The split reality at the women's Final Four, plus America's second World Cup bid

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Good morning! I will miss LeBron James and Steph Curry when they retire. 

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Dichotomies: Women’s college hoops’ liminal period

Caitlin Clark is not here, sure, but there may be no bigger weekend for women’s college basketball — in this new, post-Clark age — than this one. 

The women’s Final Four begins tonight, a true test of the sport’s newfound, wider popularity. In a tournament that’s been mostly chalk, the stars are colliding. Paige Bueckers against Lauren Betts. Dawn Staley and South Carolina facing Texas. Outside of seeing JuJu Watkins here, this is what the sport’s leaders should want. 

Before we preview the games, I think it’s important to discuss some growing pains, which are natural for a sport on this upward trajectory in general interest: 

• UConn coach Geno Auriemma’s diatribe last week about the scheduling nightmare of this tournament has stuck with me. For this entire stretch, the men’s tournament games have been staggered one day ahead of the women’s. Now, they flip: women’s Final Four tonight, men’s Final Four tomorrow, etc. It’s a ratings play, of course, but it still leaves the women’s teams — who are supposed to lead this collective into new financial heights — with more travel and less rest than the men’s side.
  
• Sunday’s title game? Not even in prime time, as Richard Deitsch points out in a column this morning. Viewership numbers keep rising and yet the sport’s decision makers keep treating it like a secondary product. The numbers are great without Clark, by the way. So why is the most important game played at 3 p.m. ET on a Sunday on ABC, when the channel’s actual prime-time lineup includes … “America’s Funniest Home Videos” and “American Idol”? You should read Richard’s column.

That, while necessary, is out of the way. Let’s talk about the games: 

• Bueckers is the leading name here, and for good reason. She was built for this moment, quite literally. It’s been nearly 10 years since UConn won a national title, which is a lifetime in the modern history of that program. Standing in the way tonight is UCLA, a polar opposite program which has never been here before, but entered this tournament as the No. 1 overall seed and has bullied every team it’s faced.
  
  
• On the other side of the bracket, South Carolina, the defending national champion, is favored to advance past conference mate Texas, but the Gamecocks have been vulnerable this season — excellent, per usual, but still vulnerable. Texas has beaten the Gamecocks this year, and don’t count out the quiet-but-fierce Maddie Booker.

See our staff picks here, and you can guess how good these games will be by how split the votes are.

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News to Know

Say it 8 so
Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson has continued his quest for all trademarks relating to the No. 8, which he wears and subsequently uses in merchandise for his clothing brand, Era 8. Yesterday, Jackson filed a notice of opposition against Dale Earnhardt Jr., who had filed a trademark claim of a stylized No. 8 used for his motorsports team. This comes months after Jackson also sued former Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman, who wanted to use “EIGHT” on his own merchandise. Read the full backstory here.

More big NFL extensions
The Cardinals announced a four-year, $76 million contract yesterday for Trey McBride, who becomes the highest-paid tight end in NFL history with the deal. It was a huge priority for Arizona, and McBride is plenty worth it. Elsewhere, the Raiders and new quarterback Geno Smith finalized a two-year extension worth up to $85.5 million, which keeps him in Las Vegas through 2027. The Raiders are already one of this year’s most interesting teams.

U.S. lands 2031 Women’s World Cup
The United States and Mexico will host the 2031 Women’s World Cup, FIFA announced yesterday, adding that the countries were jointly the sole bidder for the event. The U.S. last hosted in 2003, and it should build on a wave of good soccer vibes after next year’s Men’s World Cup. Also in that story: The UK will host the 2035 Women’s World Cup. More information here.

More news

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What to Watch

📺 NCAAW: No. 1 Texas vs. No. 1 South Carolina
7 p.m. ET on ESPN
It’s a full women’s hoops night, as we mentioned above. Get to a TV. 

 📺 NCAAW: No. 2 UConn vs. No. 1 UCLA
9:30 p.m. ET on ESPN
This may be a more interesting matchup. The Huskies are favored here (-7.5, per BetMGM), but I think it’s closer than that. Can’t wait. 

Get tickets to games like these here.

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Pulse Picks

Jon Scheyer cried when Cooper Flagg committed to Duke. Now, they have the chance to end with a fairytale. Read this before tomorrow’s games. 

In San Antonio for the men’s Final Four? Let the Spurs tell you where to eat. 

A simple question with a surprising answer: Which college football team has the most fans? All hail the Big Ten, apparently. 

Chuckled multiple times throughout this story from Britt Ghiroli, which details how absurdly cheap some wealthy baseball players can be. 

Across the entire sport of baseball, Paul Skenes starts have become appointment television. An entire sport marvels, as Stephen Nesbitt writes, but it also holds its breath. A beautiful, stressful dichotomy. 

I’ll read all these stories: On Juan Soto, the $765 million man, who stays in touch with the family that hosted him for three weeks in Low A. 

Most-clicked in the newsletter yesterday: Our Pulse survey. I hope you all said good things. Reminder: There are $100 Amazon vouchers available. 

Most-read on the website yesterday: Once again, Katie Strang’s story on the Ole Miss student at the center of a false rumor spread by ESPN’s Pat McAfee, among others. Read it here.

Ticketing links in this article are provided by partners of The Athletic. Restrictions may apply. The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review stories before publication.

(Top photo: Gary A. Vasquez / Imagn Images)