Get to know us
The GIST is a female-founded and led sports media brand that’s leveling the playing field in sports. Whether it’s a newsletter, podcast or social post, we’re all about providing a fresh and fun perspective on sports.
Our story
Launched in 2018 by three college friends — Jacie deHoop, Ellen Hyslop and Roslyn McLarty — The GIST is all about changing the game in the male-dominated sports industry where less than 14% of journalists are women and less than 4% of coverage is on female athletes.
Three years later, our all-women, 20-person team works day in and day out to change those stats, providing equal coverage on men’s and women’s sports.
What we do
Think of us as your witty, sports-obsessed best friend. We’re a multimedia destination that's made by and for sports fans who don’t fit (or maybe don’t want to fit) the traditional avid sports fan mold.
We entertain and inform our 300k+ audience with our free, 4x-weekly newsletter, our highly popular podcast The GIST of It and our daily social media posts. And, if you catch us at the right time, you can also snag some coveted GIST merch.
Subscribe to our free, 4x-weekly newsletter
Listen to our podcast, The GIST of It
Follow us on socials — @thegistusa, @thegistca
So, what do you get?
The Team
Hometown: Carlisle, ON
Favorite sport to play: Soccer, always!
Favorite sport to watch: I love football, women’s soccer (yes, specifically women’s) and hockey
Favorite athlete: Christine Sinclair
Go-to snack: An apple
A fun fact about yourself: I was a chaser on my university’s varsity quidditch team and am low-key high-key obsessed with Harry Potter
Hometown: Kingston, ON
Favorite sport to play: Tennis, baby!
Favorite sport to watch: Love watching basketball
Favorite athlete: Venus Williams
Go-to snack: Almonds, preferably chocolate covered
A fun fact about yourself: My go-to karaoke song is “Not Ready to Make Nice” by the Dixie Chicks
Hometown: Ottawa, ON
Favorite sport to play: Soccer
Favorite sport to watch: Basketball. Toronto Raptors ‘till I die.
Favorite athlete: Serena Williams
Go-to snack: All the coffee (if that’s considered a snack?)
A fun fact about yourself: I make playlists for all my different moods, like a true Cancer
Hometown: Trenton, Ont.
Favorite sport to play: Hockey! But also give me a frisbee and a nice park day and I’m set
Favorite sport to watch: Football, love the short season and full Sunday lineups
Favourite athlete: Current: Bianca Andreescu. Retired: Tie Domi. Don’t @ me
Go-to snack: Toast? I like toast a lot. Bread not as much though.
A fun fact about yourself: When I was young (real young) my dream job was being a garbage-woman because I wanted to hang off the back of the truck as it drove around.
Hometown: Irvine, California
Favorite sport to play: Running, either with friends or with a good podcast
Favorite sport to watch: Basketball (sweet assists are my jam) and artistic gymnastics
Favorite athlete: Kyla Ross aka Kyla Boss
Go-to snack: White cheddar popcorn
A fun-fact about yourself: I want to visit all 50 U.S. states someday — 17 more to go!
Hometown: Columbus, Ohio
Favorite sport to play: Basketball (beach volleyball is a very close second)
Favorite sport to watch: College basketball (go Hoosiers!), football at any level
Favorite athlete: I’m an Ohio girl, gotta root for my boy LeBron! Skylar Diggins is also one of my heroes.
Go-to snack: Nutella….just give me a spoon! (don’t judge)
A fun-fact about yourself: I’m currently living in Berlin, Germany and can speak a small bit of Deutsch but it’s very much a work in progress.
Hometown: Montclair, NJ
Favorite sport to play: Soccer
Favorite sport to watch: Soccer (and any UVA sports)
Favorite athlete: This is tough! A three-way tie between Serena Williams, Crystal Dunn and Leo Messi
Go-to snack: Popcorn
A fun-fact about yourself: I’m almost fluent in Spanish and I’m learning how to speak French and German
Hometown: Newmarket, ON
Favorite sport to play: I really dig volleyball, played as a libero on the varsity team in university
Favorite sport to watch: Basketball, forever campaigning for Toronto to get a WNBA team
Favorite athlete: Simone Biles and Steph Curry
Go-to snack: Love me some chocolate covered almonds
A fun-fact about yourself: I went to my first Raptors game at four months old and was also there to witness Kawhi’s shot, we the Champs baby!
Hometown: Lancaster, PA
Favorite sport to play: Beach volleyball
Favorite sport to watch: If it’s March or April, I’m picking college basketball. If it’s early December, college volleyball. The rest? I’ll take any football I can get.
