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When it comes to stopping a scorer in a one-on-one situation, NHL goalies are better than they’ve ever been.The league-wide save percentage has dipped in recent years — steadily declining from .910 in 2019-20 to .900 this season — as offensive strategies improve and shooters find ways to beat goalies with screens, deflections and backdoor plays. Beating a goaltender with a clean shot has become incredibly difficult.AdvertisementListen to the dressing room conversations after a team is shut out. You’ll hear players and coaches parrot the same reasons for the lack of goals.“We needed more bodies in front of the net.”“We didn’t get in the goalie’s eyes enough.”“Goalies are too good nowadays. If they see the shot, they stop it.”To an extent, these commonly-used phrases are true. Modern goalies are such good skaters that they’re usually in excellent position, giving shooters very little net to shoot at. They’ve trained their entire lives, specializing in reading shots, so it takes something truly exceptional to get the puck past them when they have their feet set and clear vision of the shot.In response, today’s elite scorers are finding ways to use these goalies’ reads against them. They pick up on the clues goalies are using to predict shot locations, and then give the netminder false information in an attempt to fool them. Being an elite scorer is becoming less about who can shoot the puck the hardest, or even the most accurately, and more about who can conceal their true intentions and mislead the opposition with deception.We’ll look at specific examples of these subtle acts of deception, and why they’re so effective, by examining four of the league’s craftiest goal-scorers: Sidney Crosby, Nikita Kucherov, William Nylander and Kyle Connor.First, it’s important to understand how goalies react to shots. The term “lightning-quick reflexes” is often overstated. Yes, these netminders have exceptional reaction time, but the human body has limitations. A study by Harvard University showed that the average human reaction time is 220 milliseconds, and the average recognition reaction time is 384 milliseconds.An 80-mph shot from the point (55 feet away from the net) reaches the goalie in less than 470 milliseconds. A shot of the same speed from the middle of the slot (20 feet away from the net) reaches the goalie in 170 milliseconds.AdvertisementThat means on most shots from in close, a goalie doesn’t have the time to actually see where the puck is being shot and then react to its flight. Most of the time, they are reading the shooter’s body language and stick blade to predict where the shot is going. After seeing thousands and thousands of shots over their lifetimes, goalies become incredible at it, giving the illusion that they’re actually reacting to the puck. The truth is, if a shooter simulated a shot without an actual puck, the goalie would still know where the “shot” was heading in most instances.On this goal Crosby scored on March 11, he took the way Vegas Golden Knights goalie Ilya Samsonov read the blade of his stick and used it to his advantage.Crosby is as crafty as they come, and has plenty of time and space on this play. The deception is so subtle that it’s difficult to notice without slow motion, but watch how Crosby opens his stick blade wide just before releasing the shot. Everything about this release tells Samsonov that Crosby is likely shooting high to the blocker side, but with a quick flick of the wrist, Crosby turns down the toe of his stick blade at the last moment and rifles a low shot just inside Samsonov’s left skate.If you look closely, you can even see Samsonov’s blocker flinch to his right, where he anticipated the shot would go. The minor weight transfer that a goalie makes when leaning into a blocker save means that his opposite leg will typically be slower getting to the ice, which is why Crosby shot to the short side. It’s a simple-looking goal with a lot happening beneath the surface.Kucherov uses a similar form of deception, especially on breakaways. This goal he scored against the Penguins on Jan. 12 is a great example of a move he often uses to beat goalies in one-on-one situations.AdvertisementKucherov fans his stick blade open, very similar to Crosby in the previous clip, and doesn’t close the toe until midway through the release. Because the change is so late, he regularly leaves goalies flashing their blocker way out to their side, only for Kucherov to curl the puck inside, underneath their armpit, like he does to Tristan Jarry on this play.The initial deke to pull the puck outside of his body is crucial because it gets the goalie off-angle. When Kucherov had the puck directly in front of him, Jarry was perfectly on angle with the line from the puck to the center of the net running straight through the middle of his chest. That quickly changed when Kucherov pulled the puck outside, giving an edge to the shooter.You can see how much room there is to the short side after Kucherov pulls the puck outside, and it’s probably why goalies throw their blocker out so aggressively when he shoots. They can sense that they’re off the angle and expect the puck to go between their blocker and the post. Instead of shooting at that opening, Kucherov anticipates the goalie’s next move and shoots where the next opening will be.He’d pulled the same move the night before against Devils goalie Jacob Markstrom. Markstrom stabs his blocker out aggressively, only for Kucherov to tuck the puck inside it with his late toe curl.Kucherov has mastered this trick to the point where it feels almost unfair to the goalie. It’s his go-to move on breakaways. Part of what makes it so effective is his speed. Few players approach these situations at the speed Kucherov does, which only makes it more difficult for the goalie to read him.Here he is scoring on Columbus’ Elvis Merzlikins and Philadelphia’s Ivan Fedotov with the same move on March 4 and March 17. It’s no coincidence that every one of these goalies over-extends their blocker. Kucherov is baiting them into it with slight manipulation of his stick blade, combined with the fact that the deke gets the goalies off their angle.There’s a reason Kucherov has outscored his expected goals metrics in nine of the last 10 seasons, according to