Serie A

The WNBA playoffs are underway, with the first-round series now in progress. Fans are following the opening games and debating the matchups, title contenders and star players to watch as the postseason gets going. The league's latest playoff run is drawing attention across sports circles as results start coming in.

Las Vegas Aces and Indiana Fever are set to meet in the WNBA playoffs, with attention on Aces star A'ja Wilson, who says she is focused despite a lingering back injury. She described her mindset as "still got a job to do" as the post-season begins, with the series shaping up as one of the talking points of the opening round.

The Philadelphia Phillies are in danger of one of the biggest postseason collapses in baseball history. After a strong stretch of the playoffs, the team is facing elimination in its current series, and fans and commentators are debating whether the club can recover or will go down as a historic postseason failure.

Chicago Bears quarterback Tyson Bagent has cleared the NFL's concussion protocol, making him available to return to team activities and potentially game action. The league's protocol requires players to pass a series of supervised steps before being medically cleared following a head injury. His availability gives the Bears added depth at quarterback as they plan for their upcoming games.

The San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Dodgers are meeting in a late-September series drawing heavy attention. Freddie Freeman and Max Muncy are out of the Dodgers lineup, a notable absence with the season winding down. Coverage also highlights Kyle Tucker and the Dodgers facing the Giants on September 26, and notes Los Angeles made baseball history against San Francisco dating back to 1958.

The Las Vegas Aces face the Indiana Fever in Game 1 of their WNBA playoff series, with the New York Post predicting Caitlin Clark and the Fever will push the reigning champions despite their underdog status. The matchup pits the league's most-watched young star against the recent champions, drawing wide attention from basketball fans.

The Chicago White Sox took on the Colorado Rockies in an MLB matchup drawing attention in Japan, where Rockies starter Tomoyoshi Sugano allowed two home runs to Munetaki Murakami. Sugano, in his second MLB season, finished 12-12 and said Murakami looked like he had grown even since Japan. Japanese sports outlets also noted the possibility of a rare all-Chicago World Series, with both the Cubs and White Sox in playoff contention.

Alaska's gubernatorial candidates have laid out their competing visions for the state's energy future in a discussion aired as part of the Addressing Alaskans series. The debate centers on how Alaska should develop its energy resources, a defining issue for a state whose economy and budgets rely heavily on oil and gas while also facing pressure to expand renewables.