Women —

The GIST: Time to make it rain — not one, but two powerhouse women athletes made major investments in women’s sports leagues on Monday. Talking that talk and walking that walk.

Serena Williams buys ownership stake in the Toronto Tempo: The tennis legend is now a part-owner of the WNBA’s first Canadian franchise, set to debut in 2026. As part of her role, Williams (who co-chaired the Met Gala and made her retirement announcement via Vogue) will help design the team’s jerseys, in addition to facilitating future merch collabs. Our DMs are open.

• This is the latest in a long list of investments that Williams and her husband, Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, have made in women’s sports.

• Williams is also a part-owner of the NWSL’s Angel City FC, while Ohanian has donated millions to his alma mater’s UVA women’s basketball, created the Athlos track and field competition, and is helping to franchise The Sports Bra, the first-ever women’s sports bar. Money moves.

Sabrina Ionescu invests in NWSL’s Bay FC: Fresh off a WNBA championship, NY Liberty star Ionescu is setting her sights on the soccer field, investing in her hometown NWSL squad. Like Williams, Ionescu will be more than just an owner — she’ll serve as a commercial advisor for Bay FC, leveraging her sneaker prowess to design cleats. Gotta kick it up.

Zooming out: This is far from the first time we’ve seen powerhouse female athletes making cross-sport investments. Retired USWNT stars Alex Morgan and Megan Rapinoe were among the first investors in Unrivaled, tennis legend Billie Jean King helped found the PWHL, and WNBA standout Caitlin Clark joined Cincinnati's NWSL expansion bid.

• There’s no business like showbusiness the business of women’s sports.

Forget waiting for your Mia Thermopolis moment, go out there and grab it: RBC Training Ground finds and funds young athletes with Olympic potential, giving them the chance to unlock their podium dreams.

• At free qualifying events across the country, National Sport Organization scouts test athletes in strength, speed, power, and endurance and match them with Olympic sports they’ll thrive in. Plus, there’s an hour at every event dedicated exclusively to women athletes. Slay.

Notable RBC Training Ground alumni include:

⛷️ Freestyler skier Marion Thénault, a bronze medallist in Beijing 2022

🚣 Rower Avalon Wasteneys, the program’s first-ever two-time Olympic medallist

🏃‍♀️ Canadian track star Pierce LePage, the inaugural winner of the RBC Training Ground Ontario Final in 2016

Think you have the potential to compete on Team Canada? Sign up for a free qualifying event and start your Olympic journey today.

🥌 Curling: The Brier — Ongoing — TSN

• The eight-game round robin wraps tomorrow, and only three squads remain unbeaten: Canada’s Team Gushue, Alberta's Team Jacobs, and Saskatchewan's Team McEwen. Pool B foes Jacobs and McEwen face off tomorrow, meaning something has to give.

🎓🏀 NCAA women’s basketball: Conference tournaments — Today through Sunday — Various channels

• The madness before the Madness is underway as teams battle for conference glory and, more importantly, an automatic bid to the Big Dance. Swish, swish.

🏒 NHL: Washington Capitals vs. NY Rangers — Tonight at 7:30 p.m. ET — NHL Network

• ICYMI: Caps captain Alex Ovechkin is on the cusp of making history, now only 11 goals away from breaking Wayne Gretzky’s career goals record. Ovi’s lit the lamp 45 times against the Rangers in his career, the most of any active player. We like those odds.

🏒 PWHL: Montréal Victoire vs. Toronto Sceptres — Tomorrow at 7 p.m. ET — TSN

• The Victoire have been magnifique against the Sceptres this season — Montréal is 4-0 vs. their westward neighbor due in large part to goalie Ann-Renée Desbiens’ brick wall tendencies. Can they do it again? Or will the Sceptres finally exact revenge?

When in doubt, trust a GISTer — 11% of you correctly predicted that Mikey Madison would win Best Actress at Sunday’s Academy Awards. Take a bow.

• And if you placed that winning bet through PROLINE, treat yourself to a sweet treat with your winnings. PROLINE isn’t like other sportsbooks because you can bet on so much more than just the game. Check out their other pop culture offerings on the PROLINE app today.