You have to sacrifice for fashion
From The GIST (hi@thegistsports.com)
Hut, hut, hello!
It’s been an unbelievable five days of gridiron action, but it’s the PWHL who broke American records this weekend, with more than 14K fans attending yesterday’s Takeover Tour game in Denver. Let that news settle in, then scroll through the rest of today’s newsletter.
— World No. 3 Coco Gauff, dropping the details on the superhero-inspired New Balance ’fit she rocked during last night’s first-round straight-set win at the Australian Open. Fashion over function.
NFL Wild Card
🏈 Faster than fast, quicker than quick
The GIST: The opening weekend of postseason football is nearly done and dusted with five of the league’s six Wild Card games in the books. Move over, Lightning McQueen, the NFL brought the focus and speed to this year’s playoffs.
American Football Conference (AFC)
MVP candidate–led Baltimore Ravens, Buffalo Bills to meet in Divisional Round after dominant Wild Card wins: The No. 3 seed Ravens first-team All-Pro quarterback (QB) Lamar Jackson slayed as Baltimore stiffed the No. 6 seed Pittsburgh Steelers 28–14 on Saturday. And it was a similar scene in Buffalo yesterday as QB Josh Allen showed out in the No. 2 seed Bills’ 31–7 dub over the No. 7 seed Denver Broncos. Immovable force meet unstoppable object.
- Elsewhere, LA Chargers QB Justin Herbert had a no-good very bad day on Saturday: He threw a career-high four interceptions (after tossing just three all season) in No. 5 seed LA’s 32–12 L to the No. 4 seed Houston Texans, who are headed to their second straight Divisional Round.
National Football Conference (NFC)
Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Commanders advance: The library was open for the No. 2 seed Birds, who showed inner and outer excellence in yesterday’s 22–10 W over the No. 7 seed Green Bay Packers. Then, the No. 6 seed Commanders orchestrated the only upset of the weekend, a 23–20 doink-tacular dub over the No. 3 seed Tampa Bay Buccaneers for Washington’s first playoff win since 2005.
- It’s time to tie a bow on Wild Card weekend with tonight’s 8 p.m. ET Monday Night Football tilt between the resilient No. 4 seed LA Rams and the high-scoring No. 5 seed Minnesota Vikings. Come for Arizona’s hospitality, stay for the choreographed dances.
Take Your Pick
Minnesota Vikings
LA Rams
As you read, there’s one more spot up for grabs in the Divisional Round. Who do you think will come out on top tonight between the No. 5 seed Vikings and the No. 4 seed Rams?
🇨🇦 No. 6 CanWNT reportedly hires former San Diego Wave head coach (HC) Casey Stoney to lead team
Canada Soccer is moving on from the drone scandal that cost former HC Bev Priestman her job, reportedly hiring Stoney as their new permanent HC. Stoney, the former captain of England’s national team, most recently commanded the NWSL’s Wave, where she was named the 2022 Coach of the Year before being fired during a slump last season. Good luck, coach.
👀 USWNT rising star Jaedyn Shaw heading to North Carolina Courage
Offensive powerhouse Shaw is set to be traded from the Wave to the Courage for a pretty penny. Shaw reportedly requested a trade in early 2024, and in line with this new age of player empowerment, the Wave worked with the 20-year-old to find the right new team — and the Courage could be ideal, particularly if they retain free agent and attacker, Brazilian standout Kerolin.
⚖️ Former Utah Royals FC goalkeeper alleges abuse at expansion club
Goalie Carly Nelson accused the Royals of “relentless toxicity” in the form of “emotional and psychological abuse” on Friday, her first public statement since taking a leave of absence from the team to address her mental health in May. In response, the Utah club reiterated its commitment to fostering “safe and supportive environments on and off the field.”
🥇 Canada’s U18 women’s team is golden again, topping the USA 3–0 in yesterday’s gold medal game behind a goal from the tournament’s leading goal scorer, forward Stryker Zablocki. The future of Canadian women’s hockey is looking bright.
🏒 Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin tallied his 20th consecutive season with at least 20 goals, becoming only the second player in league history to reach the mark — but that’s small peanuts compared with matching Wayne Gretzky’s all-time scoring record. Only 21 to go.
⛷️ She’s so back — iconic ski racer Lindsey Vonn finished sixth in her first World Cup downhill race since 2019 on Saturday before doubling down on her redemption era with a fourth-place finish in yesterday’s Super G.
⛳ Canada’s own Nick Taylor took home the Sony Open title in Hawaii yesterday, chipping in for an eagle on the 18th hole to force a two-hole playoff en route to a dramatic victory. Taylor has five Tour titles to his name, winning the last three in sudden death fashion. Doing it for the plot.
🎓🏈 No. 8 Ohio State doubled up No. 5 Texas 28–14 in Friday’s Cotton Bowl, setting up a National Championship showdown with No. 7 Notre Dame on January 20th. Gatorade showers, loading.
😈 Duke superstar Cooper Flagg dropped a conference freshman record 42 points in the Blue Devils’ 86–78 win over Notre Dame on Saturday. It’s Duke’s first 40-point game since now–LA Lakers head coach JJ Redick got hot (twice) in 2006. Nothing but net.
🦖 The Toronto Raptors bolstered their odds of capturing the (aforementioned) Flagg with Saturday’s 123–114 loss to the Detroit Pistons, moving the Raps to 8-31 on the season and second-last in the Eastern Conference. Cheers to celebrating losses like wins.
🏈 Longtime New England Patriots linebacker Mike Vrabel is the team’s 16th HC after inking a multi-year deal with the franchise yesterday. The hiring comes one week after the Pats fired another linebacker-turned-HC, Jerod Mayo, whose one-year tenure generated only four wins. Still keeping it in the family.
Here’s what has The GIST team currently hyped:
⛷️ Who to know
Eddie the Eagle. Revisit the inspiring story of the underdog ski jumper who stole hearts at the 1988 Winter Olympics. You can also check out the heartwarming biopic starring Hugh Jackman and Taron Egerton.
🤠 What to watch
"Beyoncé Bowl” –– Beyoncé's standalone NFL halftime show special is available on Netflix. Since its release, it has been watched by nearly 50 million people and currently sits in this week’s Top 10 most popular watches on Netflix. Yee-haw!
📖 What to read
This article from Andscape about the journey toward equal opportunity for Black college football coaches. Success stories like Notre Dame’s Marcus Freeman and Penn State’s James Franklin show progress, but the stats remind us there’s still a long way to go.
Today’s email was brought to you by Alessandra Puccio, Lisa Minutillo, Marga Sison, Rachel Fuenzalida, Megan Murray, and Briana Ekanem. Editing by Laura Pastore, Emily Ohman, Emma Leishman, and Rachel Fuenzalida. Fact-checking and ops by Marga Sison. Ads by Katie Kehoe Foster, Alessandra Puccio, and Lisa Minutillo. Managing edits by Ellen Hyslop and Alessandra Puccio. Head of content Ellen Hyslop.