Flavor Flav to the rescue
From The GIST (hi@thegistsports.com)
Leveling The Playing Field
We’re so back!
As we transition back to life without curling constantly playing in the background and look forward to proper celebrations for some golden Olympians, let’s return to our regularly scheduled sports news programming. A lot has happened while we were focused on Milano Cortina.
— Legendary South Carolina women’s basketball head coach Dawn Staley, stopping by The GIST of It podcast to discuss how she builds confidence in her players. It’s all about balance.
WNBA
🏀 Tick tock on the clock
The GIST: According to the WNBA, a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) between the league and its players’ union (the WNBPA) needs to be agreed upon by March 10th, otherwise the 2026 schedule will be affected. That’s *checks notes* less than two weeks away — and there’s lots of work to be done.
📋 The latest: Over fifty players attended a virtual meeting with the league on Monday, the second time this month players met at the bargaining table. The sides remain far apart 16 months into CBA negotiations…even after the league’s most-recent proposal was submitted last Friday — a proposal the WNBPA will reportedly respond to this week.
⚠️ The sticking point: Stop us if you’ve heard this before, but it remains revenue sharing (with a dash of player housing). The WNBPA is standing firm in their push for a portion of gross revenue — their latest proposal asked for 27.5% — while the WNBA’s only been willing to offer a share of net revenue, aka the pot remaining after the league has paid its operating expenses.
- Adding to the intrigue, after a wildly successful 2025 season, revenue sharing was triggered for the first time in W history. The 2020 CBA included a revenue share if cumulative targets (that were widely assumed to be out of reach after the pandemic) were met.
- The TL;DR? The league isn’t just thriving — it’s turning a profit, underscoring the WNBA’s success and long-term viability.
👀 Looking ahead: Time is a luxury the WNBA and WNBPA no longer have, especially considering a double expansion draft for the Toronto Tempo and Portland Fire, the WNBA Entry Draft, and a star-studded free agency period all need to be completed before training camp is supposed to tip off on April 19th. Cross those fingers and toes.
🎓🏀 No. 1 UConn remains undefeated, stays atop AP Women’s College Basketball Poll
The final week of the regular season is underway, and things are status quo for the defending champ Huskies as they seek their 46th straight win tomorrow at 7 p.m. ET against Big East rival Georgetown. Meanwhile in the SEC, No. 3 South Carolina is one dub away from winning their conference title outright — see if they do it tomorrow at 8 p.m. ET against Missouri.
🎓🏀 Duke claims No. 1 spot in AP Men’s College Basketball poll for first time this season
After taking down then–No. 1 Michigan 68–63 on Saturday, the Blue Devils are frontrunners for the top overall March Madness seed, but there’s still plenty of regular-season basketball to go. Standout freshman Cameron Boozer and Co. still have three games left before conference tournaments begin, including ranked matchups against No. 11 UVA and their archrivals No. 18 UNC. The madness is just around the corner.
🏅 Milano Cortina Olympics post massive viewership numbers
Now that you’ve stopped streaming CBC Gem from your desk all day, every day, the numbers are in: 30.5M Canadians watched the Milano Cortina Olympics. Unsurprisingly, the most-watched moment of the Games was the Golden Goal that cost Team Canada men’s hockey gold.
- Speaking of, the International Ice Hockey Federation will continue to use the 3-on-3 overtime format in worldwide competition, despite criticism from fans.
🏀 Vinyl BC clinch final spot in Unrivaled’s six-team playoff field
Turn it up because last year’s runners-up are back in the postseason after Monday’s 75–68 win over Lunar Owls BC. Rae Burrell was spectacular in the dub, pacing Vinyl with 30 points and an acrobatic game-winner. There’s still plenty to play for in Friday’s four-game regular-season finale though — especially with two coveted first-round byes on the line. Buckets, loading.
⛳ LPGA: HSBC Women’s World Championship — Today through Saturday — Golf Channel
- For the first time in LPGA history, the first two tournaments of the year were won by the Tour’s top two golfers: world No. 1 Jeeno Thitikul and No. 2 Nelly Korda (who notably isn’t competing this weekend). Is it No. 3 Charley Hull’s turn next? Tune in to find out.
🏀 NBA: Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Detroit Pistons — Tonight at 7:30 p.m. ET — Sportsnet+
- Craving best-on-best sports after the Olympics? Same. Enter: this heavyweight showdown, featuring the West–leading Thunder (albeit without injured superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander) and the beast of the East Pistons. Hooptastic.
🏒 NHL: Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Tampa Bay Lightning — Tonight at 7:30 p.m. ET — Sportsnet
- Despite his disappointing detour, Olympic gold medal–winning captain Auston Matthews will reportedly make it to Tampa for tonight’s game against the Atlantic Division–leading Lightning, one of eight NHL showdowns on the schedule as the second half of the season begins.
🏒 PWHL: Montréal Victoire vs. NY Sirens — Tomorrow at 7 p.m. ET — TSN
- The Victoire and Sirens are neck-and-neck in the middle of the standings as the league returns post-Olympic break, adding an extra layer of drama to this already spicy matchup, which will see Montréal’s Marie-Philip Poulin (hopefully) take the ice against NY’s Kristýna Kaltounková, whose hard hit caused MPP’s injury at the Olympics.
Today’s email was brought to you by Alessandra Puccio, Lisa Minutillo, Lauren Tuiskula, Grace DePaull, and Charlotte Mackenzie. Fact-checking by Elisha Gunaratnam and Mikaela Perez. Ops by Briana Ekanem and Elisha Gunaratnam. Ads by Alessandra Puccio and Lisa Minutillo. Managing edits by Lauren Tuiskula and Alessandra Puccio. Head of content Ellen Hyslop.