Evolving-Hockey. Expected goals models are based on how often players score on a shot given the location and several other factors, but it doesn’t account for shooting skill, which Kucherov has in abundance.Elite scorers use more than just the stick blade to mislead goalies. Maple Leafs star Nylander has been duping netminders with a kicking motion that he uses quite often. Here’s an example of him using a high kick with his trail leg on this overtime winner against the Devils on Jan. 16.This move isn’t unique to Nylander. It’s a standard off-leg shot with the left leg (in Nylander’s case because he’s right-handed) hiking into the air to gain leverage and add velocity to the snap shot. It’s a technique mostly used when skating in stride, because it allows for a quicker release, and more often than not it’s used on high shots, such as the one Nylander beat Markstrom with on this play.Here’s where it starts to get tricky. Nylander has realized that goalies are reading the off-leg snap shots, and is now starting to turn that against them. On this goal – which also happened to come against New Jersey – Nylander kicks the leg up, but shoots the puck along the ice.You can see Devils goalie Jake Allen react as if the shot is going high-glove. Not only does Nylander kick his leg, his follow-through is mimicking a high shot. If Allen had correctly read that it was going to be a low shot, he would’ve driven his knees into the ice and sealed his butterfly. Instead, he reaches his glove out and his left pad is late to seal, and that’s exactly where Nylander scores.Up in Winnipeg, Connor is having another excellent season. He’s one of the most under-appreciated scorers in the league, with at least 30 goals in all eight of his full NHL seasons (excluding the shortened 2020-21 season, when he still almost hit the mark).Connor’s biggest weapon is a ridiculously fast release that is tough for goalies to read. He uses a CCM Ribcor stick with a P92 “Sakic” curve, named after Avalanche Hall of Famer Joe Sakic. It’s the most iconic stick curve and the most popular among NHL players, with a bit of an open toe to promote higher shots.AdvertisementOne of the biggest keys for Connor is the 85 flex in the stick shaft. It’s not the flimsiest stick in the NHL, but it’s on the more flexible side. That allows him to whip the puck at high velocity without putting a ton of weight or pressure into the stick. His upright shooting style gives goaltenders little warning that a shot is coming, and it regularly catches them off-guard.He did it Monday night against Vancouver, casually zipping a shot by Canucks goalie Thatcher Demko in transition.There’s very little shoulder dip or forward body lean prior to the shot, which makes it difficult for Demko to anticipate. It’s also a bit out of rhythm, which is a difficult concept to describe but makes a shot feel as though it’s coming out of nowhere for the goalie. In this instance, Connor shoots off of his outside (right) leg, which is typically accompanied by a lowering of the upper body as the player jumps from his inside to outside leg, building energy and leverage.Demko has some of the best footwork of any goalie in the NHL, and yet Connor still catches him between shuffles. Shooting the puck just a half beat before the goalie expects it can make all the difference.Connor also uses more obvious forms of deception to maximize his quick release and catch goalies off guard, like this no-look shot that tricked San Jose goalie Alexandar Georgiev on Dec. 17.Georgiev knows there are several passing threats on the backside of the play (both Cole Perfetti in the low slot and Mark Scheifele near the far post) so he’s already hyper-aware of a cross-seam pass. When Connor glances to the middle of the ice as he loads his stick for the shot, it clearly throws the goalie off. Georgiev doesn’t cheat positionally by flattening out along his goal line. He’s still square to the puck, but he shifts his weight onto his left leg to prepare for a lateral explosion across the crease in the event of a pass.Because of that, when Connor shoots high to the short side, Georgiev makes an awkward looking stab at the puck with his glove without even dropping into the butterfly. The reason the save attempt looks so strange is Georgiev’s weight transfer is not where it would normally be due to the threat of the pass, amplified by Connor’s head fake.AdvertisementWith the skill and intelligence of the modern goaltender, shooters are relying more and more on deception. The days of winding up and ripping shots past the goalie with sheer velocity are long gone. Lateral passing plays, deflections and screens will still be the most efficient way to score, but when a shooter faces a goalie mano a mano, deception is king.(Illustration: Will Tullos / The Athletic; Photos: Mark LoMoglio, Mark Blinch, Daniel Bartel, Jaylynn Nash / Getty Images)

If you are reading this, you likely know who Paige Bueckers is. Maybe you are also familiar with Lauren Betts, Maddie Booker and MiLaysia Fulwiley.But Meg Aronowitz, a senior vice president of production for ESPN and the company’s point person for its women’s basketball coverage, cannot afford to make a similar supposition. When the women’s Final Four games air on Friday (7 p.m. ET and 9:30 p.m. ET), she and her ESPN colleagues have to cater, at least in part, to the casual viewer who might watch only one or two women’s basketball games each year.Advertisement“This is the part of the tournament where we have to absolutely remind ourselves that this is an entirely new audience joining us,” Aronowitz said. “I know that that sounds very TV cliche, but we have to teach them who these stars are. I tell my people — repeat your best stuff. New viewers are tuning in every round, and we have to make sure that we are giving people a reason to come back on Sunday for the title game.”We have reached the most interesting part of this tournament as far as a media-centric examination. Why? Because of last year’s outlier viewership. ESPN executives know that it will be impossible to duplicate the Final Four viewership numbers from a year ago — and that is a direct result of Caitlin Clark not being in this tournament. Iowa’s win over UConn in the national semifinals set a then-new record for the most-watched women’s college basketball game in history with an average