The footballer herself has been part of multiple controversial incidents. She had a locker room fistfight with her teammate Alex Morgan in 2023. According to reports, the 2 had to be separated by teammates after Alex Morgan took a shot at Rapinoe. So, Rapinoe herself is not one to shy away from an altercation.

It was not only Rapinoe who was excited after watching that clip as her partner and WNBA legend Sue Bird also called out Notre Dame to ignite this rivalry on the court. She asked the college to organize more games between TCU, where Olivia Miles is set to play her final season, and Notre Dame, where Hannah Hidalgo will continue.

“I would just like to say:  if TCU and Notre Dame do not play a game [this season], they need to schedule a game as soon as possible,” Bird said. “As soon as possible. Everybody wants to see it. Please.”

The 2025–26 NCAA Division I women’s college basketball regular season schedule has not yet been officially announced. So this is the right time to make this call. It will be interesting to see how this rivalry plays out on the court if they play against each other. This was the first public fallout the two have had, as both had previously maintained that there was nothing between them. It cannot be deciphered what they were saying, but things escalated as security had to step in to prevent a physical altercation.

Miles surprisingly will continue in college basketball after being the second pick at this year’s draft. That decision makes financial sense. She will likely receive north of $1 million in NIL deals for her last year, and her salary in the WNBA would be  $82,563.And because the CBA contracts are expiring next year, she will get a better contract than she would have this year.

Hannah and Miles were probably the nation’s best backcourt in women’s college basketball last season. The two All-American candidates helped guide the Fighting Irish to a 24-2 start before fading down the stretch and exiting the NCAA Tournament in the Sweet 16. But this controversy has put a shadow on their season, as many of Hannah’s teammates are leaving because of disagreements with Hidalgo, if rumors are to be believed. Well, Hidalgo will take up a more important role at Notre Dame, while Miles will move on to TCU.

Hannah Hidalgo apologises for her offensive story

In ESPN’s second episode of Full Court Press, released last week, she came out and apologized.“What I reposted hurt a lot of people,” Hidalgo said. “I took it down, of course. I want to apologize to the people that I hurt because that is never my intention. I love everyone regardless of what skin color, what belief, what religion, regardless of what you think because the Lord calls us to love everyone.”

This marks the second time Hannah Hidalgo has publicly addressed the controversy. In early April, she authored a Players’ Tribune article where she described her repost as a “mistake.” Hidalgo wrote candidly about how the backlash left her “spiraling,” especially after realizing she had let people down, given the wrong impression, and hurt individuals she cared about. She had not touched the ‘homophobia’ accusation.

These statements set the record straight. She was the nation’s No. 3 scorer at 24.2 points and was also voted as league defensive player of the year. The Fighting Irish will hope she continues that in the coming season and does not let the off-court controversies affect her. Especially after losing Miles, they will need her to be at her best.