No napkins required
From The GIST (hi@thegistsports.com)
Welcome back!
Heads up, there’ll be no newsletter on Friday while GIST HQ joins our American pals in recovering from BBQ and fireworks…and Serena Williams appearing on “Hot Ones.”
- But if you’re looking for something to tide you over until Sunday’s Scroll, you’re in luck. No. 48 CanMNT makes their first-ever Copa América quarter-final appearance at 9 p.m. ET vs. No. 54 Venezuela. Counting down ’til kickoff as we parse through today’s news.
— Eritrea’s Biniam Girmay, holding back tears after he became the first Black cyclist to win a Tour de France stage on Monday. Literally leading the pack.
UEFA Euro 2024
⚽ Diving for the thrill of it
The GIST: With a thrilling Round of 16 officially done and dusted, here’s a look ahead to this weekend’s four must-see Euro quarter-final (QF) matches. Just heating up.
Expect powerhouse clashes on Friday: The Fourth of July is for hot dogs, but the fifth of July is for the big dogs, starting with No. 8 Spain vs. No. 16 Germany at 12 p.m. ET. Expect fireworks from the two highest scoring teams in the tourney, but the fluid Spaniards will have their hands full taking down the Germans in front of a roaring home crowd.
- Then at 3 p.m. ET, it’s No. 6 Portugal against No. 2 France, a thrilling intergenerational clash pitting 39-year-old Portuguese icon Cristiano Ronaldo against 25-year-old wunderkind Kylian Mbappé.
- That said, both stars struggled in Monday’s Round of 16. After Portugal's tear-soaked penalty-kick escape from No. 57 Slovenia, Ronaldo announced this is his final Euro, while masked Mbappé is having trouble finding the net as his team finds their offense in their opponents’ own goals.
Don’t sleep on Saturday’s skirmishes: No. 5 England will have their toughest test of the tourney thus far at noon, taking on dark horse No. 19 Switzerland, fresh off a dominant Round of 16 win over defending Euro champs, No. 10 Italy. Adding to the intrigue? English phenom and knockout stage hero Jude Bellingham’s playing status is still TBD.
- Last but not least comes the 3 p.m. ET showdown between the No. 7 Netherlands and No. 42 Türkiye, a sure-to-thrill showdown following yesterday’s epic wins.
- The Dutch dominated for the first time this tourney, topping No. 47 Romania 3–0, while Türkiye scored the second fastest Euros goal ever and held on tight to beat No. 25 Austria 2–1. Now both squads are through to the Euro QFs for the first time since 2008.
🏀 Record-setting, eye-popping contracts rule NBA free agency
The last two days have been all about the Benjamins, with some of the NBA’s biggest stars inking massive deals. The largest involves staying home: Boston Celtics superstar Jayson Tatum reportedly agreed to a five-year, $314M extension with the defending champs, the largest contract in league history.
- As for the movers, nine-time All-Star Paul George and four-time champ Klay Thompson are in need of U-Hauls after signing with the Philadelphia 76ers and Dallas Mavericks, respectively — two league-altering switch ups.
- Looking ahead, there are still plenty of big-name dominoes waiting to fall, including LeBron James (in theory) and six-time All-Star DeMar DeRozan. Stay tuned.
🏒 Big cats bring the me-ow to begin historic NHL free agency
Both the Nashville Predators and the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers brought the claws when the puck dropped on NHL free agency earlier this week. The Preds went on a record-setting spending spree, dropping $1 billion to sign Stanley Cup champion forwards Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault.
- The reigning champ Panthers, meanwhile, inked their Game 7 hero Sam Reinhart to an eight-year deal. Hard to believe the fun’s only just begun.
🎾 Reigning Wimbledon champ ousted in opening round
The tea is already piping hot in London, where reigning Wimbledon winner and world No. 6 Markéta Vondroušová was ousted by Spain’s Jessica Bouzas Maneiro in the first round yesterday, making Vondroušová the first defending champ to be bounced in the opening round since 1994.
- The action keeps on serving, with first and second round play today and the Round of 16 set before the next time we talk.
Giveaway Alert
🏅 Going for gold in Paris: Your last chance to join us as we cheer on Team Canada at the Olympic Summer Games!
