The GIST: The Indiana Fever parted ways with head coach (HC) Christie Sides yesterday, making her the sixth WNBA HC (of 12) to be fired in an already spicy offseason. Pass the milk — it’s time for a deep dive.

The no-background: The LA Sparks, Atlanta Dream, Chicago Sky, Dallas Wings, Washington Mystics, and Fever have all dismissed their HCs in the last month, a remarkable turnover following one of the most-watched WNBA seasons of all-time.

• Notably, five of the six aforementioned teams (excluding the Fever) finished in the bottom half of the standings this year and four of the six (Sparks, Sky, Wings, and Mystics) didn’t make the playoffs at all.
• And there’s more change where that came from. On Saturday, the Las Vegas Aces fired their two-time championship-winning general manager (GM) Natalie Williams, the second GM firing of the offseason after the ’Stics parted ways with longtime GM Mike Thibault last Wednesday.

But why?: Stop us if you’ve heard this before, but the WNBA is surging, dictating pop culture and drawing record-breaking eyes to the court. There’s skyrocketing pressure to win, and changing up a front office can have franchise-altering results.

• And the offseason shakeups are likely far from over. Numerous league legends are currently free agents, and the right HC can lure the shiniest star away from their current team. The ripple effects from the WNBA’s successful 2024 season have only just begun.

The GIST: The highly anticipated 120th edition of the World Series has more than lived up to the hype, with a whole lot of history made in LA before the series shifts to New York for Game 3 tonight at 8:08 p.m. ET. Capture it, remember it.

LA Dodgers take commanding 2-0 series lead: Down to their final out and trailing by a run, Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman blasted an astounding walk-off grand slam — the first-ever walk-off grand slam in World Series history — lifting LA to a 6–3 extra innings Game 1 win over the NY Yankees on Friday. Talk about a Hollywood ending.

• Then Saturday’s Game 2 came down to the pitching: Dodgers hurler Yoshinobu Yamamoto kept the Bronx Bombers’ bats at bay, yielding just one hit in 6 ⅓ innings of work en route to the 4–2 LA victory.

Shohei Ohtani expected to play in Game 3 despite shoulder injury: The LA superstar partially dislocated his shoulder while stealing a base during that Game 2 win but is still anticipated to suit up for tonight’s Game 3 from the Bronx.

• As for NY, all eyes will be on their MVP candidate, Aaron Judge. The Yanks captain has just one hit and six strikeouts across nine at-bats in the World Series. Time to see if he can (all) rise to the challenge and help his squad avoid a devastating 3-0 hole.

The GIST: While the NFL doles out the Uncrustables, let’s chat through everything you need to know from a jam-packed Week 8 slate. Delish.

Washington Commanders use Hail Mary to stun Chicago Bears in rookie quarterback (QB) showdown: The 2024 No. 2 draft pick, Commanders QB Jayden Daniels, had the last laugh in yesterday’s 18–15 win over the No. 1 pick Caleb Williams–led Bears after tossing a ridiculous Hail Mary pass to snag Washington’s sixth win of the season. Our jaws? On the floor.

Kansas City Chiefs stay undefeated: Kansas City QB Patrick Mahomes threw his league-worst ninth interception yesterday, but his squad still rallied for a 27–20 dub over the Las Vegas Raiders. Sometimes what happens in Vegas leads to a perfect 7-0 record on the season.

New England Patriots, Cleveland Browns upset NY Jets, Baltimore Ravens, respectively: A last-minute touchdown (TD) from running back (RB) Rhamondre Stevenson sealed the deal in the struggling Patriots’ 25–22 win over the floundering Jets, while the Browns snapped their five-game losing streak in dramatic fashion, using a last-minute TD of their own to stun the Ravens 29–24. Any given Sunday.

Detroit Lions stay atop NFC North with 52–14 rout of Tennessee Titans: The Lions celebrated National Tight End’s (TE) Day in style as RB David Montgomery threw (yes, threw) a TD pass to TE Sam LaPorta in Detroit’s fifth straight dub and highest-scoring game since 1997.

Injury news: Houston Texans wide receiver Stefon Diggs and Green Bay Packers QB Jordan Love are the latest big-name players to hit the injury report — Diggs suffered a non-contact knee injury in the Texans’ 23–20 win over the Indianapolis Colts, while the Pack have a “high level of concern” regarding their QB’s groin injury after Green Bay’s 30–27 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. Oof.

Ready to bump up your day? The AU Pro Volleyball season is well underway and we’re gearing up for next month’s championship with the ultimate giveaway.

You can win:

🎟️ Four tickets to the Athletes Unlimited Pro Volleyball Championship on November 4th

✈️ $2,500 cash for travel and accommodations to Mesa’s Arizona Athletic Grounds

Are you diggin’ it? You and your fellow volleyball super fans can enter to win today. You just have to see these stone-cold killers in-person.

Artist Jocelyn Hu, who designs handmade wearable sports fashion pieces like Chicago Sky rookie Angel Reese’s custom WNBA Finals ’fit.

The Players’ Tribune Book. Celebrating 10 years of athlete-driven storytelling, the foreword is written by the brand’s founder, former MLB superstar Derek Jeter. Perfect for coffee tables and game days.

This advice. Pro basketball debutants including Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese dish evergreen wisdom in the WNBA Rookie Survival Guide. Their top tip? Enjoy every moment.