Breanna Stewart made charter flights a key part of her free-agency recruiting process, and the newly signed New York Liberty superstar doubled down on the issue in her introductory press conference at Barclays Center on Thursday morning.

The Liberty officially welcomed Stewart and Courtney Vandersloot to New York after the stars opted to sign with the team in free agency, signaling the start of a superteam era in the WNBA. Both players took significant pay cuts to play for the Liberty and meet salary cap requirements in 2023, with Stewart signing a one-year, $175,000 deal and Vandersloot signing on for two years at $189,000 in 2023 and $194,670 in 2024, according to Her Hoops Stats.

On Thursday, Stewart and Vandersloot made clear their desire to bring the Liberty their first championship in franchise history. In New York, they join Sabrina Ionescu, Betnijah Laney and Jonquel Jones, the 2021 WNBA MVP whom the Liberty acquired in a trade with Connecticut in January.

But they also cited the Liberty’s resources and shared values around the WNBA’s collective bargaining agreement as a big reason for their decision to join the team.

Stewart rallied support for charter flights during the free-agency process and reiterated her intentions on Thursday.

“It’s a conversation that needs to be had, a topic that needs to be talked about. When we talk about pushing the needle, raising the bar, it’s also that: player health and wellness … we wanna play our best to win, but also in front of fans,” Stewart told reporters.

“When talking to Clara and Joe [Tsai], they feel the same way. They’re fighting to elevate the standard. We’re hoping it’s not just a no, but can be a maybe and eventually a yes, when it comes to chartered flights.”

The Arrival. 🗽 pic.twitter.com/XfubZ82cGc

— New York Liberty (@nyliberty) February 9, 2023

Liberty co-owner Clara Wu Tsai echoed Stewart’s comments and said the Liberty have been a primary advocate for resolving the charter flights issue and others like it.

“I just need to be a constant voice,” Tsai said. “I’ll get fined if I talk too much about anything related to the collective bargaining agreement … but I now believe it’s enough of a topic within the league and among the other governors that it’s going to be addressed by the commissioner.”

The Liberty were fined a league-record $500,000 for chartering flights for their players in the second half of the 2021 season. The WNBA does not allow teams to charter private flights for regular-season games under the current CBA.

“I believe the fine that we took and the statement that we gave spoke for itself. We spent three days together in Turkey talking about a lot of things,” Tsai said, referring to the Liberty’s visit with Stewart and Vandersloot during the recruiting process. “Hopefully they understood that it isn’t really this one issue, but it’s a number of things that we’re moving forward.”

The WNBA’s efforts to maintain competitive balance among its 12 teams have come under intense scrutiny in recent days. The Aces are currently under investigation for allegedly making under-the-table payments to players as incentive for signing with the team, The Next reported on Wednesday. Following the report, several WNBA team leaders called on the league to clarify salary cap rules and create a “level playing field.”

Mercedes-Benz is getting into the women's game, with the luxury car giant becoming the official automotive partner of England's WSL and WSL2 this week.

The deal showcases Mercedes-Benz's growing commitment to women's sports, with the auto giant also signing on as the presenting sponsor of the WTA Tour last month — adding to a resume that includes serving as the official patron of the LPGA Tour's AIG Women's Open.

"The Mercedes-Benz story began 140 years ago with a bold idea," said Mercedes-Benz UK CEO and managing director Olivier Reppert in the WSL's Wednesday press release. "Now, that same spirit of innovation and ambition drives our partnership with WSL Football."

While financial terms of the partnership are not public, Mercedes-Benz is just the latest big-name sponsor to back WSL Football, with some reports saying that the two-league outfit has tripled its commercial revenue since splitting with the FA in 2024.

"Bringing a brand of this calibre…will help us elevate the game, deepen engagement with fans and players, and accelerate long-term growth across both leagues," said WSL Football CRO Zarah Al-Kudcy.

Mercedes-Benz will also present this spring's inaugural interleague playoff, in which the third-place WSL2 club will battle the last-place WSL team for a chance at promotion as a part of the top flight's planned 14-team expansion for 2026/27.

The PWHL is coming to the Garden, as the No. 2 New York Sirens announced on Thursday that they'll host the No. 6 Seattle Torrent at Manhattan's legendary Madison Square Garden (MSG) on April 4th.

