DEBBIE ELLIOTT, HOST:
And it's time now for sports.
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ELLIOTT: Coco Gauff wins the French Open final, the first American to take the women's singles title in Paris in a decade. And more than a century of amateur play in college is over. Throw in a thrilling Stanley Cup and a surprising NBA Finals, and you have a lot to talk about with ESPN's Michele Steele - ing me now. Good morning, Michele.
MICHELE STEELE: As they say at Roland-Garros, Deb, bonjour.
ELLIOTT: Bonjour. in Paris, we have the first American champion since Serena Williams in 2015. Coco Gauff beat the world No. 1 ranked Aryna Sabalenka this morning. How did it happen?
STEELE: Gosh, this was such a thrilling comeback win for Coco Gauff against heavily favored Sabalenka, the match ending when Sabalenka hit a backhand wide on Gauff's second match point. Gauff dropping to the court, covering her eyes. She was very emotional in her celebration.
ELLIOTT: Oh.
STEELE: Just 21 years old. She won 6-7, 6-2, 6-4. She lost that opening set, but displaying such composure against an opponent who wasn't just the world number one, Deb, but she had beat Gauff on clay at the Madrid Open this year. And among the many people offering their congratulations, Carlos Alcaraz, who will be facing Jannik Sinner in the highly anticipated men's final tomorrow. They're also the world's No. 1 and 2. We'll see if Alcaraz can defend his title.
ELLIOTT: Stay tuned. So late last night we had some breaking news. A federal judge signed off on a $2.8 billion settlement, now paving the way for colleges to pay athletes directly. This is a remarkable moment, ending more than a century of the amateur model in college sports. What is that going to look like?
STEELE: Yeah. We're officially saying goodbye to the idea that these players are just playing for school pride and the scholarship. Now, that's - that concept alone has been eroded really for decades, but what's going to happen here is that schools are going to pay athletes around 20 million total each year. It's revenue sharing, so, you know, when you think about the sports that make the most money, that's football and basketball. And those players will be the biggest beneficiaries. It's just another reminder, Deb, that college sports, it's a big business.
ELLIOTT: On the ice now, the Stanley Cup tied after two games. The defending champs, the Florida Panthers, even things up with double overtime win over the Edmonton Oilers. Has this cup final rematch from last year been everything you've expected?
STEELE: Oh, I love it so far. It's been a lot more competitive because we've split the series. Last year, the Panthers were really dominant until the Oilers fought back at the very end, fighting to seven games. We've got huge stars on both sides and a new star, actually, a player added to the Panthers from the Bruins, Brad Marchand, who has my favorite nickname in all of hockey, Deb. He's actually called, yes, Nose Face Killa (ph).
ELLIOTT: (Laughter).
STEELE: He had the double OT winner last night, so we'll see if this goes seven games, but I love it.
ELLIOTT: Ouch. The Indiana Pacers now the surprise leaders in the NBA Finals, up one over the Oklahoma City Thunder after the first game, thanks to yet another buzzer beater by Tyrese Haliburton. I guess they're not going to be stunning if they keep this up,
STEELE: (Laughter) Yeah.
ELLIOTT: They went in as big underdogs into Oklahoma City for that game. Were we wrong about that?
STEELE: Yeah. I think everybody was wrong, even the pundits, you know, on my network ESPN. A lot of people really saw the Thunder as the ones who are essentially going to be crowned with the championship. Uh-uh, uh-uh. Tyrese Haliburton has something to say about that.
ELLIOTT: Oh, man. He's so good
STEELE: And the rest of the team - he is so good hitting a game-winner in every round of the playoffs. And you know what? They play at such pace, they're never out of the game, and it makes all of the games in this series really must-see TV.
ELLIOTT: Finally, Pro Softball is here. The Athletes United Softball League opening day is today. Modest, with just four teams. But as you've been reporting, there's a lot of for this new league.
STEELE: You know, women's sports are just on a tear right now. Don't you think, Deb?
ELLIOTT: Yeah. It's great.
STEELE: Yeah. And Pro Softball, they're making a huge push. They've got a big old investment from Major League Baseball, which is huge. They've got a star commissioner in Kim Ng who was the former GM of the Marlins. And they've got a TV deal. So all that adds up to what should be a pretty fun summer for the women who get to play in this league. And I've looked at the rosters, some real top-level talent - big college stars, big Olympic stars, too.
ELLIOTT: Looking forward to it. That's ESPN's Michele Steele. Thanks so much for being with us this morning.
STEELE: You bet, Deb. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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