of 14.2 million viewers. It was ultimately topped by the 18.9 million viewers who watched the title game between Iowa and South Carolina. Yes, there are plenty of popular players in women’s basketball but only one viewership unicorn — that kid from Iowa with unlimited range.But this year’s numbers present data points that speak to the growth of women’s college basketball writ large. The Elite Eight games averaged 2.9 million viewers, the second most-watched Elite Eight round on record, only behind the Clark-infused (6.2 million viewers) numbers from last year. Elite Eight games in 2025 were up 34 percent from 2023. ESPN said four of the top 10 Elite Eight games on record aired this year, including:• LSU-UCLA (3.4 million viewers, No. 3 Elite Eight game all-time)• Duke-SC (3.1 million, No. 4)• UConn-USC (3.0 million, No. 6)• TCU-Texas (2.3 million, No. 9)The Sweet 16 round averaged 1.7 million viewers across ESPN’s networks, the second-most-watched Sweet 16 on record behind last year (which averaged 2.4 million viewers) and up 39 percent from 2023. This year delivered four of the top 10 Sweet 16 games of all time, including 2.9 million for Tennessee-Texas (No. 3) and 2.5 million for Notre Dame-TCU (No. 4).AdvertisementThe second round of the women’s tournament averaged 982,000 viewers, the second-most-watched second round on record behind the 1.4 million viewer average last year. It was up 60 percent from 2023.The first round of the women’s tournament averaged 367,000 viewers. That’s down 22 percent from 471,000 last year (as expected without Clark) but up 43 percent from 2023.Heading into the Final Four, all games have averaged 967,000 viewers, up 47 percent from 2023.“People came to the women’s Final Four last year because they wanted to see what Caitlin Clark would do,” Aronowitz said. “But it wasn’t just the Iowa games that were rating. The entire tournament rated for us, and it is our job to make sure that we continue to tell the stories of the teams and these student-athletes and give people a reason to stick around.”ESPN will focus a ton this weekend on Bueckers because stars draw people in. The UConn star had 40 points in the Sweet 16 win over Oklahoma and 31 points against USC on Monday. She is averaging 29 points per game in the tournament.We’ll never know, given the devastating ACL injury to USC star JuJu Watkins, but you can imagine that the Elite Eight game featuring a healthy Watkins and Bueckers might have become the most-watched Elite Eight game in history.“Everybody’s talking about Paige,” said Aronowitz. “It’s not ‘Paige Bueckers.’ It’s just ‘Paige.’ When you get to that point where you are first name only, that’s when you know, wow, people are starting to pay attention. The story that comes along with her, all of the injuries, the playing through COVID and the resilience of this young woman, that’s a story that will get people to want to watch. So we are thrilled to have Paige in Tampa.”(For fans of Watkins, Aronowitz said that ESPN’s women’s basketball group is going to make it a focus to document her return. Said Aronowitz: “We are going to document her journey to recovery, and we can’t wait till there’s a time where she’s got a spring in her step and she’s back out on the court and we get to be able to talk about her success and recovery.”)AdvertisementAs ESPN has seen more success with the women’s Final Four, the investment in technology increases. Aronowitz said this year’s Final Four will be in high dynamic range (HDR), a first for the women’s game. The production has 45 cameras in total, including more super slow-mo and high-frame-rate cameras than ever before.These are all signs of growth. The interesting number for me will be how the Final Four and title game tracks not against 2023 but the 2022 title game, which we can call the “PTC Era” (Prior To Caitlin). That title game — a 64-49 South Carolina win over Bueckers and UConn — averaged 4.85 million viewers. At the time, it was the most-watched women’s title game since 2004, and the fourth-largest audience to watch a women’s championship game since 1996. The UConn-Stanford national semifinal in 2022 drew 3.23 million viewers, which was the most-watched women’s semifinal game in the PTC era since 2012.These are the numbers to beat — and I think this Final Four and championship game will do it comfortably.(Photo: Alika Jenner / Getty Images)

The WWE Hall of Fame will feature an illustrious 2025 class which will be inducted during WrestleMania weekend in Las Vegas on April 18.Paul “Triple H” Levesque, Michelle McCool, Lex Luger, The National Disasters tag team (Earthquake and Typhoon) and, for the first time, an Immortal Moment. The match between “Stone Cold” Steve Austin and Bret Hart at WrestleMania 13 will be enshrined.CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM The Rock, left, and John Cena interfere during the WWE Universal Championship match between Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes during Wrestlemania XL Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia on April 7, 2024. (Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports)Undisputed WWE champion Cody Rhodes will be in the city to prepare for his title defense against John Cena at WrestleMania 41. Rhodes, a future Hall of Famer himself, talked to Fox News Digital about current WWE stars who should be enshrined immediately once their careers are over.”I feel like there are certain people who should immediately go into the Hall of Fame when they’re done wrestling, and love him, hate him or indifferent, John Cena would check a box as somebody who should immediately go into the Hall of Fame. Also, Randy Orton should check a box as somebody who should immediately go into the Hall of Fame,” Rhodes said.He also made a case for his brother, Dustin. Dustin Rhodes, as he is known in pro wrestling circles, was mostly known in WWE as Goldust. The character was a top midcard performer during the WWE’s Attitude Era whose character was completely different from his father, the legendary Dusty Rhodes.WWE STAR CODY RHODES EXPLAINS WHY JOHN CENA WRESTLEMANIA 41 MATCHUP FEELS LIKE ‘FIRST-TIME-EVER’ ORDEAL Goldust reacts during WWE Live 2014 at Festhalle on Nov. 15, 2014 in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. (Simon Hofmann/Bongarts/Getty Images)Dustin Rhodes had multiple