Favorite athlete: This changes on the reg, but currently Kelsey Robinson and Zion Williamson
Go-to snack: Apples with peanut butter
A fun-fact about yourself: I play the NYT daily mini crossword puzzle religiously and my PR is 12 seconds.
Hometown: Gurnee, IL (near Chicago)
Favorite sport to play: Boxing — I was a captain of my college boxing team
Favorite sport to watch: Anything and everything Notre Dame
Favorite athlete: Serena Williams, Patrick Kane, and Sue Bird (my cat, Birdie, is named after her)
Go-to snack: Orville Redenbacher’s Naturals popcorn — best microwave popcorn you’ll ever eat
A fun-fact about yourself: After Chicago won the Stanley Cup in 2015 (#dynasty), I went to the victory rally at Soldier Field, got overheated, and had to be carried out on a stretcher. When I got home that night, my parents (who didn’t know what happened) saw a clip of me being carried out on Chicago's 6 o’clock news. So I’m basically famous.
Hometown: Vaughan, Ont.
Favorite sport to play: Curling. Shout out to the Royal Canadian Curling Club!
Favorite sport to watch: Nothing beats a Saturday afternoon baseball game at the Rogers Centre. Basketball when I’m watching on TV.
Favorite athlete: Clara Hughes.
Go-to snack: All the cheese.
A fun-fact about yourself: I was captain of my highschool basketball team. I am 4'11".
Hometown: Waterloo, ON
Favorite sport to play: Volleyball
Favorite sport to watch: Basketball
Favorite athlete: Eluid Kipchoge
Go-to snack: Anything with peanut butter on it
A fun-fact about yourself: I never learned how to tie my shoes properly, I still do the two bunny ears method
Hometown: Spokane, WA
Favorite sport to play: Running, only because jumping rope isn’t a sport!
Favorite sport to watch: Football (go Seahawks) and futbol (USWNT all the way).
Favorite athlete: Bobby Wagner
Go-to snack: Sour Cream & Onion Pringles
A fun-fact about yourself: I used to have a British accent.
Hometown: Cherry Valley, MA
Favorite sport to play: Softball
Favorite sport to watch: Baseball and anything Boston #NewEnglandvsEverybody
Favorite athlete: Current: Chris Sale, Retired: Jess Mendoza
Go-to snack: Cheetos — has to be the crunchy kind!
A fun-fact about yourself: I have dual citizenship in the US and Finland.
Hometown: Toronto, ON
Favorite sport to play: Figure Skating
Favorite sport to watch: Baseball and Hockey
Favorite athlete: Tessa Virtue
Go-to snack: Movie theatre popcorn or Reese’s
A fun-fact about yourself: One of my goals is to travel to every MLB stadium to watch a game!
Hometown: Sherwood Park, AB (Canada)
Favorite sport to play: running, baseball or volleyball
Favorite sport to watch: Anything live/in person but on TV, soccer or volleyball are my faves
Favorite athlete: Christine Sinclair or Serena Williams or Hayley Wickenheiser
Go-to snack: Chocolate covered blueberries...or anything chocolate
A fun-fact about yourself: I have a few careers under my belt: I’m a trained architectural technologist, journalist, editor, girl empowerment program creator/facilitator and AFLCA certified group fitness instructor.
Hometown: Montreal, Canada
Favorite sport to play: Basketball & Golf
Favorite sport to watch: Hockey & UMich Sports - Go Blue!
Favorite athlete: Clara Hughes
Go-to snack: A Montreal Bagel (and yes Montreal specifically)
A fun-fact about yourself: I’m the world’s Best Worst Karaoke singer.
Hometown: Portland, OR
Favorite sport to play: Soccer.
Favorite sport to watch: It’s a big tie between soccer, basketball and college football.
Favorite athlete: Tobin Heath (her footwork is next level!)
Go-to snack: A bowl of pretzels mixed with chocolate chips.
A fun-fact about yourself: I’ve always wanted to live in a lighthouse.
Hometown: Ottawa, ON
Favorite sport to play: Soccer - I miss being out on the field!!
Favorite sport to watch: Hockey - my first birthday consisted of me being wheeled out to the Ottawa Senators Theme Song.
Favorite athlete: Tessa Virtue - She is such an inspiration.
Go-to snack: Can never go wrong with a solid fruit salad.
A fun-fact about yourself: I’ve been to over 60 concerts in my lifetime. Absolutely buzzing to get back in the stands.
Hometown: Mississauga, ON
Favorite sport to play: Basketball.
Favorite sport to watch: Basketball, Baseball, Football – in that order.
