Sports and sports news go beyond the score: there’s always something going on in the stands, on the bench, and on the field. This column looks beyond the score, so you can learn more about your favorite leagues and athletes.
Recently, there’s been news from many different areas in the sports world. From awards to retirements and controversies all around, it’s been a busy time of the year.
2025 WNBA Award Season
The 2025 WNBA season has come to a close with the Las Vegas Aces taking home the championship with a close win over the Phoenix Mercury on Oct. 3. With this end comes a break for our favorite hoopers, but also a time to congratulate these incredible women on the many awards that they’ve earned over this season in their careers.
This season proved to be a triumph for the newcomers and the old guard. In their first season as a WNBA team, the Golden State Valkyries finished their season with 23 wins and 21 losses. Their even season was complemented by end-of-season awards, hitting both the front office and the locker room. Veronica Burton of the Valkyries was named the 2025 Kia WNBA Most Improved Player, and coach of the Valkyries, Natalie Nakase, took home the 2025 Coach of the Year Award.
An old name once again ruled this season, with veteran player A’ja Wilson taking home a laundry list of awards. Wilson was named one of the 2025 WNBA Co-Defensive Players of the Year, along with Alanna Smith of the Minnesota Lynx.
Wilson also earned a unanimous spot on the 2025 All-WNBA Team, making the team for the fourth season in a row. Most notably, Wilson has earned her fourth WNBA Most Valuable Player Award, breaking the record for most MVP awards in the WNBA.
Paige Bueckers of the Dallas Wings, a college player turned pro-superstar, won the 2025 Rookie of the Year award. Bueckers received 70 of 72 votes after spending the entire season breaking team and WNBA records.
Cristen Press Says Goodbye
Themes of old and new are also at play with the retirement of the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team mainstay, Christen Press, announcing her retirement. Press has been a major player on the USWNT since her debut in 2013. Retiring at 37 years old with 155 career appearances for the national team, her retirement at the end of this season further marks the end of an era.
Press not only fought for multiple hard-won World Cup championships in 2015 and 2019, but also filed a groundbreaking lawsuit against the US Soccer Federation in 2019 to fight for equal pay for both the women’s and men’s national soccer teams. The success of this era of women’s soccer has ushered in a new era of youth and competition, with the newest 26-woman USWNT Camp Roster having an average age of just over 24 years old.
Napheesa Collier Calls Out WNBA Leadership
WNBA vets have done more than show up on the court recently, with MVP runner-up Napheesa Collier of the Minnesota Lynx using her final press conference of the season to directly address WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert for what Collier called “the worst leadership in the world.”
Following an unencouraging conversation with the commissioner, Collier gave the press quotes from Engelbert that dismiss the officiating issues that have been a widespread critique of the WNBA over the last few seasons. According to Collier, Engelbert stated that our favorite rookies, like Caitlyn Clark, Angel Reese, and Paige Bueckers, “should be grateful,” despite the fact that their WNBA salary for their first year was less than 80 thousand dollars.
However, Engelbert denies ever making these comments. In Engelbert’s statement, she told the press that “collective bargaining agreement negotiations were ongoing and that the league wants ‘much of the same things that the players want,’ including significantly increasing players’ salaries and benefits.”
Collier speaks from not only the perspective of a veteran player, but as a partial owner in the Unrivaled three versus three basketball league and the vice-president of the Players Association. There’s been an outpouring of support for Napheesa, leaving fans and members of the league to speculate over whether or not Engelbert’s stint as commissioner is about to be over.
The 2025 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships
Oct. 19 marks the start of the 2025 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Jakarta, Indonesia. With most athletes entering the country early for the competition, there are some notable absences.
Israeli Olympic Champion Artem Dolgopyat will not be competing this year due to Indonesia’s decision to block the visas of all Israeli competitors. Notably, this decision is against the rules set by the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG), which led Dolgopyat and the other blocked gymnasts to file a lawsuit with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
The CAS maintained Indonesia’s decision, denying Israel’s lawsuit against Indonesia. The CAS stated that the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) “has no control over Indonesia’s visa policies.”
There’s always something happening in the sports world, and sports go beyond just the score. Sometimes, it’s about more than just the game — it’s important to keep up with what’s going on behind the scenes of your TV!
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