When the Chicago Red Stars announced on Thursday that free agents Morgan Gautrat, Danny Colaprico and Rachel Hill had opted not to return to the club in 2023, the news came as a surprise to many.

Colaprico was one of the longest-tenured players on Chicago’s roster, having played for the Red Stars since being drafted in 2015. Only captain Vanessa DiBernardo has been with the team longer, and by just one year. Colaprico started for the team in two NWSL Finals, crossed the 100-cap mark and became a fan favorite as a defensive midfielder. Despite her small stature at 5-foot-3, she was known for always coming up big on aerial duels.

Gautrat, a two-time world champion with the U.S. women’s national team, transformed the Red Stars’ midfield when she joined the club full-time in the middle of 2018. The way the Red Stars dictated tempo and moved the ball was their calling card through 2019. In 2021, as the team made a second run to the NWSL Finals in as many regular seasons, Gautrat helped hold the midfield together with a very different style of play. Hill carried out important utility roles, playing winger and wingback in her three years with the team and scoring their lone goal in the 2021 NWSL Championship.

But with all the information that’s come out about the club in the last two years, it almost would have been more surprising if all three players had decided to stay. Former head coach Rory Dames was allowed to resign following the 2021 season after years of complaints about his coaching, including from USWNT star Christen Press, who played for the team from 2014-18.

Longtime owner Arnim Whisler was named in the recent Sally Q. Yates report on systemic abuse in the NWSL and accused of dismissing player complaints as “Rory being Rory.” In an interview with Defector Media this year, former Red Stars player Brooke Elby said that Whisler would “defend Rory to anybody. He knew everything Rory did. And if he didn’t know firsthand by seeing it, he knew because every player was in that office at some point telling him.”

Beyond Dames, Red Stars players under Whisler also endured what Elby described as sub-par conditions, including living in apartments that Whisler himself owned.

“For what you expect as a professional athlete, it was a joke,” Elby said. “To already come in knowing your team is the poorest team out there isn’t a great feeling. Because we already know everything we’re going to get is going to be like a downgraded version of what everybody else has.”

After Chicago advanced to the NWSL quarterfinals in 2022 under new head coach Chris Petrucelli, Red Stars minority ownership removed Whisler as head of the club’s board of directors in the wake of the Yates report. According to a Sportico report on Thursday, Whisler has “formally engaged a third-party advisor to facilitate the sale” of the Red Stars, but a sale could still take time. Rising club evaluations throughout the league — most notably the reported $60 million that Merritt Paulson is seeking for the Portland Thorns — could play a factor in slowing things down.

Sales don’t always mean a team stays in its home market, as seen by FC Kansas City’s relocation to Utah for the 2018 season and subsequent return in 2021. The bank reportedly leading Whisler’s sale is also currently leading the sales of two new NWSL expansion teams.

In the meantime, Chicago’s governance appears in limbo, and it’s costing them talent. As reported by Defector Media, some of the Red Stars players’ salaries have not remained consistent with veteran industry standards, and in a new free agency market, that’s going to cost a team that historically has struggled with player support. The Red Stars did re-sign defender Arin Wright and midfielder Yuki Nagasato to new contracts, but it appears that instead of retaining their core, they will have to commit to a bigger rebuild.

Also significant is the fact that Gautrat, Colaprico and Hill achieved free-agency status only after an independent arbitrator ruled that six-year veterans are not bound to team-first options signed before the ratification of the league’s CBA. Had the Players Association not pushed for that ruling, all three players would have had no recourse if Chicago had decided to extend their options for 2023.

The ripple effects of NWSL free agency won’t come only in the form of splashy new signings — though those are expected as Hill, Colaprico, and Gautrat begin to negotiate with new teams. Perhaps the most significant outcome is that players now have the chance to pursue better opportunities for themselves.

It was clear after this season that the Red Stars were going to have to keep up with rising standards. Thursday’s news will leave fans wondering if they have a plan.

Claire Watkins is a Staff Writer at Just Women’s Sports. Follow her on Twitter @ScoutRipley.

Rose Lavelle is hoping to return to the field soon. 

The 28-year-old midfielder has been sidelined with a lower leg injury since the Gold Cup in early march. Since then, she has yet to play for new club Gotham FC in the NWSL. She also missed a potential USWNT appearance at the SheBelieves Cup in April, where senior team newcomer Jaedyn Shaw saw success assuming Lavelle's role in the attacking midfield. 

At the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee media showcase on Monday, Lavelle told reporters that she’s doing well and hopes to be back soon.

"I’m doing good — I’m hoping I’ll be back in the next couple weeks," Lavelle said. "It’s frustrating to start the year off with an injury, just because I feel like you come off preseason and you’re revving to go, so it’s so annoying."

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Lavelle is still looking to compete for one of just 18 Olympic roster spots. When healthy, she ranks as one of the national team’s most trusted assets, but considering this most recent injury, her health is an obvious concern. Faced with an onslaught of experienced competitors and young talent, incoming USWNT coach Emma Hayes will have some big decisions to make when selecting the Paris-bound squad — a reality Lavelle seems to be taking in stride as she works to regain full fitness.