Canadian Tire has always been in the business of equipping Canadians for everyday work and play, but did you know that they’ve also been a long and proud supporter of Team Canada?
With the Paris 2024 Olympic Games just around the corner, The GIST and Canadian Tire have joined forces to host the ultimate “We All Play for Canada” contest to give you and your bestie a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to experience the Games and cheer on our Canadian Olympic athletes.
The trip includes:
- ✈️ Round-trip business class flights
- 🏨 Accommodations at La Demeure Montaigne
- 🎟️ Tickets to the Opening Ceremony
- 🛹 A VIP hospitality experience at various sporting events
- 🍝 A dinner at the Eiffel Tower
- 👋 Hosted by The GIST co-founder and The GIST of It podcast co-host, Ellen Hyslop!
Picking up what we’re putting down? Enter today by telling us why you think it's important for Canada to support women's sports and promote gender equality in athletics. All for one and one for all.
Terms and conditions apply🇨🇦 The Canadian women’s basketball Olympic roster dropped yesterday, headlined by WNBAers Kia Nurse and Natalie Achonwa, who’s set to play in her fourth Olympics come tip-off in Paris later this month.
⚽ In more Olympics news, the defending gold medalist CanWNT roster was revealed on Monday, featuring 13 Tokyo Games competitors, including captain Jessie Fleming, Janine Beckie, and Kadeisha Buchanan. Going for gold.
🔄 Speaking of CanWNT, 19-year-old midfielder Olivia Smith is moving from Sporting CP in Porto, Portugal, to play for Liverpool in the Women’s Super League at a record £210K transfer fee.
🏀 In last night’s battle of college besties, Kate Martin’s Las Vegas Aces bested Caitlin Clark’s Indiana Fever 88–69 to extend the Aces’ win streak to five. Jackpot.
⚾ Behind home runs from second baseman Spencer Horowitz and outfielder George Springer, the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Houston Astros 7–6 last night. The four-game series resumes tonight at 7:07 p.m. ET before pitcher Chris Bassitt closes it out tomorrow at 1:07 p.m. ET.
Together With CPKC Women's Open
The GIST has you covered with the perfect summer sporting event, the CPKC Women’s Open. The event has everything you could look for:
- World-class athletes doing their thing, just a few feet away from where you’re cheering them on. Seriously, you could be a stone’s throw from world No. 1 Nelly Korda herself.
- Support for those female athletes in an inclusive, empowering environment.
- A stunning summer afternoon in a gorgeous setting, the Earl Grey Golf Club in Calgary, with vibes that put golf’s stuffy reputation to shame.
Sound like a good time? We thought it might. Buy your tickets here, then block your cal for July 23rd to 28th. Time to par-tee.
Peep our squad’s MVPs (Most Valuable Picks):
🥎 Who’s back on the diamond
Former Miami Marlins general manager (GM) Kim Ng — the first woman to serve as a GM in the four major North American pro sports leagues — who signed on as a senior adviser for the new Athletes Unlimited Softball League yesterday.
🎙️ What to get hyped for
Journalist Sarah Spain’s new podcast, Good Game — the daily women’s sports pod launches July 17th. Can't wait.
📚 What to read
Cleat Cute by Meryl Wilsner. Can rival soccer teammates fall in love and win the World Cup? Find out with The GIST Book Club on Fable today.
Question of the Day
With holidays coming and going in Canada and the USA this week, we’re fully in our outdoor party era. So, we want to know, what are you bringing to the festivities?
On Monday, we asked you which sporting event you’re most looking forward to this month. 62% voted for the Paris 2024 Olympics Games, 16% voted for Wimbledon, 15% voted for the WNBA All-Star Game, and 7% voted for AU Softball.Today’s email was brought to you by Lauren Tuiskula, Alessandra Puccio, Marga Sison, Lisa Minutillo, and Briana Ekanem. Editing by Laura Pastore, Emily Ohman, Emma Leishman, Rachel Fuenzalida, and Lindsay Jost. Fact-checking by Parul Kanwar. Ops by Briana Ekanem and Marga Sison. Ads by Katie Kehoe Foster and Alessandra Puccio. Managing edits by Lauren Tuiskula. Head of content Ellen Hyslop.