Content warning: This section contains mention of sexual abuse.

The GIST: The fallout from last month’s Sally Yates investigation into systemic abuse in the NWSL continued on Wednesday with new reporting that front office members at Racing Louisville FC (including the current president) enabled a culture of abuse under head coach Christy Holly. Burn it all down.

The context: Holly’s history of toxicity was at the center of the bombshell Yates report, with the investigation unveiling horrific claims of sexual abuse against him. Team leadership fired him in August 2021 after learning of those allegations, but did not give a reason for Holly’s dismissal at the time.

The latest: Six former Racing players and one former staff member allege that current president James O’Connor, former president Brad Estes and the rest of the front office fostered a toxic culture at the club.

• Reporting from local Louisville outlet WHAS11 detailed verbal abuse, mishandling of injuries and failure to address player concerns.

• In fact, in 2021, when three players bravely spoke to HR about their experiences, an HR staffer revealed their identities to Holly and others when scheduling a follow-up meeting via email. WTF?

What’s next: Those who spoke out in Wednesday’s report called for O’Connor to be removed as president, along with those who failed to act on players’ complaints. But Louisville is withholding comment (and apparently action) until the ongoing joint NWSL and NWSL Players Association’s investigation into abuse in the league has ended.

• And while that investigation was initially expected to conclude shortly after the season ended in late October, commissioner Jessica Berman has since said they have no specific direction on timeline, but that they will leave no stone unturned.

🏈 NFL: The GIST’s Game of the Week — Dallas Cowboys vs. Minnesota Vikings

Controversial and currently suspended Brooklyn Nets All-Star Kyrie Irving could be back on the court as soon as Sunday. ICYMI: Irving failed to initially apologize after promoting an antisemitic film on social media last month, resulting in a minimum five-game suspension without pay. Hope he learned his lesson.

All rise for the American League MVP: NY Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge. The slugger beat out LA Angels unicorn Shohei Ohtani for the honor, capping off a standout year in which he crushed a record-breaking 62 home runs.

• Not to be overshadowed, St. Louis Cardinals’ Paul Goldschmidt was named as the National League MVP, making him the fifth Cardinals first baseman to take home the title.

No. 8 Taylor Fritz pulled out the W yesterday, beating No. 5 Felix Auger-Aliassime 7-6, 6-7, 6-2 to advance to the semis in Turin. And his win is all the more impressive considering this is the American’s first career appearance at the ATP Finals.

• He’ll look to keep his Cinderella story alive when he faces No. 7 Novak Djokovic tomorrow with a spot in Sunday’s final on the line.

The Americans are still undefeated after last night’s 2–1 game two win against the reigning Olympic champ Canadians. Now they’ll look to lock in a best-of-five series win when the puck drops for game three Sunday at 7 p.m. ET in Seattle. Let’s do that hockey.

⛳️ LPGA: CME Group Tour Championship — Today through Sunday — Golf Channel

• New Zealand’s Lydia Ko is on top of the leaderboard after yesterday’s opening round, but three Americans — Sophia Schubert, Megan Khang and Nelly Korda — are hot on her tail, tied for sixth. *golf clap*

🏎 F1: Abu Dhabi Grand Prix — Sunday at 8 a.m. ET — ESPN

• The drivers wished retiring racing legend Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel farewell last night, and now it’s our turn to bid him adieu during the final Grand Prix of the season.

🏈 NFL: Cleveland Browns vs. Buffalo Bills — Sunday at 1 p.m. ET — Paramount+

• Winter is coming, and so are the squads…to Ford Field in Detroit. The NFL decided to move the game from Buffalo ahead of an impending snowstorm, but there’s another sh!tstorm on the way that we can’t escape: Browns QB Deshaun Watson has returned to practice after the end of his too-short suspension.

🏑 NCAA field hockey semifinals: No. 1 UNC vs. Penn State — Today at 12 p.m. ET — ESPN+

• And then there were four. After the Tar Heels and Nittany Lions duke it out, No. 2 Northwestern faces No. 3 Maryland at 3 p.m. ET, with winners advancing to Sunday’s 1:30 p.m. ET championship game. Fock on.

⚽️ NCAA women’s soccer: No. 5 Georgetown vs. No. 4 Pittsburgh — Today at 2 p.m. ET — ESPN+

• The second round of the NCAA tournament kicks off with the Hoyas, who’ve won seven of their last eight, taking on a Pittsburgh team that nearly knocked off No. 1 Notre Dame earlier this month.

🏈 NCAA football: No. 7 USC vs. No. 16 UCLA — Tomorrow at 8 p.m ET — FOX Sports

• This Pac-12 battle royale is a must-watch. A USC win would keep their playoff dreams alive and clinch a spot in the conference championship game, but they’ll have to hold off the high-scoring Bruins to do it. No shortage of drama in LA.

🏀 NCAA women’s basketball: No. 1 South Carolina vs. No. 2 Stanford — Sunday at 3 p.m. ET — ABC

• A battle of the last two natty champions, both undefeated squads will face their toughest tests yet.

*P.S. NCAA tournament season has arrived, but female athletes aren’t receiving the coverage they deserve. Our three-times weekly college sports newsletter, powered by Under Armour, is trying to change that. Check it out.

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• P.S. Their only sale of the year is just around the corner. Sign up for early access to their Black Friday discounts beginning on November 21st. Stay gold, GISTers.