Simply too close to call
From The GIST (hi@thegistsports.com)
Hey there!
Don’t let Monday blues stop you from slaying the day. Simply channel the enthusiasm of this dancing queen as you shimmy through today’s sports news.


— Jen Pawol, after becoming the first woman to umpire in a regular-season MLB game during Saturday’s doubleheader between the Atlanta Braves and Miami Marlins. Read on for more on Pawol’s historic milestone. It’s just the beginning.
MLB
⚾ Smashing that glass ceiling

The GIST: As you read, former college softball player and longtime umpire Jen Pawol made history over the weekend as the first woman to ump a regular-season MLB game, the latest milestone amid a surge of women taking the diamond by storm. Talk about stepping up to the plate.
💪 Over a century later, a woman gets the call: Pawol is the first woman to do the honors in MLB’s long history, breaking the regular-season barrier 17 years after becoming the first woman to umpire a Spring Training game.
- It was a long road to the milestone: Pawol toiled through over 1,200 minor league games across a decade-long career before finally getting the call to the bigs. That’s a whole lot of outs.
📈 Pawol’s breakthrough just the latest for women in baseball: As pro softball continues to rise in the U.S., many women chase their big-league dreams in baseball — and they’re reaching the game’s highest levels, from Kim Ng becoming the first woman general manager in the four major men’s leagues in 2020 to newest Savannah Banana Kelsie Whitmore taking the mound in the Atlantic League in 2022.
- Plus, there’s no sign of it stopping anytime soon, especially considering Pawol’s one of eight women actively umpiring in the minors. One “dream come true” will allow countless others to dream big.
WNBA
🏀 It’s the final countdown

The GIST: All-Star Weekend? Check. Trade deadline? Check. Now it’s full steam ahead to the most important item on the WNBA calendar: the playoffs. With exactly one month left of the regular season, postseason positioning is all that matters. Now the fun really begins.
⚙️ How it works: Most pro sports leagues decide playoff berths by way of divisional or conference standings, but the W does things a little differently: Eight of the league’s 13 teams will qualify for the three-round postseason regardless of conference. And things almost always come down to the wire.
👀 Crowded standings have 10 teams vying for eight spots: Though technically all 13 teams are still in contention for the playoffs, in reality, it’s a tightly-contested 10-horse race. It’s led by last year’s runners-up, the league-best Minnesota Lynx, who have been virtually untouchable this season, especially when now-injured MVP frontrunner Napheesa Collier is in the lineup.
- From there, it’s utter chaos, ranging from the 20-win defending champ NY Liberty in second to the 14-win Washington Mystics in 10th. Outside of Minny, all nine teams are one win away from matching the team ahead of them. Simply too close to call.
- Adding further intrigue, the top four spots, currently held by the Lynx, Liberty, Atlanta Dream, and Phoenix Mercury, respectively, are extra coveted: They provide home court advantage in the first round. The stakes couldn’t be higher.
Together With Goldfish
🤝 Basketball and snacks have us cheesing

