Time to touch grass
From The GIST (hi@thegistsports.com)
It’s time to celebrate!
No, not just the fact that tomorrow marks the first day of spring — we’re also celebrating our podcast, The GIST of It, turning five years old. There’s nothing like a good refresh, so we’ve revamped the pod with new music, shorter episodes, and a brand new voicemail segment.
- Cue up the latest episode, start considering what you want to call in about, then scroll on for the rest of the Madness that is sports at the moment. Let’s get this party started.
— Washington Spirit standout Trinity Rodman, hard launching her relationship with fellow Gen Z superstar athlete, men’s tennis world No. 14 Ben Shelton. Breaking the internet, one sneaky comment at a time.
March Madness
🏀 First things first
The GIST: And they’re off! March Madness officially tipped off with two men’s First Four games last night, and the women start their party with their own First Four games tonight (keep an eye out for a Special Edition later today featuring everything you need to fill out your bracket).
- If the rest of the tournament is as good as the first two matchups, we just might be in for the maddest March yet.
The context: The men’s and women’s First Four feature eight squads each (the four lowest-ranked automatic qualifiers and the four lowest-ranked at-large teams) duking it out for spots in the official 64-team men’s and women’s tourneys.
- Fun fact: First Four squads historically do surprisingly alright in March Madness. Two First Four men’s squads — the 2011 VCU Rams and 2021 UCLA Bruins — even advanced to the Final Four. Sing it, Justin.
No. 16 seed Alabama State opens tourney with stunning buzzer-beater: The Hornets wasted no time bringing the chaos, breaking a late tie with a fumbled full-court pass turned buzzer-beater to beat Saint Francis 70–68 last night. This. Is. March.
No. 11 seed UNC silences the critics with convincing dub: Fans of snubbed teams were not happy that the Tar Heels, whose athletic director is also the chair of the selection committee, made the bracket despite their mediocre season. But the blue blood proved why they’re a March Madness mainstay with their jaw-dropping 95–68 smackdown of San Diego State. Haters, begone.
Up next: The men’s bracket will be complete when Mount St. Mary’s takes on American for the other No. 16 seed tonight at 6:40 p.m. ET, before Texas and Xavier (another controversial inclusion) battle for the last remaining No. 11 seed at 9:10 p.m. ET. And then the real fun starts — by the time we’re back in your inbox on Friday, we’ll be halfway through the men’s first round.
- The women’s First Four begins tonight with 2024 March Madness standout Audi Crooks and her Iowa State Cyclones taking on Princeton for a No. 11 seed at 7 p.m. ET, with the other three matchups shortly after. Can’t freaking wait.
🏀 Rose BC win inaugural Unrivaled title, secure $50K pay day per player
After a difficult WNBA campaign, Chelsea Gray came into Unrivaled with something to prove…and she silenced the haters in resounding fashion. The postseason MVP’s 18-point, eight-assist performance lifted the Rose to a 62–54 Monday win over Vinyl BC, a championship dub that was capped off by a Brittney Sykes’ three-point play.
- With Unrivaled’s first season officially in the books, you already know the precedent the debut league has set ahead of collective bargaining negotiations between the WNBA and its players — and the stakes have never been higher.
⛳ World No. 2 Rory McIlroy wins The PLAYERS Championship
For the second time in his nearly $100M career, McIlroy took home the $4.5M prize at the PGA’s richest event, quickly topping now–No. 25 J.J. Spaun in Monday’s weather-induced three-hole playoff. This was a massive win for the Northern Irishman, who’s riding some serious momentum with the Masters — the lone major McIlroy hasn’t won — less than a month away.
⚽ Denver’s NWSL expansion team to build 14.5K-seat purpose-built stadium
The NWSL’s 16th expansion team is getting straight to work building a home for their squad — yesterday, the Denver ownership group announced plans for a new stadium set to open in 2028. Denver NWSL will make their league debut in 2026 and will play at a temporary location until the Santa Fe Yards project is complete.
🏒 PWHL surpasses 1M in fan attendance
The historic milestone was achieved during Sunday’s Takeover Tour tilt in Detroit, a game that also boasted a U.S. record 14,288 fans. Two birds, one stone puck. What’s more, the NY Sirens’ 4–1 win over the defending champ Minnesota Frost marked the fourth time a PWHL game has broken a women’s hockey attendance record. Just the beginning.
