Put your hands in the air
From The GIST (hi@thegistsports.com)
And we’re back!
Trophies have been awarded, attendance records have been set, and looks have been served since our last newsletter. Let’s strut right into it, shall we?
— Human rights activist and bona fide icon Malala Yousafzai, speaking to the Seattle Torrent before reading the team’s starting lineup ahead of Sunday’s showdown with the Boston Fleet. Game recognizes game, humanitarian edition.
College Football Playoff
🎓🏈 Everybody’s hands go up
The GIST: Sorry, Hannah — turns out the Hoosiers are perfect. ICYMI: No. 1 Indiana beat No. 10 Miami 27–21 in Monday’s College Football Playoff (CFP) national championship, capping off an undefeated 16-0 season and a truly stunning program turnaround.
- It’s a storybook ending, one GISTer Ricky saw coming — they correctly predicted every single CFP matchup in our College Football Bracket Challenge. Sending kudos as we tie a bow on an exhilarating college football season.
💪 Indiana quarterback (QB) Fernando Mendoza wows in homecoming: The kid from Miami made the Canes think twice about denying him a walk-on spot four years ago, battling through (literal) blood, sweat, and tears to become just the fourth player to win the Heisman Trophy and CFP title in the same season.
- Mendoza’s fourth-down, fourth-quarter touchdown run will forever be etched in CFP history, the perfect college farewell as the game-changing QB prepares to almost certainly hear his name called first during the NFL Draft this April. How sweet it is.
😐 Hoosiers head coach (HC) Curt Cignetti leads Indiana to CFP glory: The man that inspired a thousand memes, Cignetti inherited a team that went 3-9 before his arrival and transformed them into national champions in just two seasons at the helm. With an eye for transfer portal talent and an unrelenting belief in his squad, Cignetti proved that these Hoosiers can own the gridiron, too.
➡️ What’s next for college football?: As the confetti clears, CFP expansion talks continue ahead of Friday’s deadline. Some of the sport’s big wigs are pushing for a 16-team format (up from 12 this year), but if leaders can’t agree on a revamped format by Friday, the field will remain the same for at least another season. Tick tock.
Unrivaled
🏀 Easy, breezy, beautiful
The GIST: Fire ’fits, helpful hands, and one certified walking bucket? Yep, Unrivaled had it all over the weekend. Here are the headlines emerging from the innovative 3v3 league’s second weekend of action.
🌬️ Breeze BC superstar Paige Bueckers is that girl: Now a cool $50K richer, Bueckers’ perfect free throw percentage isn’t the only part of her game turning heads: The rookie dropped 37 points and missed just five shots in Breeze’s convincing 83–64 Monday win over Mist BC. Young and turnt — and efficient.
🦉 Lunar Owls secure first win of the season: Marina Mabrey and Aaliyah Edwards have been cooking, but finally had reason to say “hootie hoo” with Monday’s 68–57 W over Vinyl BC. Mabrey’s 31 points, which included a game-winning three-pointer, led the charge, while Edwards was the perfect complement with a mind-boggling 18 rebounds.
- This weekend also marked the return of veteran playmaker Skylar Diggins, who missed the Owls’ first three games with a lower body injury. Though her playing time was limited across two games, Diggins contributed 16 total points in just 22 minutes of work. On the way up.
👏 Parity reigns supreme: All eight squads have notched at least one win and one loss after playing five (of their 14) regular-season games. In fact, four teams sport identical 3-2 records, setting the stage for an intriguing battle for playoff positioning in the expanded six-team field.
- For example, the bottom-dwelling Owls and Hive have one win apiece, but now Diggins is back in the mix for the Owls, and the Hive are building chemistry after knocking off the defending champ Rose 78–75 on Friday. The games have only just begun.
TOGETHER WITH Travel Texas
🤠 Saddle up!
🏇 Ready to saddle up to a good time? We know just the place to live out your cowgirl dreams — Texas, of course. The Lone Star State is the perfect place to take a dude ranch vacation and get this…The GIST wants you to experience it for free.
It’s easy to enter our Texas Getaway Sweepstakes for a chance to win.
