Why the Indiana Fever & Caitlin Clark are NOT in crisis in WNBA with parity | The IX Sports Podcast

The IX Sports Podcast Hockey Edition: Setting Up the Off-Season for PWHL San Jose

They got Laila Edwards and some key expansion pieces, but can they score goals? This week, podcast host Maya is joined by Eli Fastiff to talk about where PWHL San Jose stands heading into the off-season. But first, the Boston Fleet are heading to Agganis Arena full-time next season. The Fleet will leave behind a lot of fans in Lowell, but is this the right move? Eli also tells Maya about the experience of being in-person at the PWHL Draft and Awards show. He then breaks down what's missing in San Jose, what's exciting about this team, and where he thinks their strengths are going into the 2026-27 season. Follow Eli on X: https://x.com/Eli_Fastiff [https://x.com/Eli_Fastiff] Follow Maya on X: https://x.com/mayaxeverysport [https://x.com/mayaxeverysport] Read Lydia's story about the Boston Fleet: https://www.theixsports.com/the-ice-garden/pwhl/pwhl-boston/boston-fleet-to-call-agganis-arena-home-next-season [https://www.theixsports.com/the-ice-garden/pwhl/pwhl-boston/boston-fleet-to-call-agganis-arena-home-next-season/] Maya's story based on last week's episode: https://www.theixsports.com/the-ice-garden/where-the-vancouver-goldeneyes-stand-heading-into-the-off-season/ [https://www.theixsports.com/the-ice-garden/where-the-vancouver-goldeneyes-stand-heading-into-the-off-season/] Cover photo credit: PWHL

The IX Sports Podcast Basketball Edition: Inside benching Skylar Diggins & Chennedy Carter's release

A lot of news and history is unpacked in the latest episode of The IX Sports podcast women’s basketball edition. Cheryl Reeve became the winningest head coach in WNBA history, All-Star teams have been announced in full and two players in particular made headlines this week. What is going on with Skylar Diggins and Chennedy Carter and what happens next for the Chicago Sky and Las Vegas Aces? Later, Howard and Jackie discuss how politics have made it into WNBA circles this week. The new Obama Center will play a role at WNBA All-Star. What is this about a letter going to Cathy Engelbert from members of US Congress?And don’t miss a one-on-one interview Jackie did with the New York Liberty’s Jonquel Jones on what it means to be now a 6X All-Star.  0:00 - Introduction  2:18 - # 1 at The IX  3:16 - Cheryl Reeve’s legacy  8:47 - All-Star roster reactions  14:46 - Jonquel Jones talks about being a 6X All-Star  18:45 - Why Skylar Diggins got benched  27:39 - Why the Aces waived Chennedy Carter  31:46 - Obama Center X WNBA  34:17 - Why was there a letter from Congress to protect Caitlin Clark? Thumbnail Photo Credits:  Left: Chicago Sky guard Skylar Diggins (4) reacts against the Toronto Tempo during the first half at Wintrust Arena. Photo Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images Right: Chennedy Carter (2) drives the ball  during the WNBA game between the Las Vegas Aces and the Connecticut Sun at Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville, Connecticut, USA on May 15, 2026. Photo Credit: Chris Poss Links to click that are referenced throughout the show:  Howard’s column on WNBA All-Star https://www.theixsports.com/newsletter/wnba-all-star-rosters-are-pretty-much-fine-jonquel-jones-talks-all-star-selection/ [https://www.theixsports.com/newsletter/wnba-all-star-rosters-are-pretty-much-fine-jonquel-jones-talks-all-star-selection/]   Who were Jackie’s snubs? https://www.nbcsports.com/wnba/news/wnba-notebook-2026-all-star-snubs-and-who-could-make-it-as-replacements [https://www.nbcsports.com/wnba/news/wnba-notebook-2026-all-star-snubs-and-who-could-make-it-as-replacements] Alissa Hirsh on Skylar Diggins being benched:  https://chicago.suntimes.com/chicago-sky/2026/07/06/skylar-diggins-caught-off-guard-by-benching-as-tension-builds-with-sky [https://chicago.suntimes.com/chicago-sky/2026/07/06/skylar-diggins-caught-off-guard-by-benching-as-tension-builds-with-sky] Callie Fin provides context on Chennedy Carter’s time with the Aces:  https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/wnba/2026/07/08/why-the-las-vegas-aces-moved-on-from-chennedy-carter/90844488007/ [https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/wnba/2026/07/08/why-the-las-vegas-aces-moved-on-from-chennedy-carter/90844488007/] Cassandra Negley writes on Caitlin Clark being used as a pawn:  https://sports.yahoo.com/wnba/article/caitlin-clark-has-become-a-pawn-in-everyones-game-but-what-about-her-own-155901665.html [https://sports.yahoo.com/wnba/article/caitlin-clark-has-become-a-pawn-in-everyones-game-but-what-about-her-own-155901665.html] Follow us & Subscribe on:  YouTube  https://www.youtube.com/@TheIXSports [https://www.youtube.com/@TheIXSports] Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/0vn5r287B0oS3wX2fHmLZ8?si=39f2fd261ec1467f [https://open.spotify.com/show/0vn5r287B0oS3wX2fHmLZ8?si=39f2fd261ec1467f] Apple Podcasts  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-ix-sports-podcast/id1845604905 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-ix-sports-podcast/id1845604905] BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/theixsports.bsky.social [https://bsky.app/profile/theixsports.bsky.social] Instagram  https://www.instagram.com/theixsports/ [https://www.instagram.com/theixsports/]

