Holding space for sports
From The GIST (hi@thegistsports.com)
Hi there!
Heads up, we’ll be off on Friday as our U.S. team celebrates Thanksgiving tomorrow, but we won’t be out of your inbox for long — look out for an NFL Thanksgiving Day preview tomorrow and a PWHL season primer on Saturday. The week ahead is looking, ahem, stuffed heading into today’s news.
— American Olympian rugby icon and Dancing with the Stars runner-up, Ilona Maher, who finished in second (!!!) following her Femininomenon freestyle last night. We’re not worthy.
Formula 1
🏎️ Changed for good
The GIST: This weekend’s Qatar Grand Prix is the second-to-last race on the cal, but the biggest news out of the paddock is the arrival of a brand new team preparing to join the grid in 2026. Lights out, and away we go.
Cadillac F1 to start racing in 2026: As discussed on yesterday’s episode of The GIST of It, F1 will add a team to the track for the first time since 2016 after a bid from American automaker General Motors was approved on Monday. And while making it to the checkered flag is no easy feat, the fact that the 11th team is American underscores the sport’s recent popularity boom in the U.S.
- Plus, adding an 11th team expands the grid from 20 drivers to 22, meaning those extra seats provide additional opportunities for fan faves, like Daniel Ricciardo for example, to return to the grid in 2026. Watch this space.
World Constructors’ Championship (WCC) on the line in penultimate race: As for the ongoing action, Ferrari, McLaren, and Red Bull are still vying for the F1 team title with not one but two opportunities to snag points in Qatar: Saturday’s 9 a.m. ET sprint race (19 laps) and Sunday’s 11 a.m. ET main event (57 laps).
- This weekend also marks the return of F1’s all-women series, F1 Academy, where British phenom and friend of The GIST, Abbi Pulling, is racing to become the second-ever F1 Academy champ. Rev those engines.
🎓🏀 Upsets reign supreme in college basketball
The defending champ UConn men dropped two straight games to unranked opponents in the last two days, with their most recent defeat coming in yesterday’s 73–72 L to Colorado. Meanwhile, No. 1 Kansas narrowly avoided their first loss of the season, leaning on their defense in the closing seconds to beat No. 11 Duke 75–72. It’s not easy being green a blue blood.
- On the women’s side, now–No. 1 UCLA’s dominant Sunday win over then–No. 1 South Carolina lifted the Bruins to the program’s first-ever top ranking while the Gamecocks fell to No. 4. March came early this year, and there’s even more madness where that came from.
🎓🏈 Oregon, Ohio State keep top spots in latest College Football Playoff (CFP) rankings
The Ducks maintained their billing as the country’s top football team for the fourth straight week, followed by the Buckeyes, who crushed then–No. 5 Indiana last weekend to cement the No. 2 spot.
- Speaking of, the Hoosiers’ lopsided loss saw them plummet to No. 10 while Alabama and Ole Miss free fell to No. 13 and No. 14, respectively, taking them out of the 12-team playoff picture with just three weeks to go before the postseason begins.
⚾ Five teams submit offers amid free agent Juan Soto sweepstakes
The NY Yankees (who he most recently played with), NY Mets, LA Dodgers, Boston Red Sox, and Toronto Blue Jays have all reportedly submitted contract offers to the four-time All-Star outfielder, who’s weighing his options as the most highly coveted free agent on the market.
- The 2019 World Series champ is expected to receive “multiple rounds” of offers and could make a decision as soon as the league’s mid-December Winter Meetings. One thing’s for sure: Soto is in for a massive payday once a deal is done.
⚽ Northern Super League’s (NSL’s) AFC Toronto signs first international player
Canada’s new pro women’s soccer league has locked in their first American — former Houston Dash center back Croix Soto will trade Texas sun for Toronto when the brand new league kicks off in April 2025. Soto is now the third player to commit to AFC Toronto, joining Canadian forwards Jade Kovacevic and Leah Pais. Three’s company.
Together With Gatorade
🏒 This is just the beginning
When your talent is undeniable, the world takes notice. Case in point? After becoming the PWHL’s No. 1 overall draft pick for the 2024–25 season, Sarah Fillier signed with Gatorade, the world’s most iconic sports drink with a longstanding commitment to fueling great athletes.
Before going pro, Fillier…
- 🥶 Made the U18, U22, and Canadian women’s national team, all in one year
- 🏆 Won Rookie of the Year three times across different collegiate leagues
- 🏅 Took home four gold medals, including one from the 2022 Beijing Olympics
Fueled by Gatorade, Fillier will lead the next generation of women’s hockey stars. Remember the name.
🏒 NHL: Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Florida Panthers — Tonight at 7:30 p.m. ET — Sportsnet
- Toronto superstar Auston Matthews is back like a vertebrae after the center missed eight games with an undisclosed upper body injury. No better time to return to the ice than for a date with the slumping defending champs.
🏀 NBA: Toronto Raptors vs. New Orleans Pelicans — Tonight at 8 p.m. ET — TSN
- Prepare for the worst because the Dinos have yet to log a road victory this season. That said, the only team with lower expectations is the four-win Pels, who are without injured superstars Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram.
🏉 World Rugby: Dubai Sevens — Friday through Sunday — RugbyPass TV
- Twelve women’s and men’s teams descend upon Dubai for the first leg of the SVNS World Series this weekend, including both of Canada’s squads. The name of the game? Avenging Olympic losses. Ruck yeah.
🇨🇦⚽ No. 6 CanWNT vs. No. 13 Iceland — Friday at 1 p.m. ET — OneSoccer
- It was a tough week for Canada Soccer fans, but with no choice but to keep their heads up, the red and white wrap their 2024 campaign with a pair of international friendlies in Spain. The good news? CanWNT has never lost to Iceland — let’s keep it that way.
Peep our squad’s MVPs (Most Valuable Picks):
🍂 What to cozy up with
One of the 10 books you could score through Simon & Schuster’s hockey-themed giveaway. They’re offering five nonfiction titles and five sizzling hockey romances — enter here and consider the rest of your fall booked and busy.*
🍓 What to eat
Pop-Tarts. Edible mascots are back for the upcoming Pop-Tarts Bowl, and this year’s MVP will get to pick which flavor gets devoured. Delicious.
🏒 What to read
Ice Warriors Magazine. The new publication highlights PWHL players, mixing hockey coverage with lifestyle content. Puck yeah.
*P.S. This is a sponsored post. Readers, rejoice.Question of the Day
On Wednesdays, we think about Fridays, specifically Black Friday because we’re running a special promotion on The GIST’s capsule merch collection. With that in mind, we want to know: What type of clothing do you find yourself purchasing most often?
Today’s email was brought to you by Alessandra Puccio, Marga Sison, Lisa Minutillo, Lauren Tuiskula, Megan Murray, and Briana Ekanem. Editing by Laura Pastore, Emily Ohman, Emma Leishman, Rachel Fuenzalida, and Lindsay Jost. Fact-checking by Parul Kanwar and Marga Sison. Ops by Briana Ekanem and Marga Sison. Ads by Katie Kehoe Foster, Alessandra Puccio, and Lisa Minutillo. Managing edits by Lauren Tuiskula. Head of content Ellen Hyslop.