Wake up and choose chaos
From The GIST (hi@thegistsports.com)
Happy Monday!
The holiday season is almost here, but ring season is already in full effect with a handful of champions crowned over the weekend. Toss that confetti as we head into today’s news.
— Soccer legend and Orlando Pride captain Marta, who clinched her first NWSL title on Saturday (more on that below) with her proud mom in the stands, watching her play in the U.S. for the first time. Bowing to the queen.
NWSL Championship
⚽ It’s winning time
The GIST: As you read, the No. 1 seed Orlando Pride won their first-ever NWSL Championship on Saturday, topping the No. 2 seed Washington Spirit 1–0 in the final — a perfect ending to their near-perfect season.
Pride striker Barbra Banda scores lone goal, wins championship MVP: Banda added to her already impressive postseason tally, notching her fourth playoff goal in her debut NWSL season. The victory makes Orlando the first franchise since 2019 to win the league’s Shield (best regular-season record) and championship in the same campaign. Dominance.
- Though the Pride walked away with the trophy, the Spirit still turned in a valiant effort in this physical game — the young squad controlled the match and took 26 shots (!!!) to Orlando’s nine, but couldn’t find the back of the net.
NWSL meets the moment: Adding an exclamation point to an extremely successful NWSL season, Saturday’s title game sold out CPKC Stadium (the first sports arena built specifically for women). From record-setting attendance to soaring viewership to the league’s mid-season player-first CBA changes, the future of women’s soccer is oh-so bright.
- Speaking of, NWSL expansion is on the horizon amid this rapid growth: BOS Nation FC will make its debut in the 2026 season, alongside the league’s 16th team from either Cincinnati, Cleveland, or Denver. Truly squad goals.
Formula 1
🏎️ Thriving to the Max
The GIST: What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas wins a World Drivers’ Championship (WDC)...if you’re Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, that is. Here’s how he clinched the title this weekend.
Verstappen wins fourth straight WDC: While the Mercedes duo of George Russell and Sir Lewis Hamilton finished first and second, respectively (even with Hamilton starting in 10th), the Dutchman drove to a fifth-place finish in Vegas, one spot ahead of his title rival, McLaren’s Lando Norris.
- That was more than enough for Verstappen to join the small but mighty group of drivers who’ve won at least four individual titles.
- After last year’s absolute domination, Verstappen started the 2024 campaign in similar fashion, winning seven of the first 10 races to take what turned out to be an insurmountable lead en route to claiming this year’s title. Driving and thriving.
World Constructor’s Championship still up for grabs with two races left: This is the first season in F1 history where seven different drivers have won multiple races, making it no surprise that the quest for the team title will come down to the wire.
- McLaren leads a surging Ferrari squad by only 24 points, with third-place Red Bull also in the mix ahead of next weekend’s race in Qatar. Buckle up.
🎓🏀 No. 1 South Carolina women’s basketball lost their first game in 604 days yesterday, falling 77–62 to No. 5 UCLA, while the JuJu Watkins–led No. 3 USC Trojans were upset 74–61 by No. 6 Notre Dame on Saturday. March Madness…in November.
🏈 Just call the Kansas City Chiefs the NFL’s Houdini because the squad pulled off yet another great escape yesterday, this time a tight 30–27 win against the lowly Carolina Panthers.
- Elsewhere, the Dallas Cowboys notched a chaotic 34–26 dub over the Washington Commanders where 31 points were scored in the final five minutes.
- Not to be outdone, Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley put up an eye-popping stat of his own — a mind-boggling 302 total yards — in the Birds’ Sunday Night Football win.
⛳ World No. 7 Jeeno Thitikul is $4M richer, winning the largest first-place prize in women’s golf at this weekend’s CME Group Tour Championship, where retiring American Lexi Thompson said an emotional goodbye to pro golf at the final event of the season. *sniff*
🏒 Pittsburgh Penguins legend Sidney Crosby is now the 21st player in NHL history to score 600 career goals, reaching the milestone in the Pens’ 6–1 Saturday loss to the Utah Hockey Club.
🎾 Recently retired tennis legend Andy Murray will coach longtime rival and world No. 7 Novak Djokovic through January’s Australian Open. No bad blood here.
⚽ The MLS Cup Conference Finals are set: The No. 4 seed Seattle Sounders will take on the No. 2 seed LA Galaxy in Saturday’s’s Western Conference bout, while No. 4 Orlando City SC will face the No. 7 NY Red Bulls in Saturday’s Eastern Conference showdown.
⛷️ Skier Mikaela Shiffrin secured her record-extending 99th World Cup win on Saturday and could clinch No. 100 on home snow in Vermont next week. So cold.
🎓🏆 Laval didn’t need a single touchdown to win their second Vanier Cup in three years, topping the previously undefeated Laurier Golden Hawks 22–17 on Saturday behind a championship-record six field goals from linebacker-turned-kicker (and game MVP) Felipe Forteza. Putting the foot in football.
🎓🏈 NCAA football woke up and chose chaos this weekend as four ranked squads — then–No. 7 Alabama, then–No. 9 Ole Miss, then–No. 15 Texas A&M, and then–No. 16 Colorado — lost to unranked opponents on Saturday. Oof.
Together With The GIST
🎙️ Sound on
If you love The GIST’s newsletters, you’re going to love our twice-weekly podcast, The GIST of It. Hosted by besties Ellen Hyslop and Stephanie Rotz, it’s the women-produced and -hosted sports pod you’ve been waiting for.
El and Steph dive into current sports topics and how they intersect with society and pop culture. They cover everything from season previews to calling out the sexist BS that’s rampant across the industry.
Join the conversation by subscribing to The GIST of It wherever you tune into podcasts. Happy listening.
Recs from our roster!
❗ What to read
This Globe and Mail investigation about the ongoing culture problems that plagued the CanWNT long before the drone scandal at the Paris Olympics this summer.
✈️ What to catch
Flights, because there’s likely going to be eight international NFL games next year. Ready that passport.
🤠 What to look forward to
Beyoncé bringing her “Cowboy Carter” era to the NFL Christmas Day halftime show, streaming live on Netflix. Holiday vibes and Queen Bey? A true sleigh.
Take Your Pick
Baltimore Ravens
LA Chargers
Tonight’s 8:15 p.m. ET Monday Night Football showdown between the AFC playoff hopeful Baltimore Ravens and LA Chargers has it all: talented quarterbacks in Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson and LA’s Justin Herbert, disruptive defenses, and another edition of the Harbaugh Bowl as head coaches and brothers John (Ravens) and Jim (Chargers) renew their rivalry on the gridiron. Who ya got?
Today’s email was brought to you by Alessandra Puccio, Marga Sison, Lisa Minutillo, Lauren Tuiskula, Megan Murray, and Briana Ekanem. Editing by Laura Pastore, Emily Ohman, Emma Leishman, Rachel Fuenzalida, and Lindsay Jost. Fact-checking by Marga Sison. 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.