Happy nearly Super Bowl Sunday!

That’s right, Super Bowl LVIII is (almost) finally here, so on today’s episode of The GIST of It, co-hosts Ellen Hyslop and Steph Rotz are breaking down everything you need to know before kickoff, from the teams and players to the commercials and the Usher concert.

But first, the gals unpack this week’s bombshell ruling impacting the NCAA. On Monday, a National Labor Relations Board director ruled that Dartmouth’s men’s basketball team are school employees, essentially demolishing the NCAA’s amateurism model and opening the door to even more challenges across the country. El and Steph dig through how it all went down, what it means, and what it could spell for the future of college athletics.

Happy National Girls and Women in Sports Day Eve!

February 7th marks NGWSD, an annual celebration dedicated to acknowledging women’s history in sports, celebrating current achievements, and recommitting to the continued fight for equality.

So on today’s episode of The GIST of It, co-hosts Ellen Hyslop and Steph Rotz are starting the party early, digging into the history of the day, some of the ongoing barriers to participation in sports for girls and women, and all of the incredible recent progress that’s been made. Queue it up and let’s keep on leveling the playing field.

Happy February!

Content warning: This episode contains mention of sexual assault.

And, more importantly, happy “WNBA free agents can sign” day. After a quick update on the latest in the ongoing Hockey Canada story surrounding sexual assault allegations against members of the 2018 World Juniors team, co-hosts Ellen Hyslop and Steph Rotz dive into a full primer ahead of the W free agency frenzy.

From the biggest names on the block (and already on the move), to the dates to mark on your cal, to the potential impact of an expected flurry of deals, today’s pod has it all. Hoop to it.