Wonder Woman, IRL
From The GIST (hi@thegistsports.com)
It’s a new week!
Just like the Washington Commanders jumping offside…four straight times in yesterday’s NFC championship game, and the WNBA shaking things up with a massive offseason trade, we’re barreling right into the chaos on this Monday. No time to waste.
— No. 17 Tennessee women’s basketball head coach Kim Caldwell, who will lead her Lady Vols against No. 2 South Carolina tonight at 7 p.m. ET, exactly one week after giving birth to her first child. Wonder Woman, IRL.
NFL Conference Championships
🏈 No off switch
The GIST: Super Bowl, set — the No. 1 Kansas City Chiefs and No. 2 Philadelphia Eagles punched tickets to New Orleans with yesterday’s respective American Football Conference (AFC) and National Football Conference (NFC) Championship game wins. The stars really have never been closer.
AFC — Kansas City extends bid for third straight title with 32–29 win over the No. 2 Buffalo Bills: KC quarterback (QB) Patrick Mahomes used his arm and his feet to send his squad through to their fifth Super Bowl appearance in the last six seasons, running in a pair of postseason rushing touchdowns (TDs) to set the franchise’s playoff rushing TD record with seven. Casual.
- As for the Bills, QB Josh Allen did everything he could to keep his team in contention, making one of the most spectacular throws in playoff history in the fourth quarter, but tight end Dalton Kincaid couldn’t reel in the late-game heave.
- Though Allen and his Bills have topped KC and Mahomes four times in the regular season, this heartbreaking L marked Allen’s fourth straight postseason loss to the Chiefs. Oof.
NFC — Eagles set Conference Championship points record in 55–23 thrashing of No. 6 Washington Commanders: Running back (RB) Saquon Barkley set the tone for Philly, running in a 60-yard score on the Birds’ opening drive for the first of his three TDs on the day. Forget flying, the Eagles offense looked virtually unstoppable from start to finish.
- Despite gutsy playcalling and remarkable poise from rookie Washington QB Jayden Daniels, turnovers killed the Commanders: Washington fumbled the ball three times, resulting in 21 Philly points.
Early Super Bowl preview: Along with the prophetic logo colors, this year’s Super Bowl boasts a whole lot of recent history. KC’s three-peat quest started with a hotly contested three-point Super Bowl LVII (57) win against, you guessed it, the Eagles.
- Now, with a shot at becoming the first team to win three straight titles, KC will have to contend with the high-flying Birds once more. February 9th can’t come soon enough.
Australian Open
🎾 Capture it, remember it
The GIST: Tennis’ first Grand Slam champions of the year have been crowned, with a new winner in the women’s game and a repeat trophy hoister on the men’s side. Take a bow.
World No. 19 Madison Keys wins first career major: It takes guts to beat a two-time defending champ and tourney top seed, and American Keys brought the bravery to Melbourne’s blue courts on Saturday, topping No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in a ferocious three-setter to claim her first Slam.
- Keys eliminated four top-10 seeds to reach the mountaintop, a triumph made possible by stellar play and years of off-court effort, particularly in therapy, where she learned to let go of the burden of expectation. The ultimate self-care.
No. 1 Jannik Sinner cruises to second-straight Australian Open trophy: Sinner dominated No. 2 Alexander Zverev in Sunday’s final, taking down the controversial German in straight sets to claim his third Grand Slam title. It’s the latest in a long stretch of victories for the 23-year-old, who’s now won three consecutive hard-court majors.
- Now before the next Slam, Roland-Garros in May, Sinner hopes to bring his lingering doping scandal to a close, with a World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) hearing scheduled for April.
- WADA appealed the International Tennis Integrity Agency’s decision to exonerate Sinner last year and is seeking a one- to two- year ban for the world’s top men’s player after he tested positive for a reportedly mistakenly transferred steroid. Watch this space.
Together With Kruger Products
🏒 Want a $100K assist?
Things Kruger Products and the iconic Canadian hockey trio of Hayley Wickenheiser, Marie-Philip Poulin, and Natalie Spooner have in common:
🥇 They clean up gold medals.