Favorite athlete: Kyle Lowry – As a Toronto Raptors fan I miss him dearly 😭
Go-to snack: Miss Vickie’s jalapeno chips #notanad
A fun-fact about yourself: I’m right hand dominant, but play sports with my left.
Hometown: Sunrise, FL
Favorite sport to play: Volleyball
Favorite sport to watch: Soccer
Favorite athlete: Becky Sauerbrunn
Go-to snack: Lenny’s cookies should come with a warning label.
A fun-fact about yourself: I’ve been an extra on a movie and a tv show!
Hometown: Toronto, ON
Favorite sport to play: Basketball or beach volleyball down by the pier!
Favorite sport to watch: The W baby! Or anything basketball, NBA, college, you name it.
Favorite athlete: Diana Turasi, Sue Bird or Tim Duncan, like, I could name at least 11 more.
Go-to snack: Gotta say I’m a big chips or popcorn kinda gal. Especially homemade popcorn with fun toppings!
A fun-fact about yourself: I’ve traveled to 6 of the 7 continents - next up: Antarctica!
Hometown: Toronto, Ontario
Favorite sport to play: Hockey
Favorite sport to watch: Women’s hockey Canada vs USA 😈 or WNBA
Favorite athlete: Current: Marie-Philip Poulin, Retired: Hayley Wickenheiser
Go-to snack: Popcorn with ketchup seasoning
A fun-fact about yourself: I dress up as a different Britney Spears every Halloween
Hometown: Ottawa, ON
Favourite sport to play: Tennis.
Favorite sport to watch: The perfect Sunday starts with a Formula One race, ends with Sunday Night Football, and somehow includes golf, tennis and hockey in the middle.
Favourite athlete: Active: The King of Clay, Rafael Nadal. Retired: Lindsay Davenport.
Go-to snack: Skittles. One of many things Marshawn Lynch and I have in common.
A fun fact about yourself: My family names all of our pets after famous Spanish athletes. RIP Jon Rahm (the recently-deceased goldfish, not the golfer).
Hometown: San Diego, CA
Favorite sport to play: Soccer (retired goalkeeper)
Favorite sport to watch: (American) Football!
Favorite athlete: Hard to choose... but Kobe Bryant and Serena Williams
Go-to snack: Trader Joe's Rolled Corn Chili & Lime Tortilla Chips - the best!
A fun-fact about yourself: I’ve been in a Goodyear Blimp! There are allegedly only 25 blimps left in the world?
Our Story
It all started on a Thursday night in February 2017 when co-founders, Ellen Hyslop, Jacie deHoop and Roslyn McLarty, were catching up over dinner and wine (because, of course). The three had been friends since college, and at the time were working in finance in Toronto.
Ellen, an avid sports fan, could barely contain her excitement over the Toronto Maple Leafs’ big win the night before. She explained to Roslyn and Jacie that the Leafs’ win meant they were headed to the playoffs. In 2017, this was a BFD: the team hadn’t made the playoffs in four years and most people thought the team would be in serious rebuild mode for a few more years.
Ellen’s passion was contagious and her storytelling had a conversational and millennial voice that felt like a breath of fresh air in today’s typical (read: primarily male) sports culture, and it left Roslyn and Jacie wanting to know more — something they didn’t normally feel when hearing about sports from traditional outlets.
Roslyn and Jacie weren’t exactly avid sports fans. While they played competitive sports growing up, it didn’t translate to fandom. It’s difficult to pinpoint why, but it just never felt like it was something for them.
So the team did a bit of digging to find out why so many women feel like sports just isn’t for them. And while it’s no secret that the world of professional sports is male-dominated, the numbers are pretty alarming:
- Less than 14% of sports journalists are women
- Only 4% of sports media content is dedicated to female athletes
- Of C-suite executives in the four major sports, less than 2% are women
It became clear that sports content is created for the avid male fan. And this lack of gender diversity manifests itself in many ways.
It’s not that Roslyn and Jacie weren’t interested in knowing more or being part of the sports community — they would feel the city’s energy and want to join in on the fun when their teams were in the playoffs — but staying up to date on sports felt like a ton of work...and not that much fun. The traditional sports media outlets give a lot of info and assume you already know the backstory to it all.
As an avid female fan, Ellen found her knowledge and fandom constantly being challenged (rolls eyes), and, unlike her male counterparts, she wasn’t automatically invited to be part of the brackets and pools.
And this is really too bad because sports really are an incredible social connector in our society. They have a unique ability to unite people, regardless of age, gender, race, religion, socio-economic class — you name it. How often do you hear, “You watch the game last night?”
So, they decided to do something about it.
