There have been a host of problems during Cathy Engelbert's time leading the WNBA. Badly negotiated media deals, badly negotiated labor deals, badly negotiated capital campaigns... As I wrote, the NBA owners put her in a bad position. Again and again. wagesofwins.substack.com/p/the-princi...

The Principal Clerk of the WNBA

And Columbo Investigates the WNBA!

wagesofwins.substack.com

The latest from @nrarmour.bsky.social led me to write about Cathy Engelbert's retirement. Much went wrong in the WNBA since 2019. Just as Engelbert can't be credited for the successes, she probably can't be blamed for the failures. Still, much did go wrong! wagesofwins.substack.com/p/the-princi...

The Principal Clerk of the WNBA

And Columbo Investigates the WNBA!

wagesofwins.substack.com

Nick Saban is leaving out the true tradition in college sports. College sports for over a century has exploited its athletes. That is how Saban got the same money from the Miami Dolphins and the University of Alabama. Not paying players is the tradition Saban wants to defend.

How can Dr. Pepper continue to use college football to advertise its product? College sports is ruined. How can you associate your product with a ruined institution? And it gets worse. They are making fun of the transfer portal. And coaches jumping teams. Who approves these ads? WHO???😂

LSU is trying to add players who were in NFL camps to their roster. You can tell in watching this game that the college football fans at LSU are extremely angry about this violation of college football tradition. There is hardly anyone in the stands. No one is cheering. Right?

This from @nrarmour.bsky.social is very good! The WNBA didn't thrive across the last decade (and yes, it has been growing for a decade) because of the commissioner. We often assign too much blame to leaders when organizations fail. We do the same for success. www.usatoday.com/story/sports...

WNBA thrived despite Cathy Engelbert. She won't be missed | Opinion

Cathy Engelbert did little to help WNBA during her time as commissioner. The league finally has a chance to move forward, Nancy Armour writes.

usatoday.com

As we talk about Cathy Engelbert's time as WNBA Commissioner, let's not just talk about growth. The NBA also sold 16% of the league for just $75 million. That is looking liking the worst deal in sports history. And the players are still paid very poorly. wagesofwins.substack.com/p/the-wnbanb...

The WNBA/NBA Doesn’t Believe IN Phee

And Are the People of the WNBA/NBA Really Great Business People?

wagesofwins.substack.com

I always thought one big advantage of being at the top of the academic pyramid is that you had more freedom to teach/write what you want. If you aren't getting freedom, are you staying for "prestige" (really, most people don't know who you are)? Or is Boston that great?🤣

Aparna Nair@disabilitystor1.bsky.social · 4d ago

I just don't understand this push--otoh, they claim "AI is just a tool, and students need this tool" but otoh, administrators and some faculty are insistent that all professors, irrespective of field or interest or method, MUST use this tool because they say so. its so ludicrous.

NEW: wrote about why it’s so problematic that many of the new women’s basketball documentaries are erasing Black women’s names, greatness, labor, & contributions from the history of the sport.

the basketball documentaries erasing black women from the sport

this trend is a real problem

thefrankiedlc.news

Yes, tariffs on ground beef lead to higher prices. But so does an industry with four firms processing over 80% of the meatpacking market. Want to lower prices? Get rid of the tariffs and allow more competition in the meatpacking industry.

Kansas Reflector@kansasreflector.com · 5d ago

Ag secretary: Decision to import ground beef highlights need to boost domestic food production | via Cami Koons #ksleg

The most hilarious academic articles in economics are those that argue that people are entirely motivated by money. Its hilarious because economists are not often paid to write these articles. Economists have written articles for free to argue people are motivated by money!

Stephen Nuñez@socio-steve.bsky.social · 6d ago

The income elasticity of labor supply is quite small.

UCLA's annual budget is $11 billion. They just fired an AD -- whose contract they renewed in 2024 -- that ran a deficit for 7 consecutive years. Total of these deficits: $241 million. If such small deficits matter, why did it take so long to do this? newsroom.ucla.edu/ucla-fast-fa...

About UCLA: Fast facts

Quick facts about UCLA, known worldwide for the breadth and quality of its academic, research, health care, cultural, continuing education and athletics programs.

newsroom.ucla.edu

I am 57 and have not been on a "date" since 1991. So, my experience here is not real current. That being said... not showering before a date seems like a very stupid idea. And we wonder why the birthrate keeps falling! www.foxnews.com/lifestyle/me...

Men are skipping showers before dates for a reason that may surprise women

Pheromone-maxxing has men skipping showers and deodorant before dates, but the science behind natural body odor and attraction remains inconclusive.

foxnews.com

This is exactly right! Men never wanted the WNBA to succeed. They said for years no one was watching. And she is so damn right. It is exactly these same men telling the WNBA how to "fix" problems these same men invented.