stints in WWE, holding the Intercontinental Championship three times and the Hardcore Championship seven times. He was also a three-time tag-team champion. He also had stints with TNA Wrestling, World Championship Wrestling and is currently an All Elite Wrestling competitor. “And I’ve oftentimes said my brother. I feel like he had more if an important role in the Attitude Era and moving forward,” Cody Rhodes told Fox News Digital. “And I think he’s extremely talented. I think I’d like to see that not just because I believe he deserves it, which he does, but I’d love to see the family just more added. The Hall of Fame doesn’t mean the same to everybody if that makes any sense. To my family, the Hall of Fame is the thing – the title and then the Hall of Fame.””My dad going in was such a huge deal. So, I’d love to see him joined by my brother. But yeah, Randy is somebody I’ve been thinking about a lot too. We got a lot of hopefully future Hall of Famers with us.” Cody Rhodes enters the ring during SummerSlam at Cleveland Browns Stadium on Aug. 3, 2024 in Cleveland. (WWE/Getty Images)CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APPRhodes, who spoke to Fox News Digital on behalf of WWE’s partnership with Clash of Clans, will be in the main event of WrestleMania for the third straight year.Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

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Please enter a valid email address. Having trouble? Click here.The biggest story of the MLB opening day weekend was the New York Yankees mashing the Milwaukee Brewers, and some of those in pinstripes were using “torpedo bats,” which caused a viral sensation. Massive debate over the torpedo bats, which have the barrel more toward the middle of the bat instead of at the end, filled social media as the Yankees filled the seats in the outfield with baseballs. They hit a team-record nine home runs in the 20-9 victory in their second game of the season, and a few more were hit in the 13-2 rout the following day. While some saw it as cheating, the bat was proved legal under MLB’s rule book. Still, some pitchers were not too happy, including Brewers stud reliever Trevor Megill, who watched his teammates have issues throughout the weekend. CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM New York Yankees second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr., #13, bats using a torpedo bat during the first inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at Yankee Stadium on March 30, 2025. (Brad Penner-Imagn Images)”I think it’s terrible,” he said, via The New York Post. “We’ll see what the data says. I’ve never seen anything like it before. I feel like it’s something used in slo-pitch softball. It’s genius: Put the mass all in one spot. It might be bush [league]. It might not be. But it’s the Yankees, so they’ll let it slide.”CC Sabathia was at Yankees spring training watching hitters like Jazz Chisholm Jr., Cody Bellinger and Anthony Volpe using the bats. As a former pitcher himself – he was elected into the National Baseball Hall of Fame earlier this year – Sabathia’s thoughts on the matter carry some weight. He seems to be all for it. BOMBS AWAY: VIRAL COVERAGE STIRS DEBATE ON NEW YORK YANKEES’ ‘TORPEDO BATS’”I think it’s great,” he told Fox News Digital while discussing his partnership with Xyzal as the new season begins. “I think so much stuff has been innovative for pitchers. We have so many things where the stuff is getting better, guys are throwing harder than ever. To see some of these hitters take a little bit of an advantage back – not even with the torpedo bats. The batting machine, the ‘Trajekt,’ to see where the ball is coming out of. You get to see the spin rate of some of these guys. “If it all helps, I think for the longest time we’ve been trying to figure out how to get offense back in the game. Move the pitcher’s mound back, make the baseball bigger, all these different things to come back. You know how good pitching is. We get one good thing for hitters and then everybody freaked out. But everybody freaked out because it was the Yankees.”The Yankees were not the only team with players using these bats. New York Mets’ Francisco Lindor, Philadelphia Phillies’ Alec Bohm and Chicago Cubs’ Nico Hoerner were among many others on different teams seen using the different bat to start the 2025 campaign.  Philadelphia Phillies third baseman Alec Bohm, #28, uses a torpedo bat during the sixth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Citizens Bank Park on March 31, 2025. (Eric Hartline-Imagn Images)Sabathia, though, got to witness the onslaught of offense from the Yankees this past Saturday, when they lit up their former teammate, Nestor Cortes Jr.However, while the bats are catching flak for that performance, Sabathia thinks it was the Brewers’ pitching that should be blamed.”For me, I was at the game when Nestor started the other day when they hit the nine homers. It was exciting, but when I went back and was sitting home watching the game, every one of those pitches that was thrown was right down the middle,” he said. “So, I don’t know if it was the torpedo bat or the Brewers pitching, but those pitches I probably could’ve gotten a hit that day.”The debate may continue as the season goes on, but as long as it is within the rules, Sabathia is all for it, even if some of his fellow pitchers would rather see the traditional barrels on bats moving forward. FIGHTING ALLERGIES WITH XYZALDuring his illustrious career, allergies were always something Sabathia had to worry about. Like so many, the spring can be tough with allergy symptoms coming with the change of season, and Sabathia used to need a shot from his team’s medical staff to cope with them. Now in retirement, the luxury of a team of doctors and staff is gone, and Sabathia needed to find the right medication to battle those symptoms, especially with golf being his latest sports passion. Xyzal, who he is now partnered with, was the perfect remedy.  CC Sabathia gave his take on the viral torpedo bats the New York Yankees made famous during MLB Opening Day weekend. (IMAGN)CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP”My allergies have been horrible my whole life. When I was a kid, I’d go to school with rolls of toilet paper,” he said, laughing. “My allergies were super, super bad. …So, the first thing I was just trying to find different stuff. I came across Xyzal and figured out you can take it at night.”Now, Sabathia, as well as his 14-year-old son Carter, have made it part of their nightly routine to ensure they can get through baseball season without those pesky allergy symptoms. Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

