The WPLL is the first and only women’s professional lacrosse league. Michele DeJuliis is the CEO and founder of the league. On April 14th, the league announced that it was cancelling its 2020 season due to the coronavirus. The season was originally intended to begin on June 13th. Below, DeJuliis discusses what went into that decision and why she remains optimistic regarding the league’s future.

For an earlier interview with DeJuliis on both her own professional background and the challenges of starting a professional sports league, click here.

Obviously there is a lot of uncertainty surrounding the pandemic. But what ultimately went into your decision to cancel the 2020 WPLL season?

Leading up to our decision to cancel the 2020 WPLL season, we were doing everything we could to see how everything with the virus was playing out. We didn’t want to make the call too early. But as you can imagine, the changes in the announcements that were coming from the government and local agencies each day looked grimmer and grimmer. First and foremost, we had to think of the safety of our players, fans, officials, and staff. On top of that, we were planning to play games at venues and universities that are out of commission for the summer because of the pandemic. And then there were our sponsors, who are going through furloughs and layoffs themselves. They’re hesitant to spend money given all the uncertainty surrounding our season and the economy.

A lot of professional leagues are considering playing without fans in the near future. Was that option? 

We thought about it, but a big part of the excitement is playing in front of fans and having our players interact with fans. If we can’t do that, that’s not great. So we just felt like for the safety of everyone involved, it was the best decision to cancel. And now this means we can push our efforts full throttle into 2021.

You mentioned sponsors. Are they in support of your decision to cancel and will they continue to support the WPLL come 2021? 

All of our sponsors were in full support. We have a couple of really big champion sponsors that we’re excited to announce over the next couple of weeks that are standing by us and we know that they will thrust us into a great 2021 season.

Following the announcement of 2020 season cancelation, the WPLL announced the creation of the WPLL+, a virtual online training platform. Can you talk a little bit about this? 

We wanted to give players the opportunities to stay connected to their fans, to coach/mentor younger players and to make money. The WPLL+ is just that. Via these online training sessions, our athletes are able to connect with fans and younger athletes, which is even more important and valuable during these difficult times. We know that sharing an hour with a mentor can mean the world to these young athletes who have been stripped of their spring opportunities.

We’ve been consulting with youth and club colleagues in the industry and there’s a lot of excitement around what we have planned. Our athletes love giving back to the next generation of talent and WPLL+ was designed as a means for our athletes to engage with our fans. We are also taking registrations for group programming with one-on-one and coach-to-coach programming. Despite the cancelation of our 2020 season, there are a lot of exciting things to come for our league.

How much of an impact do you think the cancelation of the 2020 season has on the future of lacrosse at the professional level?

The lacrosse community is so tight, everybody knows everybody, and people are supportive and people want to see the women’s game grow. They want to see women’s pro lacrosse stay. We have gotten a lot of feedback from fans and supporters saying that they understand the decision we made is the right decision and that they believe we will be back stronger. These are things that just motivate all of us to be better and give us an opportunity to really get our ducks in a row for a killer ‘21 season.

As the 2025 tennis calendar hits the home stretch, the WTA's finest will hit the hardcourt at the 1000-level China Open this week — with invites to November's WTA Finals on the line.

Top US players including world No. 3 Coco Gauff, No. 4 Amanda Anisimova, and No. 7 Jessica Pegula will begin their 2025 China Open campaigns when the tournament's Round of 64 starts late Thursday night.

Also aiming for the lion's share of the competition's nearly $9 million prize pool — including a winner's check over $1.1 million — are 2023 China Open champ No. 2 Iga Świątek, 19-year-old rising star No. 23 Victoria Mboko, and recent US Open semifinalist and fan favorite No. 14 Naomi Osaka.

The world No. 1, however, will miss this edition of the tournament, as back-to-back US Open champ Aryna Sabalenka withdrew due to "a minor injury" earlier this month.

As for the competition's reigning champion, Gauff will kick off both her title defense and the Round of 64 on Thursday, following up her 2024 success by winning her second career Grand Slam at the 2025 French Open in June.

"I think winning the French Open helped me take that weight off," Gauff told reporters about the pressure of defending her 2024 trophy. "I definitely feel a lot lighter. It feels like a practice tournament."

How to watch the 2025 China Open

The Round of 64 at the 2025 China Open kicks off with Gauff taking on No. 89 Kamilla Rakhimova at 11 PM ET on Thursday.

All tournament matches will stream live on the Tennis Channel.

The PWHL is gearing up for a blockbuster third season, with the pro hockey league reporting surging season ticket sales across all markets — and 2025/26 expansion sides Seattle and Vancouver are leading the charge.

PWHL executive board member Stan Kasten told Sports Business Journal last week that each of the new teams amassed more than 5,000 season ticket deposits for the 2025/26 campaign as of May, fueling growth throughout the emerging league.

"In every city this year — every city — we have sold more season tickets than we had last year," Kasten said. "The two expansion teams we added this year are just the two leaders of what is going to become a movement. We are going to be adding more teams much sooner than other people thought because the demand is there, the players are there."

The league is also banking on the upcoming 2026 Winter Olympics to boost interest, with more than 50 current PWHL players expected to take the global stage in Italy this February.

"I expect it to be a really important milestone for us," Kasten said of the Winter Games earlier this summer. "It should be a really special time for our league, and I hope a launchpad for the next phase of our development."

The Black Women's Player Collective (BWPC) is making moves, with the organization announcing plans to co-host a first-of-its-kind national showcase for top-ranked Black women's soccer athletes this November.

In partnership with Allstate and Black Star, the BWPC's Next Wave National Showcase will take over the Texas campus of HBCU Prairie View A&M from November 22nd to 25th.

The new BWPC program will feature 20 to 30 of the country's best Black high school soccer players, with the showcase looking to help bridge the professional gap left following the abolishment of the NWSL draft in the most recent CBA — much like the recently announced NWSL combines that will debut this December.

Founded by NWSL standouts in October 2020, the now-global non-profit aims to establish a talent pipeline to ensure diversity as the sport grows, with Black players currently making up 12% of the US pro league.

"We founded the BWPC with a clear mission: to create space and open doors within the existing soccer framework for girls whose skills, talent, and drive position them to compete at the highest level," BWPC board member and North Carolina Courage midfielder Brianna Pinto said in a press release. "As the first women's soccer organization to champion the growth of the game through the lens of diversity, we remain committed to partnering with others equally invested in advancing women's sports."

Unrivaled 3×3 Basketball is loading up on fresh talent, officially signing the Top 3 WNBA rookies as first-year Washington Mystics stars Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen join Dallas Wings superstar Paige Bueckers on the offseason league's expanded 2026 roster.

As the only rookie WNBA All-Stars in 2025, Bueckers, Citron, and Iriafen led their class in points per game, field goals made, and field goal percentage while breaking multiple rookie records along the way.

Connecticut Sun first-year Saniya Rivers will also be making her Unrivaled debut this winter, joining the league's second season after ranking sixth in WNBA rookie shooting while leading her class in blocks per game.

Unrivaled has already proven to be a springboard for young players, with 2024 newcomers Rickea Jackson (LA Sparks) and Aaliyah Edwards (Connecticut Sun) stepping into the 3×3 spotlight this past January.

Both Jackson and Edwards will return to the Miami-based competition in 2026, with fellow 2024 WNBA rookie Kate Martin of the Golden State Valkyries also entering the Unrivaled fray.

Unrivaled has also tapped future WNBA rookies in off-court deals, racking up more than a dozen big-name NIL signings ahead of its 2026 tip-off.

Unrivaled roster announcements will continue through October 1st, with the league set to tip off in January.