​​The LPGA Tour this week joined a growing list of sports leagues turning to documentaries to tell the stories of their athletes. After Formula 1 rose to even greater national prominence with the popularity of its Netflix series “Drive to Survive,” the PGA Tour announced a 2022 documentary series with Netflix earlier this month.

Instead of waiting for a partner to back a documentary of their own, LPGA Tour commissioner Mollie Marcoux Samaan opted to bet on the athletes herself. On Monday, the LPGA released the pilot episode of “LPGA All Access: CME Group Tour Championship,” a series offering a behind-the-scenes look at LPGA Tour action.

“We decided to fund a pilot on our own, and try to use that to develop more interest and have it be something that can be around other tournaments, or even season-long,” Brian Carroll, Senior Vice President of Global Media Distribution for the LPGA, told Just Women’s Sports.

Carroll has heard multiple pitches for an LPGA documentary over the years, but the ideas had never gotten the necessary funding to move past the initial stage. In one of his first meetings with Marcoux Samaan, who took over for 11-year commissioner Mike Whan last August, Carroll floated the possibility of filming the documentary themselves. The two started considering the options immediately.

“We feel like we have this really rich content to be able to share with the world,” Marcoux Samaan said at the CME Group Tour Championship in December. “That’s a part of our investment, too. How do we get that content out more aggressively?”

Inspired by the success of Netflix’s F1 documentary, the tour decided to work with toldright, a video production company led by former Golf Channel producer Adam Hertzog, with whom Carroll and Marcoux Samaan both had connections. After a debate over when to start filming, the group landed on the CME Group Tour Championship with full buy-in from the golfers. The series features the budding rivalry between CME champion Jin Young Ko and Nelly Korda, cooking scenes and pickleball matches with two-time LPGA winner Gaby Lopez, 2021 Rookie of the Year Patty Tavatanakit’s preparations for the red carpet and more.

“We had the glitz and glamour of the Rolex Awards, the big money of $1.5 million on the line to the winner, and so many storylines that converged there that it just felt like the right time to do it,” Carroll said. “And it really paid off.”

"This is that decompression time where you can just breathe."

Go behind the scenes of a week on Tour by watching the first episode of the documentary “LPGA All Access: CME Group Tour Championship" now on YouTube!

WATCH ➡️ https://t.co/Qp5DqH11Du pic.twitter.com/XpocRE59Cf

— LPGA (@LPGA) February 1, 2022

The LPGA hopes that a sponsor will pick up the rest of the series after Monday’s launch. Now that they’ve built the foundation, Carroll and Marcoux Samaan think the storytelling could evolve in multiple ways, whether it’s filming around the majors or zeroing in on athletes’ careers.

The home-run scenario, of course, would be a full-season series, but the tour has had only preliminary discussions about the potential for a year-long deal. The PGA Tour’s Netflix partnership, which Carroll and Marcoux Samaan were unaware of when they initially decided to film at CME, can only help their case.

“We feel like the LPGA has so many great stories that this is the time to get into the documentary series,” Carroll said.

The rest of the three-part series will run on the LPGA’s website and YouTube channels at 8 p.m. ET on Tuesday and Wednesday.

“Two of the players we spent a lot of time with were on the green celebrating with Jin Young Ko,” Carroll said. “So I don’t think we could’ve scripted it much better with the way it turned out.”

Kent Paisley is a contributing writer at Just Women’s Sports covering golf and the LPGA. He also contributes to Golf Digest. Follow him on Twitter @KentPaisley.

Stanford University reached a settlement with the parents of Katie Meyer, ending a wrongful death lawsuit filed after the former Cardinal soccer star’s death by suicide in March 2022. The agreement caps more than three years of legal proceedings regarding the university’s disciplinary actions.

Steven and Gina Meyer filed suit in late 2022, alleging that Stanford’s actions "negligently and recklessly" contributed their daughter’s distress. The legal challenge focused a late-night disciplinary notice sent to the 22-year-old goalkeeper that "contained threatening language regarding sanctions and potential 'removal from the university.'"

The notice was addressing an incident in which Meyer allegedly spilled coffee on a football player accused of sexually assaulting her teammate.

While the financial terms remain confidential, the settlement closes a high-profile case that drew national attention to student-athlete mental health. The Meyer family argued that Stanford failed to provide adequate support or a safe environment after initiating the high-stakes case.

Before her death, Katie Meyer was a standout athlete who captained Stanford to the 2019 NCAA championship. Following her passing, her parents founded Katie’s Save, an initiative advocating for Katie Meyer’s Law supporting students facing university policy violation allegations. The policy allows students to designate a trusted adult to notify during any disciplinary or mental health crisis.

