Is this illegal

The GIST: The star-studded All-Star Weekend three-point contest lineup was revealed yesterday and Sunday’s Dallas Wings vs. Indiana Fever showdown drew historic numbers — but that’s not even the buzziest W news so far this week.

🔥 The Portland Fire are back: Turns out the rumors were true — the W’s newest expansion squad is returning to its roots, officially dropping their name and logo yesterday ahead of the team’s 2026 debut. And in an epic women’s sports crossover, the fiery logo is both an ode to the Rose City and ties into the city’s NWSL team, the Portland Thorns.

• What's more, that’s not the only commonality: The Fire and Thorns, who are both owned by RAJ Sports, will split state-of-the-art training facilities starting next year. Sharing is caring after all.

👀 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) negotiations resume this weekend: And according to NY Liberty superstar Breanna Stewart, “it’s going to be spicy.” The league and the Women’s National Basketball Player’s Association (WNBPA) reportedly remain far apart on CBA negotiations with players stating the league wasn’t “entirely responsive” to their goals in the initial proposal.

• WNBPA president and Seattle Storm icon Nneka Ogwumike (pronounced oh-gwoo-MIH-kay) is hoping for clarity at this weekend’s in-person meetings, especially with expansion fees sitting at a cool $250M, a metric Ogwumike says should be reflected in revenue sharing.

• Commissioner Cathy Engelbert remains confident a “transformational” deal will be done, but WNBPA executive director Terri Carmichael Jackson isn’t so optimistic as she’d hoped for more progress ahead of All-Star weekend. Caliente, indeed.

The GIST: From attendance to international viewership and the 89 (!!!) goals already scored, records on records are falling at the 2025 UEFA Women’s Euro — and that’s just through the group stage. The win-or-go-home knockout round begins this afternoon, with four quarter-final matches today through Saturday. Here’s a peek at the first two on the docket.

🇳🇴 No. 16 Norway vs. 🇮🇹 No. 13 Italy — Today at 3 p.m. ET: The Italians are on to the quarters for the first time since 2013 and will face a familiar foe: the inspiring veteran Maren Mjelde–led Norwegians, who they drew with twice in last year’s tourney qualifiers.

• Norway swept Group A and is coming in hot, but Italy’s playing with joy — as evidenced by defender Elisabetta Oliviero’s brilliant group-stage goal against favorites No. 2 Spain.

🇸🇪 No. 6 Sweden vs. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 No. 5 England — Tomorrow at 3 p.m ET: Yes, England are the defending champs, but perennial bridesmaid Sweden is the sleeper team of this tourney, armed with a perfect group stage record and undeniable chemistry heading into this quarter-final.

• The matchup to watch? Ruthless Blue and Yellow forward Stina Blackstenius against Lioness keeper Hannah Hampton, who’s only improved throughout the tournament. Guess it’s time for a summer Thursday.

The best softball players in the world compete right here in the U.S. — and we want you to see them do their thing on the diamond. That’s why we’re sending a lucky GISTer to the Athletes Unlimited Softball League (AUSL) All-Star Cup this August, with a prize pack that includes:

🎟️ Two tickets to a doubleheader in August,

👋 An athlete meet and greet, plus AUSL gear,

💰 And $1K in cash for travel and accommodations.

Enter now to win, and we’ll see you in the bleachers.

🏀 WNBA: Phoenix Mercury vs. Minnesota Lynx — Today at 1 p.m. ET — WNBA League Pass

• These squads are sitting atop the league standings for a reason, and it’s not just because their superstars — the Mercury’s Alyssa Thomas and Lynx forward Napheesa Collier — are balling out. Both teams shoot the lights out and play lockdown defense. This is going to be good.

🥎 AUSL: Blaze vs. Talons — Tonight at 8 p.m. ET — ESPN2

• With a spot in the upcoming championship series already booked, the league-leading Talons are only getting better after reinstating pitcher Montana Fouts from the injured list. See if they can keep soaring against a recently-scorching Blaze team fresh off their first series win.

⛳ PGA: The British Open — Tomorrow through Sunday — Peacock

• Rain or shine, the fourth and final men’s major of the year tees off from Northern Ireland’s Royal Portrush, with the world’s best competing for the claret jug on a notoriously tough links-style course.

• Keep an eye on last year’s winner and world No. 3 Xander Schauffele, who’s made 68 (!!!) straight cuts (aka advancing to the final rounds of a tourney) since 2022. Casual.

Does your health insurance have more gaps than a league-worst defense? Just like the best of the best, you deserve All-Star coverage — and that’s where Aflac comes in.

💰 Aflac puts their money where their beak is when it comes to supporting women’s sports (like providing a cool $115K for this weekend’s All-Star prize pool), but where they really come in clutch is helping with expenses health insurance doesn’t cover.

🦆 That’s why Aflac provides supplemental health insurance — they’re all about paying cash to help close the gaps health insurance can leave behind. Nothing but (safety) net.