Time flies when you’re having fun…and when the first round is only a best-of-three series. Just a few short days after the WNBA playoffs tipped off, all four series could be decided before our next newsletter with tickets to the best-of-five semifinals on the line. Let’s hoop to it.

Front Office Sports recently examined a trend among leagues like the Premier Lacrosse League (PLL) and Athletes Unlimited Softball League (AUSL): Traveling teams and exhibition matches are a smart way to identify prime markets before establishing permanent teams. Let’s explore when traveling teams work and what this format means for sponsors.

Week 2 of the NFL season had a little something for everyone — clutch field goals for the thrill seekers, short-sighted tunnel fits for the fashionistas, and pleas in the sky for the already fed-up. Just your average football Sunday, right?

The WNBA postseason tips off tomorrow, and we decided all three rounds deserve their own newsletter. Over the next month, we’ll be in your inbox with a trilogy of special editions, breaking down the best-of-three first round, the best-of-five semis, and the best-of-seven finals — it’s like The GIST’s version of a triple‑double.

Last week, Oofos teamed up with Her Campus Media (HCM) to offer over 1.5K college women athletes a chance to partner with the recovery footwear brand. The open-ended opportunity could mean the first NIL deal for many of these athletes, who still offer significant value as microinfluencers.

Seven months after the reigning champ Philadelphia Eagles pummeled the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl, the perennial powerhouses will meet again on Sunday at 4:25 p.m. ET. Plenty has changed since the Birds outplayed KC in February — let’s discuss.

ICYMI, LA Clipper Kawhi Leonard has been the talk of the sports world amid an alleged salary cap circumvention scandal. Here’s what you need to know about this developing story, initially broken by investigative journalist Pablo Torre, including NBA commissioner Adam Silver’s first public comments on the incident. Drama-rama.

On Monday, Unrivaled shared that after last December’s successful Series A investment round, the league’s recent Series B round brought its valuation to $340M, or almost 10x its initial May 2024 valuation. With investors and sponsors circling the next big thing in women’s basketball, let’s dive into why the league works and what makes it truly unrivaled.

There have been numerous record-breaking transfers in women’s soccer this year, most recently former North Carolina Courage midfielder Jaedyn Shaw’s $1.25M transfer to Gotham FC. With so many gals on the go, let’s kick around some questions about the state of the global women’s game.

Athlos — Alexis Ohanian’s elite women-only track competition — entered a multiyear partnership with Scripps Sports yesterday to make its Ion network the domestic linear broadcast partner for this year’s Athlos NYC competition taking place October 10th.

The Seattle Storm officially completed the WNBA’s eight-team playoff field with last night’s win over the Golden State Valkyries — but postseason positioning will come down to the last two days of the season…and so will the league’s MVP award.