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October 1, 2026

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Men and women will get equal prize money for all combined ATP/WTA 1000 events, the WTA announced Thursday. The move marks the successful conclusion of an initiative the women’s pro tennis group launched in 2023, in which it committed to equal pay at all combined 1000s by 2027.

—Eli Kronenberg and Colin Salao

First Up

The WNBA will not further penalize A’ja Wilson for an incident involving a fan, allowing her to play in Thursday’s Game 3 between the Aces and Fever.
ESPN is increasing the output of Inside the NBA episodes and adding more of them to the early-season docket, the network announced Thursday.
While Kamario Taylor has been college football’s breakout star this season, many have already begun to speculate about whether he’ll stay at Mississippi State.
Napheesa Collier said she hasn’t thought about her impending free-agency decision following the Lynx’ early elimination from the playoffs.

WTA Announces Equal Pay for All Combined 1000 Events

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Men and women will get equal prize money for all combined ATP/WTA 1000 events, the WTA said Thursday in a press release outlining a series of structural changes to the tour in 2027.

The announcement marks the successful conclusion of a “pathway” the WTA launched in 2023, in which it committed to equal pay at all combined 1000s by 2027. This year, four of the seven combined 1000s divvied out equal prize money; the three that did not—the Italian Open, Canadian Open, and Cincinnati Open—will all do so next season.

“Achieving equal prize money across all combined WTA 1000 tournaments is a major milestone for tennis,” WTA chair Valerie Camillo said in the release. “It demonstrates the WTA’s continued commitment to leading the sports industry in delivering our athletes competitive and financial equality, and is a testament to the enduring nature of the founding vision of the WTA.”

Equal pay at the 1000 level has long been a goal of gender equality advocates in the sport. While all four Grand Slams implemented equal pay by 2007, pay gaps at the next most prestigious tournaments often remained vast.

As recently as 2023, the total purse at the Italian Open in Rome was $8.5 million for the ATP, compared to just $3.9 million for the WTA.

The WTA’s move comes in the wake of uncertainty over its financial sustainability, with The Telegraph reporting last month that the tour “is in danger of running out of money next year if the current rate of losses continues.”

According to the report, the WTA is on track to declare an operating loss of $23 million for 2026, which would leave it with only $11 million in cash on hand at the end of the year. Next season is also set to be the last year the tour earns an annual $30 million from selling 20% of its commercial operations to private equity firm CVC Capital Partners.

To help reverse these losses, the WTA is turning further to the U.S. market. Last month, it announced that the WTA Finals will be held in Charlotte, North Carolina, between 2027 and 2029 after it prematurely ended an agreement to hold its centerpiece event in Saudi Arabia. This year’s edition will take place in Indian Wells, California, and the tour’s headquarters will also move to Charlotte.

In pledging to close the pay gap, the WTA also announced the creation of a new Tournament Investment Fund, which it said will “assist select tournaments by directing financial support to markets where it will have the greatest impact.”

“This reflects an approach common to other leading professional sports leagues, while continuing to enable our long-term strategy to achieve equal prize money,” Camillo said in a video explaining the announcement.

The ATP currently allocates funding from tournament revenue to players based on their performance in Masters 1000 events, doling out $12.1 million to players in 2025 as part of that initiative.

Fewer Tournaments Required

The WTA also announced it will reduce the number of required 500 events for top-50 players from six to four. Top players will now be committed to 18 tournaments every year.

Players will also be allowed to replace their result from one WTA 1000 tournament with a WTA 500 or 250 event in which they scored more points. Players are scored on a rolling 12-month basis based on their results at 18 events: four Grand Slams, six combined 1000s, one non-combined 1000, and their next best seven results.

Front Office Sports reported in August that a vote was scheduled around the US Open that would cut the number of required WTA 500 events for top players. WTA board member Bob Moran, who is also the president of Beemok Sports and Entertainment that runs the Cincinnati Open, told FOS that organizers had several “hearty discussions” to reach the decision to reduce the number.

Players have consistently complained about the tight and lengthy tennis calendar, which came to a head in February when nearly two dozen players dropped out of the Dubai Tennis Championships, a 1000 event.

Around the same time, Camillo launched a Tour Architecture Council led by star Jessica Pegula whose primary goal was to improve the tennis calendar.

