REAL SPORTS Most Important Moments in Sports - 2025

BILLIONS

In 2025, women's sports didn't just gain momentum. It generated billions.

The WNBA signed a $2.2 billion media deal. Women's sports surpassed $2.35 billion in global revenue. Michele Kang invested $55 million in rewriting the science of female athletic performance. The Women's Rugby World Cup sold 444,465 tickets. Digital viewership doubled while men's sports declined on the same platforms.

As REAL SPORTS marks its 29th year chronicling women's sports, we find the movement at a transformative moment. This wasn't potential anymore. This was proof. This was power. This was billions in motion, reshaping American athletics and the global sports landscape forever. Let's count down the standout moments of 2025.

Review the summary graphic to take in an overview of all 10 moments and our Sportsperson of the Year, and dive deeper into each story by reading on.

Yours in sports,

Amy D. Love

Founder and Publisher

REAL SPORTS magazine

2025 Sportsperson of the Year: MICHELE KANG

INVESTING IN ANSWERS

Photo credit: Brad Smith/ISI Photos

Michele Kang didn't just invest in women's sports in 2025. She invested in rewriting the science of female athletic performance itself. That's why she's REAL SPORTS' 2025 Sportsperson of the Year.

While others wrote checks for stadiums and salaries, Kang asked questions that exposed systemic failures no one else was addressing: Why do female soccer players suffer ACL injuries at rates two to eight times higher than men? Why do girls drop out of soccer at alarming rates during puberty? Why are female athletes still training under systems designed exclusively for male physiology?

Kang committed $55 million to U.S. Soccer in 2025: a November 2024 pledge of $30 million over five years for talent identification, youth competition, and professional development, combined with an April 2025 investment of $25 million to integrate her Kynisca Innovation Hub into U.S. Soccer's Soccer Forward Foundation. In December 2025, U.S. Soccer announced the launch of the Kang Women's Institute, a first-of-its-kind platform designed to accelerate advancements in the women's game through science, innovation, and elevated best practices. 

The research gap Kang is addressing represents the most fundamental barrier to women's sports excellence. Only 6% of published research in sports and exercise journals focuses exclusively on women, a disparity that has left generations of female soccer players training under models built for male physiology. As Kang stated: "That ends now. This Institute will put female athletes at the center of U.S. Soccer's scientific research and build the evidence, systems and standards that will allow women and girls to reach their full potential." 

The consequences of this research gap are devastating and visible across every level of women's soccer. Female soccer players are two to eight times more likely to tear their ACLs than men, injuries that can require surgery and nearly a year of recovery time. Emma Hayes, coach of the U.S. Women's National Team and a key advisor to Kang's initiative, realized how little we know about training female athletes when three of her players at Chelsea had ACL injuries in one year. Physical therapists didn't understand why women weren't coming back in the same six- to seven-month window as men, not factoring in that women don't have as much testosterone and don't build muscle in the same way. When Chelsea competed in the FA Cup, several players were all in the final phase of their menstrual cycle, and it affected their reaction times. 

"The whole system is based on copy and paste from the men's game," Hayes explained. Hayes emphasized that training coaches requires understanding beyond logistics: "It's not as simple as just going to the field with an extra tampon and a sanitary towel, though that would be helpful. Everything from ensuring we don't wear white shorts to what are the best ways for having challenging conversations in what is a really tricky period for young girls." 

The Kang Women's Institute will address critical gaps at every stage of female athletic development. According to a study by the Aspen Institute, one in three girls participates in a sport from age 6-12, but nearly one in two quit during puberty. The Institute will tackle pregnancy support, understanding when and how to train throughout pregnancy and accounting for whether a player had a vaginal birth or C-section when planning their return to play. Research projects already underway with UNC and Duke focus on connecting health and performance, while another major project targets girls' soccer dropout rates, particularly at middle school age.

