Why The GIST exists

The GIST: The WNBA is more popular than ever — which means we’re getting more lame takes from men too ignorant to learn the game. NBA writer Ethan Strauss and The Ringer’s Bill Simmons are the latest male journalists to join the list, but they’re drowned out by a women’s basketball community that’s bigger than ever. Join the club or GTFO.

The examples: Strauss joined Simmons on his podcast this Wednesday to discuss Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever, which took a wild turn when Strauss suggested the Fever rename itself “W Pacers,” implying it’s difficult to remember 12 WNBA team names. “Why force people to learn about the Fever?” Strauss asked, which caused the Chicago Sky and Connecticut Sun to fire back.

• And after Indianapolis Star sports columnist Gregg Doyel uncomfortably pressured Clark to treat him favorably — an inappropriate exchange many pointed out never happens to male athletes — Doyel was removed from the Clark beat and suspended for two weeks.

The problem: This is business as usual for Simmons, who declared almost 20 years ago that the WNBA wasn’t marketable to (male) fans because players lack “crossover sex appeal.” And Strauss’ belief that “maybe there’s still time” to undo the years and millions of dollars invested into existing W branding just shows his ignorance on brand value.

• The worst part is the platforms and influence these individuals have: Doyel is a longtime IndyStar columnist, Strauss covers a market that will soon have a WNBA team, while Simmons built his platform with homogenous, primarily male voices that have unfortunately influenced a generation of sports fans.

Zooming out: Women are often held to unfair expectations when covering men’s sports, yet these male journalists balk at doing the bare minimum. For once, men’s sports aren’t always the center of the conversation, and that seems to bother some who are suddenly out of their element. Welcome to our world, fellas — it’s why we’re trying to create a better one.

The GIST: It’s been a big week for the PWHL as its regular season wraps up, but it’s been an even bigger season for the brand-new league. We’ve never seen anything quite like it in women’s pro sports, so let’s review the league’s many wins as it continues to reshape women’s hockey.

The brand support: According to the PWHL, the league signed over 40 corporate partnerships this season, including two in the past week. On Tuesday, Scotiabank was named the league’s official bank and the PWHL Finals’ presenting partner. And yesterday, Bauer revealed plans for redesigned sweaters for next season after becoming the league’s official jersey provider. Top shelf stuff.

The fan engagement: The women’s hockey attendance record was broken six times as total attendance surpassed 392K. For fans who couldn’t make games, YouTube provided free, global access: PWHL content amassed over 40M views and reached over 100K subscribers across 88 different countries. The league also garnered 238M social media impressions and 1.04M followers.

• And it looks like the trend will continue well into the postseason — PWHL Toronto won the league’s first-ever playoff game on Wednesday in front of a sold-out crowd of 8.4K fans at Toronto’s Coca-Cola Coliseum.

The takeaway: After years of trying to form a cohesive league, the PWHL had one of the most successful debut seasons ever seen in women’s pro sports. It’s a testament to the league’s pro athlete input and stellar management from the outset, which drew upon lessons learned from the WNBA and NWSL. The more you know.