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OKLAHOMA CITY — Party hats. Streamers. Star sunglasses. A bubble machine, a disco ball and a unicorn piñata. The hottest club at the Women’s College World Series? It’s UCLA’s dugout.

“It is absolutely feral in there,” Bruins senior Taylor Stephens told ESPN this week. “This program has been partying ever since my freshman year and long before that, too. It’s tradition. Our team, our dugout, it’s a vibe — it’s an undeniable vibe. We just like to have fun.”

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UCLA likes to have fun. And seemingly no program is having more of it during the opening weekend of the 2025 WCWS than the No. 9-seeded Bruins, who return Sunday for an elimination game against No. 7-seeded Tennessee (3 p.m. ET, ABC) following a 3-1 loss to No. 12 Texas Tech on Saturday.

Ranked third nationally in runs scored (481), eighth in home runs (98) and anchored by a pitching triumvirate of Taylor Tinsley, Kaitlyn Terry and Addisen Fisher, UCLA made plenty of noise en route to its 34th WCWS appearance — a Division I record. But it wasn’t until the Bruins arrived in Oklahoma City this week that their raucous and rowdy party officially spilled back onto the national stage.

For UCLA softball: “The party hats are new. But the party is not.” Brett Rojo/Imagn ImagesPerennially among the loudest dugouts in college softball, the Bruins announced themselves with tinted glasses and disco lights in Thursday’s opener against Oregon. After Jessica Clements launched her two-run, walk-off home run, they celebrated at home plate with blue and gold party hats on their heads. On Saturday, UCLA took things up another notch, flooding Devon Park’s third-base dugout with bubbles and decorating its walls with paper streamers and balloons. A poster taped onto the dugout wall carried a simple message: “It’s party time.”

“The party has always been a part of the culture here,” said junior infielder Jordan Woolery, half of the Bruins’ historic power-hitting duo with Megan Grant this spring. “When we’re kind of tense, that’s not really the best version of ourselves. Having fun in the dugout, having fun on the field, all that chatter makes it easier just to play for each other with a sense of freedom.”

Props, such as the pinata the Bruins hung from the dugout ceiling Saturday night, have long been fixtures of UCLA’s dugout party. Woolery, a first-team All-American, has witnessed many evolutions of them. In the wake of previous Bruins standard-bearers Megan Fariamo and Anna Vines, she recalls pickle jars, boxes of Reese’s Puffs cereal and a parade of stuffed animals among the most cherished props that have popped up in the UCLA dugout in recent years.

Jessica Clements of UCLA sported plenty of dugout props following her walk-off home run against Oregon on Thursday at the Women’s College World Series. Courtesy UCLAWhen the likes of Woolery and Stephens encountered packets of party hats or goofy sunglasses before Game 1 on Thursday, there was no hesitation.”We jumped right on them,” Stephens said. “The party hats are new. But the party is not.”Indeed, UCLA carries a rich history of dugout antics, dating as far as the school’s dynastic softball rise in the 1980s. While the 2025 Bruins battled Texas Tech ace NiJaree Canady on Saturday, generations of former players exchanged stories and photos of WCWS dugout parties and props of the past through a WhatsApp group chat of UCLA softball alumni.In some instances, the partying began even before the players left the team hotel.”Every year in Oklahoma City, we would stay at the Embassy Suites and there were these two glass elevators that took you to your rooms,” 2004 national champion Tara Henry said. “On our way to the stadium, we would pile into them and have a team dance party, literally shaking the elevators an hour before a WCWS game.”Even with a decades-long history, the scenes inside the Bruins’ dugout this week seemingly mark a stark departure from past eras of the program and the sport.First under coach Sharon Backus and then Sue Enquist, UCLA built itself into college softball’s first superpower through no-nonsense intensity and stringent program standards. But while the ongoings of Bruins’ dugout celebrations and the generation of players inside them have evolved, former UCLA players like Henry see the same core pillars still propping up the program under 19th-year coach Kelly Inouye-Perez, who played for Enquist from 1989 to 1993 and spent 13 seasons as an assistant before taking over the program in 2007.”It’s always been about how do we manage to stay together as a team and have fun, but ultimately be held accountable,” Henry said. “We’re seeing a more free, lighter type of team and a different expression of it. I think Kelly has been a big part of that. But believe me, they still have standards and still understand what it means to play for UCLA softball.”Former Bruins Aaliyah Jordan, Taylor Sullivan and Malia Quarles are responsible for the UCLA dugout props in Oklahoma City. “Shoutout to Party City in Moore, Oklahoma.” Eli Lederman/ESPNThe Bruins were quick to throw on their party hats in Thursday’s opener. However, how UCLA’s newest props found their way into the dugout remained a mystery to its players into the weekend before a group of former Bruins led by Taylor Sullivan, Alaiyah Jordan and Malia Quarles showed up with more Saturday, softball alums continuing the party culture.”Shoutout to Party City in Moore, Oklahoma,” said Sullivan, who reached the WCWS three times with UCLA. “The Bruin party is just the epitome of UCLA softball. Playing together, playing for each other, trying to make the Bruin bubble proud.”Inouye-Perez presented a clear message after a pair of late Texas Tech home runs sank the Bruins on Saturday, sending UCLA into an elimination game with Tennessee on Sunday. Less than 24 hours after facing one fireballer in Canady, the Bruins will be tested again Sunday by Lady Vols ace Karlyn Pickens, owner of the fastest recorded pitch in softball history.