This focus on science and health distinguishes Kang's leadership. REAL SPORTS recognized her $50 million Kynisca investment as part of our 2024 #1 Most Important Moment, Capital Goals, alongside the NWSL's record $120 million San Diego Wave sale and Unrivaled's $35 million funding. While those investments built infrastructure and leagues, Kang's 2025 commitment addresses something more fundamental: the scientific foundation that determines whether female athletes can train safely, recover effectively, and reach their full potential.

Her path to this moment began with questions that revealed systemic failures. After buying three clubs, she noticed problems compared with men's sports: "Why do we have more ACL injuries? Why don't we have enough female coaches and referees?" Those questions came from someone who entered women's sports with fresh eyes and capital earned from selling her healthcare IT company, Cognosante. As the first woman of color to own a National Women's Soccer League team, the Washington Spirit, and majority owner of Olympique Lyonnais Féminin and London City Lionesses, Kang launched Kynisca in 2024, the world's first multi-team global organization focused on professionalizing women's football.

Her impact extended beyond soccer in 2025. In May 2025, Kang rebranded Olympique Lyonnais Féminin to OL Lyonnes, with a new logo featuring a roaring red lioness, symbolizing an independent identity separate from the men's team. Named ESPN's Sports Philanthropist of the Year in 2025, Kang invested $4 million over four years to USA Women's Rugby Sevens, provided $2 million in seed funding for IDA Sports producing cleats designed specifically for female athletes, and invested in Just Women's Sports.

Every investment followed the same principle: identify what female athletes actually need, then build it. Not adapt men's solutions. Not compromise with underfunded alternatives. Build it right.

U.S. Soccer President Cindy Parlow Cone captured the significance: "For far too long, women and girls have trained under systems and standards built for men, and the Kang Women's Institute is an essential first step in changing that. Michele has helped us take a huge leap forward in reshaping the future of the women's game for generations to come." 

Photo credit: Brad Smith/ISI Photos

Michele Kang's 2025 Sportsperson of the Year recognition isn't about capital investment. It's about scientific transformation. She's funding research that will rewrite training protocols, reduce career-ending injuries, keep girls playing through puberty, and support athletes through pregnancy. She's ensuring that the next generation of female athletes won't train under systems built for men's bodies. That's not just leadership. That's legacy. That's why Michele Kang is REAL SPORTS' 2025 Sportsperson of the Year. [RS]

Sources:

Michele Kang takes on women’s sports’ most neglected need || U.S. SOCCER: U.S. Soccer Launches Kang Women’s Institute to Transform Health and Performance in the Women’s Game || Exclusive: Billionaire Michele Kang launches $25 million U.S. Soccer institute that promises to transform the future of women’s sports || Michele Kang Named ESPN’s Sports Philanthropist of the Year Honoree || Michele Kang - Wikipedia

2025 Most Important Moments in Sports: #1: DIGITAL DOMINANCE RESHAPES THE GAME

NO PERMISSION NEEDED

Photo courtesy: Women’s Sport Trust

The shift had been building for years. TikTok views climbing, Instagram engagement rising, YouTube numbers surging. Women's sports had been quietly winning the digital race since 2022. In 2025, that quiet revolution became impossible to ignore.

Average viewing time per viewer reached 9 hours and 45 minutes in 2025, with women's sports seeing 60% growth on TikTok and 55% on YouTube while men's sports declined on these platforms. Total viewing hours for women's sports on UK broadcast reached a record 357 million hours from January to September 2025, up from 339 million during the same period in 2023. These numbers only told half the story. The revolution wasn't happening in broadcast negotiations or sponsorship deals. It was unfolding in real time, athlete by athlete, post by post, as fans chose to follow, engage, and share content that felt authentic rather than manufactured.

Female athletes' personal social media channels proved more effective than official accounts at attracting young women aged 13-34. This wasn't just a marketing insight. It was a power transfer. For decades, women's sports waited for permission: permission for broadcast time, permission for investment, permission for legitimacy. In 2025, athletes stopped waiting. They built their own audiences, commanded their own narratives, and proved their own worth without asking anyone's approval.

