• Slug: Sports-Big 12 Commissioner ABOR. 700 words
• 2 photos available.

By Mateo Arenas
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – The Big 12 Conference is set to leave its mark on Arizona, as a positive early step was checked off Thursday.

Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark was in Tempe, speaking to the Arizona Board of Regents at Arizona State’s Fulton Center. Yormark spoke on the current state of college athletics, highlighting the new-look Big 12 with the addition of several schools, including ASU and the University of Arizona.

The conversation covered a variety of topics embedded in the ever-changing landscape of college athletics, including expansion, revenue-sharing, and name, image and likeness. Joined on stage by recently hired athletic directors Desireé Reed-Francois of Arizona and Graham Rossini of ASU, Yormark emphasized his vision for the Big 12 as the conference expands to 16 teams starting this fall.

“I love the market, and it’s always nice to pay a visit here,” Yormark said. “I will say there’s never been a more important time for college athletics than right now … As I see it, (sport) sits at the front porch of every institution for all the right reasons, and it drives the ecosystem across the board.”

Continue reading “Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark outlines new-look conference’s vision in meeting with Arizona Board of Regents”

• Slug: Sports-Mercury Natasha Cloud, 1,300 words.
• 2 photos available (thumbnails, captions below).

By Joshua Heron
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – After morning shootaround on a game day in late May, Phoenix Mercury guard Natasha Cloud made her way to the corner of the Verizon 5G Performance Center court. While discussing her time in Phoenix, she raised her hands and drowned out Kodak Black’s music playing over the speakers in the background with three spoken words: “I feel free.”

The young girl, raised in hard-nosed Philadelphia, became a woman in fast-paced, politicized Washington D.C. during her eight seasons with the Washington Mystics.

The East Coast made her who she is today. It matured her. It nurtured her. Continue reading “‘I feel free’: Natasha Cloud embraces fresh start, purpose with Phoenix Mercury”

• Slug: Sports-Diamondbacks Player Gambling, 420 words.
• Photo available (thumbnail, caption below).

By William Osborne
Cronkite News

LOS ANGELES – Arizona Diamondbacks reliever Andrew Saalfrank was among four players MLB suspended Tuesday for sports betting. The league also banned San Diego Padres infielder Tucupita Marcano for life. 

Saalfrank is on assignment with the Diamondbacks’ Triple-A affiliate Reno Aces. During the league’s investigation, he was found to have violated MLB’s sports gambling policy, rule 21(d)(1).

“Betting data shows that from September 9, 2021 through October 29, 2021, and on March 9, 2022, Saalfrank placed 29 baseball bets, including 28 MLB-related bets and one parlay bet on college baseball games, while he was on a Minor League contract with the Diamondbacks,” an MLB press release said. “Saalfrank placed all of his MLB-related bets, including four bets involving the Diamondbacks’ Major League team, while he was assigned to and on the Injured List of the Diamondbacks’ Low-A affiliate. Continue reading “Diamondbacks reliever Andrew Saalfrank suspended 1 year by MLB for sports betting”

• Slug: Sports-Magic Johnson MLK ASU, 1,500 words.
• 10 photos available (thumbnails, captions below).

By Joshua Heron
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – Magic Johnson elected not to use the elevated stage set up for him during his 20-minute speech at Arizona State University’s Student Pavilion, instead choosing to pace back and forth in front of the crowd. With a gentle, resounding voice, the five-time NBA champion chronicled his high school days and the impact of civil rights activist Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s legacy on his life before a phone rang from the audience about five minutes into his speech. 

“I can answer it for you and … tell them ‘Magic is here,'” Johnson told the attendee, earning a few laughs.

He indeed was there, but not to glorify himself.  Continue reading “Magic Johnson pays tribute to Martin Luther King Jr.’s ASU speech with inspiring address, $75K donation to students”

• Slug: Sports-Mercury Taurasi Latina, 1,075 words.
• 2 photos available (thumbnails, captions below).

