{"id":669967,"date":"2026-05-28T11:13:12","date_gmt":"2026-05-28T11:13:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/669967\/"},"modified":"2026-05-28T11:13:12","modified_gmt":"2026-05-28T11:13:12","slug":"the-best-value-fan-experience-plus-hurricanes-keep-winning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/669967\/","title":{"rendered":"The best-value fan experience? Plus: Hurricanes keep winning"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Pulse Newsletter \ud83d\udce3 | This is The Athletic\u2019s daily sports newsletter. Sign up here<\/a> to receive The Pulse directly in your inbox.<\/p>\n

Good morning! Smash all your shots today. Coming up:<\/p>\n

Questions: It\u2019s a grab-bag day<\/p>\n

Rather than try to shoehorn today\u2019s mailbag questions into one category \u2014 \u201cwomen\u2019s sports,\u201d broadly, is tempting, but feels off \u2014 I\u2019ll just concede: It\u2019s a miscellaneous question day! Let\u2019s get to it:<\/p>\n

Can anyone in the WNBA dunk, and if so, do they? BTW I\u2019m a WNBA fan. \u2014 Alan B., Fort Wayne, Ind.<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udcac Annie Costabile:\u00a0Yes! There have been players in the WNBA to dunk, starting with Lisa Leslie. Candace Parker was one, Brittney Griner is another. Dominique Malonga has dunked in the 3\u00d73 league Unrivaled. There\u2019s a video circulating on social media of her dunking in a Storm practice, so it seems like it\u2019s only a matter of time before she does in a game.<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udcac Sabreena Merchant:\u00a0Washington Mystics forward Kiki Iriafen has dunked in practice and has said that now she\u2019s past her rookie year jitters, she\u2019s looking forward to dunking in-game.<\/p>\n

Can you do a piece on the financial support the NBA gives to the WNBA? Just to clear up any\u00a0misconceptions. \u2014 Jack FG, Elmira, N.Y.<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udcac Merchant:\u00a0When the WNBA inaugurated in 1997, it was completely owned by the NBA. That ended in 2002, when the league returned control of the teams to the individual franchises; now, the NBA owns 42 percent of the WNBA. That manifests itself in some shared personnel at the league level, including legal teams and operations executives. They also have a combined media rights package, a shared office space in Manhattan and some of the same national sponsorships and marketing deals.<\/p>\n

There are individual WNBA teams that are under the same ownership as the NBA teams in their city. They share tons of resources, including arenas and practice facilities.<\/p>\n

Asli Pelit\u2019s\u00a0recent article<\/a>\u00a0about the NWSL being one of the best values for fans got me thinking why\u00a0The Athletic\u00a0hasn\u2019t done a deep dive recently on the cost of fan experiences across the major leagues in the country. Affordability is always a concern, but especially when I\u2019m looking at gas prices and seriously considering a Prius.\u00a0 So \u2026 what\u2019s the best fan deal for a family of four? \u2014 Amos F., Sioux Falls, N.D.<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udcac Dan Shanoff:\u00a0Amazing question, Amos! Obviously, it is four 100-level seats to the Knicks for Game 3 of the NBA Finals \u2014 only $59,044. (We kid, we kid!) Speaking of kids, the best live sports value for a family of four is watching your own kid play a sport that requires no spectator fee. OK, let\u2019s really answer your question:<\/p>\n

Having lived this question with my own family, especially when the kids were younger, I think minor-league baseball remains the perfect intersection of reasonable get-in prices, proximity to the action, typically kid-friendly amenities and no guilt if\/when you decide to leave early.<\/p>\n

Our go-to was the Brooklyn Cyclones, so let me use that as a proxy: This Friday, it\u2019s \u201cStar Trek Night,\u201d so the 6:40 p.m. start includes a giveaway Trek jersey, and there is a ticket offer that includes two beers, seltzers or soft drinks per ticket (which at an MLB park will cost you as much as the $30 ticket).<\/p>\n

I also recommend Henry Bushnell\u2019s piece from last year on how U.S. sports tickets\u00a0got so dang expensive<\/a>.<\/p>\n

One more day of Pulse Mailbag Week tomorrow,\u00a0and it\u2019s a fun one. Thanks for sticking with us.<\/p>\n

News to Know<\/p>\n

Chaos on Day 4 in Paris<\/p>\n

I wasn\u2019t expecting to dig into tennis much today, but felt a series of wacky events at Roland Garros yesterday were worth highlighting. A few of the main ones, quickly:<\/p>\n

Two opponents got into legit beef over which ball marks in the clay they should be consulting for a line call. The weirdest part:\u00a0They agreed the shot was out<\/a>.
\nInjuries<\/a> were numerous, and temperature-related issues persisted.
\nRussian player Karen Khachanov\u00a0misplaced a smash (on match point!) so badly<\/a>, our James Hansen said it was an immediate entrant into the worst-miss-ever conversation. Just watch:<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s our\u00a0full recap of Day 4 shenanigans and key results<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Hurricanes win 3 straight<\/p>\n