The evidence was everywhere. U.S. rugby sevens player Ilona Maher commanded 8.5 million followers across Instagram and TikTok, making her the most-followed rugby player in history, more than any male player in the sport. When she signed with Bristol Bears in January 2025, her debut generated a record PWR crowd of 9,240, and Bristol's Instagram following exploded from 21,000 to 67,000 overnight. When Maher featured in Bristol's match-day squad, broadcast audiences rose 281%. One athlete, through authentic connection with her audience, single-handedly transformed a club's visibility, attendance, and commercial value.

Freda Ayisi, a Ghanaian international who plays for Watford FC and formerly starred for Arsenal and Birmingham, generated more TikTok views than all Women's Super League players and teams combined, with her skills-based videos reaching more than 436 million views in 2024 alone across her 2.6 million TikTok followers and 1 million Instagram followers. In one standout week, her Instagram engagement reached an all-time high, connecting with over 10.4 million accounts in just six days. Her reach attracted collaborations with Pepsi, Adidas, PlayStation, Apple, Nike, and Puma, while she taught Brazilian legends Roberto Carlos and Cafu her signature skills on Soccer AM. Elite status no longer determined reach. Authenticity did. The old rules no longer applied.

During the 2025 Women's Six Nations, England's Red Roses players posted more TikTok content than any other England team across rugby, cricket, or football, generating 6.7 million views, 75% more than the England men's rugby team. In the UK, Chelsea Women became the fifth most-viewed official account in English football across both men's and women's games thanks to their dedicated podcast distributed across multiple platforms. Women weren't competing for attention anymore. They were winning it.

The commercial implications reshaped entire leagues. The WNBA led TikTok with 131 million views globally, while the WTA topped YouTube with 63 million views, up 75% year-over-year. U.S. publishers like Just Women's Sports and Togethxr drove 359 million and 62 million TikTok views, respectively, in Q1 2025, far outpacing legacy media brands. Unrivaled treated social media specialists like "the seventh player" on each team's roster, with Chief Growth Officer Chloe Pavlech explaining: "Their job is to be embedded, not just to film content, but to build trust. That's what makes the content real." 

This is why digital dominance ranks #1. Every record attendance, every media deal, every investment dollar in 2025 was driven by proof of audience, and digital platforms provided that proof in real time, undeniably, at scale. The WNBA's $2.2 billion media deal happened because Caitlin Clark's games broke streaming records. The Women's Rugby World Cup (#6 in our countdown) sold 444,465 tickets because players built anticipation through authentic content. Michele Kang (sneak peek: our Sportsperson of the Year) invested millions because she saw the digital engagement numbers proving demand.

Digital didn't just amplify women's sports. It fundamentally restructured the power dynamic. Athletes no longer needed traditional media to validate their worth. They could demonstrate it directly, build communities themselves, and negotiate from positions of proven strength. As Maher told Sky Sports: "If we talk about we want more funding, we want more this, we have to put ourselves out there for that. If we want this to grow, it is on us." And in 2025, they did exactly that.

The future of women's sports isn't being negotiated in boardrooms or broadcast deals. It's being built in real time, by athletes who understand their power, on platforms that reward authenticity over access. Every other moment in this countdown was spectacular. This one was foundational.

The future isn't coming. It's here. And it's digital, athlete-led, and unstoppable. [RS]

Join us daily for the countdown to #1, followed by our Sportsperson of the Year.

