The Professional Women’s Hockey Players Association has voted to move forward with its plans for a league without the Premier Hockey Federation, The Athletic’s Hailey Salvian reported Monday.

The vote was unanimous, and any discussions about a possible collaboration have ended, according to Salvian.

Concerns over funding and a “lack of a convincing business proposal” ultimately drove the decision, The Athletic reported. The PWHPA informed the PHF of the decision Monday. The NHL – which has long said it will not get involved in women’s hockey while competing leagues exist – has also been informed of the decision.

Another issue that led to the decision was the PHF’s involvement with John Boynton. Boynton is the chairman of the PHF board of governors as well as an owner of the Boston Pride and Metropolitan Riveters.

Boynton also is a chairman for Russian technology company Yandex, which has come under scrutiny following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Yandex has been tied to the ongoing suppression of information and spreading of propaganda in relation to the war.

The NHL first partnered with the company in 2019 but has suspended its relationship with Yandex and all other Russian business partners. The PWHPA is concerned not only about the PHF’s Yandex affiliation but also that it could jeopardize possible sponsorships necessary to build a league.

Concerns over the direction of the PHF also informed the PWHPA’s decision to move forward separately.

While the PWHPA is reportedly closing in on major funding for a new women’s hockey league, the PHF announced in January a commitment of over $25 million from its Board of Governors. Included is a salary-cap increase to $750,000 next season. However, according to The Athletic, questions have been raised as to whether or not that money will actually be spent with no reported salary-cap floor.

Additionally, commissioner Ty Tumminia left her role after the conclusion of the most recent season, and the PHF Players’ Association parted ways with executive director Alex Sinatra after just three weeks.

Welcome to another episode of Sports Are Fun!

Every week on Sports Are Fun! presented by Amazon Business, co-hosts soccer legend Kelley O'Hara, sports journalist Greydy Diaz, and JWS intern BJ serve up their hottest takes on the biggest women's sports headlines.

This week, retired NWSL great Merritt Mathias joined the Sports Are Fun! team once again. And while there was plenty of soccer and basketball talk throughout the episode, US tennis Coco Gauff and her 2025 French Open win took center stage.

"First and foremost, Coco Gauff," said O'Hara, setting the scene. "What an absolute victory for her — wins the French Open, beats Sabalenka. And she's talked about this win, how she has manifested this and the amount of mental visualization that she's put into it. youI'm curious, do you guys manifest?"

"Of course!" Mathias said with a laugh. "If you're not manifesting, what are you doing?"

"I really think we saw an incredible display of her mental toughness, her resilience, her composure, in that match," said Diaz. "And I'm just so proud of her. She's the first American since Serena Williams to win it in 10 years."

"I love the manifesting part. I love that she shares all of what she's willing to do in order to be great," added Mathias. "If you're a young girl wanting to play tennis, to see that there is so much that goes into being great other than just the practice... It's cool to do that. You should lean into that."

Alongside the French Open finalists, Sports Are Fun! also tackled the USWNT’s emerging core, Texas's Women's College World Series win, the NWSL standings, US Women taking home the grand prize at TST, and more.

'Sports Are Fun!' goes all in on the Gauff-Sabalenka rivalry

According to the Sports Are Fun! crew, the budding rivalry between Coco Gauff and Aryna Sabalenka is just what the tennis world needs.

"Before we go to our next little topic, I think we have to talk about the post-game press conference," Mathias interjected. "Sabalenka basically comes off of losing this championship match. It's well fought. But over the course of the match, she has a lot of errors — I think it was 70."

"Obviously tensions are high — she started to unravel, we all saw the spiral happen on the court," she continued. "So she goes into this postgame presser and is asked a question about the match, and she's basically like, 'I don't believe Coco Gauff played well or had an incredible game, I think I struggled and had a lot of errors.'"

"Both of those things can be true," O'Hara said. "If you didn't have a great match but Coco did have a good match, you can say both. But she was not."

"You should be gracious in defeat, right?" she continued. "And it is very difficult as an athlete at times. I've seen many people, myself included, say things post-match that I wish I could take back."

"10,000%," agreed Mathias. "But I think this is also what the tennis world always wanted Maria Sharapova and Serena Williams to be, which was never that — Maria Sharapova was never stepping even close to Serena Williams. This though? This is epic. This is like Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer on the women's side."

"Yeah," O'Hara agreed. "We now have our two athletes that are going to go head-to-head, expected to be in the finals."

"And one bit of a head case, so it makes it even better," laughed Mathias.

About 'Sports Are Fun!' with Kelley O'Hara

'Sports Are Fun!' is a show that’ll remind you why you fell in love with women's sports in the first place.

Join World Cup champ, Olympic gold medalist, and aspiring barista Kelley O'Hara as she sits down with sports journalist Greydy Diaz and a revolving cast of co-hosts and friends. Together, they're talking the biggest, funnest, and most need-to-know stories in the world of women’s sports.