Trey Hendrickson has spent his past four NFL seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals. The star pass rusher has just one year remaining on his contract with the Bengals and recently requested permission to seek a trade.Despite the trade request, Hendrickson hopes to remain in Cincinnati. “However it shakes out, there’s nowhere I’d rather be,” he said in early March. During the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, Bengals director of personnel Duke Tobin suggested the team and Hendrickson’s agent were making progress on a new contract for the star defensive end.CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM Trey Hendrickson of the Cincinnati Bengals before a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium Dec. 23, 2023, in Pittsburgh.  (Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)However, Bengals executive vice president Katie Blackburn’s recent comments at the league’s annual meeting did not give credence to Tobin’s remarks. Blackburn’s words prompted a frustrated Hendrickson to call out the organization for an apparent lack of communication in recent months.”That was a little disappointing, because communication has been poor over the last couple months,” Hendrickson told “The Pat McAfee Show” in reference to Blackburn’s remarks.BENGALS STAR JA’MARR CHASE TAKES THINLY VEILED JAB AT CITY OF CINCINNATI AFTER SIGNING RECORD-BREAKING DEAL”That’s something that I hold in high regard. They have not communicated with my agent directly. It’s been something that’s been a little bit frustrating.” Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson after a defensive stop Dec. 19, 2021, at Empower Field in Denver, Colo. (Albert Cesare/The Enquirer/USA Today Network via Imagn Images)Hendrickson added that talks with the Bengals have largely been “here and there.”Hendrickson finished each of the past two seasons with 17½ sacks. His estimated base salary of just over $15 million for next season pales in comparison to his counterparts. Myles Garrett agreed to a record-breaking contract extension with the Cleveland Browns earlier this offseason. The deal will pay Garrett roughly $40 million annually.Las Vegas Raiders pass rusher Maxx Crosby inked a three-year extension last month and will make an estimated $35.5 million per season. Gardner Minshew II (10) of the Indianapolis Colts is sacked by Trey Hendrickson (91) of the Cincinnati Bengals at Paycor Stadium Dec. 10, 2023, in Cincinnati. (Andy Lyons/Getty Images)”I think he [Hendrickson] should be happy at certain rates that maybe he doesn’t think he’d be happy at,” Blackburn said Tuesday. “I think some of it is on him to be happy at some point, and if he’s not, you know, that’s what holds it up sometimes. So, you know, it takes him to say yes to something. And, also, we have all the respect in the world for him. He’s been a great player. We’re happy to have him. And so maybe we’ll find a way to get something to work. We’re just gonna see where it goes.”Despite the latest turn of events, Hendrickson said the “line of communication” remains open on his end.”They’re more than welcome to call me,” Hendrickson said. “I’ve had my cellphone, same cellphone number since high school. Open line of communication is always open with me and my agent. So, if they have anything they’d like to discuss, we’ve been nothing but willing to listen.”CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APPHendrickson made it clear he was looking for a long-term contract, not a short-term deal.”We don’t have any desires of being highest paid or, you know, first in line,” he said. “I’m not going to go into all the details, but, like, there are things that I’m willing to do and willing not to budge on. I don’t think I want to play for incentives that will be out of my control. I don’t think I want to play (on a) short-term contract. … I would like to tell my wife, ‘Here’s where we’re going to live. Here’s where we’re going to build a family together.’ You know?”Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

Lesley Slaton, the NBA’s chief DEI officer, informed colleagues in an email Wednesday she’s stepping down, according to Adweek. Brown joined the NBA as chief DEI officer in 2023. Before that, she was chief DEI officer at HP since 2015. CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM A basketball on the court next to an NBA logo during a break in the first half of a game in Las Vegas. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)”The values of diversity and inclusion are central to the culture of the NBA, WNBA, and our other leagues and will remain core to our business and our workplace,” the email said.Other American sports organizations have taken steps to distance themselves from DEI. MLB has removed “diversity” references from its careers page entirely. TRUMP TO PRESIDE OVER HISTORIC SPORTING EVENTS — WHICH TEAMS AND STARS COULD SKIP WHITE HOUSE VISITS? A basketball during a game between the Detroit Pistons and Cleveland Cavaliers at Little Caesars Arena Nov. 27, 2022, in Detroit. (Nic Antaya/Getty Images)The General Services Administration announced changes in February to the Federal Acquisition Regulations meant to align with the president’s executive order aimed at restoring merito and ending discrimination in the public and private sectors. The move reverses previous Biden administration executive orders that made it mandatory to consider DEI when reviewing contract proposals. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP The NBA logo during a preseason game between the New Orleans Pelicans and the Atlanta Hawks Oct. 14, 2022, at Legacy Arena Center in Birmingham, Ala. (Mercedes Oliver/NBAE)Under Trump, language associated with DEI principles was also ordered removed from any federal acquisition, contracting, grant or financial assistance procedures.Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

