am certain we’ll be fighting with each other all summer long, and I can’t wait.



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