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WNBA champion Lexie Brown opens up on ‘culture shift’ since Caitlin Clark’s arrival
Seattle Storm player Lexie Brown has been in the WNBA since 2018, and won a championship with the Chicago Sky in 2021. In recent years, she’s taken notice of how the culture and image of the WNBA has changed since Caitlin Clark’s arrival in 2024.
“Has it changed how people view the WNBA? Absolutely. I think unfortunately, our value, the respect that we got has been directly attached to how much money we make and it’s not rocket science to see that since her arrival, and the rest of that 2024 class, the WNBA has skyrocketed. I’m not gonna act like that’s not a coincidence,” Brown told Fox News Digital.
“I think that people are taking the league more seriously, I think people are taking us more seriously as professional athletes. And I think if you consider that a culture shift, I would say, absolutely.”
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Brown admitted that injuries and her battle with Crohn’s Disease has kept her further from the court over the last two seasons during Clark’s rise, only playing in 40 total games since 2024.
Still, Brown witnessed the phenomena and controversy as a competitor.
“Do I think there were instances of excessive physicality? For sure,” Brown said when asked about the on-court play involving the 2024 draft class. “But I think that happens at all leagues, to rookies, the young players, I think that’s just the competitive nature of things… I feel like if you watch the season, you can come to your own conclusions about that. I’ve seen a lot of other excessive plays throughout my years.”
Brown pointed to when she suffered a concussion during an instance of ‘excessive physicality’ in her third season, as a member of the Minnesota Lynx.
“It happens, unfortunately,” she said.
Clark’s 2024 entry into the WNBA catalyzed record-breaking viewership, sold-out arenas and financial growth for the league.
But along with the growth came viral debate about on-court physicality and media coverage, especially among many of the new fans Clark brought to the sport. A few times during her rookie year, Clark suffered hard contact from certain opponents. Each of those moments ignited heated social media debates.
“She was a rookie that came in, that is super talented, and was number one on everyone’s scouting report. So you’re gonna get the best defender, you’re gonna get the most physical one, and I think it was just something that she had never seen before. And as a year went on, she adjusted and got used to it,” Brown said.
“It was hard at first for her to deal with that learning curve, growing pains, and you know, I think her fans kind of were like a little taken aback by the physicality of the WNBA, but I think like I said before, they allowed her to grow and learn through that, and she came out on top of the end.”
Brown herself has developed a complex dynamic with the hordes of new fans who have come to the WNBA since Clark’s arrival.
“There’s now a greater separation between fans and players… we were such like a niche, small community, tight-knit community for so long, and the WNBA has finally broken into this, like the mainstream sports media space, which is everything that we’ve asked for maybe we wouldn’t have this new CBA, we wouldn’t have these new contracts without it,” she said.
“So I’m not gonna say, I’m not appreciative… these eyes, these new viewers have changed so many of our lives.”
But Brown claims that one of the things she has had to deal with amid the WNBA’s growth in fandom is questioning of her validity as a WNBA player, amid her battle with Crohn’s disease and past injuries.
“I think because this explosion in the WNBA of interest in new eyes has happened in the last two years and I have virtually been not existent on the court because I’ve been dealing with Crohn’s and then last year I just simply didn’t get an opportunity to play. There’s been a lot of eyebrows raised as to how I got here if I deserve to be in the WNBA still, why I’m still on a roster with limited minutes, limited playing time, limited points per game, and the overall lack of empathy and sympathy,” she said.
“For me, it’s just having a little bit more empathy, understanding that myself and so many other players in this league are more than the stats.”
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NBA legend torches Magic after embarrassing playoff exit
Basketball Hall of Famer Tracy McGrady spent four years with the Orlando Magic, earning All-Star selections and a Most Improved Player of the Year Award while with the franchise.
As a former Magic star, McGrady was dismayed with how their 2025-26 season ended – a first-round playoff exit after going up 3-1 in a series against the Detroit Pistons. Orlando ended up firing head coach Jamahl Mosley on Monday and McGrady fired off criticism about the roster.
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“What they have on their roster right now, what you see on their bench, they gotta go,” McGrady said during NBC’s playoff coverage on Monday. “I’m sorry. They ain’t good enough. They need to improve this roster if they wanna be a team in the East that’s gonna compete.
“New York ain’t going nowhere. Boston isn’t going nowhere. Detroit ain’t going nowhere. You have to improve this roster.”
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Orlando was in great position to upset the No. 1-seeded Pistons in the first round. The Magic had three games to get the job done, but couldn’t pull it off. In one of those games, the Magic saw a 24-point lead evaporate at home. In Game 6, Orlando missed 23 consecutive shots.
The Magic built a core around Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner, Jalen Suggs and Desmond Bane, who are all under contract for the foreseeable future. The organization clearly feels that a new voice on the bench may help elevate the franchise.
Orlando improved dramatically over the course of Mosley’s tenure, but have still failed to get out of the first round of the playoffs.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Instantly upgrade your streaming: At home and when traveling
It happens to a lot of us when we travel abroad. You land, open your streaming app and realize the shows you watch are gone. The library has changed, and some of what you expect to see is suddenly unavailable. It is one of those inconveniences that may rarely cross your mind before a trip. Still, it happens to millions of travelers every year. But the streaming problem is just one part of a bigger issue.
Whether you are at home or on the other side of the world, the way you stream says a lot about how exposed your data is, how fast your connection runs and how much control you actually have over what you watch. Most of us have never thought about any of that. Although we probably should.