Goldfish is the snack that smiles back — now it’s your turn. Paste a perpetual grin on your face by remembering the following:
🏀 The WNBA Canada Game in Vancouver tips off this weekend
🇨🇦 It’s the first-ever official regular-season W game in Canada
😋 Satisfying your snack cravings is easy with a handful of Goldfish® crackers
Beaming from ear-to-ear? Same — and so are our go-to snacks, always baked with real cheddar cheese and now an Official Partner of the WNBA. Smile on, indeed.
⚽ Portland Thorns earn pivotal win over archrival Seattle Reign FC
Rivalry Weekend had an unsatisfying conclusion for many of the NWSL’s fiercest adversaries: shared points. Eight teams played to draws, including the Washington Spirit and Gotham FC (0–0) and Angel City FC and San Diego Wave (1–1), but the same can’t be said for the feisty Portland Thorns.
- Portland outshot Seattle 23-11 en route to yesterday’s convincing 4–2 win, giving the fifth-place Thorns a narrow one-point lead over sixth-place Seattle.
🎾 Cincinnati Open mostly chalk after opening rounds
There weren’t many surprises in the women’s or men’s draw during the first weekend of action as most of tennis’ heaviest hitters, including No. 1 seed Aryna Sabalenka and No. 2 seed Coco Gauff, advanced to the third round with ease. The tune-up tourney for the US Open — tennis’ fourth and final major that starts on August 24th — continues all week.
⛳ World No. 20 Justin Rose wins St. Jude’s Championship as playoff field cut to 50
A scorching back nine lifted Rose to a dramatic St. Jude’s title as he topped world No. 9 J.J. Spaun in a playoff. The first of three tourneys that comprise the FedEx Playoffs, this weekend’s event saw the 70-man field trimmed to 50 ahead of next weekend’s BMW Championship. From there, only the top 30 players will advance to the TOUR Championship for a shot at the FedEx Cup. Cutthroat.
- Canada will be well-represented in the field of 50 with No. 37 Taylor Pendrith, No. 32 Nick Taylor, and No. 25 Corey Connors advancing. All golfers will carry their current scores into next weekend, meaning the Canucks will have to bring their eh-game to Maryland.

Simone Biles, Serena Williams, Diana Taurasi, Martine Grael. The Rolex SailGP superstar deserves to be on the list of all-time women athletes at the top of their sports. Here’s a look at Grael’s astounding sailing career by the numbers.
- 1: Grael made history as the first female driver in the Rolex SailGP Championship, joining the competition with Mubadala Brazil for the 2025 season. She’s one of one.
- 2: Grael has won two Olympic gold medals, first crushing the competition at her home Rio Games, and then defending her title at the Tokyo Games. Can you say “elite?”
- 2014: The year Grael was named the Rolex World Sailor of the Year, the highest award a sailor can receive.
Grael redefines excellence — from her recent win in NY to her leadership in ocean conservation, it's no surprise she's a Rolex Testimonee. Catch her at this weekend’s Emirates Great Britain Sail Grand Prix, available to stream on the SailGP app.
Recs from our roster!
⛵ What to watch
The Germany Sail Grand Prix, where F50 catamarans travelling at up to 100km/h will race in the gorgeous seaside town of Sassnitz from August 16th to 17th. Catch all the excitement on the SailGP app.
🏃 What to do
Run. In a new series of music-inspired 5K races called "Run Travis Run," musician Travis Barker is linking up with Spotify to combine running and live music culture.
🎾 What to watch
“Game, Set, Matchmaker.” The U.S. Open is getting into the reality TV game with a new dating show on YouTube. One "tennis-savvy" bachelorette will look for love among influencers, tennis super fans, and other personalities.
Question of the Day
It’s hard to say what the WNBA standings will look like when the regular season ends next month. Based on the teams currently ranked eighth through 10th, who do you think will claim the eighth and final playoff spot?
On Friday, we asked you about the most intense and heated sports rivalry. 30% voted for Team USA vs. Team Canada, 20% voted for Ohio State vs. Michigan, 19% voted for NY Yankees vs. Boston Red Sox, 11% voted for Seattle Reign vs. Portland Thorns, 10% voted for LA Sparks vs. Minnesota Lynx, and 10% voted for Green Bay Packers vs. Chicago Bears.Today’s email was brought to you by Lisa Minutillo, Lauren Tuiskula, Rachel Fuenzalida, Grace DePaull, Charlotte Mackenzie, and Briana Ekanem. Editing by Katie Kehoe Foster. Fact-checking by Marga Sison and Mikaela Perez. Ops by Briana Ekanem and Marga Sison. Ads by Katie Kehoe Foster, Alessandra Puccio, and Lisa Minutillo. Managing edits by Lauren Tuiskula and Katie Kehoe Foster. Head of content Ellen Hyslop.