Rachel Bachman, WSJ sports reporter

wsj.comWNBA Players Had an Ace Up Their Sleeve in Pay Negotiations: A Nobel LaureateHarvard economist Claudia Goldin helped WNBA players win a nearly 400% raise. Starting this season, players’ average salary will top $580,000.

After Claudia Goldin became the first woman to win a solo Nobel in economics, she got hundreds of invitations. She accepted three. One was advising WNBA players on a labor deal. She helped players land the biggest % raise in US sports history. www.wsj.com/economy/wnba...

Rachel Bachman, WSJ sports reporter reposted

wsj.comThe NBA Owner Who Struck Gold in the WNBAIn just their second year, the Golden State Valkyries are a rare expansion success story. Now they’re on the brink of a championship.

1d

Not long ago, some owners wanted out of the WNBA. They saw it as a money pit. Golden State Warriors owner Joe Lacob wanted in. Now in their 2nd season, the Golden State Valkyries generated more revenue than the Indiana Fever and are playing for a WNBA title. www.wsj.com/sports/baske...

wsj.comThe NBA Owner Who Struck Gold in the WNBAIn just their second year, the Golden State Valkyries are a rare expansion success story. Now they’re on the brink of a championship.

1d

Not long ago, some owners wanted out of the WNBA. They saw it as a money pit. Golden State Warriors owner Joe Lacob wanted in. Now in their 2nd season, the Golden State Valkyries generated more revenue than the Indiana Fever and are playing for a WNBA title. www.wsj.com/sports/baske...

wsj.comDee Brock, Visionary Who Created the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, Dies at 96Before helping build PBS television courses for college students, she transformed sideline cheering into an entertainment empire.

3d

Dee Brock, the creator of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, argued for integrating the squad long before many other institutions in the city. By 1971, half of Brock’s cheerleaders were Black. R.I.P. www.wsj.com/sports/footb...

4d

After this photo shoot during her rookie year, Angel Reese posed for a shot with members of the Las Vegas girls team who were on the WSJ Magazine cover. They were enthralled by her and A’ja Wilson.

Rachel Bachman, WSJ sports reporter@realbachscore.bsky.social

5d

wsj.comThe Shocking Trade That Launched an Angel Reese ComebackAfter a frustrating stretch with the Chicago Sky, Angel Reese was shipped to Atlanta. Now she has the Dream on the verge of their first WNBA title.

5d

From LSU to Team USA to the WNBA Finals, Angel Reese is showing once again that she's a winner: www.wsj.com/sports/baske...

Rachel Bachman, WSJ sports reporter reposted

The Washington (D.C.) Times, April 17, 1930

Rachel Bachman, WSJ sports reporter reposted

wsj.comThe Shocking Trade That Launched an Angel Reese ComebackAfter a frustrating stretch with the Chicago Sky, Angel Reese was shipped to Atlanta. Now she has the Dream on the verge of their first WNBA title.

After two dismal seasons in Chicago, the Sky shipped Angel Reese to Atlanta in a shocking trade. Now, she has the Dream in the WNBA finals and aiming for their first title. www.wsj.com/sports/baske...

wsj.comThe Shocking Trade That Launched an Angel Reese ComebackAfter a frustrating stretch with the Chicago Sky, Angel Reese was shipped to Atlanta. Now she has the Dream on the verge of their first WNBA title.

After two dismal seasons in Chicago, the Sky shipped Angel Reese to Atlanta in a shocking trade. Now, she has the Dream in the WNBA finals and aiming for their first title. www.wsj.com/sports/baske...

wsj.comThe Brewers’ Playoff Hero Who Almost Quit BaseballTwo years after considering retirement, Jake Bauers has emerged as the embodiment of Milwaukee’s tenacious approach

Few things are as American as a baseball player giving his career another shot because he and his family needed health insurance. www.wsj.com/sports/baseb...

wsj.comThis U.S. Soccer Star Got a Crucial Assist—From the Shortstop of the Chicago CubsMallory Swanson has recovered from the grueling injury that cost her a World Cup spot. She couldn’t have done it without the help of her husband, Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson.

Mallory Swanson just scored to pull the USWNT into a tie with Spain, 2-2, late. Her husband, Dansby, the Chicago Cubs shortstop, is here in PA to cheer her on, and it made me think of this story from a few years ago: www.wsj.com/sports/socce...

No. 1 Spain v No. 2 U.S. in the biggest friendly before next summer’s World Cup. Spain beat the U.S. 2-0 Saturday.

U.S. Women's National Soccer Team@uswnt.ussoccer.com

Our Starters vs Spain 👊

What makes this an even bigger deal: The Atlanta Hawks and Atlanta Dream have different owners. The NBA, WNBA, TV partners and involved teams all had to coordinate to make this happen.

Rachel Bachman, WSJ sports reporter@realbachscore.bsky.social

An NBA team is moving its tipoff time for the W Finals: To accommodate the Dream on Oct. 24, the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks have agreed to move the start time of their regular-season home opener. The Hawks will now host the Houston Rockets at 8:30 p.m. ET instead of 8 p.m.