By Joshua Heron
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – On the table at home after game night, Diana Taurasi sets a glass of wine. If the Phoenix Mercury guard had a choice of her favorite childhood home-cooked meal to complement her drink, she’d request her mom’s milanesa or ensalada de mozzarella. But the Argentinian desires nothing more than Lili Taurasi’s empanadas de pollo. 

Lili is from Argentina, and her husband Mario was born in Italy but primarily raised in Argentina, where he became a professional soccer goalie. The couple gave birth to their second child, Diana, in Los Angeles but prioritized her immersion in Latina culture.

During Sunday’s 87-68 victory against the Los Angeles Sparks at Footprint Center, the Mercury celebrated Dia Latina or Latina Day. The organization honored members of the Latina community in Phoenix, from local artists to members of their own hip-hop dance squad. Continue reading “Honoring heritage: Mercury’s Diana Taurasi pays homage to roots on Dia Latina amid skid-snapping win”

• Slug: Sports-Phoenix Championship Wrestling,  1,500 words.
• 4 photos available (thumbnails, captions below).

By Dylan Slager
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – Dom Vitalli, a professional wrestler and business guru who started working in the industry in New York in 2001, moved to Arizona in 2009 and had nearly reached a dead end in his search to find established wrestling schools in the Valley before joining a local venue as a volunteer trainer.

“One random Thursday night, I went to go train myself. I asked, ‘Hey guys, so who is the trainer?’ And they said, ‘Oh well we don’t have a trainer on Thursday nights, we just kind of do what we want,’” Vitalli recalled. “From my background, that is completely unacceptable. It’s like letting kids loose in a candy store. Someone is going to get hurt.”

Vitalli’s desire for wrestling and making other wrestlers better led him to meet his future partner in the business, Jon Wolfgang. In 2016, while attending college, Wolfgang chose to pursue his passion for wrestling and move back to Arizona, where he also noticed a lack of developmental resources for professional wrestling. Continue reading “Wrestling with fate: How two visionaries elevated professional wrestling in the Valley”

• Slug: Sports-New Women’s Basketball League, 830 words.
• Photo available (thumbnail, caption below).

By Joshua Heron
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – Morgan Bertsch’s family sent wedding invite after wedding invite. Her response was always the same: Declined. The first-year Mercury forward has missed every one of her family’s weddings to date due to a professional basketball journey that has taken her across the world. Despite becoming a third-round pick in the 2019 draft, she didn’t make a WNBA roster and played overseas for four years before playing her first season with Chicago Sky in 2023.

It’s a voyage many WNBA players endure to increase income, with nearly half the league competing in foreign countries during the past offseason, according to Front Office Sports. It’s not a matter of want but necessity, as the WNBA’s minimum salary is just over $64,000.

However, a new women’s basketball league, “Unrivaled,” aims to address those issues. Continue reading “‘A long time coming’: Phoenix Mercury players rally behind ‘Unrivaled’ league as game-changer for women’s basketball”

• Slug: Sports-Phoenix Rising Move Forward, 800 words.
• Photo available (thumbnail, caption below).

By Jack Reeves
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – Under the lights Saturday night, Phoenix Rising will have an opportunity to reach third place in the 12-team Western Conference.

The matchup against the Las Vegas Lights comes as Phoenix rides a two-game losing streak during a three-game road trip. The back-to-back losses dropped Phoenix to 1-2-2 away from home.

Despite the results, the team’s overall performance against two top sides has the team and coach Danny Stone feeling good going into this week’s matchup.

Continue reading “All eyes on Vegas: Phoenix Rising look to build after back-to-back losses”

• Slug: Sports-Mercury Home Loss.
• 3 photos available (thumbnails, captions below).

By Joshua Heron
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – Suns forward Kevin Durant stood on his feet with a drink in hand at Footprint Center Saturday night when Mercury guard Kahleah Copper made a driving layup with two minutes left in the third quarter.

