Caught in 4K

The GIST: Two UEFA Women’s Euro quarter-finals (QFs) down, two to go — and the knockout round drama is already unmatched. Scroll on to see who’s already booked a spot in the semis before reading up on this weekend’s must-see matches.

▶️ No. 13 Italy to take on No. 5 England in semis: Italy’s 2–1 Wednesday QF win over No. 16 Norway was entertaining, but yesterday’s match between the defending champs and No. 6 Sweden was ferocious. Trailing 2–0 at halftime, horse girl second-half substitute Chloe Kelly sparked two quick Lioness goals, forcing extra time before England prevailed 3–2 in a messy penalty shootout.

• P.S. GISTers were rightfully split when guessing this QF winner: 51% chose England and 49% selected Sweden. Sorry, ABBA fans — this one went to The Beatles.

🇪🇸 No. 2 Spain vs. 🇨🇭 No. 23 Switzerland — Today at 3 p.m. ET: Sorry to the host country, but don’t expect the same fireworks in today’s QF. The reigning FIFA Women’s World Cup champion Spaniards are the clear favorite here, having dismantled all three of their group stage opponents. At least the Swiss will have the enthusiastic home crowd on their side.

🇫🇷 No. 10 France vs. 🇩🇪 No. 3 Germany — Tomorrow at 3 p.m. ET: This new-look French squad has put the world on notice, sweeping the Group of Death with goals from nine (!!!) different players, including NWSL star Delphine Cascarino. On the other hand, Germany needs a confidence boost after a tough 4–1 loss to Sweden in their final group stage game. Be a goldfish…or head home.

The GIST: One home run–filled and historic All-Star break later, the second half of an already epic MLB season gets underway today. From the hottest divisions to the players swinging for the record books, here are the questions on our mind as the sprint to the playoffs begins.

🍑 Can Seattle Mariner Cal Raleigh keep it up?: The year of the Big Dumper continued when Raleigh became the first catcher to win the Home Run Derby. Already boasting the second-most homers before the All-Star break in MLB history (38), Raleigh’s on pace to break NY Yankee Aaron Judge’s American League (AL) single-season HR record and rival Judge for MVP honors. Unreal.

💙 Will the defending champ LA Dodgers return to dominance?: The 2024 World Series winners are known as the perennial National League (NL) team to beat, but the Blue Crew look vulnerable as of late amid myriad pitching injuries and uncharacteristic offensive woes.

• That said, two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani keeps doing Shohei Ohtani things, casually leading the NL in homers. Go ahead and pencil him in for NL MVP and, despite the recent struggles, bet on the Dodgers for a lengthy October appearance.

⁉️ Which team will top the chaotic AL East?: The reigning AL champ Yankees seemed all but guaranteed to run away with the divisional crown, but the race has suddenly turned interesting, with the surging Toronto Blue Jays flying to the top spot in the standings and the vibing Boston Red Sox forcing their way into the mix.

• Elsewhere, the Detroit Tigers are bringing the growl in the AL Central, posting the best first-half record in the bigs thanks in large part to the AL's Cy Young frontrunner, All-Star Tarik Skubal. Me-ow.

Flashy highlight reels only tell half the story. The real differentiator? What happens when nobody’s watching — and no one knows the hidden hustle better than the Indiana Fever’s Caitlin Clark and Jake from State Farm. Think:

🔒 Those quiet, early-morning grinds

🕶️ The off-court teamwork and chemistry building

💪 Keeping it together when things get messy

Clark has the first two on lock, but State Farm might have the edge with that last one: Jake and his team are ready to back you up, from the big plays to the everyday wins and everything in between. Buckets.

⛳ Golf: The Open — Ongoing through Sunday — NBC

• Locker rooms may flinch when world No. 28 Wyndham Clark walks in, but The Open fears no man: Clark’s in 128th place after the first round of the PGA’s fourth and final major and has a lot of work to do if he wants to make the cut.

• As for the real contenders at Royal Portrush, world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler sits one back of the lead, while hometown hero and world No. 2 Rory McIlroy is within striking distance despite a tricky opening round.

🥎 AUSL: Talons vs. Blaze — Tonight at 9 p.m. ET — MLB.com

• Softball is booming — just ask ESPN, who will exclusively broadcast next week’s championship series — and the Talons are the moment. The league’s top team is only getting better after former UCLA star Maya Brady made her pro debut this week.

🚲 Tour de France — Ongoing — Peacock

• Cyclists are doing their best Miley Cyrus impression as the 21-stage event reaches the towering Pyrenees. Now at stage 13 and more than halfway through the 2,074-mile (3,339-kilometer) race, defending champ Slovenian Tadej Pogačar says he’s never felt better. Terrifying.

🏖️ There’s nothing like summer in the city on the beaches of Malibu — and we want to send you there for free. The GIST is partnering with Wine Awesomeness to send the winner of this contest to sunny California for a Beach & Rosé Vacay. Yes, way.

This giveaway includes:

🍷 Two nights at the chic Surfrider Hotel, plus a $100 credit for rosé by the pool,

🏄 Surf lessons for two on Malibu’s iconic beaches,

💰 And a $500 Amex gift card for travel. Sheesh.

Don’t wait — the sooner you enter, the sooner you can submit your OOO to your manager. Cheers to that.