The WNBA held its virtual player draft last night, with the Dallas Wings taking Charli Collier No. 1 and Awak Kuier No. 2 overall. This was the "first time in league history that one team had the top two picks," and the draft came as the spotlight has "turned toward inequities between men’s and women’s athletics." The season, the league’s 25th, begins May 14 and will be "played in teams’ home cities, some arenas with a limited number of fans in the stands" (N.Y. TIMES, 4/16).

The Wings and GM Greg Bibb had a "historic opportunity to stockpile talent Thursday night," as they also took Arkansas' Chelsea Dungee 5th overall. After engineering trades to "beef up his supply of selections again for this draft and adding four more rookies, Bibb believes he’s built a sturdy core" (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 4/16).

MLS begins its ’21 season tonight, with the league “returning to a full 34-game slate” after last year’s pandemic-truncated schedule. Things “aren’t entirely back to normal,” as there likely will be “some COVID-related postponements.” However, it “should provide a more accurate picture of MLS than the hectic 2020 campaign.” Additionally, fans will be “back in greater numbers this season, though at different percentages at different stadiums to start.” Most clubs will open between 20-30% capacity, though some “will begin the year around 50 percent” (THEATHLETIC.com, 4/14).

One of the big stories heading into the season is the launch of Austin FC, which is “ready to roll into MLS as the league’s 27th and newest franchise.” The team’s first match is Saturday night against LAFC, and Austin FC Owner Anthony Precourt, who was granted the expansion team in ’19 after initially trying to move the Crew to Austin, said, “It’s been a long process to get here, and we just want to get it right” (AP, 4/16).

Meanwhile, the three Canadian teams “are once again set to spend a significant chunk of this season based in the U.S. due to travel restrictions” (THEATHLETIC.com, 4/15).

The Lakers lost to the Celtics at home last night, but the game "had the best atmosphere of any in Los Angeles this year." The 1,915 fans on hand "hadn’t been able to watch basketball at Staples Center in 401 days." People "began trickling in once doors opened" at 5:30pm PT for the 7:00pm start, "adjusting to a world of phone-ordered concessions, mandatory mask wearing and a ban on bags." The Lakers "hope to continue to increase capacity as they get more comfortable with county and state health and safety measures" (L.A. TIMES, 4/16). The Staples Center crew "still pumped in a little crowd noise to supplement the socially distanced audience, but the most personalized roars were still easy to hear" (L.A. DAILY NEWS, 4/16).

Indianapolis Motor Speedway last night emailed an advisory to all '21 Indy 500 ticketholders to "reaffirm their stance on the track's plan 'to welcome our fans for all on-track days in May ... (and) prepare for a sizeable crowd on Race Day.'" IMS included a survey asking whether fans "plan to come and how many in their ticket allotment they plan to use." The deadline to fill out the emailed survey is Monday, April 19. If fans decide they "don't feel comfortable attending the May 30 Indy 500 or are not able to due to personal circumstances, IMS has again given current ticketholders the option to roll their tickets over into a credit for 'any IMS event,' including the 2022 Indy 500, without losing their seniority in the reservation process and seat location" (INDIANAPOLIS STAR, 4/16).

The Coyotes signed a deal with gaming platform developer Rival to provide back-end technology that is now powering the NHL team’s new Coyotes Gaming initiative. The deal will see the Coyotes use Rival’s white-label tech to run a gaming platform that launched last week with its first hosted tournament, allowing the team to host events and offer prizes/incentives. Last week’s competition, the Coyotes Gaming NHL21 Kickoff, had more than 80 players participating. This is Rival’s second NHL team deal after one with the Capitals, and it has more than 20 clients overall. Others include the Pistons, Seahawks and EPL club Aston Villa.

President Biden today will host his "first face-to-face meeting with a foreign leader" since taking office when Japan Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga visits the White House. Topics on the agenda are "likely to include" the Tokyo Games. Suga is "expected to invite Biden to the Tokyo Olympics, which open on July 23 despite concerns over whether the games will be safe, given Japan’s slow COVID vaccination rollout." Asked about the safety and advisability of U.S. athletes participating in the Games, a senior Biden administration official said that the President is "likely to ask Suga for an update on the status" of the Games (USA TODAY, 4/16).

