Latest news with #womenssports
Yahoo
21 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump administration strikes deal with Brown University to restore funding
Brown University has cut a deal with the Trump administration to restore research grant funding to the school, in exchange for commitments on women's sports, antisemitism and admissions practices and a promise to donate $50 million to workforce development programs. The Rhode Island-based school is now the third Ivy League university to reach a deal with the administration, which has lashed out at a range of colleges. Columbia University agreed to pay the federal government a $200 million settlement earlier this month, and the University of Pennsylvania reached a deal with the government over transgender athletes. Brown announced the deal in a statement Wednesday and shared a copy of a nine-page agreement with the federal government. The Department of Education also confirmed in a statement that it had struck a deal with Brown. Under the terms of the three-year deal released by Brown, the federal government agreed to restore frozen Health and Human Services grants to the school and close pending federal non-discrimination investigations into the university. The school said Wednesday it has lost dozens of federal grants and hasn't been reimbursed for over $50 million in expenses related to National Institutes of Health grants — and that total is growing by over $3 million a week. In exchange for the end to the grant freeze, Brown agreed to pay $50 million to local workforce programs over the next decade. It also promised to provide female student-athletes with locker rooms "strictly separated on the basis of sex," define male and female for athletic purposes in a way that's consistent with President Trump's executive orders and not offer gender-affirming medical care to minors. Brown also said it will not promote "unlawful DEI goals," would commission a campus survey that asks about — among other things — issues of antisemitism and give the government access to admissions and discrimination complaint data. The school promised not to offer racial preferences in admissions — though the Supreme Court previously barred affirmative action policies in 2023. The agreement says Brown did not admit to wrongdoing and "expressly denies liability regarding the United States' allegations," and specifies that the government does not have the "authority to dictate Brown's curriculum or the content of academic speech." In a message to the school community, Brown President Christina Paxson also says Brown will not promise to make any direct payments to the government. She described it as a voluntary agreement. Paxson says Brown was under "threat" — Ed. Secretary assails "woke" policies In her message, Paxson argued that many parts of Wednesday's agreement line up with commitments Brown had already made to "ensure compliance with federal laws prohibiting discrimination." She said the provisions on gender and sports are "consistent with NCAA requirements and Brown's current policies," and the government is already entitled to ask for demographic data. She also noted that the agreement doesn't define the term "unlawful DEI." But the university president noted that some parts of the deal stemmed from "priorities of the federal administration in resolving the funding freeze." She said the school "took great care to balance these interests with the core needs of the institution." Paxson said the deal "preserves the integrity of Brown's academic foundation, and it enables us as a community to move forward after a period of considerable uncertainty." She wrote that the school's mission was "under threat" from financially painful grant cancellations and a "growing push for government intrusion into the fundamental academic operations of colleges and universities." In a statement, Education Secretary Linda McMahon said the administration is "successfully reversing the decades-long woke-capture of our nation's higher education institutions," and pointed to the agreement's measures on antisemitism and women's sports. "Because of the Trump Administration's resolution agreement with Brown University, aspiring students will be judged solely on their merits, not their race or sex," she wrote. The White House called the deal a "historic settlement with Brown University to restore fairness, merit, and safety in higher education." Watch: Hawaii Gov. Josh Green gives update on tsunami warning Forensics expert analysis of Jeffrey Epstein jail video contradicts government's claims Russia reacts to Trump's new deadline on Ukraine ceasefire Solve the daily Crossword
Bloomberg
a day ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
The Deal: Haley Rosen
In this episode of The Deal, Alex Rodriguez and Jason Kelly speak with Haley Rosen about why she founded 'Just Women's Sports,' the media company focused solely on – you guessed it – women's sports. Rosen tells the hosts how she got investors to see the coverage as a real business and not a charity, how she is both creating and leveraging this moment of fandom for women's sports, and why she thinks the media industry needs to 'feel incredible urgency' to keep this moment going.