Torpedo bats have taken the baseball world by storm, and one MLB pitcher wants to bring back a competitive edge for hurlers.Pitchers used pine tar for a better grip on pitches, but the fad grew to the point Major League Baseball cracked down on foreign substances in 2021.Pitchers were becoming too dominant with the sticky stuff. The substance is used to increase spin rates, which causes more break on the ball, leading to less offense.CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Matt Strahm throws a pitch during the eighth inning against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park.  (Reggie Hildred/Imagn Images)After the New York Yankees set an MLB record with 18 home runs in their first four games, several of which were hit with torpedo bats, one pitcher wants to level the playing field.”Let them use whatever bat they want. Let’s just allow pitchers to use whatever hitters have in the on deck circle,” Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Matt Strahm posted on X this week. “And not check us like we are criminals every time we walk on or off the field. I’m just a pitcher but I’m assuming better grip helps ya swing harder…”Umpires check pitchers before they enter games and between innings for substances. The inspections have led to several ejections, and, in turn, 10-game suspensions. “Spider Tack” became a popular fad, but pitchers have often used a combination of their own sweat and rosin to create stickiness.Strahm added that “some of that stuff was a bit much,” but added, “just whatever a hitter can use to grip a bat better we can use too.”The torpedo bats have a barrel in a different location. Instead of being at the end of the bat, the barrel is closer to the handle, which gives the bat a bowling pin shape. Some players make contact with the ball more on the label instead of the traditional barrel of the bat. The torpedo bats move the barrel to the label, so when they make contact they barrel up the baseball more.  New York Yankees second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. holds his torpedo bat as he watches his three-run home run against the Milwaukee Brewers during the seventh inning at Yankee Stadium March 30, 2025.  (Brad Penner/Imagn Images)The uniquely shaped bats dominated conversation among players and fans this weekend after the Yankees’ offensive eruption. “I think it’s terrible,” Brewers relief ace Trevor Megill told the New York Post of the bats, which are legal. “We’ll see what the data says. I’ve never seen anything like it before. I feel like it’s something used in slo-pitch softball. It’s genius: Put the mass all in one spot. It might be bush [league]. It might not be. But it’s the Yankees, so they’ll let it slide.”RED SOX INK TOP PROSPECT TO BIG EXTENSION AFTER JUST 5 MLB GAMESThe Yankees are not the only team using the bats. The MLB social media account posted a brief explainer to X about the torpedo bat and highlighted four players from four teams who use them — Francisco Lindor, Yandy Diaz, Anthony Volpe and Ryan Jeffers.Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz decided to try a torpedo bat in the Reds’ game Monday against the Texas Rangers after watching the Yankees’ offensive onslaught. He went 4-for-5 with two home runs, a double and seven RBIs in the Reds’ 14-3 win over the Rangers.  New York Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe follows through on a swing using a torpedo bat during the first inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at Yankee Stadium March 30, 2025. (Brad Penner/Imagn Images)CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APPMLB Rule 3.02 states, “The bat shall be a smooth, round stick not more than 2.61 inches in diameter at the thickest part and not more than 42 inches in length. The bat shall be one piece of solid wood.” The rule also says “experimental” bats can’t be used “until the manufacturer has secured approval from Major League Baseball of his design and methods of manufacture.”Fox News’ Ryan Canfield contributed to this report.Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

The top of the 2025 WNBA Draft experienced a major shakeup when Olivia Miles entered the transfer portal. Miles was projected to be the No. 2 pick in April’s draft and likely fall no lower than third overall, but instead she has elected to extend her college career, just not at Notre Dame.Even though the era of the pandemic bonus year has essentially ended in college basketball as eligible players had to be on rosters during the 2020-21 season, which was when the current crop of fourth-year seniors was in high school, eligibility decisions are still at play for WNBA prospects. There are still medical redshirts, which is why Miles can play for another year because she missed the 2023-24 season with a torn ACL. Furthermore, juniors who turn 22 during the year of the draft have the option to go pro or remain in school.AdvertisementMiles’ decision not only represents the emerging power of player agency in the women’s basketball landscape, but it is particularly interesting strictly from a basketball consideration, as she is beloved by WNBA talent evaluators. The former Notre Dame guard was all but guaranteed to be a lottery pick, with general managers calling her the safest pick in the draft beyond UConn’s Paige Bueckers. Her massive improvement as a 3-point shooter (24.6 percent before the injury compared to 40.8 percent after) was the tipping point when combined with her already excellent facilitation as a lead guard.In theory, Miles’ stock has nowhere to go but down if her shooting doesn’t remain consistent at this level. That indicates that when she gets picked isn’t nearly as important as how much money she can make in the process, where she goes, and how her body feels after her ACL injury.The WNBA is currently negotiating a new collective bargaining agreement with the players’ association that could potentially triple individual salaries. Rather than lock herself into a four-year rookie contract totaling about $350,000, Miles could wait to enter the league until 2026 and possibly recoup that figure within the first two seasons. Agents have been advising college players across the country with an additional year of eligibility to stay in school and reap the financial rewards of the next CBA.If Miles makes her transfer decision within the next week, she could