The Sun won’t come out tomorrow
From The GIST (hi@thegistsports.com)
Happy weekend!
Or should we say hoopy weekend. NY Knicks star Jalen Brunson will host Saturday Night Live tomorrow, then the WNBA playoffs tip off on Sunday.
- Want to get in the game? Join our Women’s Basketball Bracket Challenge and stay tuned for a special edition preview before the games begin. Ball really is life.
WNBA
🏀 The end of an era
The GIST: A thrilling 330 regular-season games later, the WNBA first-round matchups are officially set. While you wait for that aforementioned playoff preview and start planning your women’s basketball bracket, let’s reminisce about two iconic chapters that are coming to a close.
☀️ The Connecticut Sun’s grand finale: The Nutmeg State has been synonymous with women’s hoops since, well, forever. Some of the best the W had to offer — Tina Charles, Jonquel Jones, and Alyssa Thomas among others — called Connecticut home during their careers, a legacy that will live on long after last night’s season finale: The franchise will relocate to Houston and rebrand as the Comets in 2027.
- The Sun authored a myriad of historic WNBA firsts during their 23-year existence, anchored in a community that truly embraced the franchise. The sun may be setting on this iteration of women’s basketball in New England, but it’s only a matter of time before it rises again.
👑 Nneka Ogwumike retires after 15 seasons: No one’s impacted the WNBA quite like Ogwumike. As president of the players’ union, the 36-year-old was instrumental in negotiating two landmark CBAs over her decade-long tenure. She’s always been a leader, an advocate, and a mentor — and truly beloved by her peers because of it.
- And she was equally as impressive on the court. The 2012 No. 1 draft pick is one of the W’s most accomplished players, stacking a championship, points, and accolades over her 15-year career. Ogumike’s “grateful” for all of it — us too, madam president.
- What’s next? The only certainty is that she’ll play in Project B, the global five-on-five league that debuts in January. After that, who knows where her leadership acumen will take her, but we hear the WNBA front office has an opening.
Together With Disney+
🏈 ESPN College GameDay has the IYKYK info you need
🧠 Where can you find everything you need to know about college football? Head over to Disney+ for ESPN College GameDay. This vital tradition combines expert analysis and predictions from the game’s biggest names (hello, Alabama coaching legend Nick Saban) with the wacky weirdness that makes this sport special.
- From the celebrity guest pickers to the iconic student field goal attempts, ESPN College GameDay is a crucial part of college football culture.
- Your Disney+ subscription also includes two live ESPN College Football games every Saturday this season. Tomorrow, it’s Wake Forest at No. 16 Louisville at Noon ET and Oklahoma at No. 2 Georgia at 3:30 p.m. ET. Game on.
🏈 College football isn’t just about wins and losses — it’s about tradition, breakout stars, and unbridled chaos. Watch every week with Disney+.
🏒 Toronto will host first PWHL All-Star Game in 2027
The PWHL announced yesterday that the league’s first-ever All-Star Game will take place in Toronto on March 7th. Voting details will be released during the season, but we do know the format features four teams in a 3-on-3 round-robin competition: PWHL USA, PWHL Canada, PWHL International, and PWHL Rookies.
- It marks another growth moment as the surging league enters its fourth season with four expansion teams taking the ice in December. We’ll be counting down the days.
⚾ Chicago Cubs star Pete Crow-Armstrong joins 40-40 club ahead of final regular-season weekend
PCA put the finishing touches on his MVP campaign yesterday, becoming just the seventh player in MLB history to hit at least 40 home runs and steal 40 bases in a single season. What’s more, his Cubs secured a playoff spot in the process, joining the Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Guardians, and San Diego Padres in the clinching party.
- There’s still plenty to play for as the regular season winds down, especially in the American League West. The Texas Rangers and Houston Astros are jockeying for the division crown — the pennant winner heads to the playoffs, while the loser misses out entirely. No pressure.
🏈 Atlanta Falcons dominate Green Bay on Thursday Night Football
Much of this week’s gridiron talk has been about quarterbacks (QBs), but last night’s 35–14 Falcons win was a running back Bijan Robinson masterclass: He tallied 213 total yards and two touchdowns. And while his teammate QB Michael Penix Jr. was solid in his season debut, the rest of the QB news isn’t so hot: Up to six teams will start backup QBs in Week 3. The injury bug is biting early this year.
- That said, the NFL’s first-ever game in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, will feature a pair of starting QBs as Baltimore Raven Lamar Jackson and Dallas Cowboy Dak Prescott battle on Sunday at 4:25 p.m. ET. Consider the jetlag discourse renewed.
🎓🏈 Six top-25 matchups highlight a big weekend of college football
With College GameDay in town (along with a disruptive visitor), No. 1 Texas faces No. 14 Tennessee tomorrow at 12 p.m. ET. The QB battle features Vols true freshman Faizon Brandon vs. the Longhorns’ Arch Manning. Manning has the edge in this one, but with Tennessee’s impressive running game and Manning’s struggles on the road, an upset isn’t out of the question.
- Next at 3:30 p.m. ET, No. 4 Ole Miss — fresh off their revenge win — faces No. 21 Florida while No. 17 Iowa goes for their first W in Ann Arbor since 2010, taking on No. 18 Michigan in a Big Ten showdown.
- And last but certainly not least, there are three primetime ranked matchups to close out the day. We’ll be locked in on No. 10 LSU vs. No. 23 Texas A&M at 7:30 p.m. ET, where one squad will suffer their second loss and severely hurt their playoff aspirations.
Together With Toyota
🏀 Make the most of hoops season's final stretch. Whether you're carpooling to tip-off, hosting the playoff race watch party, or squeezing in one final away game, the 2026 Toyota RAV4 is ready for it all.
🏎️ Formula 1: Azerbaijan Grand Prix — Tomorrow at 7 a.m. ET — ESPN/Apple TV
- Come because Mercedes phenom Kimi Antonelli could earn his ninth race win of the season; stay for the medieval castle. Baku’s narrow street circuit twists and turns around the city’s historic fortress walls. Speed with a side of architecture? Yes, please.
⚽ NWSL: Kansas City Current vs. Denver Summit — Tomorrow at 12:30 p.m. ET — Paramount+
- Ted Lasso showed us that the Current are a force to be reckoned with at home, where they haven’t lost a regular-season game for 29 straight matches. But the Summit are used to defying expectations and a W on the road would have big playoff implications for both sides.
⚽ International friendly — Peru vs. USMNT — Tomorrow at 4:30 p.m. ET — TNT/HBO Max/Peacock
- MLS may not honor international breaks, but head coach Maurico Pochettino’s side will still feature mostly domestic talent, including two breakout teenage stars: 16-year-old Cavan Sullivan from the Philadelphia Union and 18-year-old Peyton Miller of the New England Revolution.
Today’s email was brought to you by Lisa Minutillo, Rachel Fuenzalida, Lauren Tuiskula, Grace DePaull, and Charlotte Mackenzie. Fact-checking by Elisha Gunaratnam and Mikaela Perez. Ops by Elisha Gunaratnam and Briana Ekanem. Managing edits by Lauren Tuiskula and Lisa Minutillo. Head of content Ellen Hyslop.
