 | Edition #1321 Sep 26, 2025 |
| From The GIST Team |
Finally Friday! | ||
| Consider this your permission to say no to any weekend plans — major life events included — because there are far too many high-stakes sports events on deck that you simply can't miss.
| ||
| Quote of The Day |
 | I sat with them for a couple of minutes [to say] why I love them…I didn't grow up saying 'I love you' a lot, it's Japanese culture…Don't miss a moment when you get a chance to say 'I love you.' |
 | — Golden State Valkyries head coach and WNBA Coach of the Year Natalie Nakase, on how she consoled her team after their first-round playoff exit. Now that's leadership.
|
| The Latest |
🏀 Who turned the temperature hotter? Source: Lucas Peltier/Imagn Images The GIST: Forget the Jo Bros, this weekend is all about WNBA hoops. Game 3s will grace our screens tonight, followed by a double dose of Game 4s on Sunday. Yes, with both best-of-five series knotted at one, that means the Finals matchup could be set before our next newsletter. Burnin' up. 🃏 Las Vegas Aces vs. 🥵 Indiana Fever — Tonight at 7:30 p.m. ET: This series started with back-to-back lopsided games in Vegas, featuring a disparity in superstar productivity. In the Fever's convincing Game 1 win, Indy guard Kelsey Mitchell exploded for a playoff career-high 34 points, while the Aces' four-time WNBA MVP A'ja Wilson was held to just 16 points.
🐱 Minnesota Lynx vs. 🪐 Phoenix Mercury — Tonight at 9:30 p.m. ET: The Mercury's 20-point Game 2 comeback flipped this series on its head. And while Phoenix proved resilient, the Lynx's lack of composure in the second half — including a pivotal 65-second third-quarter stretch featuring four (of their 17) turnovers — was uncharacteristic.
    |
🏉 Locked in Source: Andrew Matthews/The Associated Press The GIST: Thirty thrilling matches later, the record-breaking stage is set for tomorrow's 11 a.m. ET Women's Rugby World Cup championship match between world No. 1 England and No. 2 Canada. An immovable object meeting an unstoppable force? We're so ready to ruck and roll. 🏴 England dominate international play: The Red Roses' 32-match win streak isn't an accident — they're a well-oiled winning machine. The English are physical in their attack and surgical in their set pieces (aka when the game restarts after a stoppage). Not to mention, 12 of their 15 starting players competed in England's last World Cup final run…and they're dressed for revenge. 🇨🇦 Canada on the cusp of history: Arguably the best Canadian rugby team ever assembled, the well-prepared Canucks are making their second World Cup final appearance and first since a heartbreaking 2014 loss to the Red Roses. Their style of rugby is best described as rapid-fire: This team plays fast, using spectacular offloads to capitalize on a roster chock-full of talent. ☝️ One more thing: Not only is this a meeting of the world's top two teams, but it'll also feature two of the most electric players on the planet: English inside center Meg Jones and Canadian lock Sophie de Goede, two of the three finalists for World Rugby Player of the Year. Consider us sat. |
⚾ Ready for this jelly Source: Steph Chambers/Getty Images The GIST: The still-chaotic push for the MLB playoffs — and toward our men's pro baseball bracket challenge — continues ahead of Sunday's regular-season finale. That said, a different race is grabbing headlines, with Seattle Mariners superstar Cal Raleigh chasing NY Yankees slugger Aaron Judge's single-season American League (AL) home run record.
🔱 Raleigh sits at 60 home runs, two shy of Judge's 2022 record: The Big Dumper deposited his 60th dinger of the season in Wednesday's 9–2 American League West–clinching win over the Colorado Rockies. Sixty in a season is impressive alone, especially for a catcher, amid a breakout season that included winning the Home Run Derby and breaking record after record along the way.
👀 MVP race remains too close to call: Boasting a league-best .330 batting average, Judge was the favorite to defend his AL MVP crown…until Raleigh's recent surge extended his MLB–leading home run total and flipped the odds in his favor. Both boppers still have three games remaining to make their cases. Batter up, baby. |
| Fun & Games |
Question of the Day | ||
 |  | |
Aaron Judge | vs | Cal Raleigh |
| With the aforementioned Yankees captain and the Mariners' Big Dumper slugging it out for MVP, settle the debate and let us know who you think should lift the trophy. On Wednesday, we asked you which AL team will be left out of the playoff picture. 34% voted for the Houston Astros, 26% voted for the Boston Red Sox, 21% voted for the Detroit Tigers, and 19% voted for the Cleveland Guardians. | ||
| Weekend Watching |
 Source: ESPN 🎓🏈 NCAA football: No. 6 Oregon Ducks vs. No. 3 Penn State Nittany Lions — Tomorrow at 7:30 p.m. ET — NBC
⚽ NWSL: Houston Dash vs. Washington Spirit — Sunday at 1 p.m. ET — Paramount+
🎓🏐 NCAA volleyball: No. 11 SMU Mustangs vs. No. 5 Pitt Panthers — Sunday at 3 p.m. ET — ESPN
🏈 NFL: Green Bay Packers vs. Dallas Cowboys — Sunday at 8:20 p.m. ET — NBC
|
| Together With The Hustle ⚡ You heard it here first, folks — Tumblr is making a comeback. Well, at least Gen Z thinks so. Before you return to microblogging, check out the other peculiar stories at The Hustle, the source for business and tech news you won't find anywhere else.
|
| The GIST's Picks |
Hi. It's us. We're the recommenders, it's us.
📰 What to readOur editorial on women's soccer legend Alex Morgan's incredible career, created in collaboration with Upper Deck — a powerhouse in the women's sports collectibles space and the only place to get authentic Morgan memorabilia.* |
🐶 What to check out"Pancake's Passport." Las Vegas Aces center Megan Gustafson wrote a children's book chronicling her adventures overseas with her corgi. The story follows the inseparable duo as they travel the world. |
🎬 What to rewatch"High School Musical." LA Laker Luka Dončić says he watched the hit movie 10 or 15 times as a kid. Pro athletes, they're just like us. *P.S. This is a sponsored post. Let's collect. |
 | |||||
|
Today's email was brought to you by Alessandra Puccio, Lisa Minutillo, Lauren Tuiskula, Rachel Fuenzalida, Grace DePaull, and Briana Ekanem. Editing by Katie Kehoe Foster. Fact-checking by Marga Sison and Mikaela Perez. Ops by Briana Ekanem and Marga Sison. Ads by Katie Kehoe Foster, Alessandra Puccio, and Lisa Minutillo. Managing edits by Lauren Tuiskula and Alessandra Puccio. Head of content Ellen Hyslop.
| You are receiving this email because you subscribed to the GIST at our website: https://www.thegistsports.com | You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list. |
Post a Comment
Post a Comment