also secure name, image and likeness commitments before the final hearing in the House v. NCAA lawsuit on April 7. This is the last gasp for unregulated “pay-for-play” deals with athletes before they are assessed by an NCAA clearinghouse. Given Miles’ status as a two-time All-American — the only other multi-time All-American to ever enter the portal was LSU’s Aneesah Morrow, who left DePaul — Miles will presumably be raking in cash from collectives.AdvertisementIt’s worth remembering that Miles’ external sponsorships will likely stay with her when she turns professional, supplementing her WNBA salary. However, collectives affiliated with a university will only be interested in her as a collegian; thus, this is her last opportunity to pull in that particular revenue stream.Most WNBA executives didn’t cite Miles’ health as a concern in the lead-up to the draft, as she has suffered only one significant injury and appeared to be in excellent form during the 2024-25 season. However, she told The Athletic in Birmingham that she is not close to where she wants to be post-injury.“My physical shape could be better,” Miles said. “This injury, it’s a long, long process. Even after you’re healed, getting the rest of your body to catch up. I would say I’m not even 75 percent of the way there yet.”Taking the leap from college to the WNBA requires a certain level of confidence not only in a player’s skills, but in their body. If Miles doesn’t feel physically herself, it wouldn’t be the right time to play against grown women in a physical league. That’s a similar calculation that Azzi Fudd had to make. The redshirt junior opted out of the 2025 draft to return to the Huskies despite also being a projected first-round pick. Fudd has barely played one full healthy season at UConn and could stand to get stronger before joining the W.Miles also has more to accomplish at the collegiate level. She ended her season in the Sweet 16, just as she has every full season at Notre Dame, which was short of what the Irish — who were ranked No. 1 in the country on Feb. 17 — had hoped for. There were always questions about the fit between Miles and another ball-dominant guard in Hannah Hidalgo. Now, Miles can find another team where she is the full-time point guard and with more returning talent. Even if Miles returned, Notre Dame was losing half its rotation (Sonia Citron, Maddy Westbeld, Liatu King and Liza Karlen) and bringing in one top-100 recruit.AdvertisementFlau’jae Johnson, a draft-eligible junior, said she wanted to do more winning before leaving LSU, despite already being a national champion.“Once you taste the national championship, you want more,” Johnson said after losing in the Elite Eight. “And I feel like that national championship I had (as a freshman), yeah, I was a big factor in it, but there were bigger factors in that. I want my own one. Where I lead the team.”Ta’Niya Latson, who was a 2025 All-American with Miles and Johnson, has experienced enough individual accolades at Florida State. She also entered the portal instead of the WNBA draft, having hit a repeated NCAA Tournament first-weekend ceiling with the Seminoles.There will always be a draw to playing in the NCAA Tournament, one that the WNBA can’t match, and there are only so many years when players can take part in it. All of the aforementioned athletes have been deprived of postseason experience due to injury. Miles missed two tournaments, Fudd missed one and was ill during another, and Latson was injured during her freshman postseason.This is a situation JuJu Watkins will have to consider when she returns from her ACL injury. Rather than go pro in 2027, she could stay in college a fifth year as a medical redshirt to get back the March time she lost, depending on what USC has accomplished to that point.Miles’ decision doesn’t exist in a vacuum. It is representative of all the financial, medical and legacy-related questions that female athletes are confronting in a time when they have more agency than ever. The balance of power is shifting, and colleges and WNBA teams are now at the mercy of the players.(Photo: Michael Reaves / Getty Images)

To find Cinderella stories at this men’s Final Four, you have to look at the name on the back of the jersey rather than the front.For the second time in the history of the NCAA Tournament’s modern-day bracketing practices, all four top seeds advanced to the national semifinals. It will be No. 1 Florida vs. No. 1 Auburn and No. 1 Houston vs. No. 1 Duke on Saturday in the national semifinals, a perfect ending to a most chalky March Madness. Only one double-digit seed reached the Sweet 16, and all of the teams in the regional semifinals were from Power 4 conferences.AdvertisementWhere have you gone, Loyola Chicago and Sister Jean? Check the transfer portal.Two of the very best players competing for a championship this weekend in San Antonio — Florida’s Walter Clayton Jr. and Auburn’s Johni Broome — might not be where they are today if not for this new world order of college sports, with unlimited, unrestricted transfers and name, image and likeness compensation.Clayton is the former high school football star from Florida whose passion for basketball led him to New Rochelle, N.Y., a hidden gem uncovered by Rick Pitino during his time at Iona. You probably didn’t even notice Clayton scoring 15 points for the Gaels against eventual national champion UConn in the first round of the 2023 NCAA Tournament.Now, he’s being compared to Steph Curry.“He’s obviously a blessing to have in our program, have on our team,” Florida coach Todd Golden said. “He’s an incredible player, but outside of that, he’s a great leader. He’s been everything we could have asked him to be for this program since he got to campus two years ago.”Broome, another Floridian, was the 471st-rated prospect in his recruiting class per 247Sports Composite rankings, not even good enough to get an offer from Florida Atlantic. To be fair, former FAU coach Dusty May put together a team good enough to reach a Final Four two years ago without Broome, so not being good enough for those Owls is no slight.Instead, Broome landed at Morehead State and blossomed in two seasons in the Ohio Valley Conference before becoming the best player in the SEC in his third year at Auburn.