Sources:

Women’s Sport Reaches New Heights in 2025: WST’s Annual Review || Female Viewership Grows as Women’s Sport Breaks New Records Across Broadcast and Digital || How women’s sport is building its own audience with TikTok || US rugby star Ilona Maher tearfully ends her short but significant time in England with Bristol Bears Women || Ilona Maher: Bristol Bears star says rugby union needs culture shift to create stars and grow the game || Freda Ayisi || Freda Ayisi - Wikipedia

2025 Most Important Moments in Sports: #2: CAITLIN CLARK'S BILLION-DOLLAR IMPACT

Sidelined by injury, she still reshaped the WNBA

Photo credit: Andrew J. Clark/ISI Photos, May 2025 preseason action between the Fever and Dream

The 2025 WNBA season broke the all-time attendance record, surpassing 2.5 million fans by August 21, eclipsing the total set in 2002. This milestone came despite the season's most compelling storyline: the absence of its biggest star.

Clark suffered a right groin injury on July 15 in the final minute of the Indiana Fever's win over the Connecticut Sun and missed the remainder of the WNBA season, appearing in just 13 of 41 regular-season games. After never missing a game during four years at the University of Iowa or during her rookie WNBA season in 2024, three separate injuries sidelined her for 28 of 41 regular-season games in 2025, including the Commissioner's Cup final and the All-Star Game in her home arena.

Yet even in her absence, the Clark Effect continued to reshape professional women's basketball. The economic transformation she triggered in 2024 carried unstoppable momentum into 2025.

Photo credit: Andrew J. Clark/ISI Photos, June 2025 Clark sidelined during the Commissioner’s Cup due to injury.

Finance professor Dr. Ryan Brewer determined that Clark was responsible for a staggering 26.5% of all WNBA economic activity in 2024, including revenue from merchandise, ticket sales and television. Analyzing her potential impact for 2025, Brewer projected Clark's presence would add a minimum of $875 million to the WNBA's overall value, with the potential to exceed $1 billion.

Forbes valued the Indiana Fever at $370 million, second only the Golden State Valkyries (an expansion team) which had the highest valuation in the league at $500 million. The Fever lead the league in revenue at an estimated $32 million in 2024 while becoming the most-followed women's basketball team online. This represented a staggering leap from Sportico's 2023 valuation of just $90 million, slightly less than the estimated league average.

Her 2024 television dominance created a new baseline for the league. Of the 24 WNBA-related broadcasts that drew at least 1 million television viewers in 2024, 21 involved Clark, according to an analysis by Sports Media Watch that included the league's draft and All-Star Game All three WNBA games that drew more than 20,000 fans included the Fever.

The merchandise explosion continued into 2025. WNBA merchandise sales through Dick's Sporting Goods increased 233% compared to 2023, while all WNBA merchandise sold by Fanatics increased by more than 500% versus the previous season. Clark ranked in the top 20 of Fanatics' top-selling athletes across all sports, and sixth among all basketball players, including the NBA.

The Fever averaged 17,035 fans at their 20 home games in 2024, more than the Indiana Pacers averaged over 41 games at the same arena. Clark's overall economic impact on Indianapolis reached $36.5 million.

The Fever were 8-5 with Clark in the lineup and 16-15 without her in 2025. At 24-20, they held the eighth and final playoff spot. In her 13 games, she averaged 16.5 points, 8.8 assists, 5.0 rebounds and 1.6 steals.

The financial disparity remained stark. Clark received a base salary of $78,000 for the 2025 season, with 99% of her annual income coming from sponsorships off the court, headlined by an eight-year, $28 million deal with Nike.

"She particularly is the one who's driving in a new kind of demographic that is reaching new kinds of people from the traditional WNBA fan base that is causing this growth rate and also accelerating interest in corporate sponsorships," Brewer explained.

The 2025 season proved something remarkable: Clark's impact transcended her presence on the court. Her injuries couldn't halt the economic revolution she'd ignited. Attendance records fell. Valuations soared. The WNBA's commercial infrastructure fundamentally transformed. One player changed everything, proving that a single transcendent talent can reshape an entire league's trajectory, even from the sideline. [RS]

Join us daily for the countdown to #1, followed by our Sportsperson of the Year.

