The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, which oversees some 83,000 athletes competing in more than 25 sports, is thought to be the first college sports organization to take such a step.
The undefeated Gamecocks won their third NCAA title, and denied Iowa star Caitlin Clark's last chance at the ring. Even with the league's top player, Iowa was no match for South Carolina's teamwork.
It's baseball season! And when we here at Short Wave think of baseball, we naturally think of physics. To get the inside scoop on the physics of baseball, like how to hit a home run, we talk to Frederic Bertley, CEO and President of the Center of Science and Industry, a science museum in Columbus, Ohio. He also talks to host Regina G. Barber about how climate change is affecting the game.
Interested in the science of other sports? Email us at shortwave@npr.org — we'd love to hear from you.
Friday's semifinal averaged 14.2 million viewers, making it the most-viewed women's basketball game on record and the largest audience for an ESPN basketball broadcast.
Following the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore last week, the city's 39 year old mayor, Brandon Scott, a Black man, stepped out to address the crisis. Hours later, a tweet went viral calling Scott a "DEI Mayor." To which Brittany and her guests, NPR's Gene Demby and Alana Wise, say "wait what?" The three dig into the racism lurking under the surface of this kind of rhetoric.
Then, as March Madness reaches its final nail-biting stages, Brittany takes a look at the reality of "student-athletes." What may feel like an accurate descriptor of these players is actually a legal classification that bars them from asking for worker's compensation and other benefits - benefits usually given to employees. Brittany is joined by sports business reporter Amanda Christovich and Assistant Professor of Legal Studies in Business at Boise State University Sam Ehrlich. They discuss how the recent news of Dartmouth men's basketball team unionizing opens up doors for broader conversations around how we value "work."
Call it the Caitlin Clark effect: The average sales price for a ticket to the women's college basketball semifinal was nearly double that of the men's event, the ticketing company Logitix reported.
Braves fans heading to Truist Park can expect an upgraded experience including premium boxes, beer gardens, new MLB merch and speciality menu items — and plenty of love for Hank Aaron as the team celebrates 50 years since No. 44 scored his record-breaking home run in 1974.
North Carolina State's unlikely run in this year's NCAA tournament has been propelled by their charming star DJ Burns Jr., whose big size and big personality have made him a fan favorite this March.
Saturday's hit-and-run crash involved two speeding cars on a Dallas highway. One of the cars that triggered the collision is believed to be registered under the Kansas City Chiefs player's name.
Iowa and LSU drew the second-largest audience for any basketball game on ESPN since 2012, the network said. Reese said Wednesday that like Clark, she will leave college for the pros.
Hanif Abdurraqib's latest book is about hoops, sure, but it's also about so much more. It's another remarkable book from one of the country's smartest cultural critics.