"We have so many special players, we have so much depth, and so many different weapons to utilize on and off the bench," Lavelle said. "Unfortunately that means really good players are going to get left off, too. And I think for all of us, it’s just about being ready for whatever role is given to us, embracing that, and looking to put it into a collective picture so that we can go into the Olympics ready to go."

Stanford has found its replacement for legendary head women's basketball coach Tara VanDerveer in associate head coach Kate Paye.

The Cardinal confirmed the hiring on Tuesday via a press release. Paye was largely expected to replace the longtime head coach, as the college mentioned they were still negotiating Paye's contract when they announced VanDerveer's retirement.

In Tuesday's statement, Paye reported that she was "humbled" to have been tapped to lead the women’s program.

"Stanford University has been a central part of my life for as long as I can remember and I am humbled to have the opportunity to lead its women’s basketball program," Paye said. "I’d first like to thank Tara, who has played such a pivotal role in my career for her friendship and guidance. It’s not what she’s done, but how she’s done it, that has had such a profound impact upon me."

A Woodside, California native, Paye played under VanDerveer from 1992 to 1995, taking home a national title her freshman year. After graduation, Paye briefly joined San Diego State as an assistant coach before making her professional debut with the ABL's Seattle Reign in 1996. After finishing her playing career with the WNBA's Seattle Storm, she joined the team’s coaching staff in 2007 and has been with the organization ever since, picking up another national title win — this time as associate head coach — in 2021. Paye's brother John played quarterback for Stanford from 1983 to 1986, while also serving as a point guard on the basketball team.

In her own response, VanDerveer said that she was "grateful" that Stanford picked Paye to follow in her stead. Last week, the decorated coach stated that this year would be her last after 38 seasons at the helm and three national titles under her belt.

"She has long been ready for this opportunity and is the perfect leader for Stanford at this time of immense change in college athletics," VanDerveer noted. "Kate was the choice for this job and I am confident she will achieve great success as head coach."

The 2024 WNBA Draft has officially concluded, leaving the newly minted rookie class facing a tough road ahead.

Only 144 roster slots are available throughout the league’s 12 teams, the reason why the players are sometimes referred to as the “144.” And Monday’s draft picks are set to join a large group of established players competing for those same roster spots, from seasoned veterans to young athletes determined to prove their value on the court.

Last year, just 15 of the league’s 36 draftees made it onto their drafting team's opening-day squad.

In reality, there are oftentimes fewer than 144 spots available, as not every team maxes out their roster. Per the league's CBA, each team roster must maintain a minimum standard of 11 players, but those lists can include players out with injuries or on other forms of leave. Players can also be assigned to short-term hardship contracts, something waived players must be prepared for at any point during the season.

Earlier this week, Laeticia Amihere — a 2022 national champion with South Carolina who currently plays for the Atlanta Dream — took to TikTok to provide some insight into the WNBA training camp process. 

"You can either get drafted on Draft Night, or you can get signed by a team," she said. "Once that happens, you go to training camp literally like two weeks later... Basically everybody's got to try out. There's 12 roster spots, and there's like 18 people at the at the trial."

@laeticiaamihere Replying to @dantavius.washington #wnba #draft ♬ original sound - Laeticia Amihere

Amihere also had an important point to make: Getting cut does not signify a player’s abilities. 

"If you get cut after training camp, that does not mean you're not good," she said. "That does not mean that player sucks, don't stop supporting that player. Literally, there's so many reasons somebody can get cut."

"If you guys look at the best players in the league, most of them have bounced around teams," she added. "And I promise you it is not a bad thing, it's just how the league is."

Things, however gradually, are changing. With Golden State's WNBA team scheduled to launch in time for the 2025 season, league expansion is just around the corner. On Monday, Commissioner Cathy Engelbert announced that the league is aiming to grow to 16 teams by 2028. But by then, it might be too little too late for the generation of talent emerging from an increasingly competitive NCAA system.

Monday night’s WNBA draft added to the nationwide uptick in record-breaking women's sports viewership, pulling in 2.45 million viewers throughout the nearly two-hour broadcast and peaking at 3.09 million, according to an ESPN release. 

That number shatters the previous draft viewership record — 601,000 in 2004 — which was fueled primarily by then-No. 1 pick Diana Taurasi entering the league after UConn's historic three-peat March Madness performance.  

The 2023 WNBA draft drew 572,000 viewers, the most for any televised WNBA event since 2.74 million tuned in to NBC for a Memorial Day matchup between the New York Liberty and Houston Comets back in 2000.

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While many came to watch Caitlin Clark get drafted No. 1 overall, it’s important to note that viewership didn’t take a massive dip after the superstar shooter left the stage. The numbers show that a bulk of the audience stuck around to watch the remainder of the show, making 2024's event not just the most-viewed WNBA draft in history, but also the most-viewed WNBA program to ever air on ESPN platforms.

Draft Day's popularity is yet another sign indicating an expected rise in WNBA regular season viewership. Clark and Iowa's NCAA tournament showdown with the Chicago Sky-bound Kamilla Cardoso's South Carolina side drew a record 18.7 million to ABC's Sunday afternoon broadcast. Banking on this trend, 36 of Indiana's upcoming 40 games are set to be shown on national television. In-person ticket sales are also soaring, leading the defending WNBA champion Las Vegas Aces to re-home their matchup with the Fever to a venue that can accommodate some 6,000 more fans.