It cut a 24-point deficit to nine.

It was the first time the Mercury found themselves within single digits since the beginning of the second. They came within four, but it was too little too late as a 40-point performance by Dallas’ Arike Ogunbowale handed the Mercury their first home loss of the season. Continue reading “Despite first home loss, Phoenix Mercury remain confident as they embark on road trip”

• Slug: Sports-ASU Names Athletic Director, 800 words.
• 2 photos available (thumbnails, captions below).

By Jack Reeves
Cronkite News

TEMPE – The wait is finally over – Arizona State has named its new athletic director.

ASU graduate Graham Rossini was officially introduced Thursday at Mountain America Stadium in front of the Pat Tillman statue, with family, ASU personnel and a handful of media members present for the announcement.

ASU President Micheal Crow tapped Rossini at a crucial time for ASU athletics, with an upcoming move to the Big 12, NIL and the transfer portal, making the job in Tempe unlike any other in the past. Continue reading “6 months later, ASU names an athletic director: Graham Rossini”

• Slug: Sports-Suns G League Mullett, 660 words.
• Photo available (thumbnail, caption below).

By Anne-Marie Iemmolo
Cronkite News

TEMPE – There’s a new team in Tempe.

The Phoenix Suns officially introduced their new G League affiliate team, the Valley Suns, who will play at Mullett Arena starting in November. 

During Wednesday’s press conference at the arena, Suns CEO and president Josh Bartelstein, and G League President Shareef Abdur-Rahim announced their plans for the new team, from their logo design to their home venue.

“It’s a lot of work to get this thing going. We’re really proud of it,” Bartelstein said.  Continue reading “It’s not just for hockey: Mullett Arena to house G League Valley Suns”

• Slug: Sports-ASU NIL Education, 1,000 words.
• 2 photos available (thumbnails, captions below).

By Lucas Gordon
Cronkite News

TEMPE – Most college freshmen step on campus with a four-year clock to develop real-world skills to land a job in their desired industry through classroom learning, work-study and internships. On top of fulfilling academic demands, students also take on entry-level jobs to earn extra money to go toward any school expenses. However, the same opportunity isn’t afforded to college athletes. 

Athletes juggle practices, games, travel and schoolwork, leaving them with less time to pursue internships or professional connections. Previously, college athletes were prohibited from monetizing their name, image, and likeness (NIL), denying them income opportunities. 

But the landscape is shifting with the introduction of NIL rights for college athletes that allows them to capitalize on their personal brands through endorsement deals, sponsorships and other avenues for monetizing their NIL. Continue reading “More than the money: NIL deals provide career prep for ASU athletes beyond the field”

• Slug: Sports-Suns Introduce Budenholzer, 840 words.
• Photo available (thumbnail, caption below).

By Jack Reeves

Cronkite News

PHOENIX – It was an emotional Friday afternoon for new Phoenix Suns coach Mike Budenholzer.

The Holbrook native returned to his home state and received a special welcome. Budenholzer’s 94-year-old father, Vince Budenholzer, was in attendance to watch his son be introduced by legendary Suns broadcaster Al McCoy as the 22nd head coach in the organization’s history.

Budenholzer, 53, played for his father at Holbrook High School. He also rooted for the Suns growing up, watching legends such as the late Paul Westphal, and listening to McCoy call the game, all of which made the day even more memorable. Continue reading “Happy to be home: Armed with championship on resume, Budenholzer excited to guide Suns”

• Slug: Sports-Bobblehead and Baseball, 1,300 words.
• 2 photos available

By James Lotts
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – America’s pastime has long been remembered through the preservation of its memorabilia, telling its rich history through the jerseys, gloves, hats and trading cards of its legendary figures. 

Giveaways are popular around the league, but one souvenir has cemented itself as a staple to fans and collectors everywhere: bobbleheads. 

