Bob Pockrass

FOX Motorsports Insider

ELKHART LAKE, Wis. — Devlin DeFrancesco wanted to heal any pain from an unintended spill that happened a week ago in St. Louis.

As DeFrancesco ran back to his car after exiting the infield medical center at World Wide Technology Raceway (known as Gateway), he stopped. Then Jimmy Kevin Henslee, the cameraman who was following him, tried to stop short and fell.

No person was injured. The camera, however, might be a different story. And DeFrancesco wanted to give something to Henslee — who’s known throughout the garage as “Bama” because of the Alabama flag on his camera.

“A bottle of bourbon, most men enjoy that,” DeFrancesco said. “It was unfortunate what happened at Gateway. And sad to see him fall or break his camera. I just thought it was something good to do.”

DeFrancesco wasn’t knocked over and was not injured.

“I was fine,” DeFrancesco said. “He kind of just missed me and fell over and took the brunt of it.”

What made DeFrancesco stop so suddenly?

“They jumped off the stand and told me to stop and turn around and he was following me and I guess didn’t see me and fell over,” DeFrancesco said. 

“I felt bad over the incident and felt it would be good to do something nice.”

Bob Pockrass covers NASCAR and INDYCAR for FOX Sports. He has spent decades covering motorsports, including over 30 Daytona 500s, with stints at ESPN, Sporting News, NASCAR Scene magazine and The (Daytona Beach) News-Journal. Follow him on Twitter @bobpockrass.

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It’s been a busy week for Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham.

On Tuesday, Cunningham found herself at the center of the fracas that broke out between the Fever and the Connecticut Sun. What started out as a bit of trash talk and shoving between Caitlin Clark and Jacy Sheldon quickly devolved into a bit of chaos near the end of the game.

In the final minute of action, Cunningham committed a hard foul against Sheldon, seemingly in retaliation for the action that had been aimed at Clark, which resulted in both Cunningham and Sheldon getting ejected. In addition, Cunningham received a $400 fine for the Flagrant 2 she was assessed and a second fine of an undisclosed amount for her role in the brawl that followed.

But according to a report from Jacob Feldman at Sportico, Cunningham may very well have already made up the difference in her fine, though by an unconventional means: her follower count.

Since Cunningham’s move in defense of her teammate, she’s seen her TikTok follower count rise rapidly and steadily from roughly 302,000 to more than 1.2 million. Cunningham celebrated her feat of clearing one million followers with, of course, a TikTok dance.

She also posted a video seemingly in reference to her hard foul, mouthing along to the lyrics “I mean I could, but why would I want to?” from the song “Hands to Myself” by Selena Gomez.

In addition to the rise in her follower count, Cunningham has apparently also seen a surge in jersey sales, with them now listed on the Fever’s online store as shipping “on or before July 8.”

“It’s unprecedented growth,” Addison Abdo, who represents Cunningham at sports management agency PRP told Sportico. “We work with some pretty big athletes that have gone viral for some pretty big things, but this has been something that I haven’t seen before—this type of growth in this short amount of time … was very new territory.”

Cunningham is a veteran. While it is her seventh season in the WNBA, it’s just her first with the Fever, having arrived during what was a busy offseason for Indiana as they retooled their roster in hopes of competing for a title.

We’ve seen the Caitlin Clark effect and the rise in interest in the WNBA in general manifest in several interesting ways. Yes, ratings and ticket sales are up across the board, but so are some more specific and direct engagement methods, like voting trends in the upcoming WNBA All-Star Game, or in Cunningham’s case, her follower count.

More WNBA on Sports Illustrated

New Delhi, Jun 20 (PTI) Paralympic Committee of India (PCI) president Devendra Jhajharia on Friday said India will host the “best-ever” World Para Athletics Championships to held here later this year, adding that they are leaving no stone unturned to make the event a grand success.

India will host its first-ever World Para Athletics Championships from September 26 to October 5 at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium here, which will feature more than 2,500 athletes from over 100 countries competing for 186 medals.