🏠 They’re a staple in every Canadian household.
🏒 Tallying assists is at the top of their priority list.
That’s why their partnership to award $100K in grants through the Kruger Big Assist program just makes sense.
- Get in on the action by nominating your local minor hockey association for a Kruger Big Assist grant — and who knows, your club could take home a meaningful prize. Cha-ching.
Question of the Day
And just like that, the Super Bowl is less than two weeks away. While we wait for the big game, give us your way-too-early prediction as to which squad will take home the Lombardi Trophy.
🚨 A three-team trade involving six-time All-Star Jewell Loyd and three-time All-Star Kelsey Plum sent shockwaves through the WNBA yesterday, with Loyd on her way to the Las Vegas Aces and Plum returning to her roots with the LA Sparks. Our jaws? On the floor.
🏈 The NFL coaching carousel kept turning this weekend as legendary head coach (HC) Pete Carroll inked a three-year deal with the Las Vegas Raiders, while the Dallas Cowboys made an eyebrow-raising HC hire, promoting offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer.
🏀 Napheesa “walking bucket” Collier’s 37 points lifted the Lunar Owls to their third straight Unrivaled victory on Saturday — a dominant 82–58 win over Phantom BC — setting up a showdown against the one-loss Vinyl tonight at 7:30 p.m. ET.
🏒 The Carolina Hurricanes picked up a pair of forwards in Friday’s stunning three-team trade, bolstering their offensive prowess by acquiring two-time All-Star Mikko Rantanen from the Colorado Avalanche and veteran Taylor Hall from the Chicago Blackhawks.
🇨🇦⚽ CanMNT captain Alphonso Davies is reportedly out for six weeks, nursing a hamstring strain suffered while playing for Bayern Munich in the Champions League.
🎓🏀 And then there was one — No. 1 UCLA is the only undefeated team remaining in college basketball after yesterday’s 82–67 win over No. 8 Maryland. Junior Lauren Betts continues to ball out for the Bruins, netting a career-high 33 points in the dub.
🇫🇷🏀 Generational NBA talent Victor Wembanyama held back happy tears at the end of his week with the San Antonio Spurs in his home country, France, where the Spurs split a two-game international series against the Indiana Pacers. Dorothy really knew her stuff, huh?
💰 USWNT superstar Naomi Girma is women’s soccer’s first million-dollar player, officially moving from the NWSL’s San Diego Wave to Chelsea in the English Women’s Super League for a record-setting $1.1M transfer fee. She’s so worth it.
🏉 The Canadian women’s Rugby 7s team earned a season-best fourth-place finish in Perth this weekend, moving up to fifth in the HSBC SVNS standings ahead of the elite rugby sevens circuit’s February stop in Vancouver.
Together With Scotiabank
Tired of waiting in line with everyone else on game day? Enter: Scotia Perks. When you become a Scotiabank client, you also receive Scotia Perks, aka exclusive access to benefits designed to enhance your Canadian NHL & PWHL experiences. From line skip and seat upgrades to customized merch and exclusive experiences, Scotia Perks has your hockey-loving back.
- Plus, you can get in on the action even without a Scotia account by entering to win tickets to any Canadian PWHL or NHL team home game. Talk about home ice advantage.
- It’s safe to say that lighting the lamp is Scotiabank’s bread and butter. Learn more about how Scotia Perks can level up your game day today.
Recs from our roster!
🎨 What to check out
Coffee Table Studio. From painted denim jackets to personalized lettering on almost everything, their creations are flexible, washable, and chic.
💄 How to pucker up
With these lip liner stains. Perfect for all-day wear — whether you're at your desk, the gym, the big game or anywhere in between.
🏀 What has us hyped
Unrivaled perks for players. With everything from on-site childcare to professional chefs, Unrivaled is truly redefining women’s basketball.
Today’s email was brought to you by Alessandra Puccio, Lisa Minutillo, Lauren Tuiskula, Marga Sison, and Briana Ekanem. Editing by Laura Pastore and Rachel Fuenzalida. Fact-checking and ops by 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.