We’ve got mascot beef
From The GIST (hi@thegistsports.com)
Today’s the day!
The Paralympics Opening Ceremony begins at 2 p.m. ET, but not before our special edition preview of the Games hits your inbox later today. In the meantime, scroll on for today’s news. Trés bien.
— NY Liberty mascot Ellie the Elephant, sharing some hilarious content after the arrival of the Chicago Sky’s new mascot, Skye the Lioness. Skye was created by the same costume designer who made Ellie, making the two mascots sisters, in a sense. Sibling rivalry, loading.
US Open
🎾 Let’s go down to the tennis court
The GIST: It’s still early in the tournament, but record-setting crowds are pouring in to watch week one of the US Open, where there’s already been shocking upsets and triumphant debuts on the famous blue hard courts of Queens, NY. Aces all around.
World No. 11 Stefanos Tsitsipas, No. 11 Danielle Collins ousted in first round: Tsitsipas lost to unranked Thanasi Kokkinakis in four sets yesterday, yet another poor showing at the Big Apple Grand Slam, where he’s never made it past the third round.
- As for the women, Collins (who was making her final major appearance) was upset by fellow American Caroline Dolehide, a lackluster finish to an otherwise outstanding pre-retirement year on the WTA Tour.
- But on the other side of an upset is an athlete ascending: two-time US Open champ Naomi Osaka entered as an unranked wild card and topped 2023 quarter-finalist No. 10 Jelena Ostapenko yesterday in a thrilling first-round matchup.
- And on Monday, 16-year-old Iva Jokić became the youngest American since 2000 to win a main-draw match.
Three American men head into Round 2: No. 12 Taylor Fritz, No. 13 Ben Shelton, and No. 20 Frances Tiafoe all begin their second-round campaigns today, still facing unranked opponents at this early stage, while No. 1 Jannik Sinner is moving on after winning his first match since news of his doping scandal broke.
- Unfortunately, Canada has had a rough time on the hard courts. No. 19 Félix Auger-Aliassime fell in straight sets yesterday, and both No. 23 Leylah Fernandez and 2019 US Open champ Bianca Andreescu exited early after tough three-set battles.
No. 3 Coco Gauff, No. 2 Novak Djokovic continue their title defenses: Both defending champs hit Arthur Ashe Stadium for second-round action tonight, with Gauff facing Tatjana Maria at 7 p.m. ET and Djokovic taking on fellow Serbian Laslo Djere directly after, at 8:15 p.m. ET. Watch the throne.
🇨🇦 Boasting a combined nine Paralympics appearances between them, swimmer Katarina Roxon and wheelchair basketball player Patrick Anderson will lead Team Canada’s 126-member delegation as the flag bearers during today’s Opening Ceremony. Red, white, and proud.
⚽ Rise and shine for Vancouver Rise FC, who on Monday became the latest Northern Super League team to reveal their name and crest. Stronger by nature, indeed.
- Vancouver is joined by AFC Toronto, Ottawa Rapid FC, Calgary Wild FC, Halifax Tides FC, and Montreal (official name TBD), with the league set to kick off in 2025.
⚾ It happened, folks. Catcher Danny Jansen made MLB history, playing for both the Toronto Blue Jays (his former squad) and Boston Red Sox (his current team) during Monday’s make-up game. History’s nice, but the Jays can go for the series clincher tonight at 7:07 p.m. ET.
🏈 As another NFL season looms, brothers Jason (former Philadelphia Eagle) and Travis Kelce (current Kansas City Chief) signed a three-year, $100M+ deal with Amazon’s Wondery yesterday, giving the company exclusive rights to their very popular podcast, New Heights.
🏀 Another day, another record for Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark. She tied the WNBA rookie record for most three-pointers in a season (85) during the Fever’s Monday win over the Atlanta Dream. That victory was also Indiana’s 14th of the year, their highest total since they last made the playoffs in 2016.
- Speaking of stars, on Monday, the Seattle Storm honored legend Sue Bird by renaming a street “Sue Bird Court.” So well deserved.
🏎️ F1’s Williams Racing announced yesterday that American driver Logan Sargeant will be replaced by F2 racer Franco Colapinto for the rest of the season after Sargeant’s recent race struggles.
🏀 WNBA: Connecticut Sun vs. Indiana Fever — Tonight at 7 p.m. ET — WNBA League Pass
- Caitlin Clark’s Fever will be looking to continue their hot streak, but the Sun have been burning up too, currently on a three-game win streak and second in the league standings. Come for the hoops, stay for the romance.
🏆 PGA: TOUR Championship — Tomorrow through Sunday — Golf Channel
- This is it. The grand finale of the three-event FedExCup Playoffs tees off from Atlanta, Georgia and, thanks to the tourney’s Starting Strokes format, world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler will start with a two-stroke lead as he looks to add more hardware to an already historic season.
⛳ LPGA: FM Championship — Tomorrow through Sunday — Golf Channel
- After an action-packed stretch of golf in Europe, the Tour returns to North American soil for the inaugural FM Championship. TPC Boston will play host to 144 of the world’s best swinging for a slice of the $3.8M purse.
- And in other women’s golf news, U.S. Solheim Cup team captain, Stacy Lewis, finalized her team yesterday before the biennial tournament vs. Team Europe takes place in Virginia next month. Putter up.
Together With Canadian Tire
Ready for a mid-week mood booster? A record number of female athletes are set to compete at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games with the International Paralympic Committee estimating around 4,400 athletes are ready to take the stage. Ahhh-mazing.
- Canadian Tire is a long-time Team Canada partner and an advocate for gender equity in sport, which is why they teamed up with us to highlight the incredible accomplishments of Canadian women.
- Check out the many ways Canadian Tire is championing women in sport during the Paralympic Summer Games and year-round, then start dreaming about what’s possible.
Here’s what has The GIST team currently hyped:
⚽ How to win a free trip to watch elite soccer
Fill out this 30-second survey, and TELUS could send you and a friend to the 2024 TELUS Canadian Championship Final, aka the Battle of the North, on September 24th. Don’t wait — the contest closes on Sunday.*
🏀 What to shop
Reese's Pieces. Chicago Sky rookie Angel Reese just dropped the aptly named apparel collection including shirts, sweatshirts, and hats as part of her new deal with Hershey. Delicious.
👟 Who to check out
Cierra Boyd, the designer making waves in sustainable fashion with her unique and sporty creations, like Sha'Carri Richardson’s iconic sneaker corset.
*P.S. This is a sponsored post. Goals.Question of the Day
As mentioned, the Paralympics officially begin from the City of Light today. How are you planning to stay up to date on all of the action?
Today’s email was brought to you by Lauren Tuiskula, Alessandra Puccio, Marga Sison, Lisa Minutillo, and Briana Ekanem. Editing by Laura Pastore, Emily Ohman, Emma Leishman, Rachel Fuenzalida, and Lindsay Jost. Fact-checking by Parul Kanwar. Ops by Briana Ekanem and Marga Sison. Ads by Katie Kehoe Foster and Alessandra Puccio. Managing edits by Lauren Tuiskula. Head of content Ellen Hyslop.