An NBA team is moving its tipoff time for the W Finals: To accommodate the Dream on Oct. 24, the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks have agreed to move the start time of their regular-season home opener. The Hawks will now host the Houston Rockets at 8:30 p.m. ET instead of 8 p.m.

wsj.comCollege Football Kickers Were Underpaid. Then They Started Texting.Players at the afterthought position have created a quiet but powerful information network and are leveraging it for big pay raises.

College kickers who can make a 47-yard game-winner are valuable. www.wsj.com/sports/footb...

🛼 🏈 R.I.P. to legendary Bears coach Mike Ditka. I talked to him in 2013 about… rollerblading at the Metrodome. www.wsj.com/articles/SB1...

Rachel Bachman, WSJ sports reporter reposted

Top-level pro basketball players who have won league MVP awards three years in a row: Bill Russell (1961, 62, 63) Wilt Chamberlain (1966, 67, 68) Larry Bird (1984, 85,86) A'ja Wilson (2024, 25, 26)

Top-level pro basketball players who have won league MVP awards three years in a row: Bill Russell (1961, 62, 63) Wilt Chamberlain (1966, 67, 68) Larry Bird (1984, 85,86) A'ja Wilson (2024, 25, 26)

wsj.comAlice Cooper Found Comfort in Making People UncomfortableThe rock star and memoirist on his early near-death health issue, his passion for Chuck Berry and dressing up as Zorro for Halloween

TIL about Alice Cooper's look: "My eyeliner was inspired by Bette Davis’s crazy makeup in the 1962 film 'What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?' Anita Pallenberg’s Black Queen character in the 1968 film 'Barbarella' was my fashion inspiration." www.wsj.com/real-estate/...

wsj.comThe Senate Just Passed a College Sports Law. Here’s What It Does.The bill, which would cap athlete pay and transfers, still needs to pass the House to become law. President Trump is a strong supporter.

The US Senate just overwhelmingly passed a sweeping college sports bill. (It still needs to pass the House to become law.) Here’s what it does and how we got here: www.wsj.com/sports/prote...

Rachel Bachman, WSJ sports reporter reposted

Sports Journalism Institute

@sji1992.bsky.social

sportsjournalisminstitute.orgApply

🚨 Applications for the Sports Journalism Institute Class of 2027 are now OPEN! 📝 Deadline: Nov. 6, 2026📍 Join a legacy of top journalists shaping the future of sports media. 🔗 Apply here: sportsjournalisminstitute.org/program/apply

Rachel Bachman, WSJ sports reporter reposted

Cassidy Hettesheimer

@cassidyhett.bsky.social

New ad across the street from Target Center this morning 🥽

wsj.comExclusive | Did Putin Really Think I Was a Spy?In an exclusive excerpt from his new book, “This Cursed Beautiful Land,” Evan Gershkovich searches for answers about his arrest while reporting in Russia.

“Who do you work for?” “The Wall Street Journal,” I said with a nervous laugh. The hood went back on. One of the men in the van put me into a chokehold while another pummeled my midsection with his fists until I couldn’t breathe. www.wsj.com/world/russia...

Rachel Bachman, WSJ sports reporter reposted

"THE COSTLINESS OF COLLEGE ATHLETICS PRESENTS YEARLY A MORE DIFFICULT PROBLEM FOR SOLUTION." -- New-York Daily Tribune, May 25, 1902

wsj.comNorth Korea Is Obsessed With World Domination—in Girls SoccerThe sport has become something of an athletic arbitrage for the country, which figures other nations won’t subject preteens to such arduous training.

North Korea has used some of its precious resources to get very, very good at women's soccer: www.wsj.com/world/asia/n...

Jeff Kassouf@jeffkassouf.bsky.social

The U-20 Women's World Cup final is set: North Korea vs. Spain on Sunday at Noon ET Could we see a repeat champion? Yes...if North Korea wins. The last four champions in reverse chronological order: North Korea, Spain, Japan, North Korea

wsj.comThe Vigilante Who’s Taking Down Recruitment Scammers, One Fake Job Ad at a TimeHe calls himself The Profiler and he has made it his mission to root out the bane of job seekers everywhere.

Chicago-based vigilante Jay Jones, who calls himself "The Profiler," roots out fake-job scams on LinkedIn and other sites. “You turn the lights on, and the roaches run.” www.wsj.com/tech/the-vig...

wsj.comExclusive | French Soccer Legend Thierry Henry Lists New York Penthouse for $25 MillionHenry purchased the Soho apartment for $14.85 million in 2010 and renovated the home with his partner, Andrea Rajacic.

Thierry Henry's SoHo loft has a rooftop barbecue, in case you needed another reason to want to hang out with him. www.wsj.com/real-estate/...

wsj.comIf You Haven’t Seen ‘The Spectacle,’ You’re Missing the WNBA’s Top RookieMinnesota Lynx guard Olivia Miles is in the mix to join Candace Parker as the league’s second dual Rookie of the Year-MVP.

21 Sept

After scoring 21 points on Sunday, her 40th game this season, Olivia Miles has 790 points.