Sources:

Caitlin Clark's impact on the WNBA could eclipse 'a billion dollars' || Clarkonomics: Dissecting the complexity of paying Caitlin Clark what she's really worth

2025 Most Important Moments in Sports: #3: ATHLETE PROTECTION REFORMS GAIN MOMENTUM

ACCOUNTABILITY OVERDUE

Source: https://www.euronews.com/health/2025/12/03/new-global-sports-guidelines-target-body-shaming-and-harassment-to-protect-female-athletes

In August 2025, the FBI arrested gymnastics coach Sean Gardner on federal child pornography charges. Court records showed Gardner was accused of sexually abusing at least three young gymnasts and secretly recording others undressing in a gym bathroom. December lawsuits revealed that USA Gymnastics and SafeSport were told about "inappropriate and abusive behaviors" as early as December 2017 but failed to properly investigate or revoke his credentials, enabling him to continue coaching until 2022.

Attorney John Manly, who represented survivors of Larry Nassar's abuse, was blunt: the case "illustrates that the culture of money and medals over child safety is still alive and well in USA Gymnastics and the Olympic system." Eight years after Nassar's conviction of abusing more than 265 women and girls, including Olympic champions Simone Biles, Aly Raisman, McKayla Maroney, and Gabby Douglas, the system created to prevent such abuse was failing again.

The Gardner case exposed what many already knew: SafeSport's disciplinary process remained too slow, too opaque, and too ineffective. Four members of Congress introduced the bipartisan Safer Sports for Athletes Act in December 2024, but with Congress ending its session, the bill died and must be reintroduced in 2025. The legislation would impose a 180-day deadline on case resolutions, require case managers for every investigation, and increase SafeSport's funding fivefold from $2 million to $10 million annually. It mandates that 20% of funding go to prevention efforts and requires 20% of SafeSport's board be recommended by amateur athletes. This isn't suggestion. It's structural reform with teeth.

Meanwhile, international standards advanced with concrete guidance. In December 2025, more than 100 sports and exercise experts backed by the IOC issued 56 specific recommendations to protect female athletes, drawing from 600 research articles and consultation with current athletes. The FAIR recommendations addressed everything from preventing body shaming to accommodating menstruation, pregnancy, and breast health, acknowledging that female athletes have specific needs long ignored by sports systems built for men.

The message in 2025 was unmistakable: women's sports would no longer tolerate systems that failed to protect athletes. Congress must act in 2026. The Safer Sports for Athletes Act deserves immediate reintroduction and passage. Eight years of broken promises is enough. [RS]

Join us daily for the countdown to #1, followed by our Sportsperson of the Year.

Sources:

New global sports guidelines target body shaming and harassment to protect female athletes || Sean Gardner: Ex-coach at renowned US gymnastics academy is arrested by FBI years after abuse reports || USA Gymnastics and Olympic sports watchdog failed to stop coach’s sexual abuse, lawsuits allege || U.S. CENTER FOR SAFESPORT: Added funding of $10 million and faster decisions proposed in reform bill introduced in U.S. House || Body shaming increases risk of injury for female athletes, IOC says || Reps. Ross, Joyce, Castor, Bacon Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Help End Abuse and Sexual Violence in Sports

2025 Most Important Moments in Sports: #4: NEW PROFESSIONAL LEAGUES TAKE FLIGHT

THE PIPELINE EXPANDS

Photo credit: Andrew J. Clark/ISI Photos for Napheesa Collier; Photo Courtesy: Women’s Pro Baseball League for Mo'ne Davis, Photo Courtesy: PWHL

In 2025, women's professional sports experienced an unprecedented wave of league launches and expansions, creating new pipelines for elite athletes.

Unrivaled remains unrivaled.