Together With FanDuel
🏀 Support women, win prizes, and have fun — all for free
🚨 Calling all GISTers, hoops fans, and bracket aficionados! The GIST knows March is one of the most exciting times on the sports calendar, which is why we partnered with FanDuel to launch our very own women’s and men’s college basketball bracket challenges. Hoop, there it is.
- You can submit up to three brackets for each tournament — lock in your men’s tourney by tomorrow at 12 p.m. ET and women’s by Friday at 12 p.m. ET.
- Double down on your instincts with FanDuel’s Bet Your Bracket promotion, letting you combine bets on futures like your favorite team making the round of 32 or even the finals.
✨ Supporting women in sports? Check. Making every game more thrilling? Check. Winning sweet prizes? Check, check, and check. There’s no better way to be part of the magic of March.
⚾ MLB: LA Dodgers vs. Chicago Cubs — Today at 6:10 a.m. ET — MLB.TV
- Breakfast and baseball? Yes, please. The reigning World Series champion Dodgers opened the season with a Tokyo Series victory yesterday, but the hometown crowd is the real winner with five Japanese players competing in this stop on the MLB World Tour.
🏐 LOVB: LOVB Madison vs. LOVB Salt Lake — Tomorrow at 9 p.m. ET — DAZN
- With just three weeks of regular-season play remaining, it’s time to turn up the heat — and LOVB Madison is doing exactly that.
- Led by Offensive Player of the Week Lauren Carlini, the Wisconsin squad is riding a four-match win streak, but Salt Lake setter Jordyn Poulter could help snap it in this showdown.
⚽ Concacaf Nations League: No. 31 CanMNT vs. No. 19 Mexico — Tomorrow at 10:30 p.m ET — OneSoccer
- Empowered under new head coach Jesse Marsch, the Red and White are on the hunt for their first trophy since 2000. And a win over Mexico in tonight’s Nations League semi would inch them one step closer to the hardware. Time to touch grass.
🥌 Curling: Women’s World Championship — Ongoing — TSN
- Rachel Homan and Co. sit tied for third in the 13-team field after losing 11–7 to second-place Korea in last night’s back-and-forth affair. There’s still five group stage games remaining before the top six teams advance to this weekend’s knockout round. Rock on.
Together With RBC
Do you have a sneaking suspicion that with the right training and resources, you could be an Olympian? Enter: RBC Training Ground. Now in its 10th season, the program discovers Team Canada’s future stars through 20 free qualifying events across Canada.
- RBC Training Ground breaks down barriers and unlocks Olympic potential by evaluating young athletes’ strength, speed, power, and endurance before matching them with a sport they could excel at — then they provide the resources to help make those dreams a reality.
- Sign up for a free qualifying event near you, then show ’em what you got.
Recs from our roster!
👟 What to snag
Runway ready kicks. MARNI x HOKA recently dropped the puffy Bondi B3LS, a quilted sneaker inspired by Andy Warhol.
📺 What to watch
"Love & Basketball," a classic film that's begging for a re-watch during March Madness.
🏒 What to check out
Jessica Campbell’s L’Oréal commercial. The Seattle Kraken coach is breaking barriers in the NHL and celebrating women’s empowerment with L’Oréal Paris. Because she’s worth it.
Question of the Day
Women’s hockey is thriving — and there’s no better way to celebrate than gathering your hockey-loving pals for a watch party. The only problem? Party planning is a lot of work. We want to know: What’s the most challenging part of playing host?
Today’s email was brought to you by Katie Kehoe Foster, Alessandra Puccio, Lisa Minutillo, Lauren Tuiskula, Marga Sison, Megan Murray, and Briana Ekanem. Editing by Laura Pastore. Fact-checking by Marga Sison and Rachel Fuenzalida. Ops by Briana Ekanem and Marga Sison. Ads by Katie Kehoe Foster, Alessandra Puccio, and Lisa Minutillo. Managing edits by Lauren Tuiskula and Alessandra Puccio. Head of content Ellen Hyslop.