🏳️‍⚧️ UNBAN LINK@biancamack.co · last wk.

Love a direct, to the point queen. Say it plainly and leave no space for bad-faith bullshit.

As the college football season begins, this is your reminder that according to the NCAA, revenue in college sports is growing. As you look at sold out stadiums, remember that demand for college sports remains strong. College sports is not in turmoil. Really!

Check to see if you know the WNBA... Best record 2026: Minnesota Defending Champ: Las Vegas Highest Attendance: Golden State MVP candidates: A'ja Wilson and Olivia Miles Defending MVP: A'ja Wilson Notice anything missing from this list? Again, if you know the WNBA, these are league's leaders!

It is entirely possible Golden State is just a better team than the New York Liberty. Just maybe!

If you were only listening to this game and not watching, you might not know Golden State is up 11 on the Liberty. New York is losing this game. Really. That includes Breanna Stewart. She is also on the losing end of this game. 😂😂

Very sad to hear about the passing of Dolly Parton. She spent her life fighting, defending, and healing the less powerful in society. As you see all the tributes today and this year, remember few people ever remember those who spend a lifetime defending the powerful.

Yesterday, Nola Agha and I were on NPR discussing the WPBL. www.nprillinois.org/springfield-... Today, @victor-matheson.bsky.social and I were on Marketplace discussing the demise of LIV Golf. www.marketplace.org/story/2026/0... I am more optimistic about WPBL than I was ever about LIV Golf!

Saudi Arabia will no longer fund LIV Golf. What happened?

The golfing upstart was able to pull big stars away from the PGA Tour, but ultimately struggled to attract TV deals, sponsors and fans.

marketplace.org

A person at an "elite" school can make any nonsensical claim and it is called "viewpoint diversity" and a claim people need to discuss. A prof. without such an affiliation can see their comments dismissed simply by noting their school. This is not science. Its just a club!

There is something sad about watching an AI commercial where a person asks their phone for advice about "what to do" while there is a person in the room with them. One can tell what sort of person invented this technology. It is for people who literally can't communicate with other humans.

This is nearly 50 years ago. Dr. J. is talking about why the Sixers failed in the 1977 NBA Finals against Portland. It's important to remember the WNBA has a higher average attendance today than the NBA in 1977. The NBA was becoming quite successful 50 years ago. But a bit behind the WNBA today.

NBA Cobwebs@nbacobwebs.bsky.social · 3w ago

August 18, 1977: Philadelphia’s Julius Erving—in Los Angeles for “The Big Shootout" charity basketball game—comments on the upcoming season (his second in the NBA). *Video clip includes some Dr. J highlights against the Lakers from the previous season. 📺 KNBC

Instead of working on silly AI programs designed to solve problems no one really had, how about we figure out how to stop a program from just freezing. Why can't we have a simple command that says? "Stop what you are doing. Completely. Go back to where you were before you started that. Do it now."

awfulannouncing.com/wnba/womens-... Women's sports are taking off! Love how this article mentions Mark Shapiro. Everyone should know "in 2002, former ESPN executive Mark Shapiro relegated the WNBA to ESPN2..." This is a big reason why this didn't happen earlier. One person made a choice!

Women's sports viewership surging in 2026

Front Office Sports' Ellyn Briggs reports that women's sports are surging in viewership, with 52% of the U.S. population now interested.

awfulannouncing.com

Sports Media: Women's sports are in trouble!! Too much politics!! Women's sports have too many distractions!!! In other news... viewership numbers are surging. Doesn't it feel like that is the news story media outlets should report? awfulannouncing.com/wnba/womens-...

Women's sports viewership surging in 2026

Front Office Sports' Ellyn Briggs reports that women's sports are surging in viewership, with 52% of the U.S. population now interested.

awfulannouncing.com

People at "elite" institutions consistently think they are "better" students and academics than those at Southern Utah University (and similar schools!). I disagree. And the story of Rick Robey, Robert Parish, and Larry Bird captures my argument! wagesofwins.substack.com/p/what-i-thi...

What I Think Sports Teaches Us About Elite Institutions

Just maybe a degree from an elite school doesn't mean what we think it means!

wagesofwins.substack.com

Free Pizza in Vegas!! That's a fun feature of Aces games. If the opponent misses two free throws, everyone in the audience gets a free slice of pizza!

The Liberty are just collapsing in the fourth quarter!

Average WNBA attendance 2024: 9,807 Average WNBA attendance 2025: 10,986 Average WNBA attendance 2026: 11,303 Media Take: WNBA IS IN TURMOIL! LEAGUE IS IN TROUBLE!!! BTW.... NBA took FOUR decades to draw this well! acrossthetimeline.com/wnba/attenda...