“The calendar shapes so much of our lives as players: when we train, when we compete, when we recover, and all the time we can spend at home with our families,” Pegula said in a video accompanying the announcement. “These changes give us more choice from a scheduling and ranking standpoint, which I think is important for the players at the end of the year.”

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ONE BIG FIG

Hot Ticket

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$266

That’s how much it will cost to get into the Steelers-Browns Thursday Night Football game in Cleveland tonight, as of 2:42 p.m. Thursday. The get-in price has surged over the past few days, increasing more than 250% from $73 on Saturday afternoon. If that number holds or increases, it will be the highest get-in price at kickoff for a Browns game since at least the 2022 season, according to TicketData. The Browns have surprised many by starting the season 2–1, with scandal-ridden quarterback Deshaun Watson under center after missing more than a season and a half due to injury.

LOUD AND CLEAR

Value System

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“Absolutely not. I will never do that. Honestly, I think it’s very sad to see some players promote it.”

—Victor Wembanyama in response to a question from a reporter about whether he would consider endorsing a sports betting company. The Spurs center said he has turned down plenty of lucrative endorsement deals because they didn’t align with his values. “I want to promote things that have a good impact, that have a good influence,” he added. “I want to inspire in a good way.”

Many other NBA players have endorsement deals with sports betting companies and prediction-market platforms, including LeBron James, who has a deal with Polymarket that will pay him $15 million a year, Giannis Antetokounmpo, who has a deal with and is an investor in Kalshi, and Kevin Durant, who has a partnership with FanDuel.

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Meet the Moment in Vegas

This November, we’re bringing together leaders from across sports, media, and consulting in the heart of Las Vegas during the city’s fastest weekend for Tastemakers.

From the evolution of sports operations and new business models to emerging audiences, markets, and fan experiences, we’ll explore how the industry is transforming—and where the biggest opportunities for growth are taking shape.

Join us Nov. 20 for thoughtful conversations, fresh perspectives, and meaningful connections in an atmosphere that’s distinctly Vegas.

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STATUS REPORT

One Up, Two Down, One Push

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Arike Ogunbowale ⬆ The Dallas Wings guard poured in a WNBA-playoff-record 45 points in a 108–100 overtime victory over the Golden State Valkyries on Wednesday night, keeping her team’s season alive and forcing a deciding Game 3 on Friday. Ogunbowale surpassed the previous record of 42 points, which was held jointly by Napheesa Collier, Breanna Stewart, and Angel McCoughtry. The four-time All-Star hit a fadeaway-corner three with 4.1 seconds remaining in regulation to tie the game at 93 and force overtime.

Red Sox ⬇ New manager Chad Tracy’s first series of postseason baseball could hardly have gone worse as Boston flamed out in a two-game sweep by the Yankees. New York outscored the Red Sox 18–2 over the two contests, and ace Sonny Gray didn’t pull any punches when discussing Tracy’s decision to remove him after just 70 pitches Wednesday night. “I think I’m the best pitcher in the American League going through the order a third time. I think that’s a fact,” Gray said. “I would have liked to have been trusted in that moment.” The Red Sox trailed 1–0 when Gray was pulled after 4.2 innings with runners on the corners, and their bullpen was lit up for six runs the following inning. The Yankees ultimately prevailed 9–2.

Ryan Field ticket prices ⬇ The get-in price for the opening game in Northwestern’s new $875 million stadium has dropped to $110, a decrease of more than 70% in the last two months, according to TicketData. The new Ryan Field opens Friday night after nearly three years of construction as the Wildcats take on Penn State. Despite being the most-expensive stadium in college sports history, Ryan Field’s 35,000-seat capacity is more than 12,000 seats smaller than its previous iteration. But the stadium also features a state-of-the-art design meant to maximize sightlines, including a student section without seats.

Kei Nishikori ⬆⬇ The Japanese tennis star played the final match of his illustrious career, losing 6–4, 6–4 to Frances Tiafoe in the first round of the Japan Open in Tokyo. Nishikori ends his career as by far the highest-earning Asian player in ATP history, gathering more than $26.2 million in prize money, the 21st-highest career earnings of any male player. But Nishikori’s lucrative sponsorship portfolio set him even further apart from his peers, as annual endorsement earnings eclipsing $30 million launched him into the top 40 of Forbes’ World’s Highest-Paid Athletes list on several occasions.