Stanford pens joint statement addressing Katie Meyer settlement

In Monday’s joint statement, Stanford agreed to "adopt the principles" of Katie Meyer’s Law. Additionally, they plan to launch a new initiative dedicated to student-athlete mental health and establish a scholarship in Meyer’s name. Sanford women's soccer will also retire Meyer's no. 19 jersey.

"While Katie’s passing remains devastating and tragic, the memory of her accomplishments and the uplifting influence she had on those who knew her lives on," the statement reads.

"Stanford and the Meyer family believe that working together on these initiatives will both honor Katie’s indelible legacy and help current and future students in meaningful ways."

While the university did not publicly admit liability, the case prompted widespread action regarding student disciplinary processes and mental health.

Team USA is coming in hot, releasing their full 232-player 2026 Olympic roster as the largest US contingent in history gears up for February's Winter Games in Italy.

"Right and left, we have just so many people able to get on the podium at these Games," said speed skater Erin Jackson, as she gears up to defend her 500-meter gold medal in her third Olympic appearance. "I'm really excited."

Between the men's and women's events, 98 of the participating US athletes are returning Olympians, including 33 previous podium finishers — 18 of them gold medalists.

Even more, seven members of Team USA are entering their fifth Winter Games, including decorated alpine skier Lindsey Vonn, hockey captain Hilary Knight, snowboarder Faye Thelen, and bobsled teammates Kaillie Armbruster Humphries and Elana Meyers Taylor.

"I think my age is a big advantage actually," Vonn told reporters. "I have been in that start gate more than anyone else that's in the starting gate."

Meanwhile, the 134 fresh faces will look to have an immediate impact on the Olympic medal table for Team USA, including athletes like 20-year-old Stanford soccer defender and US cross-country skiier Sammy Smith and 15-year-old halfpipe freestyle skiier Abby Winterberger — the youngest member of the 2026 US roster.

How to watch Team USA at the 2026 Winter Olympics

The 2026 Winter Olympics officially kick off in Italy on February 6th, though a few events — including curling and women's hockey — will get underway on February 4th and 5th.

Full live coverage of the 2026 Olympic Games will air in the US across NBC platforms.

The world No. 2 USWNT returns to action on Tuesday night, taking the pitch for the first time in Santa Barbara, California, to close out the team's January friendlies against No. 47 Chile.

Tuesday also marks the final match before US manager Emma Hayes begins narrowing her player pool ahead of the 2026 SheBelieves Cup in March, with competition mounting in the lead-up to the 2027 World Cup qualifiers in November.

"I have a really good idea of the pool," Hayes told reporters prior to Tuesday's friendly. "I know which group of players we're going to be building around."

With a roster comprised entirely of NWSL players, Hayes will also be managing fitness as the team gears up for their second game in four days.

"One thing I have almost agreed to do, knowing where the players are at this stage of the season with their NWSL club, is to not start a player for two games," Hayes said.

"I'm putting together a whole new lineup," she continued. "Which itself will bring another set of challenges, whether that be first caps, whether that will be inexperience, [or] collectively playing together."

Three January call-ups remain uncapped, as North Carolina Courage midfielder Riley Jackson, Denver Summit defender Ayo Oke, and Bay FC goalkeeper Jordan Silkowitz look to make Tuesday night's starting XI.

How to watch the USWNT vs. Chile

The No. 2 USWNT will close out their January friendlies against No. 47 Chile at 10 PM ET on Tuesday, with live coverage airing on TBS.

WNBA star Breanna Stewart is making her voice heard, with the New York Liberty forward launching her Syracuse-focused Breanna Stewart Foundation one day after protesting Saturday's ICE shooting in Minneapolis on the Unrivaled 3×3 court.

First acknowledging the platform that basketball gave her, the Unrivaled co-founder said in her Monday social media post "my responsibility goes far beyond the game."

"This foundation starts where I'm from, Syracuse, and grows through New York because real impact has to begin at home," Stewart explained.

In partnership with Athletes for Impact, the Breanna Stewart Foundation aims to build "long-term, sustainable systems for women and youth in the community" to combat poverty through initiatives like healthcare services, education and mentoring opportunities, and sports programs.

The news came after Stewart held up a hand-written sign reading "Abolish ICE" during Sunday's Unrivaled introductions, with the Mist BC star calling attention to this month's fatal shootings at the hands of federal immigration agents in Minnesota.

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"I wanted to have a simple message of 'Abolish ICE,' which means having policies to uplift families and communities instead of fueling fear and violence," Stewart said after Mist BC's win.

"All day yesterday, I was just disgusted from everything that you see on Instagram and in the news," she added. "It's scary.... You see it splitting up families and dissecting communities.... It's the worst in all ways."

"We're so fueled by hate right now instead of love."