Onward
From The GIST (hi@thegistsports.com)
Hey there!
Take a quick break from election results doom scrolling and thumb through today’s lineup of sports news. Onward.
— Volleyball player Brittany Abercrombie, who was crowned the 2024 Athletes Unlimited (AU) Pro Volleyball champion on Monday. Abercrombie rose to the top spot in Week 1 and never looked back in her first AU season. Talk about setting yourself up for success.
WTA Finals
🎾 Court is in session
The GIST: The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) Finals (the last tournament of the WTA Tour) is underway, with two standout players already clinching their spot in the semis and a stacked doubleheader on deck this morning. Now that’s a serve.
The context: Outside of tennis’ four majors (the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and US Open), the WTA Finals is the most important tournament for pro women’s players, with only the top eight singles and doubles competitors in the world fighting for record-setting prize money.
- This year, in the face of lengthy human rights and sportswashing concerns from women’s tennis athletes, the event is taking place in Saudi Arabia (SA), disregarding the country’s historic persecution of feminists, atheists, and LGBTQIA+ citizens.
- Despite backlash, SA’s influence in tennis is growing across the women’s and men’s game.
- In February, SA’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) reached a five-year sponsorship deal with the ATP (men’s tennis’ governing body) that includes naming rights for their ranking system, before reaching a similar deal with the WTA in May.
How the WTA Finals work: Transitioning to the on-court action, the tourney’s eight singles players were drawn into two groups of four for the ongoing group stage, which is round-robin style. The top two players in each group advance to Friday’s semis, and the two semis winners face off in Saturday’s final.
The recap: World No. 3 Coco Gauff defeated No. 2 Iga Świątek yesterday for just the second time in 13 attempts, clinching a semis spot. Świątek’s loss also ensures that Aryna Sabalenka will finish the year as No. 1, which isn’t a surprise given Sabalenka’s won 22 of her last 23 matches.
- Like Gauff, Sabalenka has already locked in her semis appearance, but Świątek and No. 4 Jasmine Paolini are among the big names looking to join them. Stay tuned.
🏈 Kansas City Chiefs improve to 8-0, but injury updates steal headlines at trade deadline
The cold never bothered star wide receiver (WR) DeAndre Hopkins anyway as the newly acquired KC pass catcher hauled in two touchdowns to lift his still-undefeated squad to a rain-soaked 30–24 overtime win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday Night Football.
- Meanwhile, even with yesterday’s trade deadline in the books (and some notable names, including NY Jets turned Pittsburgh Steelers WR Mike Williams, on the move), the injury report is still garnering the most attention.
- Dallas Cowboys quarterback (QB) Dak Prescott could be moved to the injured reserve after injuring his hamstring in Week 9, while superstar San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey could play as early as Sunday after returning to practice this week.
🏒 Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews is day-to-day with upper-body injury
The Leafs captain did not suit up for last night’s 4–0 win over the Boston Bruins, but his undisclosed injury is not related to the 2021 wrist issue that led to Matthews’ offseason surgery and plagued him as recently as 2023.
- Meanwhile, the Calgary Flames got the better of the Montréal Canadiens 3–2 last night, with Flames winger Matt Coronato lighting the lamp twice (including the overtime game-winner) in the Canadian battle. It’s all gravy here.
🎓🏈 Oregon snags top spot in first College Football Playoff (CFP) rankings drop
The undefeated Ducks earned the Selection Committee’s No. 1 spot yesterday, with six weekly rankings still to come, including the final 12-team reveal on Selection Day, December 8th. Yes, you read that right — as a refresher, this is the first year under the expanded CFP with 12 teams (up from four) competing in the bracket-style tournament at season’s end. The more the merrier.
🎓🇨🇦 Canadian women dominate the collegiate stage
Michigan women’s basketball freshman and Ontario’s own Syla Swords dropped a double-double in her NCAA debut on Monday, tallying 27 points and 12 rebounds in the Wolverines’ narrow 68–62 loss to the defending champs, No. 1 South Carolina.
- Over on the gridiron, second-year kicker Maya Turner made USports history on Monday, becoming the first woman to be named a Canada West All-Star after drilling a conference-best 12-of-16 field goals. What, like it’s hard?
Together With The GIST
🤓 The buck stops here
The GIST: Hunting for a new job? The GIST’s job board is your one-stop shop for the best open gigs in sports. Submit those apps to GIST-approved opportunities and still have time to enjoy your day-to-day.
The details: If you’ve ever dreamed of working in sports, this is the resource for you. Our job board features roles in every discipline across the industry: Sports betting? Check. Marketing? Check. Finance? Check. There’s truly something for everyone.
The application: Inviting more women and nonbinary folks into the industry is a surefire way to help level the playing field. Check out our job board today.
🏒 NHL: Vegas Golden Knights vs. Edmonton Oilers — Tonight at 8:30 p.m. ET — Sportsnet
- It’s a Pacific Division battle, with the first-place Knights hitting the ice against the Connor McDavid–less Oilers. Despite their early season success, Vegas has yet to win a game on the road, but they’ll be looking to turn the tide against an Edmonton squad that’s off to an unexpectedly slow start.
🏀 NBA: Toronto Raptors vs. Sacramento Kings — Tonight at 10 p.m. ET — Sportsnet
- The Dinos’ Gradey Dick is already putting together a campaign for Most Improved Player, making the absences of injured superstar Scottie Barnes and Immanuel Quickley sting a little less ahead of this rematch with the Kings.
🏈 NFL: Cincinnati Bengals vs. Baltimore Ravens — Tomorrow at 8:15 p.m. ET — TSN
- An AFC North showdown featuring the Ravens’ league-best offense vs. a suddenly surging Bengals team that’s won three of their last four? Much like Shrek, this sequel won’t disappoint.
Together With Simon & Schuster
The hockey story of the season is already on shelves. Legendary Toronto Maple Leaf Mats Sundin’s page-turning memoir Home and Away chronicles the Hall of Famer’s journey from skating on his local lake in Sweden to captaining one of the NHL’s most fabled franchises.
- Whether you’re a Leafs die-hard or simply searching for a nostalgic autumn read, snag your copy today to learn how Sundin earned his way into the hockey record books and the hearts of fans. Your TBR list never looked so, ahem, cool.
Here’s what passed The GIST squad’s vibe check this week:
🥜 What to eat
Uncrustables, the grab-and-go PB&J sandwiches fueling the NFL — the league’s players consume at least 80K of them each season. Who knew the gridiron came with grape jelly?
🏀 What to wear
Skechers x Rickea Jackson. The LA Sparks hooper is elevating the kicks game with Skechers’ SKX Nexus basketball shoes, now available in a third black and pink colorway.
📚 What to read
The Snap by Elizabeth Staple. This month’s pick for The GIST Book Club is a feminist sports whodunnit that you won’t be able to put down. Read with us on Fable today.
Question of the Day
If you’re looking for something to pass the time this week, how about escaping with a book? Let us know below what’s your favorite way to read.
Today’s email was brought to you by Lauren Tuiskula, Alessandra Puccio, Marga Sison, Lisa Minutillo, 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 and Alessandra Puccio. Managing edits by Lauren Tuiskula and Alessandra Puccio. Head of content Ellen Hyslop.