As AB Today says goodbye to 2025, we thought we’d expand our look back and rank the top 25 online stories of the year. What were the headlines readers clicked on most?
Our top story, about the suspension of a Texas high school football coach for a full two years after he fielded an ineligible player, garnered nearly five times the readership of our last entry on the list — coverage of fatal negligence on the part of waterpark lifeguards. That said, both headlines reflect a theme among several of the stories ranked in between: misconduct. Seven of our top 25 stories centered on misconduct, suspension or firing of coaches and athletics staff, and these generated combined views approaching 50,000, or almost a third of the 155,313 total views represented on this list.
Certain national interest topics remained hot in 2025, with transgender participation and protest securing two of our top eight spots, and two stories about name, image and likeness developments landing in the top 25. These angles spoke to a larger trend, as well, with high school coverage dominating this year’s rankings, particularly the top 15. Only a headline promising new renderings of the proposed Chicago Bears stadium (No. 4), a piece on preparations for the 2025 NCAA Women’s Final Four in Tampa (No. 6) and an article about a youth softball player's birth certificate (No. 13) prevented a prep sweep of the top 15 spots.
In short, this year’s rankings reveal more than mere interest in wrongdoing. Readers leaned into the enforcement mechanisms and accountability structures governing organized sports. The AB Today editorial team culls hundreds of headlines daily, striving to provide readers with real-world takeaways that will help inform their own professional decision-making. After a short holiday break, we’ll be back to serve that same mission in 2026. Thanks for reading.
25. New Evidence Proves Negligent Lifeguards at Fault for Drowning at El Paso Waterpark
In May 2023, a three-year-old boy drowned at Camp Cohen Water Park in El Paso, Texas. At the time, El Paso law enforcement indicted the child’s mother, Jessica Weaver, on charges of knowingly or intentionally causing bodily injury to her child.
24. Former Seton Hall Baseball Player Sues Over Sexualized Hazing
A lawsuit filed this week in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York makes shocking allegations of sexualized hazing within the Seton Hall University baseball program.
23. Family Sues USA Swimming Swim Club and Aquatics Center Over Daughters Death at Meet
A family has filed a lawsuit against USA Swimming, Kamehameha (Hawaii) Swim Club and the Kapolei Aquatic Center after their daughter drowned at a swim meet. According to SwimSwam, 17-year-old Tehani Kealoha was swimming warm-down laps after a race in May 2023 when she suffered symptoms of cardiac arrest. Her mother, Jamie, was assisting timers on deck when she saw her daughter being pulled out of the water by another swimmer. Jamie said that no one knew what to do, and she began performing CPR on her daughter.
22. Report Total NIL Market 2024-25 Expected to Hit $1.67B
The total NIL market is projected to reach an astronomical $1.67 billion in 2024-25, which is up from the $917 million in 2021-22 when college NIL was introduced. According to Opendorse's annual report on the NIL market, early projections point to the total NIL market exceeding $2.5 billion in the first year of student-athlete revenue sharing (2025-26).
21. Six Things Colleges Need to Know About the 28 Billion NCAA Settlement
While basketball fans will be focused on what takes place on the court April 7, when the championship game of the NCAA Men’s Final Four takes place in San Antonio, what happens in court eight hours before tip-off could change the college game forever.
20. HS Football Coach Arrested for Inappropriate Relationship with Student
An assistant football coach at West Port (Fla.) High School was arrested on Friday after he was accused of having an inappropriate relationship with a student. According to WESH2, Edward Ford III has been charged with “unlawful sexual activity with a minor, offenses against students by an authority figure, traveling to meet with a minor to engage in unlawful sexual activity and use of a two-way communication device to facilitate a felony.”
19. Iowa HS Football Coach Resigns Over Fears for Players Safety
Highland (Iowa) High School football coach Cory Quail has resigned from his position in an attempt to force the school to cancel the football season. According to KCRG, Quail cited player safety as the main reason for his resignation.
18. Woman Who Claimed She Was Denied AD Job Because Husband is Black Receives 50K Settlement
The Gateway School Board in Monroeville, Pa., has approved a $50,000 settlement of a years-long racial discrimination lawsuit. As reported by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, school directors during their board meeting Monday approved the settlement of the January 2021 lawsuit by Korie Morton-Rozier.
17. HS Football Coach Suspended After Players Found to be Wearing Girdles
A high school football coach in Summerville, S.C., has been suspended for one game after it was discovered that his players were wearing girdles under their shorts. High school players in South Carolina are not allowed to wear girdles, which are essentially a compression short with pads in them.
16. NC State Seeks to Sell Naming Rights for School's Athletic Director Position
North Carolina State is looking for a bump in revenue by selling the naming rights for the school's athletic director position According to BackingThePack.com. the NC State Board of Trustees considered a proposal that would sell the naming rights to the athletic director position for $5 million, which would include a $3 million endowment for the AD position, and $2 million to the existing athletics enhancement fund.
