Enemies to lovers
From The GIST (hi@thegistsports.com)
Welcome to Wednesday!
No mid-week slump here — power through your day with a heaping helping of sports news. Let’s do this.
— Friend of The GIST and legendary sports reporter Sarah Spain, setting the record straight on trans athletes as the U.S. Supreme Court hears arguments related to banning trans girls from team sports — a problem here in Canada, too. Sports are for everyone.
NFL
🏈 The jig is up, the news is out
The GIST: The NFL Playoffs Divisional Round is officially set after the Houston Texans’ 30–6 Monday win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. Eight teams remain in the hunt for the coveted Lombardi Trophy, but many more are searching for answers, including the now-eliminated Steelers. Let’s dig in.
👋 Steelers head coach (HC) Mike Tomlin steps down after 19 seasons in the Steel City: The league’s longest-tenured HC resigned yesterday, ending a historic run in Pittsburgh that included an NFL-record 19 seasons without a losing record and a 2009 Super Bowl victory. Tomlin’s résumé puts him in elite company, but playoff success has been hard to come by in recent years.
- Despite making the postseason in 13 of Tomlin’s 19 seasons at the helm, the Steelers have lost seven straight playoff games, five of them by double-digit margins. Not great.
🤔 Has quarterback (QB) Aaron Rodgers played his last snap?: The other elephant in the Steelers’ locker room relates to a certain veteran QB, who won ’t make any “emotional decisions” about his future in the aftermath of the lopsided loss. The polarizing 42-year-old is a surefire Hall of Famer, but Monday was the worst statistical game of his playoff career.
🗣️ The final word: QBs are of course an integral part of any football team, but a competent HC can make or break a franchise. Look no further than the postseason’s No. 2 seeds, the New England Patriots and Chicago Bears, who have flourished under new HCs this season after finishing dead last in their respective divisions last year. That’s a glow-up worth emulating.
- To that point, Tomlin will be highly sought-after should he decide to coach again, with nine teams looking to fill HC openings. Meanwhile, the Steelers will likely have QB and HC holes to fill, a late first-round draft pick, and a whole lot of soul searching to do.
⛹️ The defending NBA champ Oklahoma City Thunder beat Victor Wembanyama’s San Antonio Spurs for the first time this season last night, posting a 119–98 victory in a battle of the best in the Western Conference.
⚾ Eight-time All-Star third baseman Nolan Arenado was traded from the St. Louis Cardinals to the Arizona Diamondbacks yesterday, a long-desired fresh start for the likely future Hall of Famer.
- In other Hot Stove news, the Toronto Blue Jays are expected to move on from infielder Bo Bichette, who has spent all seven of his MLB seasons in the Six. Wishing him the best, no matter what.
👀🏀 The WNBA and its players association agreed to a moratorium on league business on Monday, a decision that pauses free agency as they continue to negotiate a new collective bargaining agreement.
🥎 Athletes Unlimited Softball League (AUSL) unveiled its six host cities for the 2026 season yesterday, with squads landing in Chicago, Carolina (Durham), Oklahoma City, Portland, Texas (Round Rock), and Utah (Salt Lake City). There’s no place like home, indeed.
⛳ Five-time major winner Brooks Koepka is returning to the PGA Tour, but not without consequence after infamously defecting to LIV Golf in 2022. Koepka must donate $5M to charity in order to be reinstated and is not eligible for millions in potential bonus money this year, among other repercussions.
- What’s more, the PGA has opened the door for other LIV golfers to rejoin the Tour, but only if they’ve won a major or The Players Championship between 2022 and 2025 — aka, only Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau, and Cameron Smith, who all say they aren’t budging.
🇨🇦🏒 Team Canada men’s hockey is awaiting news on the severity of Tampa Bay Lightning forward Brayden Point’s leg injury with exactly one month until the puck drops at the Milano Cortina Olympics.
⚽ AFC Toronto captain and CanWNT up-and-comer Emma Regan is leaving the Northern Super League (NSL) for an undisclosed NWSL team after a breakout year in the upstart Canadian league. Bittersweet.
TOGETHER WITH THE NBA
🌴 Where basketball meets your bucket list
🚨 Warning: Winning the NBA’s Represent On The Road Contest connected by Bell may cause ear-to-ear smiles and an urgent need for sunscreen.
That’s what happens when you snag a trip for two to NBA All-Star Weekend in LA. You’ll be cheering on the league’s best, snapping pics under palm trees, and debating dunk scores with:
✨ Two tickets to NBA All-Star Saturday Night and Sunday’s NBA All-Star Game
✈️ Round-trip airfare for two to Los Angeles
😎 A three-night stay in a local hotel
Go on, shoot your shot and enter the NBA’s Represent on the Road Contest connected by Bell — a highlight reel–worthy vacation awaits.
🏒 PWHL: Toronto Sceptres vs. Boston Fleet — Tonight at 7 p.m. ET — TSN
- The league-leading Fleet are the team to beat, especially with goaltender Aerin Frankel bringing her A-Game night in and night out. Tune in to see if Sceptres forward Daryl Watts and Co. can break through. Icy and spicy.
🏐 LOVB: Austin vs. Atlanta — Tonight at 8 p.m. ET — DAZN
- Austin is off to a hot start with two straight wins, including a dub over Atlanta this past Sunday. That said, that match was an ultra-tight five-setter, so expect Atlanta opposite Tessa Grubbs and her squad to be dressing for revenge tonight.
🎓🏀 NCAA women’s basketball: No. 4 Texas vs. No. 2 South Carolina — Tomorrow at 7 p.m. ET — TSN+
- Buckle up for a rematch of last year’s national semifinal. If November’s game between these familiar foes, which Texas narrowly won 66–64, is any indication, we’re in for an absolute treat. Delish.
🏒 NHL: Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Vegas Golden Knights — Tomorrow at 9:30 p.m. ET — TSN4
- The NHL’s latest trend? Scoring against your former flame, which four players did last week. Now Golden Knights right winger Mitch Marner has a chance to add his name to that list following this summer’s blockbuster trade from the Leafs.
Question of the Day
It’s time to download Duolingo and start learning Italian because the Milano Cortina Olympics Opening Ceremony is just 23 days away. As we prepare to say ciao to the action, we want to know: Which sport are you most excited to watch? Choose from the options below, or reply with your top pick.
Today’s email was brought to you by Alessandra Puccio, Lisa Minutillo, Lauren Tuiskula, Rachel Fuenzalida, and Grace DePaull. Editing by Katie Kehoe Foster. Fact-checking by Elisha Gunaratnam and Mikaela Perez. Ops by Briana Ekanem and Elisha Gunaratnam. Ads by Katie Kehoe Foster, Alessandra Puccio, and Lisa Minutillo. Managing edits by Lauren Tuiskula and Alessandra Puccio. Head of content Ellen Hyslop.