The GIST - Cheers to the freakin’ weekend

Women’s sports remain the moment ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌
Sports News
From The GIST Team

Happy Friday!

And happy NFL Conference Championship weekend. This Sunday’s Scroll will have your full pregame guide, and, in the meantime, there’s plenty of other sports news to keep us busy until kickoff. Let’s tackle it together.

Quote of The Day
Quote I stay composed. I’m ready for the moment.
USC women’s basketball star Bree Hall smiles.

— No. 1 South Carolina’s three-point queen, junior Bree Hall, celebrating her squad’s electric 76–70 win over No. 9 LSU last night, a victory that keeps the Gamecocks undefeated. Just like South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley’s sweatshirt said…everyone watches women’s sports.

The Latest
Hockey Canada

🏒 Sick and tired of being sick and tired

A close-up shot of a Team Canada hockey jersey.
Source: The Athletic

Content warning: This section contains mention of sexual assault.

The GIST: Five players from Canada’s gold medal–winning 2018 World Juniors team are reportedly facing sexual assault charges and have been ordered to surrender to authorities in London, Ontario. Disgraceful.

The no-background: As covered in yesterday’s episode of The GIST of It, the pending charges stem from a June 2018 incident, when a woman was allegedly sexually assaulted by several members of the World Juniors team after a gala celebrating their championship win.

  • Police closed their initial investigation in 2019, but reopened it in 2022 after the woman filed a $3.5M lawsuit against Hockey Canada, the sport’s national governing body.
  • The woman claimed the organization knew about her alleged assault, yet failed to act. Hockey Canada quickly settled with her out of court, but further reporting revealed that the org had three slush funds for sexual assault settlements, paying out $7.6M to nine survivors (not including the 2018 case) since 1989.

The latest: No official charges have been filed, but four current NHL players and one former NHLer (all members of the 2018 World Juniors team) have been given indefinite leaves of absence from their clubs in recent days. The NHL conducted its own investigation into the matter, but has not made its findings public.

  • London Police (ON) will hold a press conference on February 5th to provide updates on this evolving story.
  • In the meantime, the Halifax Regional Police reminded the public that their investigation into a separate sexual assault allegation against the 2003 World Juniors team is still ongoing. When will it end?
Australian Open

🎾 All that glitters is gold

Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff hug after their Australian Open semifinal match.
Source: Darrian Traynor/Getty Images

The GIST: After two weeks of shocking upsets and sheer domination Down Under, it’s time to crown the first Grand Slam champions of the year. No sleep till Melbourne.

Women’s singles: After taking down America’s favorite teen, No. 4 Coco Gauff, in straight sets in yesterday’s semifinal, No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka will look to defend her Aussie Open title against No. 12 Qinwen Zheng, a first-time Slam finalist, tomorrow at 3:30 a.m. ET.

  • Sabalenka hasn’t dropped a single set en route to becoming the first woman to reach back-to-back Australian Open finals since Serena Williams did it eight years ago.
  • But Zheng has hit more aces than any other woman this tourney, and her strong serve could disrupt Sabalenka’s flow. Pop that corn Brew that coffee and tune in.

Men’s singles: No. 1 Novak Djokovic will have to wait a bit longer to win a record-setting 25th Grand Slam after being upset by No. 4 Jannik Sinner in last night’s semifinal. The win marks Sinner’s third victory over the Joker since November and ensures this year’s men’s champ will be a first-time winner, with the 22-year-old facing No. 3 Daniil Medvedev in Sunday’s early morning final.

  • As for Medvedev, he topped the controversial No. 6 Alexander Zverev in a five-set thriller this morning, coming back from two sets down to book his third Aussie Open final appearance. Wow.
  • Medvedev has never won Melbourne’s finest trophy, losing to Djokovic in 2021 and Rafael Nadal in 2022.
Together With Topps

🔢 Breaking records and taking names

Caitlin Clark holds up a heart sign with her hands. The number 3000 has been added to the graphic along with a caption about her record-breaking collegiate career.
Source: Topps

No matter your favorite women’s basketball moment from this season, chances are Topps has celebrated it with a Bowman U NOW card.

The iconic trading card creator drops limited edition releases celebrating milestones in the women’s game, like No. 5 Iowa’s Caitlin Clark becoming the first player (women’s or men’s!) to surpass 3K career points, 750 career rebounds, and 750 career assists. Get you a player who can do it all.