“It is going to be the biggest event in the history of para in India. Over 2,500 athletes and officials will be coming for this event. It is a big opportunity for India,” Jhajharia said during a ceremony to unveil the tournament’s logo and mascot.

“We will conduct the best-ever event in the history of Indian sports. The world will get the message that India have hosted the best event in the history of sports,” said Jhajharia, who is the first Indian to win two gold medals at the Paralympics.

The Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium is currently under renovation with a new track being laid for the competition. Jhajharia assured that everything would be ready before the championships.

“The track and the entire Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium will be ready a month before the tournament. We are taking care of everything in detail, including best boarding facilities for all athletes and delegations of the world. The work is going in the manner which we wanted. All athletes and delegates will be staying in the best hotels of the city,” he said.

Jhajharia said the championships will inspire a generation of Indian para athletes.

“(A) host country automatically gets the benefit. The new players will get opportunity to watch the big stars of the world in para athletics. It will also give a big message that India is ready to host the 2036 Olympics and Paralympics.”

The ceremony on Friday, which also marked the beginning of a 100-day countdown to the tournament, was attended by the Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta as chief guest, Delhi’s Education and Sports Minister Ashish Sood, BJP MP and Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut, who is event’s brand ambassador, as well as the head of the World Para Athletics, Paul Fitzgerald among others.

Fitzgerald said, “In a few months time world’s best para athletes will come here. It is an incredible opportunity to show India to the world. More para athletes will be here than Paris Paralympics. In three months we will create history,” he said.

Ranaut said, “I am here not just to endorse but to amplify and to support all our para athletes.” PTI SSC SSC DDV

Cricketing god Sachin Tendulkar opened up on Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli’s Test retirement ahead of the upcoming five-Test match series against England which will start from June 20. Rohit and Virat announced their retirement from the longest format of the game on May 7 and 12, respectively. 

Batting great Tendulkar agrees that Team India will face a lot of challenges in the absence of Rohit and Virat in the upcoming Test assignment and there will be ups and downs.

“There are going to be multiple challenges and it’s something that everyone looks forward to because it’s not going to be a smooth ride all the way in a five-Test series. There are going to be ups and downs, some challenging moments,” Tendulkar agrees, with a rider as quoted by Hindustan Times.

   

Tendulkar said that all players work hard to get prepared for these kinds of challenges. The cricketing legend believes that Shubman Gill-led India has the ‘firepower’ to counter the challenge in England. 

ALSO READ: Sam Konstas and Josh Inglis in as two star batters featured in WTC final set to miss spot in Australia’s playing XI for first Test against West Indies

 “But that is what all the players work hard for — to prepare themselves for those difficult moments. I think the team has the firepower to counter whatever the England team is going to do. We have the experience also of players like KL Rahul, (Ravindra) Jadeja, (Jasprit) Bumrah… Rishabh (Pant) is experienced now, Shubman is experienced now. We have got these guys. We have Karun (Nair), who has been around. At the international level, he has tasted success and also played a lot of first-class cricket, county cricket here. Yashasvi (Jaiswal). All these guys are there. Sai Sudharsan has looked good. I feel we are very much there. It will be a close encounter. Tendulkar told Hindustan Times. 

ALSO READ: ‘Where we could only be going with some pure batters and…’: Shubman Gill hints India’s playing XI for England Test series

The upcoming five-Test match series against England will see India kick off a brand-new era in Test cricket under Shubman Gill’s captaincy. The upcoming Test series will be India’s first red-ball assignment after the back-to-back retirements of Ravichandran Ashwin, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli from the longest format of the game.

India squad for England Tests: Shubman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant (wk), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Nitish Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana.     

Courtney Williams and Natisha Hiedeman are WNBA veterans whose careers add up to 15 years in the league. But in 2025, they broke new ground simply by launching a Twitch channel called “StudBudz,” which in just two weeks has already drawn over 10,000 followers.