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WHY YOUR HOME WI-FI NEEDS MORE THAN JUST A STRONG PASSWORD
Every time you fire up a streaming app, your device sends and receives a large amount of data. That data passes through your internet provider, through various servers and sometimes through networks like hotel Wi-Fi that are far from secure.
Your internet provider can see what you stream and when. On public or shared networks, that visibility can extend further. In the background, your IP address gets logged by every service you connect to, quietly building a record of your habits.
Most people assume streaming is passive. From a data standpoint, it is anything but.
A VPN encrypts your connection before it leaves your device. That means your internet provider cannot see what you are watching, networks you connect to cannot monitor your activity, and the IP address shared with streaming platforms isn’t your real one.
For everyday home streaming, that is a meaningful privacy upgrade that most people have never applied to their TV habits. The benefits become even more noticeable the moment you travel.
Not all VPNs are built for streaming. Performance matters here. A VPN that protects your connection but slows your speed misses the point. Buffering isn’t an acceptable trade-off.
The best options use high-speed networks and optimized servers designed for streaming. That helps HD and 4K content stay smooth, even when your connection routes through servers far from your location.
IS YOUR VPN ENOUGH WITHOUT ANTIVIRUS PROTECTION?
When you are abroad and want to watch the content you subscribe to at home, like local news, sports or your usual streaming lineup, a VPN lets you connect through a server back home and stream as if you never left.
With servers located around the world, including across the United States, your subscriptions stay within reach wherever you are.
It also means you avoid relying on hotel or airport networks for security. Your connection stays encrypted end to end, which matters more when you are away from your home network than almost any other time. For the best VPN software, see my expert review of the best VPNs for browsing the web privately on your Windows, Mac, Android and iOS devices at CyberGuy.com.
Traveling puts your devices on networks you do not control, which makes a few simple habits go a long way. If you want to keep your streaming private and your accounts secure, start here:
Airport and hotel networks are convenient, but they are also the easiest places for your data to be exposed or intercepted.
Turn on your VPN before joining any network, so your connection stays encrypted from the moment you go online.
Logging into streaming services on shared or hotel devices can expose your login details long after you leave.
Updates often include security fixes that protect against known vulnerabilities and exploits.
BEWARE OF FAKE WI-FI NETWORKS THAT STEAL YOUR DATA WHEN TRAVELING
Your device can automatically reconnect to saved networks without you realizing it, which can increase your exposure if those networks are unsecured or impersonated. Turn off auto-connect in your settings to stay in control of when and where you connect.
If you do sign in on a shared device, make sure you fully log out and clear the browser if possible.
Streaming has quietly become one of the biggest data pipelines in your daily life. Most people focus on content, not on what happens behind the scenes. Once you understand how much data moves every time you press play, the case for adding a layer of protection becomes much clearer. A VPN does more than unlock content while traveling. It gives you more control over your privacy, your connection, and your overall experience. That applies just as much on your couch as it does in a hotel room halfway around the world.
If you pay for streaming every month, should you also have more control over who can see what you watch and where you can watch it? Let us know by writing to us at CyberGuy.com.
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Trump turns Obama-era youth health policy on its head as school fitness benchmark returns
FIRST ON FOX: President Donald Trump will sign a presidential memorandum Tuesday restoring the Presidential Fitness Test Award, according to the White House, reviving a competitive school-based fitness program phased out during the Obama administration.
The signing will be attended by members of the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition, as well as National Fitness Foundation board members including high-profile athletes including golfer Bryson DeChambeau, retired professional golfer Gary Player, Baltimore Ravens cornerback Amani Oruwariye and MLB pitcher Noah Syndergaard.
The move reintroduces a performance-based benchmark for student fitness, echoing the Trump administration’s broader “Make America Healthy Again” push.
Trump first signed an executive order to reestablish the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition and the Presidential Fitness Test last year, with the memorandum on Tuesday paving the way for the administration to restore the test and awards at all American schools, Fox News Digital learned.
TRUMP EXECUTIVE ORDER TO REESTABLISH PRESIDENTIAL FITNESS TEST
The revitalized award emphasizes measurable athletic performance standards similar to earlier versions of the test, which ranked students based on physical achievement, according to a copy of the National Physical Fitness Award obtained by Fox News Digital.
The original Presidential Physical Fitness Test was phased out during former President Barack Obama’s second term and replaced with the Presidential Youth Fitness Program, part of the “Let’s Move” initiative. Critics at the time argued that the test focused too much on performance and competition, discouraging less athletic students.
The President’s Council on Youth Fitness was first established by President Dwight D. Eisenhower after studies showed American children were less physically fit than European peers. Schools began administering a fitness test under President John F. Kennedy, launching the President’s Council on Physical Fitness.
WHOLE MILK HEADED BACK TO SCHOOL CAFETERIAS AFTER TRUMP SIGNS LAW AS EXPERTS TOUT BENEFITS
The Obama-era Presidential Youth Fitness Program focused “primarily on assessing health versus athleticism for America’s youth,” according to the Let’s Move website.
Fox News Digital reached out to the office of President Obama for comment.
More than 21% of Americans ages 2 to 19 were classified as obese between 2021 and 2023, while 7% of American youths had severe obesity, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
SCHOOL MEALS RAISE EYEBROWS AS MAHA ADVOCATES URGE ‘DIFFERENT CHOICES IN THE LUNCH LINE’
Trump is expected to sign the memorandum in the Oval Office, followed by an event on the South Lawn with families and children to mark National Youth Sports and Fitness Month, Fox News Digital learned.
Cabinet secretaries including Dept. of War Secretary Pete Hegseth, Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr., Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Scott Turner, and Department of Education Secretary Linda McMahon will also be in attendance.
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