Are Recession Fears Over?

Pump up the jam ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

Sports News

Powered by Edition #1238 Apr 11, 2025

From The GIST Team

Welcome to Friday! Take a page out of the UConn women's basketball team's book ahead of their championship parade on Sunday and get ready to party with a weekend full of sports. Championship net necklace at the ready. Sign Up

Quote of The Day

	I don't know how I did it because when I was watching that video, I was like, 'There's no way I'm playing this game.'
	— LA Laker Luka Dončić, reflecting on his emotional return to Dallas on Wednesday, where a touching Mavericks tribute video brought tears to the generational talent's eyes before he dropped 45 points in a win against his former team. We stan an emotionally available man.

The Latest

NBA 🏀 It's the wild, wild west Source: Ken Blaze/Imagn Images The GIST: It all comes down to this…no, seriously. Fifteen of the NBA's 20 postseason spots are undetermined with the regular-season finale looming on Sunday, including eight of 10 in the hotly contested Western Conference (WC). Let's ball. Top seeds locked in: The playoff picture may be in flux, but the top dogs are crystal clear: The Oklahoma City Thunder punched the WC's first postseason ticket last month, clinching the No. 1 spot for the second straight year, while the Cleveland Cavaliers fended off the defending champ Boston Celtics to lock in their first Eastern Conference (EC) No. 1 seed since 2016. What's up for grabs this weekend: All 20 postseason teams are confirmed, but seeding is still on the line. And where a team finishes the regular season can make a big difference in a postseason run, potentially providing a more favorable matchup, home-court advantage, or the gift of avoiding the Play-In Tournament. For context, the top six teams in both the EC and WC snag official playoff spots, but the seventh- through 10th-placed squads must play their way in to the playoffs via the aptly named and always spicy Play-In Tournament. Chaos reigns supreme in the WC: Though there's definitely drama in the EC, the WC has been giving main character energy. Just how close is it? The LA Lakers currently own the conference's No. 3 spot but are just two games ahead of the eighth-seeded Minnesota Timberwolves. Every team has two games left, one on Friday and one on Sunday, and nearly every single matchup has massive implications. Pump up the jam, indeed.

2028 LA Olympic Games 🙌 Leveling the playing field: Olympic edition Source: Getty Images The GIST: For the first time in Olympic history, there will be more women athletes than men athletes at the Games, an LA 2028 parity win made possible by a concerted International Olympic Committee (IOC) effort to close the gender gap. Here's a look at how organizers will flip the script, by the numbers. 16: Sixteen teams will compete in the LA 2028 women's soccer tournament, up from 12 at the 2024 Paris Games. What's more, the 2028 Games will see full parity in all team sports — not just footy. LFG. 12: Speaking of, women's water polo and women's 3x3 basketball will also see their fields expand, with each surging sport featuring 12 competing teams, in alignment with their male counterparts. 5,655: Thanks to the changes outlined above (among others), there will be 5,655 quota spots available for female athletes, compared to 5,543 for men. 6: And that's not all. LA organizers are further shaking things up, adding six new mixed events across various sports, including a mixed team competition in artistic gymnastics and a mixed 4x100m relay in track and field. Can't wait.

Together With Delta ✈️ Make your journey to Augusta stress free Source: Delta Hate when traveling is more stressful than a sudden-death playoff at the Masters? Delta Air Lines gets it. As a Tournament Partner of the greatest tournament in men's golf, they want fans to arrive in Augusta, GA energized, not drained from a harrowing journey. The solution? Expanded flight offerings to Augusta Regional Airport for Masters weekend. Gone are the days of waiting in tournament traffic on the road from Atlanta — just sit back, relax, and let Delta deliver you directly to a sports lover's dream. Long drives belong on the par-5 second hole, not the road to Augusta, and Delta ensures your elite experience starts before take-off. And if you're not lucky enough to land a Masters ticket via the lottery in June, Delta can also get you to the country's most beautiful courses to take in another tourney IRL. The perfect approach, on and off the course. MAKE YOUR SPORTS DREAM A REALITY

Weekend Watching

Source: Harry How/Getty Images ⛳ PGA: The Masters — Today through Sunday — ESPN/CBS The quest for the most prestigious jacket in pro sports is underway, with Englishman and World No. 39 Justin Rose topping the leaderboard after yesterday's opening round at Augusta National. But there's still plenty of golf to be played — and reigning champ No. 1 Scottie Scheffler is bogey-free and heating up. 🏒 IIHF Women's World Championship — No. 2 USA vs. No. 4 Czechia — Today at 1 p.m. ET — NHL Network The Red, White, and Blue crushed No. 3 Finland 7–1 in their group stage opener on Wednesday but have a tougher test ahead in host Czechia, who opened their tourney with a 3–0 takedown of No. 5 Switzerland. Time for spice on ice. 🏐 LOVB: Semifinals — Tonight at 6:30 p.m. ET and 9:30 p.m. ET — ESPN2 LOVB championship weekend is the hottest ticket in Louisville, and tonight's matches are no exception. After two tough quarter-final showdowns last night, Austin and Omaha are through to the semis and will face Atlanta and Houston, respectively. Bumpin' that. 🏒 NCAA men's hockey: Frozen Four Championship — Tomorrow at 7:30 p.m. ET — ESPN2 Losing isn't in Western Michigan's vocabulary after the Broncos secured their ninth straight dub (in double overtime, no less) to punch their first-ever championship ticket. But BU's riding a wave, finally getting over the hump to reach their first title game since 2015. Ice, ice, baby. 🏎️ F1: Bahrain Grand Prix — Sunday at 11 a.m. ET — ESPN We're only three Grands Prix in, but the chase for the World Driver's Championship is already scorching: There's been four different race winners to start the 2025 campaign, including a sprint race dub from Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton. Will the first night race of the season buck the trend?

Together With Ford Maverick Source: Ford You need a league-best point guard when it comes to an investment as huge as your vehicle — a truck that has brains and brawn. In other words, you need the new 2025 Ford Maverick® truck. 💪 This hybrid truck is powerful and packed with available driver-assist tools like Pro Trailer Backup Assist™ and Pro Trailer Hitch Assist™. If you're looking for an easy dub, the only choice is to Make It With Maverick™. A TRUCK WITH BRAINS AND BRAWN? SAY LESS

The GIST's Picks

Recs from our roster!

📖 What to read Recently retired WNBA star Elena Delle Donne's The Players' Tribune article, "No Regrets." She could have won multiple NCAA titles at UConn, but she chose to stay home in Delaware and make history on her own terms.

🏎️ Who to know Brehanna Daniels, NASCAR's first Black female tire changer. She never planned on motorsports, but now she's breaking barriers...one pit stop at a time.

🏈 What to celebrate A welcoming football camp. New Orleans Saint Khalen Saunders is launching a youth camp designed to create a safe space for LGBTQIA+ athletes in the sport. Love to see it.

Fun & Games

Question of the Day As you read, the first-ever LOVB champion will be crowned this weekend — which team do you think will serve-ive and hoist the trophy when it's all said and done? LOVB Atlanta LOVB Houston LOVB Austin LOVB Omaha

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