Unrivaled, the 3-on-3 basketball league co-founded by WNBA stars Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart, was founded in 2023 in part to allow WNBA players to play domestically and to bypass complications from the WNBA's prioritization rule for players who choose to play overseas in the WNBA offseason. The league's inaugural season began on January 17, 2025, in Medley, Florida near Miami, with plans for the 2026 season to have games played across the United States. The season concluded on March 17 with Rose BC defeating Vinyl BC 62-54 to capture the first championship, with Chelsea Gray earning Finals MVP honors.

The inaugural season exceeded expectations across every metric. Unrivaled amassed an average of 221,000 viewers on TNT and truTV simulcast coverage for the entire season including playoffs, reached 11.9 million total viewers, and generated more than 589 million earned and owned social media impressions. The championship game between Rose BC and Vinyl BC averaged 364,000 viewers with a peak of 385,000 viewers, while the top performing game was the 1-on-1 Tournament Finals between Napheesa Collier and Aaliyah Edwards, which peaked at 398,000 viewers with an average of 377,000 viewers. The league's total salary pool for the 2025 season was $8 million, making the average salary per player around $222,222, the highest average salary in U.S. women's professional sports history.

The financial foundation reflected unprecedented investment in women's basketball. In December 2024, the league announced that their Series A round had closed with a new total capital of $35 million and included new investors such as Dawn Staley, JuJu Watkins, Michael and Nicole Phelps, Rip Hamilton, and Giannis Antetokounmpo, with Coco Gauff also announcing her investment in January 2025 and Stephen Curry joining as an investor at the end of the inaugural regular season. ESPN reported that Unrivaled made $30 million in revenue its inaugural season, double what league officials had projected.

Photo Courtesy: Maker’s Mark and Unrivaled

In December 2025, Maker's Mark became Unrivaled's first Official Spirits Partner, the bourbon brand's first-ever sports league sponsorship, bringing together two brands that both broke with tradition to create something better. The partnership signaled that blue-chip brands now recognize women's professional leagues as premium marketing platforms worthy of their inaugural sports investments.

The league's success prompted immediate expansion plans: Unrivaled announced it would expand from six to eight teams for the 2026 season, increasing roster spots from 36 to 54 with two new teams called Breeze BC and Hive BC. On April 13, 2025, the day before Paige Bueckers was the first overall pick in the WNBA draft, she signed a three-year deal to play in Unrivaled, with the first year of her Unrivaled contract reportedly paying her more than her entire four-year WNBA rookie contract. In July 2025, Unrivaled announced the signing of 14 of the best women's college basketball players to NIL deals as part of "The Future is Unrivaled Class of 2025," including Lauren Betts, Madison Booker, Azzi Fudd, Hannah Hidalgo, Flau'jae Johnson, and JuJu Watkins.

The league proved that elite female basketball players could earn substantial salaries playing domestically during the WNBA offseason, fundamentally reshaping the economic landscape for women's basketball and providing leverage in ongoing WNBA labor negotiations.

PWHL MOMENTUM BUILDS

Image Courtesy: PWHL

The Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL) expanded to eight teams in its 2025-26 season with the addition of Seattle and Vancouver. During the league's 2024-2025 second season, it drew 737,455 fans across 102 games (regular season plus playoffs), up 52.5% from last season's 483,530. Overall average attendance increased 27% from Season One, rising from 5,689 to 7,230 per game. With 1,220,985 fans attending games across the league's first two seasons, the PWHL's momentum continues to build.

The expansion markets delivered immediate impact. Vancouver's inaugural home opener on November 21 drew a sold-out crowd of 14,958 at Pacific Coliseum, marking a new record for the PWHL for attendance at a permanent home venue. Seattle's attendance of 16,014 raised the bar even higher for the league, with captain Hilary Knight noting, "I don't know if it's the rich history of women's sports, how you all have started a movement well before we even got here, to the icons and the legends that have graced this arena. We could feel the love". Since both April expansion announcements, fans in both cities showed remarkable enthusiasm, placing more than 10,000 combined Season Ticket Member deposits.

