The GIST

Flava Flav encourages brands to close the gender gap in sports after President Trump’s hockey debacle

Things happen fast when you’re rapper Flava Flav. The ‘90s icon is known for his avid women’s sports fandom after supporting athletes during Paris 2024. Initially a fan of the Team USA women’s water polo team, Flav extended his endorsement to many more athletes, and the same happened at the Winter Olympics.

February 26, 2026

Emma Raducanu leaves Nike for Uniqlo as smaller brands provide unique opportunities for tennis players

🎾

This week, British tennis star Emma Raducanu left Nike to ink a multiyear deal with Japanese clothing brand Uniqlo, following in the footsteps of heavy-hitters like Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic. The move illustrates how athletes and smaller brands have more leverage than ever when it comes to sports apparel giants. Let’s dive in.

February 26, 2026

The latest on the WNBA’s CBA negotiations

🏀

According to the WNBA, a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) between the league and its players’ union (the WNBPA) needs to be agreed upon by March 10th, otherwise the 2026 schedule will be affected. That’s *checks notes* less than two weeks away — and there’s lots of work to be done.

February 25, 2026

Fanfare around Team USA women’s hockey win illustrates how far game has grown thanks to PWHL

🏒

We’ve seen Olympic popularity spark the growth of year-round leagues, from track & field to fencing. However, the best example may be women’s hockey: As recently as 2022, there was ongoing debate about whether women’s hockey belonged at the Olympics, but the PWHL is helping rewrite the narrative.

February 24, 2026

Women’s college volleyball gets the college basketball treatment with first-of-its-kind Paradise Invitational

🏐

Yesterday, GS Sports — a sports event company that primarily hosts elite youth basketball competitions — announced its first foray into college sports with the Paradise Invitational. This will be a first-of-its-kind NCAA women’s volleyball showcase featuring four top teams facing off in the Bahamas.

February 24, 2026

Team USA defeats Canada to win first men’s hockey Olympic gold since 1980

🏒🏅

It wasn’t a Miracle, but 46 years later, the result was the same: Team USA is back atop the men’s hockey world, beating Canada 2–1 in 3-on-3 overtime yesterday to win Olympic gold for the first time since 1980. Here’s how the red, white, and blue claimed the final hardware of the Milano Cortina Games.

February 23, 2026

Everyone is playing (and paying) women’s flag football

🏈

While there’s still higher male participation in the U.S., flag football is rapidly flourishing among women and girls. During the 2023–2024 season, nearly 43K girls played in high school (105% increase YoY), while other data suggests about 500K girls aged 6 to 17 years old participated at some level in 2023.

February 21, 2026

Team USA sparks comeback to defeat Canada 2–1 for the Olympic gold medal

Sports News

Team USA sparks comeback to defeat Canada 2–1 for the Olympic gold medal

🏒🏅

February 20, 2026

It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish — and yesterday, Team USA women’s hockey embraced the adage, posting a dramatic 2–1 overtime comeback to clinch their third-ever gold medal…all against their archrival Canada, no less. Here’s how the historic dub went down.

Read Full Story

The GIST of It Podcast

Ep #534

Back to business: What’s happening in Unrivaled and the PWHL?

February 26, 2026

Listen on Apple Music Listen on Spotify

Back to business: What’s happening in Unrivaled and the PWHL?

And exhale.

Still catching your breath post-Milano Cortina Olympics? Us too — that’s why today’s episode of The GIST of It is a sporty catch-up on two of our favorite leagues: Unrivaled and the PWHL. Tune in to see what’s happening in the hottest 3v3 hoops league in the game ahead of the playoffs, before hearing all the storylines you need to know for the second half of the PWHL season.