1️⃣ First, build your dream vacay in Travel Texas’ Trip Builder. Whether it’s a rodeo extravaganza, a BBQ road trip, or a jaunt through some of Texas’ 350 wineries, Travel Texas wants you to experience all the state has to offer.
2️⃣ Then submit your itinerary to our contest. Giddy up — the all-inclusive trip of your dreams could be just a few clicks away.
🎾 Venus Williams ousted in opening round of Australian Open
But the 45-year-old icon proved age is just a number, becoming the oldest woman to ever compete at an Australian Open before falling in a tightly-contested three-set match to 24-year-old Olga Danilović, who wasn’t even alive when a 17-year-old Williams made her Australian Open debut in 1998. Absolutely incredible.
- As for the rest of the American contingent, the first two rounds were mostly chalk with fan favorites including No. 3 Coco Gauff, No. 6 Jessica Pegula, and No. 8 Ben Shelton cruising to victories. More of that, please.
🏈 Buffalo Bills fire HC Sean McDermott after nine seasons
The latest HC to be handed a pink slip, expect McDermott to be a hot commodity this offseason despite his Bills’ heartbreaking 33–30 loss to the Denver Broncos on Saturday. There are six HC vacancies to be filled after John Harbaugh was picked up by the NY Giants and Kevin Stefanski found a home with the Atlanta Falcons last week.
- As for the teams still chasing a Super Bowl berth, the Broncos will meet the New England Patriots in this Sunday’s AFC Championship game, while the LA Rams and Seattle Seahawks will clash for the third time this season, this one a battle for NFC glory.
🏀 All-Star starters announced for February’s new-look NBA All-Star Game
The February 15th round-robin tournament will feature two teams of American All-Stars and one squad of international All-Stars, the latter headlined by the two hoopers who received the most votes in their respective conferences: Slovenia’s Luka Dončić of the LA Lakers and Greece’s Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks.
- There was one notable omission from the All-Star starters list: LA Laker LeBron James, who will almost certainly appear as a reserve player but won’t be a starter for the first time in his 21-year career. Hey now.
❤️🩹 Golden State Warrior Jimmy Butler out for the season with torn ACL
Butler sustained the season-ending injury after landing awkwardly in the Warriors’ 135–112 Monday win over the embattled Miami Heat, a crushing blow to their playoff chances after an already slow start to the season. With Butler sidelined and the February 5th trade deadline looming, the Warriors have some important decisions to make. But hey, at least the six-time All-Star is taking it all in stride.
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH Chase
🖐️ Stop us if you’ve heard this before, but the time to invest in women’s sports is now. That’s why Chase is now a founding partner of League One Volleyball (LOVB), the powerhouse program that supports gals on the court from youth leagues to the pros.
- Chase is committed to empowering athletes beyond the court — providing tools, guidance and mentorship that help them navigate their financial futures with confidence. After all, that gendered wealth gap won’t close itself.
🩲 What to slip into
A leakproof pair of period underwear from Knix. Unlike other period protection options that can be bulky and uncomfortable, Knix undies are soft, secure, and made to move with you. Finally, menstrual protection for the 21st century.*
⚾ Who’s standing in the Hall of Fame
Centerfielders Carlos Beltrán and Andruw Jones, who were both elected into the National Baseball Hall of Fame, as announced yesterday. Beltrán was a nine-time All-Star and 2017 World Series champion while Jones had five All-Star nods and 10 Gold Gloves over his long, storied career.
⛸️ What to listen to
This podcast with U.S. figure skater Amber Glenn. Ahead of the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics, Glenn discusses her advocacy for inclusion as an openly bisexual and pansexual athlete. Truly changing the game.
*P.S. This is a sponsored post. Easy peasy...period.Today’s email was brought to you by Lisa Minutillo, Lauren Tuiskula, Grace DePaull, and Charlotte Mackenzie. Editing by Rachel Fuenzalida. Fact-checking by Elisha Gunaratnam and Mikaela Perez. Ops by Briana Ekanem and Elisha Gunaratnam. Ads by Katie Kehoe Foster, Alessandra Puccio, and Lisa Minutillo. Managing edits by Lauren Tuiskula. Head of content Ellen Hyslop.