Latest news with #playerpoll
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Which WNBA franchises are best (Mercury, Liberty) and worst (Sky, Sun) according to players?
In 2023, the Las Vegas Aces debuted a first-of-its-kind WNBA practice facility. They moved into their 64,000-square-foot headquarters just outside the city, opening a facility built for the sole purpose of the WNBA team. Their blueprint set off a chain reaction that changed how other organizations invest in the player experience. Within the last two years, the Seattle Storm and Phoenix Mercury also debuted new practice facilities, and a number of other franchises have announced future plans to build complexes as well. So, for which franchises do players most want to compete? And what do they think about a host of topics around the league, like who is the league's best player, where should expansion head, who is the face of the league and what issues are important in the next collective bargaining agreement? To answer those questions, The Athletic's anonymous player poll is back. Our writers spoke with 39 players from the start of the 2025 season. All 13 teams are represented, but none of the 30 rookies on rosters are included as the survey attempted to gather veterans' perspectives. The polling represents about a third of non-rookies on WNBA rosters. Players were granted anonymity to speak freely. They were also permitted to skip individual questions; as a result, each question shows the total number of responses for full transparency. In their own words On Phoenix 'Just how much they've invested into their team, it's cool to see that, they raised the bar with their facility and stuff.' 'Phoenix would be a good place to be. Look at their investment.' On New York 'They take care of their players. Their facilities are nice. They have everything they need.' 'Their arena is always packed for every game. They must be doing something right.' On Chicago 'They don't have a facility. It's just a lot of the other stuff with them.' 'A lot of stuff always seems to be going on there.' 'They're still practicing in a rec center. That's not … ideal.' On Connecticut 'Because of infrastructure." 'The travel and location (make it unappealing).' In the case of the top two answers for each question, players took note of the investment that ownership groups have — or have not — made in their respective teams. The Mercury unveiled a 58,000-square-foot, $100 million practice facility last summer with 24/7 access for players. Although the franchise has not advanced past the first round of the playoffs since making the 2021 WNBA Finals, it's clear that players have observed the Mercury's recent investments — and not heavily factored in any recent lawsuits alleging discrimination, harassment and retaliation (claims the franchise denies) against the NBA's Suns or the Mercury — and they view it as a desirable place to play as a result. Although the Liberty practice in the underbelly of Barclays Center, the franchise unveiled plans this winter to debut a 75,000-square-foot, $80 million practice facility in the Greenpoint neighborhood of Brooklyn in 2027. Players have taken note of the broader investments the franchise's ownership group has made. The Liberty have invested heavily in their medical and support staff. They have become culturally relevant not only because of their on-court product, but also their branding and marketing successes (think Ellie the Elephant, for example). Multiple Liberty players have attended the Met Gala, headlined conferences or attended flagship store brand events. The Liberty also recently sold a minority stake in the franchise at a women's sports team-record $450 million valuation. The Sky and Sun netted out with the most responses to the worst-run franchise, with players taking note of the teams' lackluster set-ups. The Sky are building a dedicated WNBA performance center, with the 40,000-square-foot, $38 million facility set to be completed by 2026, but the franchise's current infrastructure and recent turnover —on its third permanent head coach in as many seasons — has hurt its appeal. The Sun have one of the two lowest franchise valuations, according to Forbes and Sportico, and are going through a period of uncertainty. The roster almost entirely turned over since last season, and the franchise is exploring a potential ownership sale. The Sun have played in Connecticut for more than two decades and achieved a recent string of success by making six straight conference finals. But players have questions about their infrastructure and future. The Sun practice either inside Mohegan Sun Arena or at the nearby Mohegan Tribal Community and Government Center — a mixed-use facility that also serves as a cultural center, office space and recreation facility for tribal members. Ownership has said it is 'assessing the viability of major infrastructure investments,' but unlike many other teams, no new facility is being built. Answers to these two questions can change quickly, however. Two years ago, players told The Athletic that they would most want to play for the Aces. In our latest sampling, Las Vegas received only a single vote. Coming up Thursday What's the best-run franchise? What's the worst-run franchise? Friday What's the best rivalry? Who's going to win the WNBA championship? — The Athletic This article originally appeared in The Athletic. Minnesota Lynx, New York Liberty, Seattle Storm, Los Angeles Sparks, Washington Mystics, Atlanta Dream, Chicago Sky, Connecticut Sun, Indiana Fever, Dallas Wings, Las Vegas Aces, Phoenix Mercury, Golden State Valkyries, WNBA, Sports Business 2025 The Athletic Media Company
New York Times
5 days ago
- Business
- New York Times
Which WNBA franchises are best (Mercury, Liberty) and worst (Sky, Sun) according to players?