“Shoutout to Morehead State,” he said. “I think those two years of my college career have helped me become who I am.”We’re not quite ready to declare the NCAA Tournament underdog dead. The trends are working against the mid-majors — specifically, relaxed transfer rules that turn every player in the country into a free agent every year.AdvertisementFor years, draconian transfer rules gave way too much power to schools and coaches. Not only did undergraduate basketball players have to sit out a season after transferring — a non-compete clause for non-employees — but schools could block athletes from going to certain schools, just because.It was borderline shameful. Even Mark Emmert, the former NCAA president who was not exactly known for getting out in front of potential problems, knew change was needed.“How complicated could this be?” Emmert said at the last Final Four in San Antonio in 2018. “It’s about students changing schools. And yet I’ve never seen anything that’s quite as intractable a problem as this one because you just can’t get agreement.”Even back then, before the portal was a viable option for every player from superstar to walk-on, transfers were on the rise in college basketball, with instances increasing from 10 percent of Division I players in 2010 to about 13 percent in 2016.The Villanova team that won the NCAA Tournament in 2018 started forward Eric Paschall, a transfer from Fordham. Surely, Rams fans were wondering what could have been as they watched Paschall scored 24 points in the semifinal victory against Kansas.Villanova, Kansas, Michigan and Sister Jean’s Loyola Chicago all started at least one transfer in the Final Four that season. There were a total of nine on those rosters, including players who were sitting out to comply with the NCAA rules of the time.The Wolverines reached the title game with the help of Division III transfer Duncan Robinson.According to the NCAA’s most recent reported figures, over 1,200 Division I men’s basketball players transferred after the 2022-23 season. Typically, there are about 4,200 scholarship athletes playing Division I men’s basketball.This year’s Final Four teams have 20 scholarship transfers from other NCAA schools on their rosters, led by Auburn with seven. Florida has six, Duke has five and Houston has two, both from other Big 12 programs. Cougars star L.J. Cryer is in the Final Four for the second time after being part of Baylor’s 2021 title team as a freshman.AdvertisementFlorida, Auburn and Duke all have at least one starter who once played at a mid-major.For Duke, that’s guard Sion James, a former three-star recruit from Sugar Hill, Ga. He played four seasons at Tulane before taking advantage of the extra year of eligibility all athletes received in the wake of the pandemic to become a glue guy for one of the most storied and prestigious programs in the country.“I’d played a lot of college basketball games, but none in the tournament, and I knew that we’d have a chance to win a national championship,” James said. “And it’s cool being here, however many months later, just a few games away.”The pendulum has swung hard toward player empowerment when it comes to transfer rules. It’s fair to say we might be in the too-much-ice-cream phase. Bouncing around the country and averaging about a school per season is probably not ideal for players with minimal pro prospects who would benefit from graduating from … somewhere.Purdue coach Matt Painter made an interesting point earlier in the tournament about balancing the opportunity to get a degree with recognizing that for some players, college will be the last chance they have to make money playing basketball.“I don’t think that’s a bad (thing) … like, why not?” he said.Painter’s 2024-25 team, it should be noted, had no transfers, but former Boilermaker Mason Gillis is back in the Final Four with Duke.Will Wade, who took the NC State head coaching job after leading 12th-seeded McNeese past Clemson in one of the few true upsets of this tournament, talked about selling his mid-major program as a place for players to develop into power-conference transfers. More and more mid-majors are recruiting that way, resigned to the fact that, yes, they are indeed farm teams for the big schools.Maybe with a revenue sharing system coming to college sports, along with player contracts and something that replicates a salary cap for monied schools that opt into the system, the low-mid-major poaching will slow down. Probably not.AdvertisementThat’s not great news for the future of Cinderella in March Madness, but just last year Oakland, Yale, Grand Canyon, James Madison and Duquesne won first-round games as double-digit seeds. Then again, Morehead State made the tournament last year, two seasons after Broome left, and lost in the first round as a 14-seed to Illinois. Imagine what that team could have been with Broome.We’re also only two years removed from FAU’s Final Four run. One of those players, Alijah Martin, is back in the Final Four with Florida. Others, from Michigan’s Vladislav Goldin to Arkansas’ Johnell Davis, came a win or two away from returns of their own.Then there is Chaney Johnson, who played three seasons of Division II basketball at Alabama Huntsville before becoming a key reserve for Auburn.Fans might lament the transient nature of college basketball, with mercenary players quickly coming and going, but this is Clayton’s second season at Florida. Broome has been at Auburn for three years, and it’s probably not a coincidence the Tigers only added three transfers this past offseason to a rotation with lots of multi-year veterans.Thanks to NIL, Auburn fans have watched Broome and this core of players develop to be able to cut down the nets on the way to a Final Four.“Man, words can’t even describe it,” Broome said after the regional final victory against Michigan State in Atlanta. “To stand on top of the ladder in front of all the Auburn fans still being there, traveling and witnessing it as well, and looking down and seeing my teammates, the whole Auburn family, it just means the world to me. To kind of be able to deliver for the Auburn family.”And they all lived happily ever after.(Illustration: Will Tullos / The Athletic; Photos: Andy Lyons, Alex Slitz / Getty Images)

To understand the new politics stance and other pro nationals of recent times, we should look to Silicon Valley and…