The NWSL just acquired another big-name investor.

Washington Capitals star winger Alex Ovechkin announced on Sunday that he would be investing in the Washington Spirit.

Ovechkin is beloved in the D.C. community, having played for the city’s NHL team for 16 seasons.

The hockey star cited his mother, a two-time Olympic gold medal-winning athlete, as a major influence in his decision to invest in the Spirit.

Ovechkin will add his name to the growing list of athlete investors in the league. He will join the likes of Naomi Osaka, Serena Williams and Lindsey Vonn, all of whom have recently joined ownership groups in the NWSL.

As the regular season winds down, the WNBA announced this year's postseason schedule on Wednesday, with the 2025 Playoffs officially tipping off on September 14th.

The latest possible finish for the 2025 WNBA Finals is October 17th, with three rounds of play standing between the eight-team postseason field and this year's championship trophy.

Notably, the WNBA is instituting two main changes to its previous Playoffs format in the 2025 schedule.

The postseason's first round — a best-of-three series — will shift from the WNBA's home-home-away format, in which the higher seeds could sweep at home, to a one-one-one structure.

With this change, the league is guaranteeing that every playoff team will host at least one home game.

Additionally, while the best-of-five semifinals will remain the same with its two-two-one hosting structure, the 2025 WNBA Finals will be the first to expand to a best-of-seven series, feeding fans' growing appetite for additional postseason clashes and offering upwards of four title-deciding matchups.

This new Finals format will see the higher seed host Games 1, 2, 5, and 7, giving each team a possible two opportunities to clinch the 2025 championship in front of a home crowd.

All games in the 2025 WNBA Playoffs will air on ESPN platforms, with matchups across ESPN2, ESPN, and ABC.

Currently, the No. 1 Minnesota Lynx are the only team to clinch their 2025 postseason berth.

On the other hand, the No. 11 Dallas Wings, No. 12 Chicago Sky, and No. 13 Connecticut Sun were all recently eliminated from playoff contention.

Just days ahead of taking the 2025 US Open court, US tennis star Coco Gauff has reportedly parted ways with coach Matthew Daly, after he helped guide the world No. 3 to her first French Open title earlier this year.

Gauff originally hired Daly, a grip specialist, following a disappointing 2024 US Open run, ultimately finishing out the season by adding 2024 China Open and 2024 WTA Finals hardware to her trophy case.

However, despite her breakthrough performance at this year's Roland Garros, the 21-year-old has struggled with her serve this season, most recently registering 42 double faults across her three matches at the 2025 Canadian Open and 16 in her 2025 Cincinnati Open quarterfinal clash.

In Daly's absence, Gauff will still be working with longtime coach JC Faurel while also adding Gavin MacMillan to her 2025 US Open team — a biomechanics specialist who No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka has credited for helping her find consistency with her serve.

"I'm very much a perfectionist type of person," Gauff recently told reporters. "So it's really nothing satisfying until you're holding the big trophy, to be honest."

Gauff's next shot at a big trophy begins on Sunday, when the main draw of the 2025 US Open — the last Grand Slam of the year — hits courts in Queens, NY.

The 2023 US Open champion will face Australia's No. 84 Ajla Tomljanović in her first-round match.

Following the NWSL attendance record set by Chicago at the historic Wrigley Field in June 2024, Bay FC will gear up to best the Stars' title during this weekend's clash inside another MLB stadium — the San Francisco Giants' Oracle Park.

With over 35,000 tickets already sold, Bay will officially claim the league's single-game attendance record when the No. 11 NWSL club hosts the No. 4 Washington Spirit on Saturday, topping the 35,038 fans who showed up in Chicago last summer.

With a capacity of 40,260 seats, Saturday's match could significantly surpass that June 2024 mark.

The game will also set the attendance record for all US professional women's sports leagues.

"This is a landmark moment not just for Bay FC or the NWSL, but for the future of women's professional sports in the United States," said NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman in a statement. "Breaking the league's single-match attendance record at a venue as iconic as Oracle Park is a testament to the growing demand, passion, and momentum behind our league."

Reflecting the continued growth of the NWSL, the six most-attended matches in league history have occurred in the last four seasons, with markets like San Diego, Seattle, and Chicago all reaching new heights.

"This is about more than just a match, it is about pushing boundaries and creating something bigger than ourselves," noted Bay FC CEO Brady Stewart. "Everyone who is at Oracle Park [on] Saturday has the chance to be part of history and together show the world what's possible in women's sports."

The Connecticut Sun is still on the chopping block, with reports surfacing Tuesday that the WNBA made a $250 million offer to buy the team in order to control its final landing place.

The Mohegan Tribe — the Sun's current owners — are reportedly still seeking clarity on the league's preferred relocation destination, after two prospective outside bids stalled in front of the Board of Governors.

Multiple offers remain on the table, including two $325 million bids from groups in Boston and nearby Hartford, Connecticut — as well as a plan to raise capital via minority investments rather than a full sale.

Recent reports point to the league's desire to control the Sun's fate while preserving certain markets for expansion, with the Mohegan Tribe under pressure to bend to the WNBA's interests.

The WNBA offer to buy the Connecticut Sun outright is reportedly part of a larger plan to flip the team to a different prospective ownership group without an additional relocation fee — and rumors say Houston is in the lead.

The Mohegan Tribe already turned down a low-ball bid out of Cleveland, with WNBA later awarding the Northeast Ohio city an expansion team for a $250 million fee.

NBA co-ownership was a clear priority during the league's most recent expansion, with officials now looking to force that strategy onto the Sun's future.