In 2023, the Las Vegas Aces debuted a first-of-its-kind WNBA practice facility. They moved into their 64,000-square-foot headquarters just outside the city, opening a facility built for the sole purpose of the WNBA team. Their blueprint set off a chain reaction that changed how other organizations invest in the player experience. Within the last two years, the Seattle Storm and Phoenix Mercury also debuted new practice facilities, and a number of other franchises have announced future plans to build complexes as well. Advertisement So, for which franchises do players most want to compete? And what do they think about a host of topics around the league, like who is the league's best player, where should expansion head, who is the face of the league and what issues are important in the next collective bargaining agreement? To answer those questions, The Athletic's anonymous player poll is back. Our writers spoke with 39 players from the start of the 2025 season. All 13 teams are represented, but none of the 30 rookies on rosters are included as the survey attempted to gather veterans' perspectives. The polling represents about a third of non-rookies on WNBA rosters. Players were granted anonymity to speak freely. They were also permitted to skip individual questions; as a result, each question shows the total number of responses for full transparency. On Phoenix 'Just how much they've invested into their team, it's cool to see that, they raised the bar with their facility and stuff.' 'Phoenix would be a good place to be. Look at their investment.' On New York 'They take care of their players. Their facilities are nice. They have everything they need.' 'Their arena is always packed for every game. They must be doing something right.' On Chicago 'They don't have a facility. It's just a lot of the other stuff with them.' 'A lot of stuff always seems to be going on there.' 'They're still practicing in a rec center. That's not … ideal.' On Connecticut 'Because of infrastructure." 'The travel and location (make it unappealing).' In the case of the top two answers for each question, players took note of the investment that ownership groups have — or have not — made in their respective teams. The Mercury unveiled a 58,000-square-foot, $100 million practice facility last summer with 24/7 access for players. Although the franchise has not advanced past the first round of the playoffs since making the 2021 WNBA Finals, it's clear that players have observed the Mercury's recent investments — and not heavily factored in any recent lawsuits alleging discrimination, harassment and retaliation (claims the franchise denies) against the NBA's Suns or the Mercury — and they view it as a desirable place to play as a result. Every inch of this space was designed with intentionality. A facility built to provide players and staff with unparalleled resources and amenities to achieve success. In episode 23 of 𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐖 brought to you by @BallyBet, we take you on an exclusive behind the scenes… — Phoenix Mercury (@PhoenixMercury) January 3, 2025 Although the Liberty practice in the underbelly of Barclays Center, the franchise unveiled plans this winter to debut a 75,000-square-foot, $80 million practice facility in the Greenpoint neighborhood of Brooklyn in 2027. Players have taken note of the broader investments the franchise's ownership group has made. The Liberty have invested heavily in their medical and support staff. They have become culturally relevant not only because of their on-court product, but also their branding and marketing successes (think Ellie the Elephant, for example). Multiple Liberty players have attended the Met Gala, headlined conferences or attended flagship store brand events. The Liberty also recently sold a minority stake in the franchise at a women's sports team-record $450 million valuation. Advertisement The Sky and Sun netted out with the most responses to the worst-run franchise, with players taking note of the teams' lackluster set-ups. The Sky are building a dedicated WNBA performance center, with the 40,000-square-foot, $38 million facility set to be completed by 2026, but the franchise's current infrastructure and recent turnover —on its third permanent head coach in as many seasons — has hurt its appeal. Angel Reese adds that she was locked in with Chicago Sky, regardless of the facilities: 'I don't care if we practice down the street. I wanna be where I'm loved and where I'm appreciated. … As long as I have two goals … and a ball to put in the hoop.' — Julia Poe (@byjuliapoe) August 7, 2024 The Sun have one of the two lowest franchise valuations, according to Forbes and Sportico, and are going through a period of uncertainty. The roster almost entirely turned over since last season, and the franchise is exploring a potential ownership sale. The Sun have played in Connecticut for more than two decades and achieved a recent string of success by making six straight conference finals. But players have questions about their infrastructure and future. The Sun practice either inside Mohegan Sun Arena or at the nearby Mohegan Tribal Community and Government Center — a mixed-use facility that also serves as a cultural center, office space and recreation facility for tribal members. Ownership has said it is 'assessing the viability of major infrastructure investments,' but unlike many other teams, no new facility is being built. Answers to these two questions can change quickly, however. Two years ago, players told The Athletic that they would most want to play for the Aces. In our latest sampling, Las Vegas received only a single vote. Thursday What's the best-run franchise? What's the worst-run franchise? Friday What's the best rivalry? Who's going to win the WNBA championship? — The Athletic's Chantel Jennings contributed to this report. (Illustration: Demetrius Robinson / The Athletic; Photos: Stacy Revere / Getty Images, Sarah Stier / Getty Images)
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
WNBA Player Poll Results: Best Player? Face of the League in 5 Years?