While MSG staged a fan-less PWHPA game in February 2021, this year's PWHL takeover marks the iconic arena's first-ever ticketed pro women's hockey event.

"Madison Square Garden has a storied women's sports history," said Sirens GM Pascal Daoust in the team's announcement. "New York doesn't just watch moments; it lives with them. This is one of those nights meant to be experienced together, in the building, as part of the history of our team, our league, and everyone who helps bring it to life."

The April showdown will serve as the pair's final regular-season clash, with the 2025/26 series currently tied at 1-1.

Seattle took the first meeting 2-1 behind goals from captain Hilary Knight and Alex Carpenter on December 3rd, before New York stole the second game 4-3 as NYC local Casey O'Brien's hat trick lit up the league's Takeover Tour stop in Dallas on December 28th.

The Torrent and Sirens will next face off in Chicago on March 25th before closing out their four-game slate by making history at MSG at 8 PM ET on April 4th.

How to attend the PWHL clash at Madison Square Garden

While New York season ticket-holders can currently access tickets to the MSG clash, the presale for Sirens newsletter subscribers will begin on Monday before general sales opens at 10 AM ET on Tuesday via Ticketmaster.

Just one week into the 2026 NCAA season, UCLA women's gymnastics is the nation's No. 1 team for the first time since 2018, with senior Jordan Chiles — a two-time Olympic medalist in her final year of collegiate competition — leading the charge.

"It is really easy to be at the end of your career thinking, 'Okay, I am good with where I am at,' but they do not have that mentality," Bruins head coach Janelle McDonald said of her senior-heavy squad.

Winning the all-around in UCLA's January 3rd opening meet, Chiles is the current all-around No. 1, while also topping the rankings in the uneven bars, balance beam, and floor events, while sitting second in the vault.

"I've got the cutesy, I've done the hip hop," Chiles said of her updated senior floor routine. "This is more like the passionate, confident last year of being a Bruin."

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Notably, Chiles and UCLA have a leg up in the scores-based national gymnastics rankings considering they began their 2026 NCAA campaign before most other top programs: Only 14 Division I squads — 10 from the Power Four conferences — have started their seasons so far.

This allowed the Bruins to lead the ranks before the rest of the field could earn any points to challenge UCLA's top spot — though that will change this weekend when the majority of the NCAA's gymnastics squads enter the fray.

Pitting some of the NCAA's best squads against each other, the annual Sprouts Farmers Market Collegiate Quad will officially kick off the 2026 season in style this weekend, welcoming 2025 champions Oklahoma, finalists UCLA and Utah, semifinalists LSU and Michigan State, and regional contenders Cal, Kentucky, and Michigan across two four-team sessions on Saturday.

How to watch UCLA at the 2026 Sprouts Farmers Market Collegiate Quad

The Bruins will aim to keep their No. 1 spot in the first session of Saturday's the 2026 Sprouts Farmers Market Collegiate Quad, where UCLA will battle Oklahoma, Utah, and LSU at 4 PM ET on ABC.

The second session will begin at 8 PM ET, when Michigan State, Cal, Kentucky, and Michigan will compete head-to-head, airing live on ESPN2.

The winter of change is revving up for the Kansas City Current, with the 2025 NWSL Shield-winners announcing both a new manager and key player departures this week.

Former MLS head coach Chris Armas will officially take over as manager, after the Current's former sideline leader Vlatko Andonovski became the club's sporting director in November.

"[Armas] brings an abundance of experience at the highest levels," said Kansas City co-owners Angie and Chris Long in a Wednesday club statement. "We are confident he will further cultivate and enhance our competitive environment as we continue to pursue championships and expand our global footprint."

Armas will have his work cut out for him, however, as Kansas City will attempt to defend their Shield in the 2026 NWSL season despite major on-field contributors continuing to jump ship.

Most notably, Brazil national team star and 2025 NWSL MVP candidate Bia Zaneratto departed the club to pursue free agency, the Current announced on Wednesday.

"The impact that Bia had in Kansas City over the past two years is immeasurable," said Andonovski about the 32-year-old attacker. "Her quality, both on and off the field, will be greatly missed. On behalf of everyone at the Current, we thank Bia for everything she has given to this club and to this city."

All in all, Kansas City is turning over an untested leaf, committing to rolling the dice in 2026 after falling short of the NWSL championship in 2025.