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Sydney Colson believes this is just the beginning for AU Basketball

Sydney Colson wants Athletes Unlimited to stand on its own. (Jade Hewitt/Athletes Unlimted)

For Sydney Colson, the inaugural Athletes Unlimited basketball season has been a culmination of hard work.

One of the first athletes to sign on with the league, Colson was instrumental in recruiting other players and helping to ensure the debut season would be a success. AU basketball generated buzz even before the first game tipped off in January, and the attention has only skyrocketed as the competition enters Week 4.

“It’s been really good to see how much the players are enjoying it, how much the staff is having a great time watching while they’re working simultaneously,” Colson tells Just Women’s Sports.

“And then fan support in the first week was tremendous, just seeing everybody happy that this league is in existence now, and wanting to tune in online or make it out to Vegas has been really good to see.”

As the games have ramped up, Colson’s goals haven’t shifted: Day in and day out, she is there to compete. And when her teams have been hit with COVID-19 issues, Colson has had to step up as a leader. Her experience playing professional basketball in the WNBA and abroad has helped with that responsibility.

“I think our team was the only team in the first week to lose three players to COVID-19 that probably would have started. But in basketball, there’s adversity. You’ve got to push through, and it’s next man up,” says Colson, who’s played for five different WNBA teams during her career, most recently with the Chicago Sky in 2020.

“It has been enjoyable. It’s just about figuring out each week within the group that you’re with. So, no shifting of goals — just compete.”

There has been time for some fun and games, too. Colson, who has aspirations of entering the entertainment industry when her playing career is over, is one of the league’s most active athletes on social media. Her quick wit has captured the attention of Twitter users and also flourished within the AU bubble.

The tweets offer insight into the player relationships forming in Las Vegas. While some have played against each other for years in college or the WNBA, many of them have never spent this much time together in one defined location. Colson has tried to make the most of the opportunity.

“I try to make sure I’m chatting with people that I don’t really know,” she says. “It’s a good opportunity to be around people that maybe you didn’t know before.”

The AU system that requires rotating captains to pick new teams every week has helped players forge bonds. Colson has found herself on three different teams so far: Team Mitchell in Week 1, Team Russell in Week 2 and Team Hawkins in Weeks 3 and 4. Colson and Tianna Hawkins, AU’s current points leader, have found a groove in recent weeks, giving Hawkins reason to redraft her.

Despite being shuffled around, Colson hasn’t let the changes phase her.

“Leadership, whether I’m a captain or not, it’s talking, being vocal and keeping people engaged,” she says. “Sometimes people won’t play a lot one week on a team, and then the next week you might be in a different role and you’re being asked to play more minutes.

“It’s an adjustment, and you have to be ready to adjust quickly.”

Colson has been at her best in the last two games, accumulating 922 points to vault into 18th place on the leaderboard with 2,073 total points. Through nine games this season, the guard is averaging 16.3 points, nine assists and 2.5 rebounds in 35 minutes per game.

Colson likes the AU format because it allows players like her to rebound from one week to the next. Hawkins is the most extreme example of that flexibility, jumping from 14th on the leaderboard to first after just two games earlier this month. She set an Athletes Unlimited scoring record with 38 points on Feb. 4, and then broke her own mark the next night with 46 points.

While the WNBA has established itself as the premier women’s basketball league in the nation as it enters its 26th year in existence, Colson sees ways in which Athletes Unlimited is setting itself apart.

“I think both leagues can get something from the other, and can learn something from the other,” she says. “I think the social media team here is incredible. They have a lot of people committed to it.”

The broadcasts with commentators Sheryl Swoopes and Cindy Brunson have helped shine a light on the athletes and their stories. They’ll often mic up players on the sidelines to get their live insights during the game, a feature that’s not always available for fans in professional sports.

“They’re not leaving it up to whatever media outlet is doing a broadcast for the game,” Colson says. “AU has their people. There are a ton of different camera angles throughout the game, angles that you don’t see in the WNBA. I think it’s just, like, a different book.”

Which is why Colson is planning on coming back next season.

“I was way too involved from the beginning to just do one season,” she says. “It’s been incredible.”

Emma Hruby is an associate editor at Just Women’s Sports.

Wimbledon Increases Prize Money, Winner to Receive $4.07 Million

Czechia's Barbora Krejčíková celebrates a point during the 2024 Wimbledon final.
2025 Wimbledon competitors could win up to 11.1% more prize money this year. (Simon Bruty/Anychance/Getty Images)

Wimbledon is leveling up, as the annual London-based Grand Slam announced Thursday that it's increasing its purse by 7% across the board in 2025, pushing the total prize money to £53.5 million ($72.59 million) ahead of tennis tournament's June 30th kick-off.

Both the 2025 women's and men's singles champions will earn winner's checks in the amount of £3 million ($4.07 million) — an 11.1% increase over the amount won by 2024 champ Barbora Krejčíková.

With increases across all Slam events, from singles and doubles to wheelchair competitions, even athletes who stumble early will see a raise over last year's competition.