Carolina is one game away from its first Stanley Cup Final since 2006. After getting walloped by the Canadiens in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference final, the Hurricanes have won three in a row. Last night\u2019s 4-0 victory was potentially their\u00a0strongest game of this postseason<\/a>, our staff wrote, even after their sweeps in the first two rounds. And while Montreal took its first two series to seven games, it hasn\u2019t faced a 3-1 deficit since the first round last year. Game 5 is tomorrow.<\/p>\n

More news<\/p>\n

Chiefs star\u00a0Travis Kelce\u00a0bought a minority stake<\/a>\u00a0in his hometown\u00a0Guardians.\u00a0While it seems unlikely that would materially change the team\u2019s day to day, Cleveland is staring down a\u00a0potential majority owner change as soon as 2027.
\nThere could be a \u201cNinja Warrior\u201d obstacle course\u00a0as part of modern pentathlon at the\u00a02028 Olympics\u00a0after a licensing deal with the franchise\u2019s parent company.\u00a0I\u2019m in<\/a>.
\nAnother\u00a0college sports bill\u00a0is incoming, this time proposing an antitrust exemption for the NCAA that would allow it to limit transfers and eligibility, enforce a spending cap, prevent a Big Ten-SEC breakaway league and more.\u00a0Full details here<\/a>.
\nUnderdog Sports, the company that made the\u00a0Operation game mocking Shai Gilgeous-Alexander\u00a0we mentioned earlier this week, received a cease and desist letter from the MVP\u2019s lawyers.\u00a0Oof<\/a>.
\nMLB players\u00a0made their first proposal of this round of\u00a0labor negotiations, attempting to preempt the owners\u2019 push for a salary cap.\u00a0Read our report<\/a>.
\nMallory Swanson\u00a0is back on the\u00a0U.S. women\u2019s national team\u00a0roster for the first time since 2024, restoring the famed \u201cTriple Espresso\u201d for next month\u2019s friendlies against Brazil.\u00a0See the full roster<\/a>.
\nThe\u00a0Philadelphia Union\u00a0fired head coach\u00a0Bradley Carnell\u00a0less than a season<\/a> after winning the Supporters\u2019 Shield and MLS Coach of the Year honors.
\nArgentine police\u00a0arrested two Chilean men\u00a0accused of being part of a criminal group linked to a\u00a0string of burglaries\u00a0targeting NFL and NBA players, including Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow and Kelce.\u00a0More details here<\/a>.
\nWatch Guide<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udcfa Women\u2019s College World Series
Noon ET on ESPN
Mississippi State and No. 11 Texas Tech kick off this stage of the tournament in the first of four games today. The Red Raiders remain loaded with star pitcher NiJAree Canady after last year\u2019s runner-up finish, while the Bulldogs, who ousted juggernaut Oklahoma, are the only unseeded team left. Here are\u00a0eight players to watch<\/a>\u00a0in the series.<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udcfa Scripps National Spelling Bee
8 p.m. ET on Ion
I warned yesterday we\u2019d have a poll coming on this, piggybacking off\u00a0Mina Kimes\u2019 role as host<\/a>. In our sports business newsletter this week, Dan Shanoff posed the question:\u00a0Is the Spelling Bee sports?<\/a> I\u2019m blatantly stealing that ahead of tonight\u2019s final. You can vote in the inbox version of this newsletter, or email us your thoughts at thepulse@theathletic.com.<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udcfa NBA: Thunder vs. Spurs
8:30 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock
Victor Wembanyama looked mortal in Game 5 and\u00a0needs to be back in superhuman form<\/a>\u00a0here (and in a potential Game 7). Small ask, right? Meanwhile, the Thunder seem even more dangerous after\u00a0harnessing their championship mettle<\/a>. Speaking of \u2026<\/p>\n

Pulse Picks<\/p>\n

Chet Holmgren\u00a0has set aside any ego to embrace his role as a secondary star in Oklahoma City, a mentality he says runs through the entire team.\u00a0Make time for this exclusive interview,<\/a>\u00a0where the wise-sounding 24-year-old took our Fred Katz\u00a0inside his world.<\/p>\n

A lot of uncomfortable questions loom for\u00a0the Avalanche\u00a0after squandering a\u00a0dream season.\u00a0Mark Lazerus gets the conversation started<\/a>.<\/p>\n

A former\u00a0Minneapolis-area football star\u00a0returned to lead his hometown middle school. Then the\u00a0ICE raids\u00a0began, and the community that once made him feel safe wondered if he could return the favor. Jourdan Rodrigue\u00a0has the story<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In the second installment of our series on\u00a0motherhood and soccer,\u00a0Melanie Anzidei digs into\u00a0how\u00a0collective bargaining\u00a0gave NWSL players autonomy<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Most-clicked in the newsletter yesterday:\u00a0Naomi Osaka\u2019s latest\u00a0tennis couture<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Most-read on the website yesterday:\u00a0\u261d\ufe0f<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udceb That\u2019s all for now! Say hello at\u00a0thepulse@theathletic.com<\/a>, and\u00a0check out our other newsletters<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Pulse Newsletter \ud83d\udce3 | This is The Athletic\u2019s daily sports newsletter. Sign up here to receive The…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":669968,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[73],"tags":[99,434],"class_list":["post-669967","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-wnba","tag-sports","tag-wnba"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/669967","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=669967"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/669967\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/669968"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=669967"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=669967"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=669967"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}