The IX Sports Podcast Soccer Edition: Chicago Stars shine in NWSL return to play

Host Kathleen Gier starts this episode with the news that Gotham FC is moving to Queens in 2028. The team has been playing in New Jersey, but will build a new 25,000-seat venue. Then, Kathleen dives into the last week of NWSL scores and how they've affected the standings after the break. Links: https://www.theixsports.com/features/nwsl-returns-sanchez-goals-utahs-streak-broken-gloom-louisville/ https://www.theixsports.com/newsletter/san-diego-wave-melanie-barcenas-honors-idol-alex-morgan-with-cheeky-celly/ Photo credit: David Banks | Imagn Images Video credit: Kansas City Current, Portland Thorns

The IX Sports Podcast College Basketball Edition: Aqua Franklin

Lamar Women’s Basketball coach Aqua Franklin starred as a high school hooper in East Texas before matriculating to Texas A&M, where she was a three-year captain and two-time All-American honorable mention. She led the Aggies to their first-ever Big 12 championship, an Elite Eight, and was named to the school’s Hall of Fame in 2018.After spending a few seasons in the WNBA, Franklin moved to the bench, where she learned under some of the best program builders in the country, including Gary Blair and Vic Schaefer. Now, she finds herself at Lamar, where she has been the head coach since 2019. Under her guidance, the Cardinals have won at least 20 games each of the last four seasons, and were Southland Champions in 2024.In this episode, Coach Franklin walks us through what it means to coach in the mid-majors in this era of NIL and revenue sharing, how she’s successfully kept her players in Beaumont year after year, the excitement she feels for the coming season, and the hilarious story of how she ended up at Lamar in the first place.

The IX Sports Podcast Hockey Edition: What's Next for the Vancouver Goldeneyes?

Merry off-season, podcast listeners! The entire PWHL is taking a much-needed week off, but there's still news to talk about. Montréal Victoire's captain and playoff MVP, Marie-Philip Poulin, announced that she will be undergoing knee surgery and is out for the foreseeable future. What does that mean for Montréal and why is it going to take so long? Maya breaks all of that down in the #1 at the IX. Then Maya gives a recap of the other PWHL headlines of the week, including a few of the players at NHL development camps this week, like Chloe Primerano and Abbey Murphy. She also talks about the recent signings and what they might mean for teams going forward. Finally, she kicks off an off-season series doing a deep dive into each PWHL team and where they stand heading into next season. Starting with the Vancouver Goldeneyes, Maya talks about who is under contract, some key question marks, like whether Claire Thompson will re-sign, and what pieces they need to figure out before training camp begins. Dylan's article on Montréal's future without Poulin: https://www.theixsports.com/the-ice-garden/pwhl/pwhl-montreal/how-the-montreal-victoire-are-built-to-withstand-marie-philip-poulin-absence/ [https://www.theixsports.com/the-ice-garden/pwhl/pwhl-montreal/how-the-montreal-victoire-are-built-to-withstand-marie-philip-poulin-absence/] Maya on the Golden V Podcast: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1869778/episodes/19419041-maya-smith-the-ice-garden-vancouver-goldeneyes-pwhl-catchup [https://www.buzzsprout.com/1869778/episodes/19419041-maya-smith-the-ice-garden-vancouver-goldeneyes-pwhl-catchup] Follow Maya on X: https://x.com/mayaxeverysport [https://x.com/mayaxeverysport] Photo credit: PWHL