The concept is simple: Williams and Hiedeman sit together, turn on the camera and hang out like two friends, except this time with thousands of people watching through their screens. Whether they’re reacting to WNBA games, interviewing teammates and competitors, or dyeing their hair pink, fans tune in for streams that range from 90 minutes to four hours.

“It just started off with friendship, really. And, you know, we knew about Twitch, so we just thought it would be a good idea for us to get on there. We didn’t know it was gonna, like, blow up that fast,” Hiedeman told Forbes. “There’s so many people on there, but it’s been really fun for us. And me and Courtney have been spending a lot of time together.”

Now teammates on the Minnesota Lynx, Williams and Hiedeman have brought others from the squad on stream, including Alissa Pili, who showed off her singing chops, and Diamond Miller, now a recurring guest. But the vibe isn’t limited to teammates—rivals are joining the fun too.

DiJonai Carrington, a guard-forward with the Dallas Wings, appeared in person from the team hotel during a Lynx road trip. Another time, Marina Mabrey joined via FaceTime.

“Honestly, we’ve been, we’ve been getting a lot of support, and I think a lot of players want to come on, so definitely going to have more players and people on in the future and super excited for that,” Hiedeman said.

Players now use social media on their own terms

StudBudz is catching fire at a time when WNBA players are taking greater control of their image and using digital platforms to share real, unfiltered moments. Hiedeman and Williams chose Twitch, but others are leaning into TikTok.

NaLyssa Smith and Carrington often go live on TikTok to casually chat with fans. Kamilla Cardoso has become widely known for her hilarious livestreams, often using wigs and props and clapping back at trolls without hesitation. More recently, Mabrey—already a fan favorite—gained even more reach after spending her offseason with the 3×3 league Unrivaled.

Williams and Hiedeman also played in Unrivaled during the offseason, a league that has leaned heavily on media to amplify both its brand and its athletes’ individual stories. Many players are now carrying those lessons into the WNBA season.

“Content and player storytelling is at the core of Unrivaled, and players have increasingly recognized the power that social media holds when it comes to amplifying their unique personalities off the court,” Unrivaled Chief Content Officer John Learing told Forbes. “It was important for us to give players the platform and resources to lean into their social presence, and it’s been fun to watch them take advantage of the environment Unrivaled created in Miami to continue building their brands in this way.”

For Hiedeman, it’s about knowing how to use social media to your advantage:

“Obviously, the internet could be very good, it could be very bad. So just being seen in a positive light, I think that the internet has given a lot of people opportunities to show who they are off the court, and I think it’s important for you know fans to get to see just not who we are as athletes but as people as well.”

Authenticity at the top of the game

What sets this player-driven content apart is its authenticity. It helps fans connect with players as people, not just athletes. In the case of StudBudz, Williams and Hiedeman highlight a part of the WNBA community that has often been sidelined in mainstream marketing: lesbian “studs,” or women who present in a more masculine way.

But for Hiedeman, it’s not about messaging—it’s just real life.

“I think it’s just who we are, and I think that me and Courtney just embrace who we are as people, who we are as athletes. And I think that’s kind of where the name came from. For sure, we’re just two stud buds hanging out,” she said.

And the visibility is paying off. StudBudz has been picked up by major outlets and women’s sports-focused accounts, proving that the appetite for athlete-led content is strong.

“I feel like we got a lot of support. You know, we were shared on ESPN, Overtime, you know, a couple mentions from the commentators during games, on the Sue Bird and Megan Rapinoe podcast,” Hiedeman said. “So definitely a lot of love. And I think people are really enjoying it. So, yeah, the traction is great, and we love it. We’ve been having fun. And again, we just being ourselves.”

With visibility comes opportunity. Twitch offers monetization through its Affiliate and Partner programs, along with features like Subscriptions and Bits. There’s also room for brand sponsorships and cross-promotion, all of which can grow out of the success of a single stream.

And the StudBudz are already thinking ahead.

“I think the future is super bright for us, and exciting. We got merch coming out, everything. So it’s gonna be, it’s gonna be a vibe,” Hiedeman said.