One best-of-seven Championship Series could be heading for a sweep, while the other features squads trading hard-fought Ws — you never know what you’re going to get with October baseball. Here’s where things stand one week out from Game 1 of the World Series.

In news that’s equal parts infuriating and predictable, Carter Hart — one of five former NHL players at the center of the infamous Hockey Canada sexual assault case — is on the cusp of returning to the league, signing a professional tryout agreement with the Vegas Golden Knights yesterday.

The college football coaching carousel kicked into high gear on Sunday when Penn State fired head coach James Franklin following three straight losses: a double-overtime heartbreaker against No. 8 Oregon, then back-to-back upsets at the hands of Big Ten bottom-feeders UCLA and Northwestern. Everyone’s buzzing about his ouster, and not just because of the $50M buyout.

On Saturday, the aforementioned Ohanian’s Athlos held Athlos NYC, its second annual track tournament in the iconic culture capital. The event welcomed several key wins that helped build the case for sustainable growth ahead of its 2026 expansion, from viewership increases to creative partner activations.

Today, New Balance (NB) announced NIL deals for several women athletes, namely from developing spaces in basketball and soccer and emerging sports like softball. The sponsorships are a response to how high school and collegiate pipelines are building across all women’s sports — and so are the marketing opportunities.

Absolutely jaw-dropping double plays, historic extra-innings showdowns, clutch pitching…how can you not be romantic about baseball? October’s already given us plenty of magical moments — here’s where things stand with trips to the World Series on the line.

Yesterday, USC Annenberg published a first-of-its-kind report on the athlete-owned media economy. It identifies movers and shakers in the space, but also notes the gap between men and women athletes — women were featured in only 22% of the athlete-owned podcasts analyzed.

Last week, Snapchat teamed up with marketing agency Dentsu and research firm Ipsos to publish insights on the consumption of women’s sports, especially among frequent Snapchat users. The app surveyed over 13K sports fans across seven countries, including India and Australia, and uncovered what daily Snapchat users had to say about women’s sports.

The WNBA expanded its Finals to a best-of-seven series, but it looks like the Las Vegas Aces might not need the extra games after taking a commanding 3-0 lead with Wednesday’s 90–88 win over the Phoenix Mercury. Ahead of tonight’s potentially series-ending Game 4 in Arizona, let’s revisit an absolutely thrilling Game 3 before pondering two pressing questions as the playoffs enter their final act.

The second annual Athlos NYC, a women’s-only track & field meet featuring some of the speediest and strongest competitors in the world, begins tonight. You know the drill — today’s newsletter will cover what makes Athlos so unique, the can’t-miss events, and the athletes to watch. Take your mark.

Today, girls empowerment platform Rebel Girls (RG) announced a new partnership with Swerve Sports, a FAST channel dedicated to women’s sports that’s available in 80% of U.S. and Canadian households. Together, the partnership will create Rebel Girl Sports Hour, a first-of-its-kind kids and family program for women’s sports that will air under its Rebel Girls Sport vertical.

You already know the Las Vegas Aces boast a two-game lead over the Phoenix Mercury in the WNBA Finals, which are best-of-seven for the first time. With Game 3 set for tonight at 8 p.m. ET, watch out for a pair of difference makers hellbent on hoops glory.