Zena talks to Ben and Sabreena about The Athletic's anonymous WNBA player poll project – drilling down on the players' answers to two big questions: Who's the best player in the WNBA? And five years from now, who will be the face of the league? Ben and Sabreena also divulge some answers to a question around which there was no consensus: Who is the WNBA's most underrated player? Plus, a Phoenix-dominated update on the Sabreena Scale.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
WNBA Player Poll: Best Player in the League?
Zena talks to Ben and Sabreena about the results of their anonymous WNBA player poll, and how players answered the question, "Who's the best player in the league?"
New York Times
11-06-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Anonymous MLB player thoughts are here. Plus: Breaking down the Orioles' deadline strategy
The Windup Newsletter ⚾ | This is The Athletic's MLB newsletter. Sign up here to receive The Windup directly in your inbox. It's a big day today: Our annual anonymous player poll has dropped. This year, we have five different angles to choose from. Plus: Ken has notes on the Orioles' deadline strategy. I'm Levi Weaver, here with Ken Rosenthal. Welcome to The Windup! Of all the questions we ask the big leaguers, the ones that get the most attention are the ones that allow players to throw a little shade. In our first story, players were asked which managers they would most/least like to play for, and which organizations had good/bad reputations. The most predictable one — no surprise if you've paid attention to free agency recently — is that the Dodgers have a good reputation. The best, in fact. They got 82 'good' votes and zero 'bad's. The four runners-up: the Yankees, Braves, Cubs and Guardians. Advertisement Interestingly, nine teams didn't receive a single 'good' vote. You can probably guess the three at the bottom of the list: Rockies, White Sox and — with 39 'bad' votes — the A's. As for managers, Bruce Bochy (Rangers) and Terry Francona (Reds) took the top two spots, with the now-fired Bud Black (Rockies) and Oli Marmol (Cardinals) taking the two least-popular spots. Best quote: '(The Angels) just don't know what they're doing top to bottom. That's what I've heard.' More Player Poll: Which players do the players love to watch the most? And who would they least want to face with the World Series on the line? All that in our second story. We'll be back with more player poll results, but first, here's Ken … From my latest column with Will Sammon: The currently 26-39 Orioles will be sellers, that much is fairly obvious. But as they point toward a possible return to contention in 2026, it would behoove them to be buyers, too. Easier said than done. The Orioles' biggest need for next season, with right-handers Zach Eflin, Tomoyuki Sugano and Charlie Morton on one-year deals, is starting pitching. Yet with so many pitchers injured, few teams will be willing to trade major-league starters, or even prospects at Double A or Triple A. The risk of getting caught short will be too great. Which isn't to say a buy-sell strategy for the Orioles is unrealistic. It's just that such an approach probably would be best viewed through a broader lens. Any significant additions by the Orioles might be more likely to occur during the offseason than the deadline. If, for example, the Orioles' best offer for Eflin included two highly regarded prospects in A ball, those players obviously would not be ready to help Baltimore in 2026. But if general manager Mike Elias acquired enough of those types, he would be in better position to deal from strength during the winter. Advertisement Beyond Eflin, Sugano and Morton, the Orioles' potential free agents include first baseman/outfielder Ryan O'Hearn, center fielder Cedric Mullins and catcher Gary Sánchez, plus relievers Seranthony Domínguez and Gregory Soto. A fairly intriguing list. Relievers Andrew Kittredge and Félix Bautista also could be in demand, but the Orioles control both beyond this season, Kittredge through a $9 million club option, Bautista through two years of arbitration. Bautista, earning a relatively paltry $1 million this season, is an interesting case. Coming off Tommy John surgery, his strikeout rate from his last healthy campaign in 2023 has dropped from 46.1 percent to 30.1, and his walk rate has increased from 11 percent to 17.2. So, this probably is not the best time to extract maximum value for him. And in 2026, when he is another year removed from surgery, he could be an important part of Baltimore's club. At the moment, the Orioles' rotation options for '26 include Grayson Rodriguez (if he ever gets healthy), Cade Povich, Dean Kremer, Trevor Rogers and two pitchers who could return from elbow surgeries in the second half, Kyle Bradish and Tyler Wells. In other words, Elias will be in the same spot he was last offseason, needing to add at least one top-of-the-rotation