From on-court drama to off-field shenanigans, to candid (and silly) chats with the most important personalities in the space, this show screams "Sports Are Fun!"

Subscribe to Just Women's Sports on YouTube to never miss an episode.

WNBA superstar Caitlin Clark has re-upped her partnership with Wilson Sporting Goods, with the sidelined Fever guard set to release her second-year line of signature basketballs on June 23rd.

"I love working with Wilson to create these signature basketballs, and I hope this collection helps to inspire young girls and boys to get out and play," said the 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year in Monday's announcement.

"Caitlin Clark is not just a record-setting athlete, she is a cultural influence who has galvanized athletes and fans across the full spectrum of ages, genders and backgrounds in supporting women's sports," noted Wilson director of global marketing David Picioski. "We are proud to partner with Caitlin to continue furthering our mission of inspiring the next generation of athletes."

As part of her multi-year endorsement deal with the sporting giant, Clark dropped her first line of exclusive Wilson basketballs last year, joining NBA legend Michael Jordan as just the second athlete to develop a signature collection with the brand.

This season's collection features an indoor-only ball, an outdoor-only ball, and two multi-surface balls, all incorporating colors, quotes, and other details designed by Clark.

"I'm really excited about the designs because they share even more about me as a person and player," said Clark about the four-ball range.

Where to buy the Caitlin Clark Wilson basketballs collection

Clark's latest line of basketballs will be available at select retailers and online beginning on June 23rd.

Before the drop, interested fans can sign up for notifications at Wilson.com.

The Athletes Unlimited Softball League (AUSL) threw its very first pitch this weekend, as the four-team pro league ushers in a new era of US softball.

Saturday saw the inaugural season kick off in two sold-out stadiums, as the Bandits recorded the league's first-ever win by defeating the Talons 3-1 in Rosemont, Illinois, before the Volts capped opening day with a 5-1 extra-inning victory over the Blaze in Wichita, Kansas.

"To be able to run for those who walked for us is just incredible, and I'm really excited to be a part of it," said Volts outfielder McKenzie Clark following their historic opening win, acknowledging the sport's trailblazers who fought for and built AUSL from the ground up.

The Volts currently sit atop the AUSL standings with a 2-1 record, followed by a second-place tie between the Talons and Bandits at 1-1. The Blaze narrowly trail with a 1-2 tally.

The traveling seven-week inaugural season will see each team contest 24 games across 10 cities to determine the top two squads who will compete in a best-of-three championship series in late July.

With rosters full of former collegiate standouts, NCAA softball fans will have plenty of favorites to root for, as rookies like Talons infielder and 2025 Collegiate Player of the Year Bri Ellis (Arkansas), Volts catcher Michaela Edenfield (Florida State), Blaze pitcher Emma Lemley (Virginia Tech), and Volts pitcher Sam Landry (Oklahoma) make their professional debuts.

"I was like, 'I was born ready. Give me the ball,'" Landry — the No. 1 overall pick in the first-ever AUSL College Draft — told her coaches prior to starting in the circle in Monday's 3-1 Volts loss to the Blaze.

How to watch the AUSL this season

AUSL is back in action on Tuesday night, with the Talons and Bandits closing out their three-game opening series at 8 PM ET. Live coverage of the game will air on ESPN2.

Teams will then hit the road for their next locales, with the Volts kicking off a series against the Bandits in Sulphur, Louisiana, at 7 PM ET on Thursday, airing live on ESPN2.

Meanwhile, the Talons and Blaze will be en route to Chattanooga, Tennessee, with their series first matchup taking the field at 6:30 PM ET on Friday, with live coverage on MLB.com.

The Golden State Valkyries are flying high, following up last weekend's blowout win over the Las Vegas Aces with an 89-81 overtime victory against the LA Sparks on Monday, pushing the 2025 expansion side to an early season record of 4-5.

Five Valkyries scored in the double digits on Monday night, with forward Janelle Salaün's team-leading 21 points contributing to the team's 11-3 overtime advantage.

The first-ever WNBA team to average more than 18,000 fans through their first three home games, Golden State has already made an outsized mark on league culture — but the Valks' on-court product is also trending ahead of schedule.

"We could tell in both the third and fourth quarter, they had each others back," head coach Natalie Nakase said after the win. "That's what we’re trying to do. We got to continue to rely on each other and hold each other accountable, so that was really cool to see."

Monday's results boosted Golden State to eighth place in the WNBA standings, while a skidding 10th-place Los Angeles side struggles to find their form.

Sparks guard Kelsey Plum, who led LA with 24 points on Monday night, expressed her frustration with the game's officials, saying "I'm going to get fined for saying this… they're fouling the s—t out of me every single play."

How to watch upcoming WNBA games

While Golden State doesn't return to the court until Saturday, the Valkyries' last two victims — the Las Vegas Aces and Los Angeles Sparks — will square off at 10 PM ET on Wednesday, with live coverage airing on CBS Sports.