The GIST

Two postseason tickets booked in an injury-riddled Week 15 of NFL action

A stiff arm masterclass, a near wardrobe malfunction, and a not-so-subtle flyover characterized Week 15 of NFL action. And there’s plenty more where that came from after another chaotic Sunday on the gridiron.

December 16, 2024

Athletes Unlimited shuts down its lacrosse league as the sport’s calendar becomes crowded

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On Wednesday, Athletes Unlimited (AU) announced it’s indefinitely suspending its AU Pro Lacrosse league. After jumpstarting opportunities in four sports — softball, basketball, lacrosse, and volleyball — within the past four years, this is the first time the company has suspended operations for one of its leagues.

December 20, 2024

Sports Innovation Lab insights show companies plan to spend more in women’s sports in 2025

In recent years, sponsors have talked a big game about increasing their investment in women’s sports, and in 2024, many stepped up. According to Sports Innovation Lab (SIL) survey results released yesterday, brands are boosting women’s sports budgets for 2025 and reallocating sponsorship dollars from men’s sports to women’s.

December 20, 2024

The revamped College Football Playoff begins with first-round games taking place Friday and Saturday

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At long last, the expanded 12-team CFP makes its debut this weekend, with first-round games kicking off tonight and tomorrow. Four squads earned byes straight to the second round and await the winners of these initial clashes.

December 20, 2024

No. 4 UConn and No. 7 USC meet for much-hyped women’s basketball matchup

Several top-25 basketball games are on tap this weekend, but none bigger than Paige Bueckers’ No. 4 UConn taking on JuJu Watkins’ No. 7 USC tomorrow at 8 p.m. ET on FOX.

December 20, 2024

Louisville and Penn State will compete for a National Title on Sunday

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It all comes down to this: After battling through the 64-team bracket, No. 1 seeds Louisville and Penn State will play for the national title Sunday at 3 p.m. ET on ABC.

December 20, 2024

UEFA establishes second-tier club tournament as investment in women’s soccer deepens

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In addition to sweetening the pot for Europe’s national teams, UEFA has been committed to creating a holistic ecosystem for women’s soccer at the club level. On Monday, the organization shared details around the Women’s Europa Cup, a second-tier club competition hoping to drive domestic investment in the women’s game across Europe.

December 18, 2024

Sports Business

Unrivaled confirms $222K average salary thanks to extensive VC, partner investment

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December 16, 2024

In a recent SB Nation interview, Unrivaled president Alex Bazzell confirmed the new 3v3 pro women’s basketball league boasts a salary pool exceeding $8M. That’s a $242K average salary for the league’s 33 players (and $222K if all 36 spots are filled), exceeding the WNBA’s current $214K max salary. This doesn’t consider player equity or revenue sharing, which is worth millions.

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The GIST of It Podcast

Ep #422

Volleyball's spotlight moment, plus a College Football Playoff primer

December 19, 2024

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Volleyball's spotlight moment, plus a College Football Playoff primer

Hello, hello!
Forget the holidays — it’s playoff season for a few fall college sports: women’s volleyball and football. On this episode of The GIST of It, co-hosts Ellen Hyslop and Steph Rotz first preview tonight’s national volleyball tournament semifinals, where all four No. 1 seeds will be duking it out for a spot in Sunday’s championship. And volleyball is just getting started in the U.S., with major news about the Pro Volleyball Federation and League One Volleyball dropping this week.
Then in part two, it’s all about the College Football Playoff, which begins on Friday night. The gals dig through the revamped 12-team format before shouting out the top players to watch on the gridiron. Hut, hut.
A big thank you to Aflac for partnering with us on today’s episode! Add Aflac to your team to close the insurance gap today. Learn more at aflac.com/thegist.