No sleep, bus, club, another club
From The GIST (hi@thegistsports.com)
Missed you!
The sports world really said no sleep, bus, club, another club — the weekend lineup is booked and busy in the best way. Let’s get right into it.
CFL
🏈 Touchdowns, eh?
The GIST: One less down, the (modified) rouge, longer fields (for now) — there’s nothing quite like Canadian football. And the 68th CFL season started with a bang as the Montreal Alouettes beat the Hamilton Tiger-Cats 30–27 in overtime last night.
- Before Week 1 rolls on, let’s kick around a few questions about the 21-week campaign ahead.
🏆 Can the Saskatchewan Roughriders repeat?: Defense was the reigning champs’ calling card last season, but their ferocious front seven lost some key pieces in free agency. Still, with most of their championship squad ready to run it back — including 40-year-old quarterback (QB) Trevor Harris and running back A.J. Ouellette — the Riders remain the team to beat.
👑 Who could steal their crown?: The Riders’ biggest threat is the BC Lions, who are helmed by the CFL’s most impactful player: Canada’s own Nathan Rourke. If the Lions can protect their superstar and build on last year’s late-season momentum, a banner could be in their future.
- That said, expect this season to be a parity party with all nine teams realistically in contention to hoist the coveted Grey Cup come November. That’s right, all 95 games are appointment viewing.
😵💫 Can the Lions and Toronto Argonauts withstand the chaos?: Both teams will be briefly, ahem, booted out of their home stadiums (BC Place and BMO Field, respectively) to make way for the upcoming FIFA men’s World Cup. The Lions will play two home games in Kelowna, while the Boatmen will be all over the map…literally. May the odds be ever in their favor.
Question of the Day
As the CFL season kicks off, we want to know: How closely are you following the league?
TOGETHER WITH Proline
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🏒 Carolina Hurricanes (tied 1-1) score three third-period goals in 4–3 overtime (OT) win
Well, that was chaotic. Down 2–0 halfway through the third period, the Canes lit the lamp twice in under three minutes to even the score, before exchanging goals with the Vegas Golden Knights in the game’s closing minutes to send Game 2 to OT. That’s where Carolina forward Seth Jarvis scored the game winner. Now, the series shifts to Vegas for tomorrow’s 8 p.m. ET Game 3.
🏀 NY Knicks steal NBA Finals Game 1
Death, taxes, and Jalen Brunson taking over in the fourth quarter. Brunson netted five of his game-high 30 points in the last two minutes on Wednesday, part of an 11–0 NY run that sealed their 105–95 win over the San Antonio Spurs. The Knicks’ 12th straight playoff win also marks San Antonio’s first-ever loss in the opening game of the Finals.
- There’s no reason for Spurs fans to panic though: The youth-powered squad has seen this film before, facing series deficits three times already in the 2026 playoffs. See if Victor Wembanyama and Co. can bounce back and defend home court tonight at 8:30 p.m. ET.
🇨🇦⚽ No. 30 CanMNT faces No. 59 Republic of Ireland in final World Cup (WC) warmup match
Fresh off Monday’s exciting 2–0 friendly win over No. 50 Uzbekistan, Les Rouges have one last chance for a statement ahead of the WC, taking on the Boys in Green tonight at 7:30 p.m. ET in Montréal.
- Unfortunately, the injury bug is still lingering — superstar Alphonso Davies is likely still sidelined, and head coach Jesse Marsch has not named a replacement for midfielder Marcelo Flores, who is officially out with a torn ACL.
🎓🥎 Texas repeats as NCAA softball champions
The first-ever Women’s College World Series championship series rematch ended in familiar fashion, with reigning champs No. 2 Texas defending their crown by defeating last year’s runners-up, No. 11 Texas Tech 4–1 last night.
- The Longhorns emerged victorious from a tale of two squads, one that returned much of last year’s championship core and another that relied heavily on NIL and the transfer portal to assemble their roster. The dichotomy of college sports was on full display.
🏆🎾 French Open final pits world No. 8 Mirra Andreeva against No. 114 Maja Chwalińska
A tournament full of upsets has given way to this unexpected title match — but that doesn’t dull its sparkle. Three years after her breakout run, 19-year-old Andreeva has reached her first Grand Slam final, facing Chwalińska, the lowest-ranked finalist in Roland-Garros history. Chwalińska’s notably reaching new heights four years after taking a break for her mental health. Game, set, love that.
- The upset trend also applied to the men’s bracket, which means three-time Grand Slam finalist and the controversial No. 3 Alexander Zverev is the favorite to advance to Sunday’s final, so long as he defeats No. 27 Jakub Menšík in today’s semi.
TOGETHER WITH Proline
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⛳ LPGA: U.S. Women's Open — Ongoing — TSN
- World No. 1 Nelly Korda’s shoe issues may have gotten the better of her yesterday as she finished the opening round of the second major of the season tied for 57th. Meanwhile, No. 26 Jennifer Kupcho looks unflappable, boasting a one-stroke lead with a record-breaking $12.5M purse on the line.
⚾ MLB: Baltimore Orioles vs. Toronto Blue Jays — Tonight at 7:07 p.m. ET — Sportsnet
- After snapping their four-game losing streak with last night’s come-from-behind 7–2 win over the Atlanta Braves, the Jays are flying home to face their divisional foes. Pitcher Trey Yesavage takes the mound for tonight’s opener — let’s get this party started.
🏎️ Formula 1: Monaco Grand Prix qualifying — Tomorrow at 10 a.m. ET — TSN
- Sunday’s race is usually the main event, but not at Formula 1’s most luxurious parade. It’s notoriously difficult to pass on the famed narrow street circuit, meaning tomorrow’s qualifying — where drivers compete to record the fastest lap and earn pole position — is paramount.
🏀 WNBA Commissioner’s Cup: Chicago Sky vs. Toronto Tempo — Sunday at 3 p.m. ET — TSN
- The Tempo made their in-season tourney debut on Wednesday, and — from the 15-point loss to Kiki Rice’s unfortunate ankle sprain — let’s just say it wasn’t how head coach Sandy Brondello envisioned her Big Apple return. The perfect pick-me-up? A little bit of déjà vu.
TOGETHER WITH Proline
🚨 Whether you’re a new fan or a veteran hockey pro, PROLINE makes it easy to put some extra skin in the playoffs. Make your picks on the app, scan your barcode in-store, and if your picks hit, cash out after the game. Easy celly, baby.
😡 Carter Hart is 3 wins from the Stanley Cup. The Golden Knights still don’t want to talk about his past (The Athletic)
📺 Red, White & Clueless: The untold story of the 1994 U.S. World Cup team (ESPN)
🏀 Meet the Spurs nuns: Inside the basketball-loving world of the Salesian Sisters (The Athletic)
🎧 Tom Holland (Good Hang with Amy Poehler)
Today’s email was brought to you by Alessandra Puccio, Lisa Minutillo, Lauren Tuiskula, Charlotte Mackenzie, and Caroline Price. Fact-checking by Elisha Gunaratnam and Mikaela Perez. Ops by Elisha Gunaratnam and Briana Ekanem. Managing edits by Lauren Tuiskula and Alessandra Puccio. Head of content Ellen Hyslop.