Caitlin Clark, a 22-year-old, has been impacting the basketball world in a way that has been compared to the influence Tiger Woods had on golf, according to Dave Hannigan. Clark’s upcoming professional debut in the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) next Tuesday is anticipated to draw in large television viewerships, result in lucrative broadcast rights agreements and an increase in advertising. Clark was a college game stand-out player, and with her entry into the professional league, her popularity has become such that a fan even asked her to sign an ultrasound image of their unborn child. Hannigan delves into Clark’s transforming role in her sport and how she’s elevating it to a new height.
Along with Clark’s momentous arrival, sports commentator Ciarán Murphy has proposed a modification to the layout of the provincial championships. He suggests that the four championships should be played throughout the season, similar to the format of England’s FA Cup, where they are interspersed within the fixture list every few weeks. He believes this would maintain the significance of thrilling days like last Sunday’s Connacht final where a trophy and community boasting rights were at stake and would prevent such events from disappearing.
Niall Murphy, the captain of the Sligo team, is reportedly still absorbing the shock of their last-minute defeat to Galway in the Connacht semi-final, a story covered by Paul Keane. Meanwhile, Louth midfielder Tommy Durnin is preparing for his county’s Leinster final against Dublin. He feels the challenge may seem daunting but maintains a hopeful attitude, quoting “It’s only impossible until it’s done so we’re going to give it our best shot.”
In other news, 12,800 season ticket holders of Leinster may not get the chance to acquire a ticket for the impending Champions Cup final unless they have already bought one, as the team’s official allocation is a mere 3,000 as reported by Johnny Watterson. In the golf world, golfer Rory McIlroy has made a rather unusual comparison between the Belfast Agreement and the division in the golf community. Lastly, Nathan Johns discusses the refusal by Ireland’s male cricketers of the contract offers presented by the sport’s administrators.
Rory McIlroy is making a return to the game at the Wells Fargo Championship starting today, which you can catch on Sky Sports Golf from half past twelve in the afternoon till eleven at night. After the enthralling semi-final of the Champions League last night involving Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, the spotlight now turns to the matches in the Europa League and Conference League. On the cards tonight are three semi-finals all starting at 8pm – with Olympiakos Piraeus taking on Aston Villa (to be aired on TNT Sports 1 and Virgin Media Two), Bayer Leverkusen battling it out with Roma (broadcast on TNT Sports 2 and Virgin Media More), and Atalanta up against Marseille (shown on TNT Sports 3).