Today’s SportsIQ, Larry Smith hosts a wide-ranging Thursday edition loaded with sports insight and cultural crossover:

🏀 WNBA Spotlight with guest Myles Ehrlich (Winsidr, Pull Up with Miles & Owen) — deep dive into the Liberty’s resilience, Golden State Valkyrie’s fast rise, and how stars like Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese are just the tip of a much longer growth story. Plus: team valuations, TV deals, charter flights, and the real work behind the league’s boom.
📈 Inside the $400M valuation of the New York Liberty — and why even James Dolan regrets selling too soon.
💰 CBA negotiations and the players’ push for equity — what’s coming next for salary caps and travel reform.

🏀 NBA Draft Recap — Cooper Flagg to Dallas was expected, but the real drama came later:
• Ace Bailey’s awkward reaction to Utah
• Brooklyn’s baffling five-pick strategy
• Washington State’s Cedric Howard shocks the lottery

💎 Sports Card Market with Will Stern (Collect Media) — from boom to bust and back again. Are we in a new “Junk Wax” era, or is the industry finally maturing?
• Fanatics Fest vs. The National
• Topps returning to licensed NBA/Football
• How kids (and adults) are flipping cardboard into six-figure businesses.

⚾ MLB Headlines
• Jacob deGrom no-hits through 7
• Juan Soto sets HR record
• Acuña joins the Home Run Derby
• White Sox stun the Diamondbacks

📺 Moment of Awe: A tribute at the Oklahoma City Memorial reminds us what fandom, legacy, and memory really mean — even in the loudest of sports seasons.

WNBA growthNew York Liberty valuationCaitlin Clark Angel ReeseMyles Ehrlich WinsidrWNBA TV deal Ion AmazonNBA Draft 2025Cooper Flagg Dallas MavericksAce Bailey Utah JazzCedric Howard Washington StateSports cards boomWill Stern Collect MediaFanatics Fest 2025Topps NBA returnJacob deGrom no-hitterJuan Soto recordMLB Home Run DerbySportsIQ podcast Larry Smith

Larry Smith dives into the latest headlines and long-term shifts in college sports:

🏈 Iowa Football Outlook with Tom Kakert (HawkeyeReport.com) — new QB optimism, offensive depth, and a rare prediction of shootouts in Iowa City. Plus: insight on the McCollum hire, hoops rebuild, and NIL-era growing pains.

🏛️ NIL & House Settlement with Kam Cox (Assistant AD, Illinois) — the future of college sports revenue sharing, roster limits, enforcement under the new College Sports Commission, and why he’s cautiously optimistic this “new era” will be more structured.

⚾ Baseball Beat — Yankees' slump deepens, Chase Burns' MLB debut dazzles, and the Mets hit rock bottom.

🏀 WNBA + NBA Draft Buzz — Caitlin Clark’s 3-point drought, the Wings’ resurgence, and what to watch for as Cooper Flagg prepares to make history at the draft. Plus: the ghost of Kwame Brown and other #1 pick busts.

Iowa Football 2025
Tom Kakert HawkeyeReportKam Cox Illinois NILHouse Settlement NCAACollege Sports CommissionRevenue Sharing in College AthleticsCaitlin Clark shooting slumpWNBA Fever WingsCooper Flagg NBA DraftNBA Draft 2025 PreviewSportsIQ Podcast Larry Smith

⚾ Pittsburgh Pirates Midseason Check-In — Tony Cordaro is joined by Pittsburgh Post-Gazette beat writer Noah Hiles to talk Paul Skenes’ meteoric rise, the offensive woes surrounding O’Neil Cruz and Ke’Bryan Hayes, and why the team’s elite pitching staff might be wasted without a power bat overhaul. Will the front office finally act this offseason?

🏈 Seattle Seahawks Preview — Gregg Bell of the Tacoma News Tribune drops by to break down the Seahawks' quarterback transition from Geno Smith to Sam Darnold, the shift to a run-heavy offense under Clint Kubiak, and why Mike Macdonald is banking on defense to bring Seattle back into contention. Also: Devin Witherspoon's stardom, the Cooper Kupp homecoming, and why Lumen Field needs its mojo back.

🏀 NBA Draft Preview — Larry and Tony look ahead to Cooper Flagg’s arrival in Dallas, a potential monster rebuild in San Antonio with Dylan Harper, and the return of the big man with names like Malik Maleč and Derrick Queen on the rise. Plus: why Colin Kneppel and Elijah Martin may be the sleeper picks of the draft.

📚 New NCAA Rules — Scholarship caps are out. Roster caps are in. Larry explains how the House Settlement changes college football’s structure and recruiting forever.

💪 Moment of Awe — Meet 82-year-old powerlifter Faith O’Reilly, the gold medal favorite in a brand-new Senior Games category. Her story is the strength we all needed today.