Andi Sullivan doesn’t believe the NWSL Challenge Cup should continue in its current format, adding her voice to the growing chorus of people with criticisms of the preseason tournament.

Sullivan, along with Emily Sonnett and Trinity Rodman, sat down with teammate Kelley O’Hara for a wide-ranging discussion on The Players’ Pod ahead of the Washington Spirit’s May 4 semifinal against OL Reign.

“I think the timing and the format is not the best,” Sullivan told O’Hara. “Obviously in 2020, it was kind of like what we had to do, and I think we are forcing it a little bit to keep it around. I think it needs to be updated to either be shorter or spaced out throughout the season.”

The inaugural Challenge Cup marked the NWSL’s return to competition amid the COVID-19 pandemic, hosted in a bubble in Utah during the summer of 2020. The tournament has since evolved into a preseason fixture, and the knockout rounds coincide with the start of the regular season.

“We’re calling it a preseason tournament, but it’s also a chance to win a trophy, and I think it’s unclear what it really is,” Sullivan said. “I think it’s been very frustrating to have three games in seven days starting off the season.

“I think it needs a lot of revision.”

O’Hara agreed with Sullivan’s assessment, calling the tournament’s rigorous schedule “quite dangerous.”

The scheduling of the Spirit’s semifinal game against OL Reign drew much of the backlash. The Reign, the No. 1 seed coming out of the group stage, were forced to host the game in Washington, D.C. because Lumen Field, their home stadium in Seattle, was occupied by the Seattle Sounders. The semifinal then only moved from the 5,000-seat Segra Field to Audi Field, a 20,000-capacity stadium, when the NWSL reached an agreement with the Aspen Institute, which was hosting an all-day summit at the field that day.

The Spirit won the game to advance to the Challenge Cup final, setting them up to play three games in one week and forcing them to postpone their regular season game originally scheduled for that day.

“Now we are playing Seattle on Sunday for the regular-season opener, play them on Wednesday for the Challenge Cup semi, and then we play them again in May at Seattle, so we will be done playing Seattle three times in one month and won’t see them again for the rest of the season. I just think that is poorly planned,” Sullivan said.

The Spirit lost to the North Carolina Courage 2-1 last Saturday in a physical Challenge Cup final.

With both sides appearing fatigued after a grueling start to the season, the game featured multiple sloppy tackles that went uncalled. Toward the end of the match, Jordan Baggett appeared to lose consciousness after a hard collision, and players had to frantically call for medical staff before helping them push the stretcher onto the field.

Listen to the latest episode of The Players’ Pod for more of the Spirit players’ insights on the league.

The NCAA is turning up the heat on the next two seasons of non-conference basketball competition, with powerhouse programs from the University of South Carolina and the University of Southern California set to determine which team is "The Real SC" via a special two-game series.

The acronymic rivals will first meet at Crypto Arena in Los Angeles on Saturday, November 15th, 2025, before heading to Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina, on the same date the following year.

In anticipation of high ticket demand, series host Complete Sports Management shifted both games to the aforementioned higher-capacity venues, rather than utilizing the teams’ usual on-campus arenas.

"I will always choose elevating women's basketball, and that's especially true in scheduling," South Carolina coach Dawn Staley said in a team statement. "I know Complete Sports Management has the same mission, and I like their creativity in bringing not just two great programs together, but engaging their fan bases on both coasts in a debate they love to have."

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Series to showcase the best of NCAA basketball

The newly created series won't just decide "The Real SC," it also pits two of the sport's historic programs against each other in an SEC vs. Big Ten and East Coast vs. West Coast battle for bragging rights.

The defending champion Gamecocks are currently ranked No. 2 in the nation as they gear up for the 2025 March Madness tournament, in which they'll seek a fifth straight Final Four berth and an overall fourth NCAA title.

Meanwhile, the Trojans are chasing South Carolina up the AP Poll in the No. 4 spot, with a goal to equalize with Gamecocks by claiming a third national championship this season. If they're successful, it will be USC's first NCAA trophy since 1984.