  • And now you can: Follow Topps’ socials or sign up for email alerts to be notified about new, made-to-order drops. History is in the making.
Buzzer Beaters

🏐 The Pro Volleyball Federation debuted in record-setting style on Wednesday, with a crowd of 11,642 (the largest attendance for a pro volleyball match in the U.S.) taking in the opener between the Omaha Supernovas and the Atlanta Vibe. Women’s sports remain the moment.

🏀 Former WNBA MVP and eight-time All-Star Nneka Ogwumike will leave the LA Sparks after 12 seasons and has already been linked to numerous squads as her free agency frenzy begins.

🏈 National Championship–winning Michigan head coach (HC) Jim Harbaugh is heading back to the NFL after signing a five-year deal to be the new LA Chargers HC.

At long last, the NWSL released their 2024 schedule yesterday and announced the launch of NWSL+, the league’s first-ever streaming platform. Is it March yet?

😡 Ousted Spanish football federation president Luis Rubiales will face trial for kissing Jenni Hermoso without her consent following the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup Final, as could former coach Jorge Vilda for pressuring Hermoso to defend Rubiales.

👎 Ohio became the latest state to restrict trans women’s and girls’ participation in sports when the state senate overrode their governor’s veto on Wednesday. Just awful.

🏎️ Charles Leclerc inked a multi-year extension with Ferrari yesterday, a deal that will have him behind the wheel for “several more seasons to come.” Full speed ahead.

Weekend Watching
Nelly Korda of the United States lines up a putt on the first green during the first round of the LPGA Drive On Championship
Source: Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images

⛳ LPGA: Drive On Championship — Ongoing through Sunday — Golf Channel

  • Last week’s HGV Tournament of Champions winner Lydia Ko is off to a hot start after yesterday’s first round, sitting atop the leaderboard, tied with American Nelly Korda. Tune in to see who will drive away with a big slice of the $1.75M purse.

🏀 NBA: Philadelphia 76ers vs. Denver Nuggets — Tomorrow at 5:30 p.m. ET — ESPN

  • A mere 12 days after the 76ers topped the reigning champs in Philly, expect MVP frontrunners and All-Star starters Philly’s Joel Embiid and Denver’s Nikola Jokić to put on a scoring show from the Mile High City in tomorrow’s rematch.

🏒 PWHL: Minnesota vs. Boston — Tomorrow at 7 p.m. ET — YouTube

  • Minnesota was victorious over Boston earlier in January, but captain Hilary Knight’s crew have won two of their last three games. Anything is possible.

🎓🏀 NCAA women’s basketball: No. 15 Notre Dame vs. No. 8 UConn — Tomorrow at 8 p.m. ET — FOX

  • The embattled Huskies are down another starter ahead of this highly anticipated tilt from South Bend, so it’ll be up to superstar Paige Bueckers to lead the offense against freshman phenom Hannah Hidalgo’s Fighting Irish.
The GIST's Picks

Here’s what passed The GIST squad’s vibe check this week:

🎧 What to listen to

This episode of The Daily. The podcast from The New York Times dives into a 2014 Kansas City Chiefs game where the crowd set a Guinness World Record for “Loudest crowd roar at a sports stadium,” registering a decibel reading equivalent to a jet taking off.

❄️ What to shop

UGG snow boots. Stay warm and dry as you travel from game to game in style.

🏈 What to look forward to

The Super Bowl, of course, including the pregame performances featuring Reba McEntire, Post Malone, and Andra Day.

Fun & Games

Take Your Pick

New York

vs

Toronto

While we wait for the puck to drop on next month’s historic Battle on Bay Street, let us know who you think will win tonight’s 7 p.m. ET tilt between these two PWHL teams looking to rise up from the bottom of the standings.

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Older messages

Kenough is enough

Wednesday, January 24, 2024

The cat's meow ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

Have a minute?

Tuesday, January 23, 2024

We'd love to get to know you! ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

Put down your “Bad Blood” Waffle Fries

Monday, January 22, 2024

Open for mad love ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

Fried eggs and ham

Sunday, January 21, 2024

Tee it up ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

A single mom who works two jobs

Friday, January 19, 2024

Wow, wow, wow ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

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