Mercury is no longer in retrograde
From The GIST (hi@thegistsports.com)
Leveling The Playing Field
It’s Friday!
Mercury is no longer in retrograde, the stars are aligning in Chicago, and we have an out-of-this-world sports weekend ahead. Time to shine.
WNBA
🏀 All that glitters is gold
The GIST: Whatever your priorities ahead of WNBA All-Star Weekend, one thing’s for sure: The league’s best are about to put on a show. Here’s the lowdown on all the hoops happenings.
The on-court action tips off with tonight’s 8 p.m. ET Skills Night:
👌 Three-Point Contest: Defending champ Sabrina Ionescu isn’t participating — rumor has it her invite’s still lost in the mail — but that shouldn’t detract from the talented six-player field. From Toronto Tempo star Marina Mabrey (who tied the single-game three-point record last month) to 2026 No. 1 pick Azzi Fudd and her flawless form, it’s anyone’s guess who’ll be crowned queen of the three.
- The GIST’s pick: Azzi Fudd, Dallas Wings
🪣 Shooting Stars Challenge: A brand-new event, the two-round challenge will see which three-woman team (one active player, one legend, and one high school hooper) can rack up the most points in 70 seconds, shooting from seven different spots on the court. So ready to watch basketball icons like Lauren Jackson and Elena Delle Donne hit the hardwood again. Chills.
- The GIST’s pick: Team Dallas/Detroit — Jessica Shepard and Deanna Nolan
⭐ Team Coop and Team Spoon battle for All-Star glory: Speaking of icons, Cynthia Cooper and Teresa Weatherspoon opted for different strategies when selecting their rosters for tomorrow’s 8:30 p.m. ET main event. Cooper prioritized scoring (think Indiana Fever star Kelsey Mitchell), while Weatherspoon preached balance, selecting rookie passing aficionado Olivia Miles, for example.
- TBD which strategy will reign supreme, but the famously competitive showcase (see: the full-court press in 2024 or the 2014 overtime game) rarely disappoints. Hey now.
⛳ LPGA’s finest blown off course at Women’s Scottish Open
One round in and the tournament is serving up wind, links golf, and a tight leaderboard. American Lauren Coughlin and South Korea’s Jenny Shin are setting the pace at six-under, while world No. 1 Nelly Korda is lurking after a tough showing last time out, tied for 14th.
- Meanwhile, defending champ and world No. 5 Lottie Woad has some catching up to do after a bumpy start, sitting tied for 33rd after battling the tricky conditions.
🚴 Tour de France culminates in Paris on Sunday
The 21-stage Tour is nearing its grand finale. Richard Carapaz raced to a Stage 18 win yesterday, but the overall standings remain largely unchanged, with two-time reigning champ Tadej Pogačar still in yellow and holding a 4:32 cushion over Remco Evenepoel.
- That said, Pogačar may boast a comfy lead, but illness has reportedly swept through his UAE Team Emirates squad. Sacre bleu.
🥎 Chicago Bandits rematch with defending champion Utah Talons for AUSL title
The Bandits beat the Portland Cascade 6–5 in extra innings last night to clinch their spot in the best-of-three AUSL Championship series, which begins with a historic Game 1 tomorrow at 1 p.m. ET. That opener will air on ABC, making it the first-ever pro softball game broadcast on network television in the U.S. About damn time.
- The players to watch? Utah outfielder Jadelyn Allchin, who leads the Talons with 17 RBIs, and Chicago outfielder Skylar Wallace, who boasts an incredible .500 batting average. Expect both to come out swinging — a winner could be crowned as soon as Sunday.
🏈 Rookie quarterback (QB) Fernando Mendoza signs with the Las Vegas Raiders
The 2026 No. 1 pick is officially inked. The reigning Heisman Trophy winner finally signed his four-year, $57.2M rookie contract yesterday after a brief impasse over a signing bonus. With the money matters settled, Mendoza can focus on year one — and eventually taking the reins from veteran QB Kirk Cousins, who might get first dibs on the starting job.
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🏅 Commonwealth Games: Various events — Ongoing — CBC
- Swimming and boxing and lawn bowling, oh my! It’s all happening as the 23rd Commonwealth Games continue from Glasgow. Whether you’re planning to pull an all-nighter or waking up extra early (perhaps with an Irn-Bru), the fun has only just begun.
⚾ MLB: Toronto Blue Jays vs. Boston Red Sox — Tonight at 7:15 p.m. ET — Sportsnet
- After snapping their four-game losing streak yesterday, the Jays are shipping up to Boston to face the red-hot Sox. Pitcher Trey Yesavage takes the mound for this divisional opener — let’s see how he fares under the Friday night lights.
⚽ NWSL: Gotham FC vs. Portland Thorns — Tonight at 10 p.m. ET — Prime Video
- Gotham’s sporting a three-game win streak, while Portland looks to shake off a two-game skid. That said, the Thorns have a few reasons to be optimistic.
- Between home-field advantage, midfielder Jessie Fleming fresh off a contract extension, and the long-awaited return of forward Morgan Weaver after more than a year away, these Thorns have plenty of buds to celebrate.
🏎️ Formula 1: Hungarian Grand Prix — Sunday at 9 a.m. ET — TSN
- A resilient George Russell is ready to take the Hungaroring by storm after Mercedes fixed his recurring engine problems. He’s already 50 points (aka two race wins) behind his teammate Kimi Antonelli in the World Drivers’ Championship, so a strong showing is non-negotiable.
Question of the Day
The three-point contest is one of the highlights of All-Star Weekend, so we want to know: Which sharpshooter do you think will take home the crown?
Today’s email was brought to you by Lisa Minutillo, Lauren Tuiskula, and Grace DePaull. Fact-checking by Elisha Gunaratnam. Ops by Elisha Gunaratnam and Briana Ekanem. Managing edits by Lauren Tuiskula. Head of content Ellen Hyslop.