The Big Ten made strides in the national and international television landscape Monday, announcing TV deals that will broadcast Big Ten volleyball across the United States and around the world in 2022.

The announcements came as part of the Big Ten’s volleyball media days, the first time any conference has held an in-person preseason volleyball media event.

Wisconsin coach Kelly Sheffield, who led the Badgers to an NCAA title last season, called the media days “first class.”

“It’s been done really, really well,” he said Tuesday. “One of the things that I think has been fun today is — I think going in, I think one of the things was this can’t be a one-year deal. This has got to be in a way that people find value in this and we get to year two or three. There’s success if we’re able to do that.

“As I’m walking around, we’re talking with all the different people, there’s been a lot of, all right, next year we’re going to do this. We’ve got to do this better. And so you love to hear that.”

While the Big Ten has at times been a leader when it comes to volleyball, Sheffield wants to see the idea grow to include more conferences.

“If we’re the only conference that’s doing this, this time next year, then there’s a little bit of failure in that, right?” he continued. “The Big Ten has shown great leadership in being the first one, but there’s got to be three, four, seven conferences that are doing this next year.

“This is a sport that people are passionate about following and putting a spotlight on that and giving access is — it’s got to be more than the Big Ten moving forward.”

For the upcoming season, a record-setting 55 Big Ten volleyball matches will be televised nationally in the United States on Big Ten Network, ESPN2, ESPNU and FS1.

At least 47 matches will be aired on Big Ten Network, including 13 doubleheaders. Another six contests will air on ESPN networks this season, three on ESPN2 and three on ESPNU. Additionally, two conference matches will air on FS1.

Earlier in the day, the Big Ten announced a partnership with Volleyball World, with more than 70 matches airing on VolleyballWorld.tv for fans worldwide.

“Volleyball World’s emerging platform provides an excellent opportunity to deliver elite-level volleyball content to new and existing fans,” said Michael Calderon, a senior vice president at BTN. “Since launching last year, Volleyball World has established itself as the premier destination for the international volleyball community and we are excited for the role Big Ten volleyball can play in the growth of the game.”

Volleyball World was launched in February 2021 with a goal to “create an integrated ecosystem” that connects volleyball teams and fans through digital and live events.

“The Big Ten Conference is the most competitive volleyball competition in North America and we are excited to bring these matches to fans each week,” said Finn Taylor, CEO of Volleyball World. “Adding Big Ten matches to our rapidly growing portfolio of the world’s best volleyball, shows our continued commitment to growing the visibility of the sport and giving our audience a unique opportunity to watch the stars of the future develop in front millions watching on Volleyball World.”

More NWSL stars are jumping ship, as both the San Diego Wave and North Carolina Courage saw respective key players Delphine Cascarino and Denise O'Sullivan sign with WSL clubs over the last few days.

Former Wave forward Cascarino inked a deal through the 2029/30 season with the London City Lionesses on Monday, one day after San Diego announced they had mutually parted ways with the French international despite her contract running through 2026 with an option for the 2027 NWSL season.

"I'm really happy to be here," said the 28-year-old in a statement. "London City is the only independent women's club in the WSL, which excites me."

North Carolina midfielder and captain O'Sullivan made a similar move on Saturday, as the Ireland international signed with Liverpool following more than eight seasons and a club-record 186 appearances for the Courage.

The last-place WSL team reportedly shelled out a club-record transfer fee of approximately £300,000 to roster the 31-year-old two-time NWSL champion and three-time Shield-winner, who called Liverpool "a new challenge" that will see her "only a 40-minute flight away" from her family in Cork, Ireland.

Though the NWSL departures of Cascarino and O'Sullivan mark a kind of homecoming for the European standouts, they are just the latest to exit the US league, after USWNT star Sam Coffey joined WSL-leaders Manchester City last week.

"England — for men and women — is the country of football," noted Cascarino. "It's always been a goal of mine to play in this league."

New York Sirens forward Taylor Girard made PWHL history this week, earning a record four-game suspension for leaving the bench to join a line skirmish at the end of Sunday's 2-1 win over the Montréal Victoire.

The brawl occurred at the the final buzzer of the PWHL's record-breaking Takeover Tour stop in Washington, DC, with eight players — four Sirens and four from the Victoire — subsequently issued 10-minute misconducts in addition to Girard's infraction.

As the sole player not originally on the ice to join the skirmish, Girard was the only player to receive an additional 20-minute charge.

Even more, Girard's actions immediately triggered a four-game suspension, as the PWHL Rulebook dictates that exact punishment for "the first player to leave the players' bench illegally during an altercation or for the purpose of starting an altercation from either or both Teams."

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The four-game ban marks the longest punishment in PWHL history, doubling the two-game suspension that Seattle Torrent defender Aneta Tejralová received for an illegal check to the head last month.

With the PWHL on break after January 28th as 30% of the league's rosters compete in the 2026 Winter Olympics, the four-game suspension means that Girard — who sits second on New York's scoring sheet with five goals on the season — will not be available for the No. 2 Sirens until March 5th.

The WTGL is stocking up on golf stars, as TMRW Sports' newly announced offseason league begins to build its debut roster in partnership with the LPGA.

World No. 1 golfer Jeeno Thitikul (Thailand) signed on to participate in WTGL's inaugural season this week, alongside No. 5 Charley Hull (England), No. 6 Lydia Ko (New Zealand), No. 25 Brooke Henderson (Canada), and No. 79 Lexi Thompson (USA).

"WTGL will be a global stage to showcase LPGA stars, and this first wave of committed players represents that opportunity with some of the world's best," said TMRW Sports founder and CEO Mike McCarley in Monday's press release.

Set to launch next winter, the WTGL looks to build off the popular, second-year men's Tomorrow's Golf League (TGL), with the competition integrating both a physical and virtual golf environment inside Palm Beach Gardens at Florida's SoFi Center.

"These players will thrive in WTGL's competitive environment as fans will witness their skill and connect more deeply with their personalities through the unprecedented access the league delivers," said McCarley, noting that TGL golfers remain mic'd up throughout the team event.

The WTGL is also earning stamps of approval from several women's sports greats, as the Alex Morgan co-founded Trybe Ventures — an investment group that includes Morgan's fellow former USWNT stars Mia Hamm and Abby Wambach — became the new league's lead capital partner last week.

The WSL is cashing in on the women's game, with two UK clubs surpassing €25 million in annual revenue for the first time, according to the Deloitte Football Money League report on the 2024/25 season that dropped this week.

Reigning UWCL champions Arsenal topped the list for the first time after taking in €25.6 million last season, followed closely by WSL title-holders Chelsea FC's €25.4 million.

Meanwhile, Perennial European contender FC Barcelona (€22 million) dropped to third after leading the group in 2023/24, outpacing WSL titans No. 4 Manchester City (€12.9 million) and No. 5 Manchester United (€12.8 million).

Due to a lack of revenue data, the yearly study did not include major women's leagues in the US, Sweden, or Australia, giving the rankings a European bent as the total sum crossed the €150 million mark for the first time — a 35% increase over the previous season's Top-15 Money League clubs.

Commercial income was the biggest revenue driver for many top clubs, with sponsorship deals and brand partnerships leading the charge.

Arsenal also benefitted from increased revenue on the men's side, allowing the women's team to up its investment while avoiding running at a loss.

How to watch the top Deloitte Football Money League clubs in action

Deloitte Football Money League leader Arsenal will take on No. 5 Man United while revenue runners-up Chelsea will face the WSL-leading Man City in the 2025/26 Women's League Cup semifinals on Wednesday.

The concurrent clashes will kick off at 2 PM ET, streaming live on YouTube.