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The WNBA and NWSL Have Proven That Bubbles Work

HERRIMAN, UT – JULY 01: Lynn Williams #9 of North Carolina Courage celebrates during a game between North Carolina Courage and Washington Spirit at Zions Bank Stadium on July 01, 2020 in Herriman, Utah. (Photo by Bryan Byerly/ISI Photos/Getty Images)

With a successful NWSL Challenge Cup completed and a promising start to the WNBA season, women’s professional sports are looking to make gains during these unprecedented times. Most US professional sports leagues have started play within isolated bubbles, and the WNBA and NWSL have set the standard with few to none COVID-19 cases and record-breaking viewership.

Currently, in an effort to complete their full 22-game regular season, the WNBA is isolating their 12 teams at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida. All WNBA players, coaches, staff and referees are living in hotel rooms and villas within the bubble while games are played at the Feld Entertainment Center, about 20 minutes away by bus.

Since entering into the bubble, the WNBA has reported zero new positive cases of COVID-19. Players and staff arrived on July 6th — 18 days before the season tip off — in order to quarantine. Before even departing for Florida, every player was tested for COVID-19 three times and then tested once more upon arrival. Of the 137 players, 7 tested positive and were made to self-isolate and satisfy CDC guidelines before being allowed to join the other teams in Florida.

During the initial quarantine period, a few players complained about the quality of food and lodging in the bubble; however, the league quickly addressed those issues by moving players and remedying the food situation. Now that the quarantine period is over and the season has begun, players are given more freedom on the IMG campus — players can hang out in the hotel lounge and at the pool, areas which have been prepped with social distancing measures. Players are also given a range of food options on campus or can opt to have groceries delivered and cook for themselves in their villas.

“Food has been great. Service has been great. People have had issues with their housing. but there is no protocol for this, and the league took care of it,” Diana Taurasi of the Phoenix Mercury said. “This is the first time anyone has done this. The WNBA has gone far and beyond what I thought would happen.”

While inside the bubble, players are tested regularly for COVID-19 and are required to log their temperature every day using personal thermometers. Masks are required throughout the IMG bubble and social distancing measures have been put in place. No media or fans are allowed at the games.

The WNBA shares a number of COVID-19 prevention protocols with the NBA; however, there are a few stark differences in how each league is approaching bubble play. First, the WNBA cohort is much smaller in size. Each WNBA team was allowed to bring 18 people into the bubble — 12 players and 6 staff members. Each NBA team, on the other hand, was allowed to bring double the personnel, with 37 members. And, unlike the NBA bubble, there is no “hotline” to report protocol violations at the IMG Academy. However, WNBA players who are caught breaking protocol will face “serious ramifications,” according to Commissioner Cathy Engelbert.

Before the WNBA even began their successful bubble play, the NWSL set the blueprint for how to run a professional sporting event during a pandemic. The women’s professional soccer league finished their month-long Challenge Cup on July 26th and became the first US professional sports league to complete an event during the COVID-19 crisis. Before the tournament, the Orlando Pride were forced to withdraw due to too many positive COVID tests (some of which were later proven to be false-positives). While isolating in Utah, however, the NWSL reported zero COVID-19 cases.

With similar protocols to other leagues — no fans, regular testing, isolating players and staff — the NWSL was the first league to prove that the bubble system can work and be successful. During the Challenge Cup, the league attracted record-breaking viewership, gained new sponsors and announced a new Los Angeles expansion team.

As North Carolina Courage’s Crystal Dunn said, “The NWSL captured the audience because we were the first league to return back to play, but also because the games were close and competitive.”

While women’s professional leagues have proven that bubble play can work and be successful, a number of men’s leagues are continuing their efforts to play games in home markets (eventually) with fans despite overwhelming evidence that it is unsafe to do so. The MLS, MLB, NFL and college football have all announced that they are scheduling games outside of a bubble system. This comes just weeks after the MLB reported outbreaks within both the Miami Marlins and St. Louis Cardinals organizations, and the MLS saw two teams pull out of their tournament due to COVID-19 outbreaks.

The NWSL and the WNBA have shown how to successfully host professional sporting events during a pandemic. It remains unclear whether other leagues will follow in their footsteps or ignore the risks and attempt to play outside a bubble.

Phoenix Mercury, Golden State Valkyries Ride Upset Wins into the WNBA Weekend

Phoenix Mercury players including Satou Sabally huddle during a 2025 WNBA game against the New York Liberty.
Phoenix rose to No. 3 in the WNBA standings with Thursday's win over New York. (Catalina Fragoso/NBAE via Getty Images)

Two key upsets headlined Thursday's WNBA bill, sending the Phoenix Mercury soaring into third place in the league standings while the No. 6 Golden State Valkyries continued to outwit opponents.

The red-hot Mercury snagged their fourth straight win by taking down the No. 2 New York Liberty 89-81 on Thursday night, overcoming an 35-point performance from two-time MVP Breanna Stewart with five double-digit Phoenix scorers.

Meanwhile out West, the Valkyries stifled a surging No. 7 Fever, downing Indiana 88-77 in part by holding star guard Caitlin Clark to just 3-for-14 from the field — and 0-for-7 from behind the arc.

"We were being disruptive, we know that she doesn't like physicality, we know that she wants to get to that left step-back," Golden State head coach Natalie Nakase said about the Valkyries' strategy to effectively contain Clark.

Though the No. 1 Minnesota Lynx and 2024 WNBA champions New York still hold court atop the table, Thursday's actions proves that other squads are making some unexpected in-roads.

Putting together an impressive road record are the Mercury, who will ride a 4-2 away record into their Saturday matchup against the No. 11 Chicago Sky — the last stop on a four-game road trip that's been perfect for Phoenix thus far.

