The GIST

WNBA leadership set to meet on rising tensions surrounding trans athletes

In the 30 years since the WNBA was founded, exactly zero transgender women have played in the league. And yet, the conversation surrounding trans athletes is reaching dangerous levels as the attempts to turn this tiny, vulnerable group of people into a supposed threat to women’s sports increase each day.

August 11, 2026

Nigeria’s quarter-final exit opens up WAFCON competition; Cameroon, Algeria, Morocco, and Malawi advance to the semifinals on Wednesday.

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The WAFCON semis are officially set, but not without a major plot twist. Defending champs Nigeria are heading home with a double dose of heartbreak — their title defense is over, and they might not be heading to next summer’s Women’s World Cup either. Here’s how it went down and what’s still at stake.

August 10, 2026

Chicago Sky’s DiJonai Carrington ejected for flagrant foul on Indiana Fever’s Sophie Cunningham

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Stop us if you heard this one before, but the WNBA is once again making national news — sadly not because Minnesota Lynx star Kayla McBride broke the league’s single-game 3-point record yesterday (10), but due to on- and off-court drama. Here’s what went down in one tension-filled game.

August 10, 2026

Meet three women who have transformed the WSL into an international juggernaut

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The Barclays WSL launched in 2011 with eight founding clubs and checks in with a whopping 14 teams for the 2026–27 season. The league has emerged as a worldwide leader in the development and expansion of women’s soccer — so today, we’re highlighting three women who helped turn it into a global powerhouse.

August 08, 2026

USA Basketball drops 12-player roster for upcoming FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup

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USA Basketball managing director Sue Bird dropped the red, white, and blue’s 12-player FIBA Women’s World Cup (WWC) roster yesterday — and it’s 100% stacked. Here’s more on the tourney before it tips off in Berlin next month, plus the WNBA superstars who’ll be repping the stars and stripes.

August 07, 2026

Cleveland’s forthcoming WNBA franchise announces name and branding

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A little over a year ago, Cleveland was announced as the WNBA’s 16th franchise after Rock Entertainment Group (REG) paid a historic $250 million expansion fee. Now, the city finally knows who they’ll be cheering for: the Sirens. The club debuted its name and branding on Tuesday at Rocket Arena, the 19.4K-seater stadium where it will begin play in 2028.

August 06, 2026

World No. 20 Alex Eala wins big ahead of National Bank Open

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Fresh off her historic DC Open victory, 21-year-old world No. 20 Alex Eala — the first Filipino to win a WTA title — is the player to know ahead of this week’s National Bank Open. From her meteoric rise to her powerful ball-striking, here’s why Eala’s been called the most exciting player on the WTA tour.

August 05, 2026

NWSL terminates contract with streaming platform Victory+, effective immediately

Sports Business

NWSL terminates contract with streaming platform Victory+, effective immediately

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August 04, 2026

The NWSL hasn’t yet confirmed or denied if it’ll be starting the 2027 season a full month earlier due to the FIFA Women’s World Cup (WWC), but it did surprisingly reveal the immediate termination of its media rights agreement with streaming partner Victory+ last Thursday.

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The GIST of It Podcast

Ep #580

Why the WNBA is stuck in a right-wing culture war

August 11, 2026

Listen on Apple Music Listen on Spotify

Why the WNBA is stuck in a right-wing culture war

The WNBA seems to be everywhere these days, but not in a great way. A lot of the oxygen around the league is being taken up by off-court issues, particularly regarding trans women and trans athletes. On today’s episode of The GIST of It, co-hosts Ellen Hyslop and Steph Rotz share their thoughts on it all, detailing the anti-trans comments that sparked this nationwide debate, the Players Association’s response, commissioner Cathy Engelbert’s leaked internal memo.