The league's commercial success extended beyond the arena. Sales of PWHL gear doubled season over season, reflecting 100% growth across the league. The increase was sparked by the unveiling of team names and logos ahead of Season Two, new collections to support Unity Games, and new collections with Barbie and Peace Collective, and lululemon. The league and team partnership portfolio grew by 50% season over season, with notable additions including Ally, Bravado, EA Sports, Factor Meals, Intact Insurance, Midea and SharkNinja. When Seattle and Vancouver's generic market jerseys were unveiled, Seattle broke the league's all-time mark for most jerseys ordered in a single day, with Vancouver's sales recording the second most all-time by the league in a single day.

The inaugural PWHL Takeover Tour featured nine neutral-site regular-season games, drawing a total of 123,601 fans. The Vancouver game drew a sold-out crowd of 19,038 at Rogers Arena, the fourth-highest single-game attendance in PWHL history. The Detroit game set a U.S. attendance record with 14,288 fans at Little Caesars Arena and marked the moment the league surpassed its one millionth fan Bullets Forever. Advisory board member Stan Kasten outlined an ambitious vision that foresees further expansion beyond eight teams, the league capitalizing on the 2026 Milan Winter Games to broaden its reach internationally, and the prospect of turning a profit by 2031 when the league's current CBA with its players expires olympics.

THE WOMEN'S PRO BASEBALL LEAGUE MAKES HISTORY

Image Courtesy: PWHL

The Women's Pro Baseball League (WPBL) held its historic inaugural draft on November 20, 2025, with 120 players from 10 countries selected across six rounds by four founding teams representing Boston, New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. This marks the first prominent American women's professional baseball league since the 1940s-era All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL), which was immortalized in the film A League of Their Own.

Trailblazer Kelsie Whitmore, who has played in an MLB partner league, was selected first overall by San Francisco, while Little League World Series star Mo'ne Davis was picked tenth by Los Angeles. The league will begin play in summer 2026 at Robin Roberts Stadium in Springfield, Illinois.

The WPBL is strategically learning from the challenges faced by its predecessors: the AAGPBL (1943-1954), the barnstorming Colorado Silver Bullets (1994-1997), and the short-lived Ladies League Baseball (1997-1998). The key differentiator is a modern, dual-phase strategy: branding teams with major, nationally recognized markets (NY, LA, Boston, SF) to build immediate fan recognition and media interest, while playing the inaugural season entirely in a single, central venue (Springfield, IL) to avoid the high travel costs and logistical challenges that contributed to the demise of previous leagues.

With a total team salary cap of $95,000 and provisions for housing, food, and a share of sponsor revenue, the WPBL is prioritizing stability and minimizing risk in its crucial first year while establishing a sustainable, high-visibility professional pathway for female baseball players. [RS]

Join us daily for the countdown to #1, followed by our Sportsperson of the Year.

Sources:

Maker’s Mark nets first sports league sponsorship with Unrivaled || Unrivaled Numbers || UNRIVALED AND MAKER'S MARK ANNOUNCE PARTNERSHIP CELEBRATING THE SPIRIT THAT CHANGED THE GAME || PWHL CELEBRATES HISTORIC SECOND SEASON OF GROWTH || Details for Inaugural Player Draft || Kelsie Whitmore Selected First Overall in Inaugural Women’s Pro Baseball League Draft

2025 Most Important Moments in Sports: #5: PAIGE BUECKERS AND UCONN END THE DROUGHT

COMEBACK COMPLETE

Photo credit: Thien-An Truong/ISI Photos. Paige Bueckers of the Connecticut Huskies addresses the media after defeating the South Carolina Gamecocks in the NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship no April 6, 2025

UConn captured its 12th national championship with an 82-59 victory over defending champion South Carolina on April 6, ending a nine-year title drought for coach Geno Auriemma and the Huskies. It was the longest drought for Auriemma and his Huskies since the team won its first championship in 1995, led by Rebecca Lobo.

