Basketball

Name, image, and likeness compensation combined with looser transfer rules have turned college basketball roster-building into something resembling annual free agency.

Attendance, ratings, and franchise values for women’s professional basketball have surged, and the league is racing to build the venue and broadcast infrastructure to keep up.

Load management has become standard across the league, backed by real injury-prevention data — and the league is still working out how to balance that with fans who expect to see stars play.

Stricter luxury tax penalties in the new labor deal are already forcing teams to break up star-heavy rosters, pushing front offices toward a leaner, more cost-controlled team-building model.

Analytics-driven shot selection has pushed the league toward pace and three-point volume, reshaping roster construction and fueling debate over whether the style shift has been good for the game.