The GIST

Cleveland’s forthcoming WNBA franchise announces name and branding

A little over a year ago, Cleveland was announced as the WNBA’s 16th franchise after Rock Entertainment Group (REG) paid a historic $250 million expansion fee. Now, the city finally knows who they’ll be cheering for: the Sirens. The club debuted its name and branding on Tuesday at Rocket Arena, the 19.4K-seater stadium where it will begin play in 2028.

August 06, 2026

World No. 20 Alex Eala wins big ahead of National Bank Open

🎾

Fresh off her historic DC Open victory, 21-year-old world No. 20 Alex Eala — the first Filipino to win a WTA title — is the player to know ahead of this week’s National Bank Open. From her meteoric rise to her powerful ball-striking, here’s why Eala’s been called the most exciting player on the WTA tour.

August 05, 2026

NWSL terminates contract with streaming platform Victory+, effective immediately

⚽

The NWSL hasn’t yet confirmed or denied if it’ll be starting the 2027 season a full month earlier due to the FIFA Women’s World Cup (WWC), but it did surprisingly reveal the immediate termination of its media rights agreement with streaming partner Victory+ last Thursday.

August 04, 2026

FIFA president Gianni Infantino abandons plan to sell World Cup equity after backlash

⚽

FIFA president Gianni Infantino is in the “find out” phase after his plan to sell stakes in the World Cup to private equity firms united the soccer world against him in record time. The proposal was officially abandoned on Friday but the backlash (and gaslighting) are just getting started.

August 04, 2026

Kelsey Plum hits game-winner in Phoenix Mercury debut

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH

Kelsey Plum hits game-winner in Phoenix Mercury debut

🏀

So much WNBA news, so little time — here’s everything you need to know from the last couple of days on the hardwood.

August 04, 2026

Breaking down both of the WNBA’s trade deadline deals and handing out flowers

🏀

Twelve of the WNBA’s 16 teams stood pat at yesterday’s trade deadline, so let’s dissect the two deals that did go through before giving flowers to an undrafted rookie who’s making it rain.

August 03, 2026

Ace pitcher Tarik Skubal traded to LA Dodgers

⚾

Tonight’s 6 p.m. ET MLB Trade Deadline is rapidly approaching, but the biggest blockbuster is already in the books: Ace pitcher Tarik Skubal is heading to the LA Dodgers, a move that will have an immediate impact on the playoff race…and perhaps lasting consequences on the future of the league.

August 03, 2026

Sports Business

Simmons paves the way with Women’s Sports Business MSM Program

August 01, 2026

Women’s sports will conquer new territory in 2026: the classroom. Simmons University in Boston makes history this fall with the first cohort of its Women’s Sports Business Program. Matriculated students will earn a Master of Science in Management (MSM) with a Business and Leadership in Women’s Sports Concentration, the first of its kind. The development is unsurprising for the historically female institution. At the time of its founding in 1974, the Simmons School of Management (SOM) offered the world's first MBA program designed specifically for women, and over 50 years later, Simmons is making way for even more progress.

Read Full Story

The GIST of It Podcast

Ep #579

The week FIFA lost the plot

August 06, 2026

Listen on Apple Music Listen on Spotify

There’s been some major drama going down at FIFA headquarters. Last week, FIFA president Gianni Infantino announced a plan to sell stakes in future World Cups to private equity firms — an announcement that was met with immediate backlash. On today’s episode of The GIST of It, co-hosts Steph Rotz and Alessandra Puccio explain why Infantino’s failed plan caused such a stir and detail the potential fallout from his latest bungle.