The GIST

Women’s College Cup championship kicks off tonight, while men’s College Cup is officially set

While the men’s College Cup final four was set over the weekend, the women’s field of 64 is down to two, with ACC foes No. 2 seed North Carolina and No. 2 seed Wake Forest facing off for the title tonight at 7 p.m. ET on ESPNU.

December 09, 2024

North Carolina, Duke, Wake Forest, and Stanford are competing for the women’s soccer College Cup

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At long last, the College Cup is about to kick off. ICYMI: The 64-team field has been whittled down to four, with No. 1 seed Duke playing No. 2 seed North Carolina, and No. 2 seed Wake Forest taking on No. 3 Stanford in today’s all-ACC semifinals.

December 06, 2024

Billionaire Marc Lasry and Avenue Sports Fund back out of NC Courage deal

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Per Sportico, billionaire sports investor Marc Lasry and his sports-focused private equity (PE) firm Avenue Sports Fund are no longer pursuing the purchase of the NC Courage, citing “NWSL restrictions for private equity investment as a control[ling] owner in teams.” With the NWSL being a sports league that uniquely allows PE investment, let’s dive into what we know.

December 02, 2024

No. 1 seed Orlando Pride clinch first NWSL Championship

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As you read, the No. 1 seed Orlando Pride won their first-ever NWSL Championship on Saturday, topping the No. 2 seed Washington Spirit 1–0 in the final — a perfect ending to their near-perfect season.

November 25, 2024

No. 1 seed Orlando Pride and No. 2 seed Washington Spirit compete for 2024 NWSL Championship

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It all comes down to this: the No. 1 seed Orlando Pride face the No. 2 Washington Spirit for the NWSL Championship tomorrow at 8 p.m. ET, just one year after both squads missed out on the postseason entirely. Before the opening whistle blows at CPKC Stadium, here’s how these teams stack up in the quest for the Tiffany trophy.

November 22, 2024

No. 1 seed Orlando Pride and No. 2 seed Washington Spirit advance to NWSL Championship

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After a weekend of thrilling semis, the 2024 NWSL Championship is set, with the No. 1 seed Orlando Pride set to take on No. 2 seed Washington Spirit at Kansas City’s CPKC Stadium this Saturday. Hold your applause — here’s how it happened.

November 18, 2024

Top four teams advance to semifinals of NWSL playoffs

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The NWSL semis are here, with the top four teams in the league battling it out for a spot in the upcoming title match. Ready your vocal chords — the games are about to begin.

November 15, 2024

Sports Business

Angel City FC invests in team, community with multimillion dollar practice facility

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November 15, 2024

Angel City FC (ACFC) announced yesterday that it’s constructing a new and improved, nine-acre performance center on California Lutheran University’s campus, the largest such facility dedicated exclusively to an NWSL club. The move comes as ACFC continues to strive for business growth and upping its valuation.

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The GIST of It Podcast

Ep #418

WNBA expansion draft explainer, plus College Football Playoff updates

December 05, 2024

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WNBA expansion draft explainer, plus College Football Playoff updates

Hello!

It may be the WNBA offseason, but the W is still dominating headlines. The Golden State Valkyries, the W’s 13th team, will take part in an expansion draft tomorrow ahead of their 2025 debut, so on today’s episode of The GIST of It, co-hosts Ellen Hyslop and Steph Rotz are breaking down how player selection works, the draft rules, and more.

Then in part two, it’s time to hut hut hop over to the gridiron, where the gals dig into the latest College Football Playoff rankings before previewing a few must-see conference championship games this weekend in anticipation of Sunday’s final 12-team rankings drop.

A big thank you to Aflac for partnering with us on today’s episode! Add Aflac to your team to close the insurance gap today. Learn more at aflac.com/thegist.