The GIST

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

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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

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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

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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

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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.

February 20, 2026

Figure skater Alysa Liu becomes first American woman to win individual Olympic gold medal in 24 years

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For the first time in 24 years, an American woman has won individual Olympic figure skating gold: Former retiree Alysa Liu rose to the occasion yesterday, clinching the title with a breathtaking freeskate. Grab some tissues because this story’s inspiring as heck.

February 20, 2026

Team USA is the heavy favorite heading into Milano Cortina Olympics gold medal game

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It’s all hockey, all the time with the Team USA women’s gold medal game against Canada set for today at 1:10 p.m. ET while the boys recover from yesterday’s taxing quarter-final (QF) dub. Channel your inner Herb Brooks — great moments are born from great opportunity, after all.

February 19, 2026

Olympic, Paralympic brands dazzle in front of record global audience at Milano Cortina 2026

Sports Business

Olympic, Paralympic brands dazzle in front of record global audience at Milano Cortina 2026

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February 19, 2026

Americans dig the Winter Olympics. Last week, the first five days of the Winter Olympics wrapped with 26.5M viewers across NBC platforms, a 93% increase over a comparable period at Beijing 2022. This has been followed with record-breaking global audiences fueled by digital and social growth: Social engagement has doubled since Beijing 2022, with Olympic digital platforms surpassing 100M users.

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The GIST of It Podcast

Ep #532

Mikaela Shiffrin's unmatched mental strength

February 19, 2026

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Mikaela Shiffrin's unmatched mental strength

Celebrate good times, c’mon!

On today’s pod, co-hosts Lauren Tuiskula and Alessandra Puccio honor a true Olympic icon: Mikaela Shiffrin, the most decorated Alpine skier of all-time and now a three-time Olympic gold medalist after winning yesterday’s slalom. Every Olympian’s journey is unique and Shiffrin’s return to the podium is no exception. Today, we’re going back to the beginning: from her Olympic debut at the 2014 Sochi games to the eight-year medal drought to her 2026 triumph, Shiffrin’s story is not only compelling, but important to share, particularly as it pertains to Olympian mental health.