Mana Shim wants the NWSL to pay for player’s therapy in the wake of abuse allegations against five of the league’s 10 coaches this season.

I meant free therapy, not feel therapy. And when I say free I mean the NWSL should pay our therapists their full rate for our sessions. This should apply to all current and former players who were abused by these coaches. https://t.co/j9atE1vR5P

— Mana Shim (@meleanashim) November 23, 2021

“Many people have asked me what players need to heal from this abuse/feel safe in the future,” she wrote. “Feel therapy has to be on the list. The kind where you get to choose any therapist you want and see them as many times as you need and it doesn’t get held up by insurance.”

Shim later offered up further clarification, stating that she meant “free therapy” and not “feel therapy.”

“And when I say free I mean the NWSL should pay our therapists their full rates for our sessions,” she continued. “This should apply to all current and former players who were abused by these coaches.”

Shim is one of the players that came forward publicly in September, detailing allegations of sexual coercion and verbal abuse against former North Carolina Courage head coach Paul Riley. In the wake of the allegations against Riley, the NWSL underwent a league-wide reckoning that continues to this day, with multiple independent investigations still being conducted.

Kaiya McCullough, who was one of the first players in the league to come forward with allegations of abuse against former Washington Spirit coach Richie Burke, echoed Shim’s statements.

“I’m lucky to have the resources to be able to go to her regularly,” McCullough wrote of her therapist, who she says is “amazing.”

“Like Mana Shim said, everybody in the NWSL should have access to free therapy services. They changed my life.”

I have an amazing therapist y’all, don’t worry. It took time to find her, and I’m grateful. I’m lucky to have the resources to be able to go to her regularly.

Like Mana Shim said, everybody in the NWSL should have access to free therapy services. They changed my life.

— Kai (@hiyakaiya) November 23, 2021

Former Chicago Red Stars’ coach Rory Dames is the latest to face allegations of verbal and emotional abuse by players, as detailed in the Post on Monday. At the center of the report is a 2018 formal complaint that was filed to U.S. Soccer — which is currently conducting an independent investigation of the league led by former acting attorney general Sally Q. Yates. According to players, U.S. Soccer failed to follow up with them regarding their claims.

Team Poland lifted the 2026 United Cup trophy on Sunday, but the historic win brought new concerns as world No. 2 Iga Świątek appeared rattled while closing out the Australian Open tune-up.

While her compatriots closed out the fourth edition of the international team tournament with wins that secured two-time runner-up Poland its first-ever United Cup title, Świątek stumbled at the finish.

The 24-year-old capped the singles competition with back-to-back defeats, dropping her semifinals match against US star No. 3 Coco Gauff in straight sets on Saturday before falling 3-6, 6-0, 6-3 to Switzerland's No. 10 Belinda Bencic on Sunday — a loss that saw the six-time Grand Slam winner seeking treatment between sets.

"Everything is fine. Just super sore," Świątek said following Poland's 2026 United Cup win, downplaying her fitness concerns. "First tournament of the year, it causes the body [to feel] a bit differently than during the season."

With the first Grand Slam of 2026 looming — the only one standing between Świątek and a Career Grand Slam — the Polish phenom and her peers will have a week to recover before taking the Australian Open hardcourt in Melbourne at 7 PM ET on Saturday.

With qualifying play wrapping midweek, the 2026 Australian Open will reveal each player's path in the main draw, which will stream live at 10:30 PM ET on Wednesday at ausopen.com.

Fresh faces are shining on the 3×3 basketball court, as Unrivaled newcomer Breeze BC holds their own against veteran competition, riding a 2-1 record through their first three games of the 2026 season.

First-year guard Paige Bueckers leads the team with 18.3 points per game, with the 2025 WNBA Rookie of the Year also sitting third in the offseason league in assists with 7.0 per game.

It's not only Bueckers impressing from the young Breeze squad, however, as second-year Unrivaled vet Rickea Jackson and league debutant Dominique Malonga are posting 17.3 points per game so far, putting the pair at Nos. 11 and 12 among the league's 45 star players — just behind Bueckers at No. 9.

"I feel like we just stick together," said Jackson. "Our chemistry is insane for us to just [now] be playing together."

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Experience did win out on Sunday, though, as reigning champion Rose BC's Chelsea Gray dropped 37 points on the young stars to secure her team's 3-0 record with a 73-69 victory.

Gray currently leads Unrivaled with 31.7 points per game, hitting two game-winners in the first week of play as Rose BC tops the Season 2 standings.

How to watch Breeze BC in Unrivaled 3×3 Basketball

Breeze BC will return to the Unrivaled court next weekend, tipping off their Saturday matchup against Vinyl BC at 8:45 PM ET on truTV before taking on the Mist at 8 PM ET next Monday, airing live on TNT.

The WNBA CBA deadline came and went on Friday, leaving the league and the players union in a status quo holding pattern while negotiations drag on.

The WNBA and WNBPA are continuing talks under the conditions of the previous CBA, without a moratorium on offseason activity like qualifying offers to restricted free agents.

The league originally set the opening to begin free agency conversations for January 11th, allowing teams to now start sending offers through January 20th — though those proposed deals must abide by the terms of the expired CBA.

Amidst the deluge of one-year deals inked last offseason in anticipation of a renegotiated CBA — and the significant compensation bump likely to result from a new agreement — nearly all WNBA veterans are now free agents, with reports indicating that players aren't eager to sign contracts under the old CBA.

This year's free agency period also hinges on the league's expected two-team expansion draft, with incoming franchises Portland and Toronto unable to build their rosters due to the ongoing CBA delays.

Though the WNBA is reportedly not yet considering locking out the players, the WNBPA recently reserved the right to formally authorize a work stoppage through a strike measure, saying the "WNBA and its teams have failed to meet us at the table with the same spirit and seriousness."

Unranked Notre Dame made a statement last weekend, as the Fighting Irish took down No. 22 North Carolina 73-50 to earn their second ranked win of the 2025/26 NCAA basketball season on Sunday.

While guards Cassandre Prosper and Vanessa de Jesus bolstered Notre Dame with 17 and 16 points, respectively, junior star Hannah Hidalgo led the Irish's charge, putting up 31 points as well as snagging six steals in the afternoon matchup.

"Hidalgo was a real problem," Tar Heels head coach Courtney Banghart said postgame. "Obviously, she disrupted us in all ways, I think most of those 27 points off turnovers was because of her."

After a volatile offseason, the Irish saw their 85-week AP Top 25 streak end earlier this month following back-to-back losses to ACC foes Georgia Tech and Duke — but Notre Dame has since rattled off two straight wins to potentially re-enter the rankings conversation.

"I'm challenging them in practice," said Notre Dame head coach Niele Ivey. "We're learning from our mistakes, and we're getting better. That's what I love. This group allows me to do that."

How to watch Notre Dame basketball this week

Notre Dame will face another tough test on Thursday, when the unranked Irish host a surging No. 10 Louisville at 6 PM ET, airing live on ACCN.