But first: the NBA’s “Kardashian Kurse”? Kendall found a cure.
EDITOR’S NOTE
Sports really chose chaos this week, and social media kept daring me to look away. The Patriots kicked things off by playing in two climates at once — based on these photos taken just over 30 minutes apart. Next to haunt my feed? This post about Super Bowl LX, which sent me down an age-related spiral I didn’t ask for. The Australian Open didn’t calm things down. Watching Coco Gauff struggle through a 59-minute loss — and the not-so-private moment that followed — felt especially raw. Plenty of legends came to her defense, including Andy Roddick, but Serena Williams had the best response, offering to help in the way only the GOAT could. And now with Naomi Osaka, Iga Świątek, and Madison Keys out, this weekend’s finals look wide open. Thankfully, Unrivaled delivered a little joy in the form of this fan’s handmade jersey — and now I want one for all my teams. Proof (again) that fans, especially women, are out-designing the merch. Now, time for the rest of the sports headlines...
— Mallory Simon / Writer / New York, New York
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Trinity Rodman Got Her Net… Worth
What’s going on: Soccer star Trinity Rodman isn’t just shifting the goalposts — she’s transforming the field. Earlier this month, the Washington Spirit forward signed a three-year contract to stay in DC, scoring a blockbuster $2 million per year deal and becoming the National Women’s Soccer League’s highest-paid player. But this moment almost didn’t happen — and only played out after tense negotiations. At one point, Rodman was even considering interest from European clubs, where top female players tend to get paid closer to their actual worth. The game-saving play? It came from Spirit owner Michele Kang and NWSL Commissioner Jessica Berman, who made use of the recently rewritten rules on player salaries in order to compete with Rodman’s other offers. Now that’s something to celebrate.
Our take: Rodman cashed in on her leverage as one of the league’s most marketable athletes. But this deal is uncharted territory, not necessarily a new baseline. Most elite women athletes, across leagues, won’t see numbers like Rodman’s no matter how dominant or marketable they are — due in large part to hard salary caps. For perspective, the top end of the 2025 base salary for WNBA players hovered around $250,000. Zoom out further, and you’ll find that no woman made Sportico’s list of the 100 highest-paid athletes last year. Cristiano Ronaldo topped it at $260M. So yes, women’s sports are booming in visibility and demand, but pay still trails astronomically. Rodman’s deal proves change is possible — and could serve as the game plan for other women athletes.