Already flipping the script on expectations is Golden State, with the 2025 expansion team rising despite relying on a hodgepodge roster as several players compete at EuroBasket 2025. The Valkyries will aim to keep their winning momentum in their Sunday clash with the No. 12 Connecticut Sun.

How to watch the Mercury, Valkyries this weekend

Both of Thursday's victors will be back in action this weekend, with Phoenix facing Chicago at 1 PM ET on Saturday, airing live on ABC.

Then on Sunday, Golden State will host Connecticut at 8:30 PM ET, with live coverage on WNBA League Pass.

Las Vegas Aces Aim to Stop Skid Ahead of Tough WNBA Weekend Matchups

Las Vegas's A'ja Wilson tries to defend a lay-up from Seattle's Gabby Williams during a 2025 WNBA game.
The Las Vegas Aces will face both Seattle and Indiana this weekend. (Rio Giancarlo/Getty Images)

In another weekend full of WNBA action, all eyes are on Las Vegas, as the No. 8 Aces will try to curb a two-game losing streak against two formidable opponents.

A successful weekend for Las Vegas could hinge on three-time WNBA MVP A'ja Wilson's potential return from injury, with the star forward recently upgraded to "questionable" after landing in concussion protocol last week.

Overall, the margin for error has narrowed in the middle of the WNBA pack, as talented teams continue to translate quality performances into consistency.

  • No. 5 Seattle Storm vs. No. 8 Las Vegas Aces, Friday at 10 PM ET (ION): The Aces will try to end their free fall in Friday's head-to-head battle with a Seattle side that can beat anybody at their best.
  • No. 7 Indiana Fever vs. No. 8 Las Vegas Aces, Sunday at 3 PM ET (ESPN): Las Vegas next faces a Fever team still smarting from Thursday's away loss to the Golden State Valkyries, with both teams narrowly clinging to positions above the playoff line.
  • No. 2 New York Liberty vs. No. 5 Seattle Storm, Sunday at 7 PM ET (WNBA League Pass): The Liberty have a comfortable hold on second place, but with two losses in their last three games, New York is flirting with danger entering their Sunday game with Seattle — particularly if star big Jonquel Jones is out after suffering a knock to the ankle on Thursday.

Ultimately, there's no rest for the weary in the WNBA, as a series of difficult matchups can see a single error quickly slide into a losing streak.

NWSL Kicks Off Final Gameday Slate Ahead of Summer Break

The San Diego Wave celebrate a goal by María Sánchez during a 2025 NWSL match.
The San Diego Wave will take on 2024 runners-up Washington on Sunday. (Marcus Ingram/Getty Images)

The final NWSL weekend heading into the league's six-week summer break has arrived, giving teams one more chance to prove themselves before regular-season play pauses to make way for major international tournaments.

With a five-point gap separating No. 1 Kansas City from No. 2 Orlando in the NWSL standings, the Current will enter the break as the 2025 Shield frontrunners regardless of this weekend's results.

Despite Kansas City's grip atop the table, there's still plenty of room for movement both above and below the postseason cutoff line, as clubs across the NWSL look to wrap their midseason finales on a high note:

  • No. 1 Kansas City Current vs. No. 10 Angel City FC, Friday at 8 PM ET (Prime): Angel City has a shot at launching themselves above the cutoff line on Friday, but they'll have to snap the Current's five-game winning streak to make it happen.
  • No. 8 Gotham FC vs. No. 9 Bay FC, Saturday at 7:30 PM ET (ION): Gotham and Bay FC enter the weekend tied on points while staring at each other from on opposite sides of the playoff line — meaning a Saturday win for either club could set the tone for the rest of the 2025 season.
  • No. 3 San Diego Wave FC vs. No. 4 Washington Spirit, Sunday at 10 PM ET (CBS Sports): The weekend's only top-table clash could see San Diego sprint back into second place — unless Washington leapfrogs the upstart Wave to claim the third-place spot.

KPMG Women’s PGA Championship Ups Purse to $12 Million, Ties LPGA Tour Record

Thailand's Jeeno Thitikul hits a shot during the 2025 KPMG Women's PGA Championship.
Thai golfer Jeeno Thitikul is in the lead after one round at the 2025 KPMG Women's PGA Championship. (Sam Hodde/Getty Images)

The LPGA Tour has turned its attention to Texas, with the 2025 KPMG Women's PGA Championship — the third major of the pro golf season — teeing off in Frisco to a flurry of first-round action on Thursday.

All of the sport's Top 100 athletes are participating in this week's event, including No. 1 Nelly Korda, who sits in a 14th-place tie with an even-par first-round performance, and surging US dark horse No. 50 Lexi Thompson, who tied for 10th in her Thursday return from a brief retirement.

However, leading the pack heading into Friday's second round is Thailand's world No. 2 Jeeno Thitikul, who finished the first day of competition atop the leaderboard with a score of 4-under-par.

Australia's No. 24 Minjee Lee also posted a strong start, capping Thursday at 3-under to sit in second place.

While the sport's best chase victory on the links, the 2025 KPMG Women's PGA Championship is already making history off the green.

Not only is it the first-ever women's major to tee off at Frisco's Fields Ranch East, the tournament also increased its purse to $12 million on Tuesday — nearly tripling the $4.5 million prize pool from just four years ago and tying the US Women's Open for the LPGA Tour's highest payout in the process.

How to watch the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship

The third LPGA Grand Slam of 2025 continues through Sunday.

Friday's second round will air live on the Golf Channel, while coverage of Saturday and Sunday's final rounds will air across NBC and Peacock.

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