15. Police Identify Coach, Players Who Threw Objects at Referee Following HS Basketball Game
Police have identified players and a coach from Benton Harbor (Mich.) High School who threw objects that hit a referee after a boys' basketball playoff game in Dowagiac last Wednesday night. According to WNDU, the incident happened immediately after Benton Harbor lost to Buchanan in the district semifinals by a final score of 39-36.
14. Legislation Introduced in Two States Would Require Cash Payment Option at Prep Sports Events
State legislators in Indiana and North Carolina introduced bills within the past two weeks that would require high schools to accept cash at extracurricular activities in their respective states.
13. Youth Softball Coaches Suspended After Demanding to See 11-Year-Old Girl's Birth Certificate
Two assistant coaches have been suspended after they verbally attacked a player at a youth softball tournament in Newberg, Ore., last weekend. Eleven-year-old Brinley Stephens plays on the Astoria Future Fish softball team, and she stands an impressive 5 feet, 10 inches tall. After she hit a strong line drive, the opposing team’s coaches took to the field in disbelief.
12. High School Soccer Coach Fired After Pregame Incident with Two Players
A high school soccer coach in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., has been fired following an pregame incident involving two players. According to the USA Today Network, Our Lady of Lourdes High School head boys soccer coach Eileen Cancro was fired over her handling of an altercation that occurred between two Lourdes teammates during warmups, involving the exchange of offensive language and physical contact. Multiple witnesses said the language could be considered racist.
11. Five in Custody After Attacking HS Basketball Player with Pipe at Game
Five people are in custody after they allegedly attacked a high school basketball player during a game at Cooper High School in Minneapolis on Tuesday. According to KSTP, five people, including three adults and two juveniles entered the school while a varsity boys basketball game against Fridley High School was happening. Just after the game started, the suspects assaulted a Fridley player on the bench using a pipe.
10. Delaware Military Academy AD Banned From DIAA Committees School Placed on Probation
The Delaware Interscholastic Athletic Association has penalized the Delaware Military Academy for the second time in two years due to rules violations. As a result of the penalties, the academy's athletic director, Jeremy Jeanne, has been removed as the DMA girls' basketball coach
9. Kentucky School District Violated State Policy Regarding Use of Gymnasium
The Kentucky Office of Education Accountability this week released a report showing that Fayette County Public Schools violated district policies when it allowed a for-profit cheer and tumble business owned by a district employee to use a school gymnasium.
8. Georgia Becomes 26th State to Introduce Legislation Banning Transgender Student-Athletes
Georgia joined 26 other states in introducing legislation to restrict or ban transgender student-athletes from competing on teams that do not align with their sex assigned at birth. Senator Greg Dolezal’s bill, “Fair and Safe Athletic Opportunities Act,” passed its special committee in the senate.
7. Nearly $3400 of Personal Items Stolen From HS Locker Room During Football Game
A high school in Texas has launched an investigation after nearly $3,400 worth of personal items was stolen from a high school locker room during a football game.
6. NCAA and Tampa Bay Official Announce Details for 2025 Women's Final Four
With tipoff of the 2025 NCAA Women's Final Four only 38 days away, the NCAA, Tampa Bay Sports Commission, University of South Florida and ESPN announced details for events surrounding one of America's marquee sporting events. Highlights include two national semifinals and a national championship being decided, opportunities for game tickets, numerous free events and community initiatives.
5. Police: High School Football Player Punched Referee During Game
A high school football player in North Carolina is facing criminal charges after police say he punched a referee in the face during a game. Off-duty High Point Police officers working the game responded to an assault and confirmed that a Greensboro Smith High School player punched a referee during a game against Andrews High School.
4. Chicago Bears Release Renderings of Proposed Arlington Heights Stadium District
The NFL's Chicago Bears this week released renderings from architectural firm Hart Howerton of proposed developments of the land surrounding the Arlington Heights site the team has acquired to build a new stadium.
3. Oklahoma Governor Stitt Signs Executive Order Allowing Schools to Pay Student-Athletes for NIL
This week, the state of Oklahoma joined others, including Ohio, Virginia and Georgia, in signing an executive order to allow colleges and universities to directly pay student-athletes for NIL. Governor Kevin Stitt’s decision was supported by Senate Bill 1786, which was passed by lawmakers in 2024.
2. California HS Track Meet Erupts in Protest Over Trans Athlete Participation
The California Southern Section track and field prelims on May 10 transformed from a competitive, post-season track meet into a contentious protest against transgender athletes in girls’ sports.
1. Texas HS Football Coach Suspended for Two Years Over Ineligible Player
A high school football coach has received an additional two-year probation from Texas' University Interscholastic League State Executive Committee. This is the second time that Richard Bishop, who is also the athletic director at Westwood High School, has been in front of the committee.