“The bottom line is we’re not done yet,” Inouye-Perez said. “Now we just have more time to be able to play more games and get really hot. I’m excited. We can’t wait to get back out there.”

The Bruins, who scratched three runs off Pickens when they faced the hard-throwing junior in February, intend to extend their stay in Oklahoma City on Sunday. As long as UCLA remains in the WCWS field, the dugout party will go on.

“You’ll see more props tomorrow and the next day and the next day,” Stephens said. “The props are everlasting. They’re overflowing. The party doesn’t stop.”

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The landscape of sports representation underwent a significant shift in May 2025 when Patrick Whitesell, the former executive chairman of Endeavor, announced the launch of WIN Sports Group. This new football-focused agency emerged from the dissolution of WME Sports’ football division, highlighting the complex web of conflicts that can arise when private equity meets professional sports.

From Hollywood to the Gridiron

Patrick Whitesell’s journey from representing A-list Hollywood talent like Matt Damon, Denzel Washington, and Ben Affleck to leading NFL player representation might seem like an unlikely transition. However, Whitesell sees striking parallels between the entertainment industry of the late 2000s and today’s football landscape. Just as he and Ari Emanuel transformed talent representation when they formed WME, Whitesell believes NFL players are on the cusp of a similar revolution in power and earning potential.

The Conflict That Created an Opportunity

The creation of WIN Sports Group wasn’t born from entrepreneurial ambition alone—it was necessitated by conflict-of-interest rules that have been reshaping the sports representation industry. When Silver Lake’s Egon Durban acquired a 7.5% stake in the Las Vegas Raiders in December 2024, it triggered NFL and NFLPA regulations prohibiting team owners from maintaining business ties with player representation entities.

Since Silver Lake became the majority owner of Endeavor through a privatization deal in March 2025, WME Sports was forced to divest its football division. Whitesell stepped in to acquire the business for undisclosed terms, ensuring continuity for both agents and clients.

The new agency launched with all the key personnel from WME Sports, including football leaders Brian Ayrault, Ben Renzin, and Joel Segal. High-profile clients made the transition as well, including Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson, and San Francisco 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa.

The Broader Breakup of WME Sports

WIN Sports Group’s formation is part of a larger restructuring of WME’s sports representation business driven by these same conflict-of-interest concerns. The baseball division faces similar pressures due to Silver Lake’s ownership of Diamond Baseball Holdings, which controls 43 Minor League Baseball teams. According to Front Office Sports, WME is now looking to sell its baseball representation business to comply with MLB Players Association rules that prohibit agents from having direct or indirect ownership of MLB or MiLB teams.

This isn’t the first time these conflicts have surfaced. Three years ago, the MLBPA threatened to decertify WME agents when Endeavor began acquiring MiLB teams. That issue was temporarily resolved when Endeavor sold the franchises to Silver Lake in 2022 for $280 million, but Silver Lake’s subsequent acquisition of Endeavor has reignited the concerns.

Unlike the football division, where Whitesell saw opportunity, sources indicate he has no interest in acquiring WME’s baseball representation business, leaving that division’s future uncertain.

A New Vision for Football Representation

WIN Sports Group enters a competitive but fragmented NFL representation market, including established players like Rosenhaus Sports Representation, CAA, and Athletes First. Whitesell believes this lack of consolidation presents an opportunity, particularly given his unique background bridging entertainment and sports.

His approach focuses on the macro trends transforming football, starting with economics. Whitesell projects the NFL salary cap will rise nearly 40% by 2030 to $390 million per team, driven by media rights revenue. Beyond traditional contracts, he sees vast opportunities for players to build businesses and brands far beyond their playing careers.

“Whether it’s just building out content companies like a lot of people have wanted to do; whether it’s getting ownership, or consumer products; whether it’s having relationships with private equity or Silicon Valley tech companies, venture capital, real estate; wherever they want to sit … I think we’re uniquely positioned to connect all that,” Whitesell said.

His Silver Lake-backed investment platform’s first major bet—an investment in Peyton Manning’s Omaha Productions—exemplifies this cross-industry approach. Manning’s production company represents what Whitesell calls “the gold standard for an NFL player building new businesses off relationships and earnings from a playing career.”

Looking Forward

The creation of WIN Sports Group represents more than just a business transaction—it signals a potential shift in how football talent representation operates. With the NFL’s growing cultural dominance, expanding international presence, and rising salary caps, Whitesell believes we’re entering an era where more players will “transcend” like Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, and Patrick Mahomes have done.

“You can see what’s going to come: You’re going to see more Peyton Mannings, Patrick Mahomes, Tom Bradys … people who have kind of transcended, and built their personalities outside of football and built businesses … I think that’s going to come in droves now. And that’s what we’re positioning this company for,” he said.

The NFLPA has completed its review and found WIN Sports Group to be in compliance with conflict-of-interest rules, clearing the way for operations. As the agency begins this new chapter with dozens of clients already on board, including three first-round picks from the 2025 draft, it will serve as a test case for whether Whitesell’s vision of football players as multimedia moguls can become reality.

The breakup of WME Sports may have been driven by regulatory necessity, but it has created opportunities for new approaches to athlete representation. WIN Sports Group’s success will depend on whether Whitesell can apply his entertainment industry expertise to unlock the full potential of NFL talent in an increasingly connected and lucrative sports landscape.