CBS News
a day ago
- Politics
- CBS News
Trump administration strikes deal with Brown University to restore funding
Brown University has cut a deal with the Trump administration to restore research grant funding to the school, in exchange for commitments on women's sports, antisemitism and admissions practices and a promise to donate $50 million to workforce development programs. The Rhode Island-based school is now the second Ivy League university to reach a deal with the administration, which has lashed out at a range of colleges. Columbia University agreed to pay the federal government a $200 million settlement earlier this month. Brown announced the deal in a statement Wednesday and shared a copy of a nine-page agreement with the federal government. The Department of Education also confirmed in a statement that it had struck a deal with Brown. Under the terms of the three-year deal released by Brown, the federal government agreed to restore frozen Health and Human Services grants to the school and close pending federal non-discrimination investigations into the university. Meanwhile, Brown agreed to pay $50 million to local workforce programs over the next decade. It also promised to provide female student-athletes with locker rooms "strictly separated on the basis of sex," define male and female for athletic purposes in a way that's consistent with President Trump's executive orders, commission a campus survey that asks about — among other things — issues of antisemitism and give the government access to admissions and discrimination complaint data. The agreement says Brown did not admit to wrongdoing and "expressly denies liability regarding the United States' allegations," and specifies that the government does not have the "authority to dictate Brown's curriculum or the content of academic speech." In a message to the school community, Brown President Christina Paxson also says Brown will not promise to make any direct payments to the government. She described it as a voluntary agreement.
Forbes
a day ago
- Sport
- Forbes
Portland's Push To Become The Global Epicenter Of Women's Sports
The city of Portland, Oregon is making a bold play to lead the global women's sports movement. And after a historic week of events, announcements, and activations, one thing is clear: Portland isn't just talking the talk; it's building the infrastructure, fanbase, and momentum to back it up. From July 23-26, Portland hosted the inaugural 'Epicenter: Women's Global Sports Summit', which was a four-day celebration that brought together elite athletes, global leaders, and passionate community members to explore what's possible when women's sports are meaningfully invested in and prioritized. Dubbed 'Epicenter Week', the event marked the launch of Portland's effort to become the 'global epicenter of women's sports,' and offered a playbook for how cities can align infrastructure, community, and investment to grow the women's game. Behind this movement is RAJ Sports, the only ownership group in the U.S. that holds both a WNBA and NWSL team: the newly announced WNBA expansion team, the Portland Fire and the NWSL's Portland Thorns. Led by siblings Alex Bhathal and Lisa Bhathal Merage, RAJ Sports is aiming to build a world-class women's sports ecosystem in Portland rooted in innovation, equity, and athlete-first infrastructure. 'Portland isn't just passionate about women's sports; it's leading the nation in nearly every measurable way,' said Karina LeBlanc, Executive Vice President of Strategic Growth and Development at RAJ Sports. 'What sets Portland apart is that we've built the full ecosystem. We have the athletes, the teams, the infrastructure, and a fan base that consistently shows up.' Epicenter Week featured a compelling mix of cultural events, youth programming, elite competition, and strategic conversations. Highlights included: 'With Epicenter Week, we showed what's possible when a city brings athletes, owners, researchers, and civic leaders into the same conversation, and puts that dialogue into motion,' said LeBlanc. 'Portland doesn't just talk about the future of women's sports. We've built a platform for it.' Notably, RAJ Sports is investing in a $150 million dual-purpose training facility that will serve both the Thorns and the Fire. More than just a practice space, the facility will be a hub for athlete recovery, performance innovation, and community connection. The space is a tangible example of the group's 'collective alchemy' strategy, which emphasizes cross-pollination between recovery science, sport performance, and business strategy. Just outside of Portland sits the global headquarters of Nike, a proximity that provides a competitive edge. With both the Thorns and Fire playing in Nike's backyard, with strategic partnerships, Portland could easily become a 'test kitchen' for women's sport innovation, giving athletes direct access to product feedback loops, performance data, and new technology. 'Infrastructure and innovation are meeting here in a way that can create something really special,' said Sarah Spain, award-winning sports journalist and host of women's sports podcast 'Good Game with Sarah Spain." Spain led two panel discussions at the Epicenter Summit, both focused on building a better future for women's sports. Epicenter Week also marked the launch of 'Thorns for All,' a new equity-driven community platform focused on education, equity & accessibility, health & wellness, and sustainability. A priority program of the newly launched platform is 'Lead(HERS) of Tomorrow,' which is a professional development initiative for young women interested in working in sports. During Epicenter Week, the Thorns brought 11 young women from across the Portland metro area into the Thorns front office for a career immersion experience. Led by Zoe Raiter, the Thorns' Director of Community Impact, the program introduced participants to roles across partnership sales, marketing, ticket operations, and people & culture, with the goal of empowering young women to see themselves as future leaders. 