The GIST of It Podcast

The GIST of It is a twice-weekly podcast on what’s going on in the sports world. Hosts Ellen Hyslop and Stephanie Rotz discuss current sports topics and how they intersect with pop culture and social issues, covering everything from major league season previews to calling out the sexist BS we see in sports daily.
The NWSL’s mind-boggling playoff scheduling problemsThe NWSL’s mind-boggling playoff scheduling problems

Today should be a day of celebrating women’s soccer after the NWSL quarter-finals, but instead, on today’s episode of The GIST of It, co-hosts Steph Rotz and Lauren Tuiskula have to discuss a recurring issue in the women’s sports space: Scheduling conflicts in the postseason.

Much like the WNBA a mere two weeks ago, the NWSL is dealing with home venue issues for its higher-seeded teams, No. 1 Gotham FC and the No. 3 Washington Spirit, in this weekend’s semifinals. It’s a mess.

 Women’s hockey is so back: Our Worlds preview Women’s hockey is so back: Our Worlds preview

It’s Steph Rotz’s favorite time of the year: Women’s hockey season. The annual IIHF Women’s World Championship begins tomorrow in Denmark, bringing the best international teams together to compete for the world title. This is the biggest competition in women’s hockey outside of the Olympics and, just like at the Olympics, the competition almost always comes down to Team USA vs. Team Canada. The Americans enter this edition of Worlds as both the reigning Worlds and Olympic champs, which means the Canadians have a chip on their shoulder the size of Saskatchewan. Tune in for this super fun tourney preview.

 Does anyone want free agent Sophie Cunningham? Does anyone want free agent Sophie Cunningham?

The Golden State Valkyries are your 2026 WNBA champs which means at long last, the WNBA season is over. That said, we’re looking at yet another important offseason, with some splashy free agents officially on the market and a certain commissioner role up for grabs. Today, we’re going to share some off-court storylines that will certainly impact next season and beyond when it comes to the future of the WNBA.