Not a partridge in a pear tree
From The GIST (hi@thegistsports.com)
Happy Wednesday!
The 12-day countdown to Christmas is officially on, but in lieu of a partridge in a pear tree, we thought some sports news would be the perfect gift. Time to, ahem, sleigh the day.
— NY Giants quarterback (QB) Tommy “Cutlets” DeVito, reacting to his family’s viral smoochfest after the mama’s boy tossed a touchdown during his team’s 24–22 Monday Night Football upset of the Green Bay Packers. The Sopranos could never.
Women's soccer
⚽ Enough already
The GIST: In a report released on Monday, FIFPRO (the global soccer players’ union) found that one in five players at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup (WWC) were targets of online discrimination and threats, with the USWNT subjected to the most abuse of the 32 teams. Disgraceful.
The findings: Players at the most recent WWC were 29% more likely to be harassed online than players at the men’s World Cup in 2022. Nearly half of the abusive messages were homophobic, sexual, or sexist in nature, and 67% of the authors were traced back to North and Central America.
- The report also noted that two unnamed players (one on the USWNT and the other on Argentina) were targeted with more threats than any other athlete at the tournament.
- Notably, the biggest spike in abuse throughout the entire tournament came in response to the USWNT’s loss to Sweden in the Round of 16, in which now-retired forward Megan Rapinoe uncharacteristically missed a penalty kick.
Zooming out: While we celebrate the remarkable growth in the women’s game, that increased exposure (and in the USWNT’s case, the unrelenting expectation to win) has subjected female footballers to unprecedented levels of online abuse — evidently far more than their male counterparts.
- It should go without saying that these players are people first and, as the USWNT Players Association said, should be treated with “kindness, compassion, and dignity” regardless of what happens on the pitch.
⚾ Two-way star Shohei Ohtani will defer $68M per year of his historic $700M, 10-year contract, giving the LA Dodgers a financial break as they attempt to build around their new once-in-a-lifetime talent. Talk about a team player.
🏀 The Oklahoma City Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander won the Northern Star Award (formerly the Lou March) on Monday, awarded to Canada’s Top Athlete of the Year. The 25-year-old led the Canadian men’s national team to their first Olympic berth since 2000. True North strong and proud.
🏒 In last night’s first-ever battle of the Connors, McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers prevailed 4–1 over fellow Canadian Bedard and the Chicago Blackhawks, giving the Oilers their eighth straight win. It’s a holiday miracle.
🏒 With their January 1st inaugural-season start looming, PWHL teams announced their final rosters yesterday, featuring 157 players from 12 different countries. Just 19 days to go…
📺 Countrymen and former world No. 1s Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz will square off in the “Netflix Slam” on March 3rd, the streamer’s latest foray into live sports.
🎾 Two-time Grand Slam champion Simona Halep will appeal her four-year doping ban in February, the Court of Arbitration for Sport announced yesterday.
🍁 With Canada’s National Junior Team Selection Camp ongoing, the World Junior hopefuls topped the USports All-Stars 4–2 yesterday and will take the ice for another exhibition game today at 12 p.m. ET.
🏈 LA Chargers QB Justin Herbert is out for the rest of the season after fracturing a throwing finger this weekend, leaving us with a battle of the backup QBs for tomorrow’s 8:15 p.m. ET Thursday Night Football matchup vs. the Las Vegas Raiders.
🏀 NBA: Atlanta Hawks vs. Toronto Raptors — Tonight at 7:30 p.m. ET — Sportsnet One
- Despite OG Anunoby netting a season-high 29 points on Monday, the Raps still lost 136–130 to the NY Knicks, their fourth straight L. But with a four-game home stand on deck, hopefully Anunoby and Co. can turn the tides. Dino-myte.
🥅 NHL: Columbus Blue Jackets vs. Toronto Maple Leafs — Tomorrow at 7 p.m. ET — Sportsnet
- After captain John Tavares scored his 1,000th career point in a Monday loss to the NY Islanders, the Leafs celebrated properly with last night’s 7–3 win over the NY Rangers. Time to keep the party going when the Buds return home to face the Blue Jackets.
🏒 Rivalry Series: USA vs. Canada — Tomorrow at 7 p.m. ET — TSN4
- With a sold out crowd expected in Kitchener, watch for the red and white to make the home fans proud as they aim to overcome a 2-0 series deficit. Let’s go, girls.
Recs from our roster!
📺 What to watch
Family Switch, a hilarious Netflix movie in which family members switch bodies during a rare planetary alignment. Keep an eye out for NWSL stars Alyssa and Gisele Thompson’s cameo.
🎁 What to check out
Parity Locker. Need a creative holiday gift for the sports fans in your life? Parity’s gift guide includes a range of items directly supporting women athletes. Say less.
👕 What to shop
Abercrombie’s NFL and NBA collections. Snag some cute items repping your fave team.
Question of the Day
Ready or not, the holidays are just around the corner. So to get in the festive spirit, let’s tackle a holiday themed debate: Would you rather eat only holiday cookies or drink only hot cocoa for the rest of your life?
Today’s email was brought to you by Lauren Tuiskula, Alessandra Puccio, Marga Sison, Lisa Minutillo, and Briana Ekanem. Editing by Laura Pastore, Janine Kiefer, Emma Leishman, Rachel Fuenzalida, and Lindsay Jost. Fact-checking by Parul Kanwar. Ops by Briana Ekanem and Marga Sison. Ads by Katie Kehoe Foster, Alexis Allison, and Dee Lab. Managing edits by Lauren Tuiskula. Head of content Ellen Hyslop.