'If you see it, you can be it,' said Raiter. 'We wanted these girls to not only learn about careers in sports but to see themselves in those roles.' The program is supported by Alaska Airlines, Ring, and Toyota, and is part of a broader strategy to ensure that Portland doesn't just build women's sports at the professional level, but also develops the next generation of talent and leaders off the field. While claiming to be the 'Global Epicenter of Women's Sports' is a big statement, Portland has some compelling data to back that statement up. The Thorns lead the NWSL in average home attendance at 17,200, which is well above the league's 10,600 average, and also hosted the highest-attended NWSL match of 2025 in June with over 21,000 fans. Even the original Portland Fire WNBA team averaged over 8,600 fans per game back when they played in 2001, proving this city's passion for women's sports has deep roots. Portland is also home to the world's first dedicated women's sports bar – 'The Sports Bra' – which was opened in 2022 by Jenny Nguyen. 'This isn't new for Portland,' said LeBlanc. 'If there's one lesson we hope others take from what's happening here, it's this: when a city fully backs women's sports – athletes at the center, with infrastructure, intention, and community behind it – the world pays attention.' As mid-sized markets across the U.S. look to expand their footprint in women's sports, Portland is offering a roadmap. One that's grounded in consistency, collaboration, and purpose-driven leadership. With a forward-thinking leadership group, a powerful fan base, thoughtful community programming, strategic corporate partners, meaningful investment, and a clear long-term vision, Portland isn't just aiming to be the epicenter of women's sports; it's already making a strong case.
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Pete Buttigieg stunningly agrees with Trump on trans athletes... but rejects president's strategy on issue
Former U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has acknowledged 'fairness issues' with trans athletes participating in women and girls' sports, although he disagrees with political grandstanding and legislation aimed at dictating rules for the entire country. 'Around sports… I think most reasonable people would recognize that there are serious fairness issues if you just treat this as not mattering when a trans athlete wants to compete in women's sports,' Buttigieg told NPR. '… I think these decisions should be in the hands of sports leagues and school boards and not politicians… in Washington trying to use this as a political pawn,' Buttigieg added Democrats in recent years have aimed to do exactly with their doomed efforts to pass the Transgender Bill of Rights and the Equality Act through congress, both of which attempted to address sports-gender issues. What's more, President Joe Biden signed an executive order in January of 2021 stating that children 'should be able to learn without worrying about whether they will be denied access to the restroom, the locker room, or school sports.' Since returning to the White House in January, Donald Trump has signed an executive order titled 'Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports,' threatening to defund institutions that permitted trans athletes to compete with females. Meanwhile, 27 sates have passed their own laws restricting sports access for trans competitors. To Buttigieg, a Democrat and Navy veteran who was deployed in Afghanistan, any attempt to legislate the issue from Washington is misguided, given the differing circumstances from sport to sport, region to region, and level to level. 'Chess is different from weightlifting, and weightlifting is different from volleyball and middle school is different from the Olympics,' he said. 'So, that's exactly why I think that we shouldn't be grandstanding on this as politicians. We should be empowering communities and organizations and schools to make the right decisions.' Meanwhile, athletic organizations are lining up behind Trump, including the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee. As first reported by NBC last week , the committee updated its policies to reflect Trump's order and suggest trans women no longer compete against biological females while representing USA at the Olympics and Paralympics. While the word 'transgender' is not mentioned in any of the 27 pages, its new 'Athlete Safety Policy' includes language that implies the change was made almost a year on from the previous Games in Paris. 'The USOPC will continue to collaborate with various stakeholders with oversight responsibilities, e.g., IOC, IPC, NGBs, to ensure that women have a fair and safe competition environment consistent with Executive Order 14201 and the Ted Stevens Olympic & Amateur Sports Act,' the document says, according to NBC's report. The New York Times also reported that national governing bodies of sports federations in the must now follow the Olympic and Paralympic Committee's lead, according to several chief executives of sports within the Olympic movement.