type. Assuming he is still GM, he cannot afford to miss again. Might Elias try to force the issue at the deadline by trading a prospect such as corner infielder Coby Mayo for a high-caliber starter? Perhaps, but few such pitchers are likely to be available. And contenders are more likely to pay a premium for those arms, placing greater value on what they might offer for the rest of 2025. More notes here. Now, back to the poll … Our third story comes in light of recent news that the automated ball-strike challenge system is likely to be implemented in the big leagues next year. Players were asked their opinion on the 'robo-umps,' and I was a little surprised by these results: Some of the arguments against were logical — catchers, in particular, are worried that it will make framing less valuable. Fair! Others made less sense: One player included the words 'It will make injuries and the competitive nature of the game worse.' I'm not sure I follow. Interestingly, when it was presented as a challenge system — a limited number per team, with umpires still calling balls and strikes until a player challenges a call — the opinion shifted slightly. It '… seemed a worthwhile middle ground to many players. Some who said they were against ABS in general said they were open to it as part of a challenge system.' Advertisement But the more entertaining section: Players were asked what rule changes they would implement to make the game better. Many brought up a less arduous schedule, which was to be expected. But some players got creative! One player suggested inning-by-inning match play, and another said the league should be able to demote umpires to the minor leagues. Best quote: 'More hockey fights! How 'bout that? Let's fight each other!' More Player Poll: In light of recent stories about Lance McCullers Jr. and Liam Hendriks receiving threats of violence — and with the recent reinstatement of players who had been suspended a year for gambling — we asked players if increased legalization of sports gambling had impacted them. The overwhelming response: yes, and in a bad way. There's a recurring conversation I've had with friends and family members that always makes me pause, take a deep breath and remind myself: 'They just don't know.' The topic: assuming to know what's going on in the heads of big leaguers. '(X player) just doesn't care.' 'This team has given up.' 'They just don't want it.' So I appreciated our fifth article from the poll: 'MLB players talk biggest misconceptions about playing in the majors.' One line I particularly appreciated: 'Many respondents acknowledged the remarkable privilege of playing professional sports while still taking a moment to vent.' Because let's face it: A job is a job. You can be grateful that you're not making your money cleaning out the porta-johns at the Gathering of the Juggalos, and still be annoyed that Jan from finance won't stop microwaving fish sandwiches in the break room. For big leaguers, a lot of it comes down to the grind. Spring training starts in mid-February. The season ends in early October (and your goal is to keep playing after that). Players get to the ballpark as early as noon for a 7:05 p.m. first pitch, and don't get home until close to midnight — even when the team is at home. Parents: Does this seem sustainable? Obviously, it's still a great job. If we ran an anonymous reader poll, I'd bet 90-plus percent of you (and 100 percent of me) would sign up for it. But the next time you think a player doesn't care … buddy, if they didn't care, they'd quit. Best quote: 'I haven't seen my mom on her birthday in 17 years. … Like, I couldn't go to my prom because I had a baseball tourney, you know? It's just little sacrifices you make over the years that you never get back.' More behind-the-scenes: Clarke Schmidt walks us through what a starting pitcher's five-day routine looks like. Bad news in Philly: Aaron Nola has a stress reaction in a right rib that will likely keep him out until at least the All-Star break. Could Giancarlo Stanton be back in the big leagues in time for this weekend's series against the Red Sox? He's not ruling it out. Speaking of not ruling it out … could Shohei Ohtani be back on a big-league mound before the All-Star break? The Giants are 6-0 — including a four-run ninth-inning comeback last night against the Rockies — since Andrew Baggarly returned from his hiatus. Baggs tells us what he's seeing from the team with fresh eyes. If it seems like Jeff McNeil is hitting the ball better … you're not wrong. His walk-off hit last night for the Mets was the latest evidence that his new approach is working. On the pods: Dennis Lin joined Eno and DVR on 'Rates & Barrels' to discuss the upgrades needed in San Diego. Most-clicked in our last newsletter: Denzel Clarke's incredible catch — but not Monday's! It was the one against the Orioles on June 6. 📫 Love The Windup? Check out The Athletic's other newsletters.
