| (Photo: John Cheng/USA Gymnastics)
The move she hit in Belgium this week is the same one she planned to do at the Tokyo Olympics (and had submitted to the international body for scoring)—except she then pulled out of the Games with "the twisties," which were causing her to lose orientation in the air.
[The move has since been down-scored by .2 points from what it was originally rated going into Tokyo. There is an ongoing debate about whether Biles' skills are simply so hard that they're not fully appreciated and are undervalued in an attempt to discourage gymnasts who can't perform them safely from getting hurt while trying.]
It seems clear that the mental health break did the GOAT good. And the greatest gymnast of all time, one of the most storied gymnasts and longest running of all time, is back now and better than ever. Even if she is "feeling anxious."
WATCH: Team finals go off on Wednesday at 1:30 p.m. ET (in which the U.S. women lead heavily coming out of qualifying), and Biles goes for her sixth individual title on Friday same time. Watch on Peacock in the U.S.
2. WNBA's clash of the super teams
The playoff finals are official: It is going to be a clash of the WNBA super teams. The Vegas Aces v. the New York Liberty.
It's all the biggest stars. (Except for the unanimously picked Rookie of the Year, Aaliyah Boston.) All the games. For all the marbles. The only downside is the five-game series doesn't start until Sunday.
READ: The next time someone starts mansplaining to you about how the NBA makes more money, you tell them to compare the two leagues when they were both entering their third decades.
FUN FACT: The Golden State Warriors are reported to be bringing the next WNBA expansion team to the Bay Area.
3. NIL is giving female athletes a chance to cash in—but is also solidifying existing inequities
After the Supreme Court ruled in 2021 that the NCAA (which governs college athletes in the U.S.) couldn't abide by antiquated "amateurism" rules or restrict pay for student-athletes because doing so violates anti-trust (and is, fundamentally, unfair), that opened up a whole world of young sports stars being able to make money off of their fame....right now.
What is NIL?
NIL stands for "name, image, likeness," which is in reference to the fact that the student-athlete owns the rights to their, well, name, image, and likeness. And they can sign their own sponsorships and deals—and the school and NCAA can't rule them ineligible anymore for doing so.
In reality, it's a lot more complicated than that. There are rules that are supposed to prevent athletes from signing pay to play or quid pro quo deals with specific schools (ie. we'll give you a great Nike deal if you come to our school).
Why does it matter to female athletes?
It was thought that female athletes and athletes in smaller sports would be among those to benefit the most—primarily because they're not leaving school for the NFL, NBA, or MLB draft in order to sign deals. So their college playing time is some of their most lucrative. And, to a degree, this has turned out to be the case. In some places (like LSU) a specific effort has been made to help usher through NIL deals (there's a lot of paperwork), work with the students, and court and create future female superstars.
But, the reality has turned into: School "collectives" (which are groups of fundraisers, sort of like boosters) funding sponsorships—which then overwhelmingly go to male football and basketball players, in an attempt to draw the best recruits (especially with the new transfer portal). And, where sponsorships are concerned, there tends to be a focus on an athlete's "marketability" and reach—sometimes at the expense of their athletic performance and development. All of which has meant...
Of the $1.2 billion projected in NIL deals in 2023-24, over $1 billion of that will go just to men's football and basketball. The only two women in the top ten earners: LSU gymnast Livvy Dunne and basketball player Angel Reese.
Is this what we hoped it would be?
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