For example, singles players ousted in this year's first round will take home 10% more than in 2024, earning deposits of £66,000 ($89,530).

The 2025 total purse now doubles the prize money offered by the tournament a decade ago, and makes Wimbledon the biggest potential payday across all four of the sport's Grand Slams.

"We're immensely proud of the fact that, if you look back 10 years, you can see the increase over that period and 7% this year," said All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club chair Deborah Jevans. "And we have listened to the players, we have engaged with the players."

Canadian Swimmer Summer McIntosh Breaks 3rd World Record in Five Days

Canadian star swimmer Summer McIntosh competes in a 2025 race.
Summer McIntosh recorded three world records in five days at the 2025 Canadian swimming trials. (Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

Teen swimmer Summer McIntosh made a major splash at the 2025 Canadian Swimming Trials, shattering three world records in just five days of competition in Victoria, BC.

First on Saturday, the Toronto swimmer shaved 1.2 seconds off the Australian Ariarne Titmus's 400-meter freestyle mark to set a new world record time of 3:54.18.

Then on Monday, McIntosh took down a decade-old record in the 200-meter individual medley (IM), becoming the first woman swimmer to complete the race in less than 2:06.00.

Just two days later, the 18-year-old McIntosh broke her own 400-meter IM world record, besting her 2024 Canadian Olympic Trials time by 0.73 seconds with a 4:23.65 race Wednesday.

With her unstoppable week-long performance, McIntosh became the first swimmer to set three new world records in different individual events at one meet since US legend Michael Phelps's historic run at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

"Going into tonight, I knew I could do something really special because this has probably been the best meet of my career," McIntosh told reporters after Wednesday's race.

That said, the young star is already eyeing new times — and new records.

"Overall, [I'm] happy with the time, but I know I can go faster," said McIntosh following her 400-meter IM performance. "The faster I swim, the happier I am."

NWSL Returns to California for 2025 Championship Weekend

View of PayPal Park during a 2025 NWSL match.
San Jose's PayPal Park will host the 2025 NWSL Championship in November. (Eakin Howard/NWSL via Getty Images)

The NWSL Championship is on its way back West, with the league announcing on Friday morning that the 2025 title match will kick off from PayPal Park in San Jose, California.

Hosted at the home pitch of 2024 expansion team Bay FC, the game will take place on Saturday, November 22nd.

In addition to the championship match, the 2025 NWSL season's final weekend will include a variety of supporting events like Fan Fest and the annual Skills Challenge competition.

"We're thrilled to bring the NWSL Championship back to the West Coast and to a region with as rich a history in women's soccer as the Bay Area," said NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman in a league statement.

Citing a long list of former USWNT stars with local ties, including Julie Foudy, Kelley O'Hara, and Alex Morgan, Bay FC co-founder Brandi Chastain — a US legend herself — called the Bay Area "the place women's soccer calls home."

"Our community's fabric is woven with the greatest the game has to offer," explained Chastain.

"This community's passion for the game, combined with the excitement surrounding one of our newest teams in Bay FC, makes it the perfect setting to celebrate the league's top talent and crown our next champion," said Berman.

How to attend and watch the 2025 NWSL Championship

Like last year, the 2025 NWSL Championship will air in primetime, with CBS set to broadcast the match live at 8 PM ET on November 22nd.

Tickets to the game will be available for purchase beginning in August, though interested fans can sign up for presale access online now.

NWSL, WNBA Player Unions Address ICE Raids, Voice Solidarity with Los Angeles

Orlando Pride players huddle before a 2025 NWSL match.
The NWSLPA and the WNBPA put out a joint statement addressing this week's ICE raids in Los Angeles. (Alex Menendez/Getty Images)

The NWSL and WNBA Players Associations teamed up to release a joint statement on Thursday, with the unions expressing their solidarity with "all people seeking safety, dignity, and opportunity" after the recent ICE raids and ensuing protests in Los Angeles.

The move comes after Angel City published their own social media post addressing the ICE raids last Saturday, with the Los Angeles NWSL club noting "We know that our city is stronger because of its diversity and the people and families who shape it, love it, and call it home."

ACFC also directed immigrants in need of assistance in the wake of the ICE raids to two community organizations: the Coalition of Humane Immigrant Rights and the LA County Office of Immigrant Affairs.

Calling the WNBA Players Association "leaders in this space," NWSL Players Association executive director Meghann Burke told The Athletic that the basketball union initiated their joint statement.

"It's important to stand together as workers' unions," she noted.

NWSL and WNBA unions speak to families impacted by ICE raids

"It's not lost on us that this country and the world are in turmoil right now," wrote the NWSLPA and WNBPA. "Across the country, families are facing fear, hardship, and uncertainty tied to immigration."

The athlete unions then crystallized their position, saying, "We stand with all people seeking safety, dignity, and opportunity, no matter where they come from or where they hope to go."

"Every person deserves to be treated with dignity and respect," they continued. "We know not every situation is simple. But offering compassion should never be up for debate."

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