LSU basketball star and Puma athlete Flau’jae Johnson announced a player exclusive shoe deal on Friday, shortly after UConn phenom Paige Bueckers’ historic player edition shoe with Nike last week. These moves are the new normal in college basketball, where women are outperforming men in terms of NIL and shoe deals.

EA Sports’ annual hockey video game NHL 25 launched an update last Thursday that included PWHL players for the first time. The GIST spoke with EA sports brand general manager and SVP Andrea Hopelain last week to gain insight on the company’s success incorporating women athletes in its games, a strategy that resonates strongly with its Gen Z players.

The Juan Soto sweepstakes came to an end on the first day of MLB’s Winter Meetings as the superstar outfielder signed a record-breaking $765M, 15-year deal with the NY Mets yesterday, trading his Pinstripes for orange and blue.

Friday’s WNBA expansion draft is in the books, meaning the Golden State Valkyries have officially selected their first-ever roster. Inspired by the W’s 13th franchise, today’s scroll breaks down expansion drafts across all sports. From the ice to the pitch, the more the merrier.

From the soon-to-be 14th WNBA team Toronto Tempo’s rather quick name drop, to tonight’s expansion draft, to major news in Seattle, the W offseason headlines are flying fast and furious. How’s that for pace?

As discussed on yesterday’s episode of The GIST of It, the WNBA is hosting its first expansion draft since 2008 today as the Golden State Valkyries post up to join the league. With today’s draft seeing historic interest from media and sponsors, the W is primed for the big leagues.

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.

Some drivers are leaning into the brotherly love heading into this weekend’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix season finale, while others are choosing a different way to express their feelings. The tea is hot, the beef is well done, and there’s plenty on the line as F1 prepares to cap off another dramatic season.

It’s officially conference championship time, and tomorrow’s games come with College Football Playoff (CFP) spots on the line. After teasing us all season, the selection committee will turn around and drop the official 12-team CFP field on Sunday

If you thought last week was wild, buckle up — the top-25 matchups are only heating up. We have teams riding high and others (looking at you, defending champs UConn) in desperate need of a win as the star-powered SEC/ACC Challenge and Big 12-Big East Battle began yesterday.

Why leave all the fun to the men? It’s also shaping up to be a wild stretch of women’s basketball, with three top-25 matchups tipping off tomorrow.

In case you missed the iconic team social media announcements, the 2025 WNBA schedule is officially out — and the tea is already piping hot. With 163 days until tipoff (not that we’re counting), here’s a sneak peek at the league’s 29th season by the numbers.