Regardless of the 2024/25 NCAA tournament's outcome, both teams will likely still roster multiple future WNBA stars for the foreseeable future, with fans banking on seeing current sophomore stars like South Carolina's MiLaysia Fulwiley and USC's JuJu Watkins featuring in both games of "The Real SC" series.

How to buy tickets to USC vs. South Carolina in "The Real SC"

Tipping off in LA on November 15th, 2025, tickets for the first meeting between the Gamecocks and Trojans in "The Real SC" series will be available for purchase online this Friday at 1 PM ET.

Blockbuster viewership isn’t the only booming women’s sports statistic, with women's sports ads making serious inroads as more brands buy into the growing market.

Per a study released by TV outcomes company EDO on Tuesday, women’s sports saw an overall 56% year-over-year increase in ad effectiveness in 2024, with 40% more ad impact than an average primetime ad.

Based on consumer behavior metrics like brand searches and site visits, some of the most effective advertisers last year were apparel brands like Athleta, Fabletics, and Skims.

Even more, efficacy measures skyrocketed when brands put sports and women athletes in their content. CarMax ads spotlighting women's basketball stars, for example, exceeded other WNBA advertisers' effectiveness by 185%.

"Women’s sports are officially a business imperative," said EDO SVP and head of client solutions Laura Grover. "It’s not just about reaching this fast-growing audience — it’s about inspiring action, building brand affinity, and driving real business impact."

Basketball leads women's sports ad impact numbers

The spike in ad revenue coincides with the surging popularity of both college sports and women’s basketball, with ads during WNBA and NCAA games boosting viewer engagement and brand loyalty.

The 2024 WNBA Playoffs, for instance, saw an 11% increase in ad impact over the 2023 edition.

Meanwhile, both the 2024 WNBA Playoffs and 2024 NCAA women's basketball tournament ads proved 24% and 18% more effective, respectively, than the primetime average.

With March Madness taking over the airwaves in the coming weeks, expect even more brand involvement, as companies buy into both the NCAA sport and its stars.

One athlete leading that charge is USC sophomore phenom JuJu Watkins, whose numerous NIL endorsements have the 19-year-old starring in a commercials for NYX Professional Makeup, Degree, and State Farm.

Gymnastics, volleyball draw advertisers to NCAA women's sports

The NCAA also boasts significant brand boosts in rising women's sports like lacrosse and gymnastics, which saw respective ad impact growths of 26% and 15%.

That said, college volleyball boasts the sporting event with the biggest brand impact. With a 51% ad efficacy rate over the primetime average, Penn State's 2024 NCAA championship win over Louisville was last year's most effective women's sports TV program.

All in all, the market is seizing onto the fact that women’s sports are good business and, with a seemingly limitless ceiling, 2025 could see the highest rate of return yet.

Gotham FC set the scene for NWSL club's 2025 season on Tuesday, dropping their official 24-athlete roster and new player-led leadership group while handing longtime USWNT defender Tierna Davidson the captain’s armband ahead of Saturday’s regular-season kick-off.

At 26 years old, the 2019 World Cup champion and 2024 Olympic gold medalist succeeds retired goalkeeper Michelle Betos as the NJ/NY squad's captain, heading up Gotham’s leadership alongside fellow defenders Jess Carter and Mandy Freeman, as well as midfielders Rose Lavelle and Nealy Martin.

Gotham also removed star forward Midge Purce from her season-ending injury designation on Tuesday, opening the door for the 29-year-old USWNT standout to return to the NWSL pitch for the first time since tearing her ACL in last season's opener.

The 2023 NWSL Championship MVP tallied 16 goals across her 46 career appearances for Gotham before sitting out the entirety of the 2024 season.

Gotham aims for successful 2025 behind refreshed roster

Following last year’s third-place finish, the 2023 NWSL champs saw a handful of big-name departures, prompting the club to adopt a more measured approach to this season’s roster rebuild.

