Gratitude is the wine for the soul what we’re feeling after an incredible two-plus weeks of daily Olympic fun. Thanks again for following along with us.

• Now it’s back to our regularly scheduled (and equally fun!) sports news programming. Let’s do this.

No amount of words can say thank you enough to all of the USWNT players who have been fighting for this for so many years. Not only for themselves but for the next generation and every single one after that. Thank you for never giving up and teaching us to never settle for less.

The GIST: Queue up Cardi B, because we’re celebrating the USWNT’s settlement with the USSF, a major win for past, present and future players. About damn time.

The history: This saga began back in March 2016 when five players (Alex Morgan, Megan Rapinoe, Becky Sauerbrunn, Carli Lloyd and Hope Solo) filed a complaint with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission saying that the USSF paid the USWNT significantly less than their male counterparts, a charge that went without resolution.

• Three years later, 28 players filed the now-settled lawsuit in federal court, alleging countless examples of systemic gender discrimination. Four months after filing, the USWNT won the 2019 World Cup, with “Equal Pay” chants erupting at matches and their celebratory parade.

• A dismissal of the lawsuit, an appeal of that dismissal and many Megan Rapinoe hairstyles later, yesterday’s incredible news marks the (near) end of this years-long battle. Pop that champagne.

The details: The $24 million settlement will send $22 million in back pay directly to the 28 players involved in the case, with the remaining $2 million set aside to “benefit USWNT players in their post-career goals and charitable efforts related to women’s and girls’ soccer.”

The bigger picture: This isn’t just a win for the USWNT, it’s a win for women everywhere. The team’s equal pay lawsuit inspired others to stand up for equality in their own industries and will hopefully also inspire change on the international soccer stage, with renewed calls for FIFA to offer equal prize money to men’s and women’s teams.

• As Rapinoe said, “If you’re not paying attention to this right now and what’s happening in women’s sports, you’re sleeping on the whole thing.” This is just the beginning.

The GIST: Blockbuster trades, record-breaking performances and countless memes…oh my! With All-Star weekend behind us and the playoffs fewer than two months away, here’s where things stand in the NBA.

Eastern Conference: The playoff race in the East is incredibly tight, with the seventh-seeded Toronto Raptors a mere five games behind the first-place Miami Heat. Other surging squads include the second-place Chicago Bulls, who are on a five-game win streak, and the sixth-place Boston Celtics, who’ve won nine of their last 10.

• But the spiciest news of all was the recent trade which sent the embattled Ben Simmons from the Philadelphia 76ers to the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for All-Star James Harden, who joins MVP candidate Joel Embiid in Philly. Our jaws? Still on the floor.

Western Conference: Things are a little less tense in the West, where the defending conference champion Phoenix Suns lead the way. That said, Suns guard Chris Paul will miss at least six weeks due to injury, meaning Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors or dunk machine Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies could make a run for the top spot.

• Elsewhere, the LA Lakers are clinging to a play-in spot as Anthony Davis deals with an injury and LeBron James is already planning for his (and his son’s) future. Sounds like trouble in paradise.

🎾 WTA: Qatar Open Round of 16 — Today — Tennis Channel

• Coco Gauff and Australian Open quarter-finalist Jessica Pegula are hitting the court as this hits your inbox. Love that for you.

⚽️ Soccer: USWNT vs. Iceland — Tonight at 9 p.m. ET — ESPN2

• With the equal pay win under their belts, the USWNT will go for an on-field victory in tonight’s winner-take-all battle for the SheBelieves Cup. LFG.

🎓🏀 NCAAW: No. 1 South Carolina vs. Texas A&M — Tomorrow at 8:30 p.m. ET — SEC Network

• South Carolina’s Player of the Year candidate Aliyah Boston will break the SEC record for most consecutive double-doubles if she notches one in this conference matchup. History in the making.

This article on how sports culture silences Black women. Highlighting multiple ways both their words and actions are over-scrutinized, the story shows some recent examples of why the discourse around sport needs to change.

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