The journey to redemption belonged to Paige Bueckers, whose career at UConn became a testament to resilience. She missed 19 games because of a tibial plateau fracture and meniscus tear as a sophomore, later admitting she forced her return too quickly. After tearing an ACL four months later, she sat her entire junior season.

The past five years for Bueckers and UConn have been defined by their shared pursuit of that coveted championship, with the common thread of getting knocked down and needing to find their way back up. Sue Bird, Diana Tauras,i and Breanna Stewart gathered at the UConn Huskies' team hotel following their alma mater's loss in the 2022 national championship game to South Carolina. The trio of UConn greats wanted to console the Huskies and Paige Bueckers. The defeat was devastating, historic. It was UConn's first loss in a national title game after 11 previous wins, extending the school's championship drought another year.

The 2025 tournament proved to be Bueckers' crowning achievement. In the Sweet 16, she scored a career-high 40 points, including 29 in the second half, in an 82-59 victory over Oklahoma. She became the fourth UConn player to record at least 40 points in a game and the first to do so in the NCAA tournament. In the Elite Eight, Bueckers posted 31 points and six assists, leading her team to a 78-64 win against top-seeded USC and being named MOP of the Spokane 4 Regional. She tied her own program record with three consecutive 30-point games, while scoring a total of 105 points, the most by a UConn player over a three-game span.

Photo credit: Thien-An Truong/ISI Photos. Paige Bueckers of the Connecticut Huskies shoots a free throw against the South Carolina Gamecocks in the second half during the 2025 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament Championship game

Bueckers surpassed Maya Moore for the most career points by a UConn player in the NCAA tournament and moved to third among all players. She was a unanimous first-team All-American for the third time in her career, received the Wade Trophy as the top NCAA Division I player, and won her second Nancy Lieberman Award as the top Division I point guard.

The championship game showcased UConn's formidable trio. Azzi Fudd scored 24 points and was named Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four, while Sarah Strong added 24 points and 15 rebounds. Bueckers scored 17 points in her final game at UConn. Strong set an NCAA tournament record for points by a freshman in a single tournament with 114, and she became the first player in NCAA history to record 20 points, 15 rebounds, and 5 assists in a title game.

Auriemma subbed Bueckers, Fudd and Strong out with 1:32 left. Bueckers and Auriemma had a long hug on the sideline, having finally gotten that championship that he so wanted for her. "They've all been gratifying," he said. "Don't get me wrong, this one here, because of the way it came about and what's been involved, it's been a long time since I've been that emotional when a player has walked off the court".

It was the first time Auriemma had seen Bueckers cry, and he told her, "I love you." It was Auriemma who couldn't hold back tears later, calling this "one of the most emotional Final Fours and emotional national championships I've been a part of since that very first". "[Bueckers'] journey," he said on ESPN's postgame show, "has been the most incredible for any kid I've had".

All 12 titles have come under head coach Geno Auriemma, who has led the team for 40 years. Since 1995, the Huskies have had dominant championship runs, including in the early 2000s led by Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi, 2009-10 with Maya Moore, and finally the four straight from 2013-16 with Breanna Stewart. All were in attendance in Florida on Sunday to see the Huskies' latest title.

"It's truly storybook," said Rebecca Lobo, who, like Bueckers, won her first and only national championship with UConn in her final career game.

Photo credit: Thien-An Truong/ISI Photos. Paige Bueckers of the Connecticut Huskies cuts down the net after winning the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament Championship game.

The fairy-tale ending cemented one of the most emotional championships in women's college basketball history. A player who had endured devastating injuries, heartbreaking losses, and years of mounting pressure finally achieved the one thing that had eluded her. Bueckers didn't just win a title. She proved that resilience, patience, and unwavering belief can overcome even the most crushing setbacks. [RS]

Join us daily for the countdown to #1, followed by our Sportsperson of the Year.

Source:

2025 NCAA Women's Tournament: UConn, Paige Bueckers are national champions