If you’ve gone to a baseball game, you’ve probably seen and heard advertisements for the team’s seasonal giveaways. Bobbleheads have been used as promotional tools for teams around the league and therefore the knick-knacks have boomed in popularity.   Continue reading “Nod to the past: The ties between baseball and bobbleheads”

• EDS: An earlier version of this story included the incorrect spelling for owner Mat Ishbia’s first name. The error appeared in the headline and first graf. The story below has been corrected, but clients who used previous versions are asked to run the correction found here.
• Slug: Sports-Suns Ishbia Jones Reax, 540 words.
• Photo available

By Huston Dunston
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – After the Phoenix Suns’ season came to an abrupt end, owner Mat Ishbia and general manager James Jones knew they would have to face the music.

They did Wednesday, and it was accompanied by a healthy dose of feedback.

“I’m glad that the fans are upset with how the season went, that means they care just as much as we do,” Ishbia said. Continue reading “‘Doing great’: Mat Ishbia encouraged about Phoenix Suns’ future despite sweep”

• Slug: Sports-GCU Volleyball NCAA Tournament, 700 words.
• Photo available

By Connor Manning
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – Giant killers.

For the second time in five years, the Grand Canyon men’s volleyball team knocked off the No. 1 team in the country. The Lopes now join seven other programs in Long Beach, California, for the NCAA Tournament that begins competition Tuesday, with the Lopes taking on Ohio State at 7:30 p.m. MST in the quarterfinals.

“This matchup with Ohio State is going to be really, really good in terms of how comparable our teams are,” coach Matt Werle said. “With the win over UCLA and the experience of being (in the NCAA Tournament) last year, we don’t have to worry about freaking out over the lights and we can just go be us.” Continue reading “Blocked and loaded: GCU men’s volleyball on a roll as it prepares for Ohio State in NCAA Tournament”

• Slug: Sports-GCU: Sports and Religion, 1,700 words.
• 4 photos available

By Justin de Haas
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – Watching men’s basketball games at Grand Canyon’s Global Credit Union Arena is an enlightening experience. The building is often packed to capacity with 7,000 frenetic fans, including the Havocs student section. The team is a perennial winner in the Western Athletic Conference, but the squad also plays for a higher purpose.

That purpose is symbolized by the three large white crosses that stand outside the arena.

GCU is an interdenominational Christian university whose messaging of faith exists in a world where religion and sports can sometimes be uncomfortable bedfellows. The topic came to a head in 2022 when the Supreme Court ruled that a Washington high school football coach who knelt and prayed on the field after games was protected by the Constitution. Continue reading “Keeping the faith: GCU, others believe religion and sports can coexist”

• Slug: Sports-Marilynn Smith Golf, 1,100 words.
• 2 photos available

By Brett Lapinski
Cronkite News

SCOTTSDALE – When Debbie Waitkus published a story on LPGA icon Marilynn Smith following her World Golf Hall of Fame induction, it was supposed to be nothing more than a tribute to her golfing journey. However, 18 years later, that story has brought her to a place she never would’ve imagined the day she put the pen to paper.

Founded in 2020 under Waitkus following the passing of Smith in 2019, Golf It Forward has been a cornerstone in the golf community, preserving the legacy of the 13 LPGA co-founders and sharing their passion for the future of women’s golf with the world. The non-profit organization will host a series of events from Sunday to Wednesday at Gainey Ranch Golf Club in Scottsdale to fundraise for scholarships.

The foundation’s roots are inspired by Smith, who was one of, if not the most prolific pioneer in women’s golf history. While she amassed 21 tournament victories during her LPGA Tour career, it was off the green that truly cemented her legacy. Smith helped co-found the LPGA and was recognized as the “LPGA’s Goodwill Ambassador” for her efforts to promote the sport. Continue reading “Golf It Forward aims to grow women’s golf, empower future generations through Marilynn Smith’s legacy”