"Change is normal in this environment, right?" Martin told JWS in January. "People have got to do what’s best for their career, but it hurts losing your friends on your team just personally, selfishly."

"Professionally, you have to take it in stride and see how all the new pieces can fit together," she continued. "How you can highlight new people’s best talent in the system that you’re playing."

Once considered a superteam, Gotham definitely looks a little different this time around, but early season moves display the club's interest in transforming steady consistency into a winning squad — with or without massively deep star power.

Gotham FC's official 2025 team roster

• Goalkeepers: Ann-Katrin Berger, Ryan Campbell, Shelby Hogan
• Defenders: Bruninha, Jess Carter, Tierna Davidson, Mandy Freeman, Lilly Reale, Emily Sonnett
• Midfielders: Sofia Cook, Jaelin Howell, Rose Lavelle, Nealy Martin, Stella Nyamekye, Taryn Torres
• Forwards: Esther Gonzalez, Khyah Harper, Cece Kizer, Gabi Portilho, Midge Purce, Sarah Schupansky, Jéssica Silva, Ella Stevens, McKenna Whitham

While NCAA basketball's Power Four conference tournaments wrapped up on Sunday, teams from mid-major Division I leagues are still battling for invites to the Big Dance, where they'll aim to upset top March Madness contenders.

Already harnessing upset momentum is former Pac-12 squad Oregon State, who won the West Coast Conference (WCC) tournament as the No. 4 seed on Tuesday.

After conference realignment saw most of the starters from last season's Elite Eight team transfer to Power Four programs, Oregon State finished the 2024/25 regular-season at 16-15 (12-8 in WCC play).

This week, however, the Beavers found another gear, tearing through their tournament and upsetting the two WCC regular-season co-champions along the way.

Oregon State paves a path to NCAA tournament underdog

First, Oregon State narrowly defeated top-seeded Gonzaga 63-61 in Monday's semifinals, before beating back-to-back defending champion No. 2-seed Portland 59-46 in Tuesday's tournament finale — only the fourth loss suffered by the Pilots all season.

Oregon State's unlikely March Madness bid is the program's 13th overall, and the ninth in the NCAA tournament's last 11 editions.

"I'm just so happy and so proud of this team," said Oregon State head coach Scott Rueck. "For this group to cover the ground that they did this year, from day one until now, is absolutely remarkable. It's one of the most special things I've been a part of."

The Beavers’ surge, however, holds consequences for both Portland and Gonzaga, whose slim chances of making Sunday's bracket now rest with the NCAA selection committee.

While Portland is a more recent contender on the national stage, Gonzaga hasn't missed an NCAA tournament since 2016, with the Bulldogs appearing in all but two brackets since their 2007 March Madness debut.

NCAA underdogs looks to spur chaos in March Madness

Should they make the cut, at-large underdogs Portland and Gonzaga would join Oregon State and other smaller conference champions in trying to bust brackets by upsetting top contenders in the first few rounds of the NCAA's competition.

Other mid-major standouts are already considered likely members of the 68-team national pool, with current projections listing Fairfield University (Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference) and new No. 24-ranked South Dakota State (Summit League) claiming seeds as high as No. 9.

Projections also show that the Ivy League is on the precipice of sending a full trio of upset-hungry teams to the NCAA tournament.

While regular-season champion Columbia is expected to claim a national No. 11 seed after Saturday's conference tournament final, strong seasons from both Princeton and Harvard have the pair currently snagging one of the final four at-large bracket spots.

Atlantic 10 tournament victors George Mason could also pose a threat to Power Four contenders, with the Patriots clinching their first-ever NCAA tournament berth on Sunday despite ceding the regular-season conference title to Richmond.

Though it’s not always wise to bet against heavyweights in the NCAA tournament's opening rounds, emerging college basketball underdogs are embracing the spotlight — and welcoming the opportunity to shake things up after Selection Sunday.