From high performance to high fashion, the sports world and the fashion world are intersecting more than ever. Nowhere is that more apparent than at the Met Gala, the star-studded annual fundraiser for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute.

• Ever since tennis legend Serena Williams became the first athlete to serve as a Met Gala co-chair in 2019, sports figures have become regulars at Fashion’s Biggest Night.

• This year, Serena’s sister Venus will represent as co-chair at the pinnacle of style, design, art, and culture. Before a few of our faves take the red carpet tomorrow, we’re here with a Sports Girlie’s Guide to this year’s event. Gird your loins.

P.S. Next week, we’ll be chatting about motherhood in sports in honor of Mother’s Day. If you’d like to opt out, click here. It won’t impact your regular GIST subscription.

First off, what does it mean to be a Met Gala co-chair? In short, it’s a BFD: The four co-chairs serve as faces of the event, leading the charge on fundraising and curating the notoriously exclusive guest list. They’re typically the hottest of the hot — being a co-chair means you are having a moment (and you really know how to throw a ’fit).

• Since Serena in 2019, only a handful of athletes have held the honor: fellow tennis greats Naomi Osaka in 2021 and Roger Federer in 2023, then F1 icon Lewis Hamilton last year (LeBron James was an honorary 2025 co-chair but could not attend due to injury — his wife crushed it in his stead).

Now, it’s Venus’ turn to take center stage at Fashion’s Biggest Night, serving as co-chair alongside Beyoncé, Nicole Kidman, and Miranda Priestly Anna Wintour herself. Williams first attended the Gala in 2008 (stunning in a bronze satin Caroline Herrera gown), then not again until 2021 — but since then, she’s been a fixture on the Met’s famous steps.

• Williams always slays the Met Gala, but we especially love last year’s dramatic forest-green look, which embraced the game that’s central to her identity. The serve of all serves.

Williams won’t be the only athlete taking the red carpet tomorrow night: WNBA juggernaut and Met Gala first-timer A’ja Wilson and ballet icon Misty Copeland (who attended once before, in 2016) are also on the host committee, underscoring their considerable cultural influence and fashion bonafides.

• Copeland’s role on the committee is a no-brainer: She was widely celebrated last fall when she stepped down as the American Ballet Theater’s Principal Dancer after 11 years, a tenure which squarely at the intersection of art and sport.

• Wilson’s ascendance to the committee follows a banner year on and off the court for the reigning WNBA MVP. Her inclusion also reflects the W’s rising cultural profile, continuing a trend after league stars like Angel Reese, Breanna Stewart, and Jonquel Jones ate it up last year.

So what can sports fans expect from this year’s event? The dress code is “Fashion Is Art,” aligning with the Costume Institute’s spring exhibition, “Costume Art.” Debating whether an attendee’s look is “on-theme” is a time-honored tradition, but this year’s guidelines are so broad, it seems almost anything will go.

• As for the guest list, many celebs are tight-lipped about their sartorial plans…or even whether or not they’ll be in attendance. That said, expect to see some 2026 Olympians and stars from the NWSL — the league’s fashion star is rising, especially as World Cup hype ramps up.

Sports and the pinnacle of culture go hand-in-hand. And this year, athletes are bringing much-needed authenticity to an unusually controversial edition of the Met Gala, all while reaching new fans and increasing the sports world’s cultural caché. A slay from start to finish.