National Women’s Soccer League Championships

Tomorrow, Gotham FC and OL Reign will square off in the 2023 National Women’s Soccer League Championship game on Bashor Field at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego. A new champion will be crowned this season; Gotham hadn’t won a playoff game since 2013 and the Reign earned their first playoff win since 2015. Sixth-seeded Gotham snuck into the playoffs with the final berth and proceeded to upset No. 3 North Carolina Courage in the quarterfinals and the No. 2 Portland Thorns FC in the semifinals. The Reign entered the playoffs as the fourth seed, beating No. 5 Angel City FC in the quarterfinals and upsetting No. 1 San Diego Wave in the semifinals.

Connor Stalions Resigns

With a dynamic offense and one of the most daunting defenses college football has seen in the last decade, the Wolverines are 9–0 and the No. 2 ranked team in the country. However, for the last three weeks, the spotlight has not been on any specific player; rather, it has been on 28-year-old football analyst, Connor Stalions.

A former Marine Corps officer, Stalions now finds himself in the center of the NCAA’s investigation into illegal off-campus scouting and sign stealing. Stalions bought tickets to over 30 games at 12 Big Ten stadiums and four tickets to non-conference College Football Playoff contenders over a three year span. According to ESPN, Stalions also bought tickets to the 2021 and 2022 Southeastern Conference Championship games via the secondary market. Sign stealing is allowed in college football, but not to the extent of Stalions’ actions. Teams are able to watch film from upcoming opponents’ previous games as long as they do not go off campus and/or use electronic equipment to record a player or coaches voices or signals. NCAA Bylaw 11.6.1 states: “Off-campus, in-person scouting of future opponents (in the same season) is prohibited.”

On Nov. 3, Stalions resigned amid the growing investigation into the program. He had previously been suspended by Michigan without pay on Oct. 20.

“I love the University of Michigan and its football program,” Stallions told The Athletic regarding his resignation. “I am extremely grateful for the opportunity I’ve had to work with the incredible student athletes, coach [Jim] Harbaugh, and the other coaches that have been a part of the Michigan football family during my tenure. I do not want to be a distraction from what I hope to be a championship run for the team, and I will continue to cheer them on.”

C.J. Stroud’s Historic Day

With 46 seconds left on the clock and two timeouts, quarterback C.J. Stroud and the Houston Texans had the ball down four to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. On the previous play, Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield capped off a 10 play, 61 yard drive by finding tight end Cade Otton open in the back of the end zone from 14 yards out to put the Bucs on top 37–33.

Stroud, the second-overall pick in the draft, proceeded to lead the Texans down the field on a six play, 75 yard drive in 40 seconds to put the Texans on top 39–37, connecting with fellow rookie and second round pick Tank Dell on a post in the back of the end zone from 15 yards out.

Stroud finished the game with an NFL rookie record 470 passing yards, 5 touchdown passes, no interceptions, and a 147.8 passer rating — the highest single game rating by a rookie quarterback in NFL history. The rookie of the year favorite became the sixth player in NFL history to record over 450 pass- ing yards and five touchdown passes with no interceptions.

At 4–4, the Texans are in the thick of the playoff hunt, sitting one game back of a wild card spot and two games back of the American Football Conference Southern Division leaders, the Jacksonville Jaguars.

NBA Slate Empty Tuesday; Players and Fans Encouraged to Vote

The NBA season is in full-swing, but on Tuesday, Nov. 7, it took a day off. For the second year in a row, the league did not have any games on Election Day.

Last season, the NBA announced they would not hold any games on Election Day in an effort to encourage teams, players, coaches, and fans to vote in their own communities, increasing overall civil engagement among the NBA community. That initiative has carried over into this season.

“The league will continue to encourage fans and the broader NBA community to make a plan to vote and participate in the civic process,” the NBA said at their 2023–24 schedule announcement on Aug. 18. “As part of this initiative, the NBA will share important resources from voting organizations and highlight the civic engagement work of teams in their markets.”