Former VANOC CEO John Furlong today will make a pitch to the Vancouver Board of Trade to host a '30 Winter Games that "encompasses more of B.C. than the Lower Mainland and a ski resort town." Furlong said that the legacy venues and operational know-how that remain from the '10 Winter Games in Vancouver and Whistler "would equip a host organizing committee to extend transformation beyond those hubs into other communities in the province." He also said that the cost of bidding for '30 "would be a fraction" of the C$36M spent on the '10 bid "because the former wouldn’t be as labour intensive" (CP, 4/14).

Concacaf named Empower Field at Mile High host of the inaugural Concacaf Nations League Finals from June 3-6, including the semifinals, third place match and final. Initial capacity is set for 32,000 fans (42.6%), with a final decision to be made by the on-sale date of April 26 (THE DAILY).

Three national sports and entertainment developers -- Comcast Spectacor unit Spectra; Oak View Group; and a partnership between Metropolitan Development and ASM -- submitted plans to "convert the nearly 60-year-old Royal Farms Arena in downtown Baltimore into an upscale, downtown sports and entertainment hub" (BIZJOURNALS.com, 4/15).

The IFL Massachusetts Pirates partnered with adult-use sale and medical marijuana cannabis dispensary Resinate, which becomes presenting sponsor of the team's website and social media studio, as well as sponsoring the official postgame party following home games (Massachusetts Pirates).

"Obviously I love baseball, but I don't believe the rules are written on stone tablets" -- Cubs President of Baseball Operations Jed Hoyer, on the rule changes being made in the Atlantic League this season (Chicago DAILY HERALD, 4/16).

"The whole process could take 12 to 24 months" -- Maryland Lottery & Gaming Dir Gordon Medenica, on the gradual rollout of sports betting in the state after its General Assembly voted this week to approve a framework for wagering (BIZJOURNALS.com, 4/15).

THE UNDEFEATED writes MLB's move to take the All-Star Game out of Georgia "would have pleased Jackie Robinson." In recent years, Jackie Robinson Day has been used to "criticize baseball for failing to achieve the promise of diversity Robinson embodied." But "not this year," as Robinson, who became one of baseball’s "harshest critics, would be proud." In making this move, MLB "became the first professional league, and really the first major corporation, to take action." Baseball’s actions "should inspire other sports leagues and their corporate partners to follow suit." Athletes, who played "such a crucial role in the 2020 election, must continue the fight they waged to encourage voter participation, especially among young voters."

Also: 

• Cubs' Ian Happ trying to make business of baseball understandable to fans.
• How Dodgers-Padres has become one of MLB's best rivalries.
• In hosting "Jeopardy!," Aaron Rodgers is helping save small businesses.
• Zora Stephenson made Bucks play-by-play history, amplifying women in NBA.

What is the best NFL/MLB/NHL/NBA stadium in NY area in which to watch a game? (Did not include MetLife Stadium here to spare it the indignity.)

— Neil Best (@sportswatch) April 16, 2021

Happy 69th birthday to Bill Belichick. He is tied for the fourth oldest head coach in NFL history:

Romeo Crennel — 73
George Halas — 72
Marv Levy — 72
Pete Carroll — 69 (turns 70 in Sept)
Duck Vermeil — 69
Tom Coughlin — 69
Belichick — 69

— Ben Volin (@BenVolin) April 16, 2021

Luis Arráez started his Zoom for calling out ⁦@DanHayesMLB⁩, and finished it by again telling him not to fall asleep before walking off.

Truly, a man of the people. pic.twitter.com/SWIba8c7ts

— Do-Hyoung Park (@dohyoungpark) April 15, 2021

April 16, 2007: The Fenway Park Pizza Incident.

“Here comes the pizza” 🍕 pic.twitter.com/lWOr1D1vZ3

— This Day In Sports Clips (@TDISportsClips) April 16, 2021

During this crisis impacting the sports business, we want everyone to be up-to-date on the latest news and information. Here are the top headlines from last night's SBJ Unpacks: NFL goes triple option with first sportsbook sponsors.

• NFL names Caesars, DraftKings, FanDuel as first sportsbook sponsors
• Don Garber on the future of MLS
• MLB Net's Greg Amsinger on no-hitter coverage approach

More from SBJ Football: Player resistance to vaccinations a challenge for NFL

• League faces uphill battle to vaccinate players
• One argument: Endorsement careers can get back on track with a shot
• Cisco deal raises questions around league control of game-day ops

Last night’s “Final Jeopardy!” category was "Physics."

“Modern formulations of Newton’s 2 most famous equations both begin with this quantity that’s measured in Newtons.”

“What is force?”