Engelbert exits WNBA; US Open influencers shushed — SkimNews
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- Cathy Engelbert will retire as WNBA commissioner at year-end, exiting after Napheesa Collier's September 2025 rebuke and the New York Liberty's valuation climbing to $600M from the $10–15M sale price when she took over in 2019.link ›
- Michael Lombardi resigned as UNC football GM after being placed on paid leave in late July, with UNC attorneys now questioning coaches' wives and girlfriends about hiring and firing of women and minorities.link ›
- Naomi Osaka and Jessica Pegula publicly criticized US Open influencers for ring-light photo shoots and selfie distractions during play, prompting organizers to add real-time crowd messaging after the USTA nearly doubled content-creator credentials to roughly 100.link ›
- Carlos Alcaraz announced he plans longer future breaks for 'mental health' rather than physical recovery, despite a 71–9 record and seventh major at this year's Australian Open.link ›
- Venus Williams fell to Sofia Kenin 6-2 7-6 (8-6) at 00:13 local time, extending her singles losing streak to 15 matches and earning her 12th wildcard of 2025 despite a 618th world ranking.link ›
- Joshua Kushner said Thrive Eternal 'would not have gotten involved' in FIFA's $4.2bn Forward Enterprise proposal had it appreciated the political fallout, as UEFA pushes a New York subpoena request and possible Swiss criminal complaint against Infantino.link ›
Cathy Engelbert is out as WNBA commissioner by year-end, exiting a league she helped transform financially — the Liberty now valued at $600M versus the $10–15M purchase price when she took over in 2019 — but one that spent the last year publicly booing her after Napheesa Collier's September 2025 rebuke. Adam Silver's next hire inherits first million-dollar salaries, an 18-team expansion plan, and a player base that no longer trusts the commissioner's chair. Across the East River at Flushing Meadows, the USTA's doubled-influencer credentialing strategy is producing on-court blowback: Naomi Osaka and Jessica Pegula publicly calling portable ring lights and mid-serve photo shoots 'disrespectful,' forcing organizers into real-time crowd messaging — proof that growth at the cost of player goodwill is a losing trade.
The stories behind this week
Lombardi resigns as UNC GM amid widening probeLombardi's exit strips Belichick of his most senior front-office lieutenant just as UNC's season opens, and the investigation's expansion — questioning coaches' wives and girlfriends about hiring and firing of women and minorities — signals concerns well beyond the original single HR complaint.
US Open Influencer Credentials Spark Etiquette BacklashThe USTA's strategy of nearly doubling influencer credentials to grow the sport is colliding directly with player concentration: top-ranked athletes like Pegula and Osaka are now publicly calling the disruptions "disrespectful," forcing organizers to add real-time crowd messaging — a sign that the tournament's growth-at-all-costs push is already producing backlash from the very stars it needs on court.
FIFA Accuses UEFA of Smear Campaign Over World Cup DealFIFA’s aggressive legal and rhetorical pushback escalates the power struggle with UEFA, framing the conflict as institutional self-defense rather than governance reform. If UEFA cannot secure documents or criminal proceedings, its campaign to oust Infantino before the March election loses momentum, while FIFA gains leverage to portray critics as protectionist.
Cathy Engelbert Retiring as WNBA CommissionerSilver's next hire inherits a league transformed financially (Liberty now valued at up to $600 million versus $10-15 million at sale) but still needing to repair the commissioner-player trust gap that defined Engelbert's final year and fueled Collier's public rebuke.
Alcaraz plans more breaks: 'I want to miss tennis'Alcaraz is the defending US Open champion and one of the few players with the leverage to skip events without ranking or financial consequences — so his public endorsement of taking breaks adds a top-star voice to the growing player pushback against the tour calendar's length, which could pressure tournament organizers and the ATP to address scheduling.
Alcaraz Sweeps Wu, Reaches US Open Fourth RoundAlcaraz's straight-sets rout of Wu Yibing in his comeback match from a wrist injury signals he is approaching full form, with Tommy Paul now standing between him and the quarter-finals. The Williams sisters' doubles reunion and Sabalenka's cannabis-smell stoppage turned Day 6 into a storyline-driven session rather than one defined purely by results.
Kushner states regret over World Cup sell-off planUEFA is converting its rebellion against Infantino into courtroom action: a New York subpoena request and possible Swiss criminal complaint alleging Infantino 'unilaterally designated' Thrive Eternal and undervalued the World Cup at £15bn. While Kushner and Maffei are explicitly not anticipated defendants, the filings formalize the dispute beyond FIFA's internal governance channels and well ahead of Infantino's expected March re-election.
Venus Williams loses 15th straight match at US OpenEight of 128 Grand Slam draw spots go to wildcards, and Williams has consumed 12 across all tour levels this year despite ranking 618th — a trade-off that tournament directors like Hale say pays commercially while critics like Cash argue blocks higher-ranked, younger players from breakthrough opportunities.
Why it matters: Engelbert's exit means Silver's next WNBA hire inherits first million-dollar salaries and an 18-team expansion plan alongside a player trust deficit — making the next CBA the first real test of whether the new commissioner can hold the room.
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