Quite the first impression
From The GIST (hi@thegistsports.com)
Leveling The Playing Field
New week, loading!
Make like St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Joshua Báez and jump right in: The 23-year-old made a historic MLB debut on Saturday, becoming the first player to homer in his first three at-bats. Talk about a good first impression.
WNBA
🏀 Doing iconic sh!t
The GIST: It was a great weekend for women in hoops, with an iconic No. 3 jersey raised to the rafters in Phoenix, and three legendary W hoopers adding an orange blazer to their closets. Let’s give the gals their flowers.
🪐 Phoenix Mercury retire Diana Taurasi’s jersey: The WNBA’s all-time leading scorer had her No. 3 retired during yesterday’s halftime ceremony in the desert. Widely considered one of the greatest women’s players ever, Taurasi’s impact on the game endures: She’s planning on joining the Mercury ownership group. The gift that keeps on giving.
💐 Three WNBA legends inducted into Basketball Hall of Fame: Candace Parker, Chamique Holdsclaw, and Elena Delle Donne were enshrined in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame this weekend as part of the 2026 class.
- 🧡 Candace Parker: A woman after our own hearts, Parker’s on-court legacy is pure excellence, spanning college superstardom and a trophy-laden 16-year WNBA career that includes two MVPs. The story of women’s basketball can’t be told without Parker…literally.
- 💜 Chamique Holdsclaw: While the six-time WNBA All-Star called herself “every woman,” her hoops résumé is anything but average, from her dynastic college days at Tennessee to a W career that includes the 2002 scoring title and two rebounding crowns.
- ❤️ Elena Delle Donne: Before the two-time MVP dropped the mic with her acceptance speech, she spent 10 WNBA seasons dropping buckets while becoming the founding member of the league’s exclusive 50/40/90 club. Made Lizzie proud.
From Toronto Tempo star Brittney Sykes’ potential return, to a showdown at Boston’s TD Garden, to Las Vegas Aces icon A’ja Wilson’s ongoing quest for a record-extending fifth MVP, there’s a lot to look forward to over the next two days of WNBA hoops.
- Five games will grace screens before our next newsletter — which tops your must-watch list?
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⚽ Cameroon win first WAFCON championship with 3–0 victory over Malawi
Thanks to a brace from forward Marie Ngah Manga and an insurance goal from midfielder Naomi Eto, Cameroon is now the fourth nation to win the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON). The Indomitable Lionesses dismantled tourney debutant Malawi in yesterday’s win, silencing breakout sister duo Temwa and Tabitha Chawinga.
- Cameroon went undefeated throughout the tourney, knocking out 10-time champ Nigeria in the quarter-finals before ousting host nation Morocco in the semis.
🏈🇨🇦 Team Canada women win IFAF flag football world championship
Just one day after earning a spot at the LA28 Olympics, the Canadian women added to the endzone glory, defeating Team USA 27–20 in yesterday’s gold medal game to win the country’s first flag football world title since 2014. Quarterback Sara Parker brought that extra “eh” game, earning tournament MVP after tossing 23 touchdowns in six games.
- What’s more, the Canadian men are also LA-bound, punching their Olympic ticket with a 34–26 bronze medal match win over Team Mexico, a dub sealed by a clutch interception from defensive back Guillaume Béland. Two for two.
🏊 Summer McIntosh wins silver in 200m IM at Pan Pacific championships
The reigning Olympic and world champ in the 200m IM, McIntosh came up just short at the Pan Pacs on Saturday, losing to China’s Yu Yiting by just .02 seconds. That said, the 19-year-old swimming prodigy contributed one gold, two silver, and one bronze to Canada’s exceptional 13-medal meet tally.
🥍 Maryland Charm win inaugural Women’s Lacrosse League (WLL) championship
Turns out first time’s the charm. Maryland beat the California Palms 16–13 on Saturday to claim the inaugural WLL title in the league’s first full season. Attack Sydni Black earned MVP honors after registering four goals and one assist in the dub, while attack Alex Holman picked the perfect time for her first (and second, and third) goals of the WLL season. Now that’s cause for celly-bration.
⚽ The Montréal Roses recorded a 2–0 win over AFC Toronto yesterday, a big statement just three days after firing head coach Robert Rositoiu.
✨ In NWSL news, last night was downright magical in LA: Washington Spirit forward Trinity Rodman scored her 10th goal of the season before Angel City FC midfielder Ally Sentnor scored a late equalizer in the 1–1 draw.
- This one was full of returning stars: ACFC saw both defender Savy King and forward Sydney LeRoux take the pitch, while Spirit forward Ashley Hatch posted her first minutes following maternity leave.
⚾ Somehow, some way, the Toronto Blue Jays are just one game out of a Wild Card spot. Trouble is, they’ll be without first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. until at least this Saturday after he landed on the concussion injured list over the weekend.
😡 The NFL suspended Atlanta Falcons edge rusher James Pearce Jr. for just eight games on Friday, a surprising number considering he’s charged with three felonies related to a February incident with his former girlfriend, WNBA star Rickea Jackson.
- In similarly perplexing news, the defending champ Seahawks plan to sign cornerback Terrion Arnold, who currently has eight felony charges levied against him — even after inking star cornerback Devon Witherspoon to a record-breaking deal. Make it make sense.
🎾 World No. 5 Novak Djokovic lost in the second round of the Cincinnati Open — the final tune-up tourney before the US Open — yesterday, later revealing that he’s dealing with an ongoing health condition that makes it difficult to play in the heat and humidity.
- Unfortunately, No. 31 Leylah Fernandez is also out following a Round of 64 loss in Cincy, a disappointing development after her excellent run at the Canadian Open.
⛳ World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler dominated this weekend’s St. Jude Championship, winning the first of the FedEx Cup’s three tournaments by a remarkable eight strokes. Sadly, none of the three competing Canadians earned enough points to advance to next week’s BMW Championship.
🏆⚽ Erling Haaland’s Manchester City lost the Community Shield 3–0 to English Premier League (EPL) rival Arsenal yesterday in the first official competition of the new EPL season. Racoons Rats.
Today’s email was brought to you by Alessandra Puccio, Lisa Minutillo, and Lauren Tuiskula. Fact-checking by Elisha Gunaratnam. Ops by Elisha Gunaratnam and Briana Ekanem. Managing edits by Lauren Tuiskula. Head of content Ellen Hyslop.