Rachel Bachman, WSJ sports reporter@realbachscore.bsky.social

Minnesota Lynx guard Olivia Miles just broke Caitlin Clark’s record for points scored in a WNBA rookie season. They entered today tied with 769 points — which Miles scored in 39 games, Clark in 40 games. www.wsj.com/sports/baske...

wsj.comIf You Haven’t Seen ‘The Spectacle,’ You’re Missing the WNBA’s Top RookieMinnesota Lynx guard Olivia Miles is in the mix to join Candace Parker as the league’s second dual Rookie of the Year-MVP.

20 Sept

Minnesota Lynx guard Olivia Miles just broke Caitlin Clark’s record for points scored in a WNBA rookie season. They entered today tied with 769 points — which Miles scored in 39 games, Clark in 40 games. www.wsj.com/sports/baske...

davebarry.substack.comMichelleA tribute.

19 Sept

This, by Dave Barry, is the best explanation I’ve read of what it’s like to be a female sportswriter: davebarry.substack.com/p/michelle?r...

Rachel Bachman, WSJ sports reporter reposted

wsj.comExclusive | The Super Donor Quarterbacking Michigan Sports: Larry Ellison’s WifeUniversity of Michigan graduate Jolin Ellison wields a deep pocket and a powerful voice directed at winning football and basketball games.

18 Sept

Exclusive: This super donor is quarterbacking Michigan sports from a waterfront estate in Florida: Jolin Ellison, class of 2012, international studies graduate and billionaire Larry Ellison’s sixth wife. w/@emilyglazer.bsky.social www.wsj.com/sports/footb...

wsj.comExclusive | The Super Donor Quarterbacking Michigan Sports: Larry Ellison’s WifeUniversity of Michigan graduate Jolin Ellison wields a deep pocket and a powerful voice directed at winning football and basketball games.

18 Sept

Exclusive: This super donor is quarterbacking Michigan sports from a waterfront estate in Florida: Jolin Ellison, class of 2012, international studies graduate and billionaire Larry Ellison’s sixth wife. w/@emilyglazer.bsky.social www.wsj.com/sports/footb...

wsj.comThe 91-Player Overhaul Behind College Football’s Most Audacious RebuildOklahoma State has a new coach, mostly new players and a giant hole to climb out of. The Cowboys’ model is reigning national champion Indiana.

12 Sept

Oklahoma State football went 1-11 last season. It brought in *92 new players* this offseason (1 after this story published). It lost to Tulsa last week. And it just beat No. 6 Oregon. www.wsj.com/sports/footb...

wsj.comCollege Athletes Used to Live in Dorms. Now They’re Buying Million-Dollar Homes.Football players are using their NIL earnings to purchase properties in college towns. “This can change our lives forever.”

11 Sept

Some people say college sports in the player-pay era is chaos. To many athletes, it's been life-changing for them and their families. For instance: Some college football players are buying their own homes, gaining a foothold on lifelong financial stability. www.wsj.com/real-estate/...

Rachel Bachman, WSJ sports reporter reposted

11 Sept

The NIL era has been life-changing for so many college athletes. One example from our story about football players buying homes near campus: www.wsj.com/real-estate/...

11 Sept

The NIL era has been life-changing for so many college athletes. One example from our story about football players buying homes near campus: www.wsj.com/real-estate/...

wsj.comCollege Football Kickers Were Underpaid. Then They Started Texting.Players at the afterthought position have created a quiet but powerful information network and are leveraging it for big pay raises.

10 Sept

I'm a mere 30 minutes in so I can't confirm that it's another perfect @shutdownfullcast.bsky.social, but it's close enough: Thank you for mentioning this story and these pay-hike kings: www.wsj.com/sports/footb...

Rachel Bachman, WSJ sports reporter reposted

Ella Brockway

@ellabrockway.bsky.social

9 Sept

Trinity Rodman [back at Spirit training after Ben Shelton’s match ended at 3:30am this morning] exists in a different space-time continuum than the rest of us

Rachel Bachman, WSJ sports reporter reposted

wsj.comCollege Football Kickers Were Underpaid. Then They Started Texting.Players at the afterthought position have created a quiet but powerful information network and are leveraging it for big pay raises.

7 Sept

Not long ago, many college kickers weren’t even on scholarship. In the NIL era, they’ve created an informal network to share pay information and win big raises. “They basically self-created their own market.” www.wsj.com/sports/footb...

wsj.comCollege Football Kickers Were Underpaid. Then They Started Texting.Players at the afterthought position have created a quiet but powerful information network and are leveraging it for big pay raises.

7 Sept

Not long ago, many college kickers weren’t even on scholarship. In the NIL era, they’ve created an informal network to share pay information and win big raises. “They basically self-created their own market.” www.wsj.com/sports/footb...

Rachel Bachman, WSJ sports reporter reposted

6 Sept

🗞️ 'Football Is Disease at University of Notre Dame' "No hardy young man can attend school there without contracting it." Iron County News, Hurley, Wis., Jan. 31, 1925 tile.loc.gov/storage-serv...