Main character energy
From The GIST (hi@thegistsports.com)
Hello hello!
The temps are rising, spring is just around the corner, and the sports world is busy with all sorts of madness — feeling more than okay as we dive into today’s news.
— UConn women’s basketball star Paige Bueckers, reflecting on her incredible college career after winning the Big East tournament and being named the tourney’s Most Outstanding Player for a third time on Monday.
- Bueckers, who’s expected to be selected No. 1 overall in next month’s WNBA Draft, went a jaw-dropping 66-0 in conference play during her UConn tenure. Pure dominance.
NFL Free Agency
🏈 Everything everywhere all at once
The GIST: The calendar flips on a new NFL year (aka when teams can officially ink new players) today at 4 p.m. ET, but the league has been giving main character energy for weeks. There’s been plenty of moving and shaking, so let’s dig into the latest from the gridiron. Hut, hut, here we go.
The quarterback (QB) carousel keeps turning: After trading Geno Smith to the Las Vegas Raiders last week, the Seattle Seahawks have found their new guy: former Minnesota Viking Sam Darnold, who’s replacing Smith in a QB room for a second time. Ain’t afraid of no ghosts.
- Elsewhere, the NY Jets inked former Pittsburgh Steeler Justin Fields while the Indianapolis Colts committed to Vikings backup Daniel Jones, who’ll reportedly compete with current Colts QB and No. 4 overall 2023 draft pick Anthony Richardson for the starting role.
- Amid the, ahem, throes of offseason chaos, two
agingQB free agents remain unsigned — Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson. And both signal callers have been linked to the starting job in Pittsburgh, which Wilson currently holds. Spicy.
Free agents to watch: Excluding the aforementioned pair of QBs, most of the league’s top free agents are spoken for. That said, two well-known players are still on the market: San Francisco 49ers fullback Kyle Juszczyk (pronounced YOOZ-check), who was released by his squad on Monday, and LA Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp, the 2022 Super Bowl MVP. Watch this space.
🩺 Golf legend Tiger Woods has suffered another injury setback — the 15-time major winner ruptured his left Achilles while training and immediately underwent surgery yesterday. That means he’ll miss next month’s highly anticipated Masters, which he last won in 2019.
⛸️ Figure skater Alexa Gasparotto is now the first Black woman to land a triple axel in competition after completing the enormously difficult skill on Sunday. The momentous occasion kicks off a thrilling stretch for figure skating, with the World Championships later this month.
❌ Florida Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad has been suspended 20 games for a failed drug test, meaning he’ll miss the final 18 games of the regular season in addition to two playoff games. Yikes.
🏒 In happier hockey news, the NCAA women’s national tourney begins tomorrow, with the 11 best collegiate teams battling for icy dominance. The school to watch? No. 1 Wisconsin, led by trailblazing forward Laila Edwards. Remember the name.
🏀 The four-team Unrivaled playoff picture is set, with co-founder Napheesa Collier’s No. 1 seed Lunar Owls taking on No. 4 Vinyl BC, and No. 2 Rose BC facing the No. 3 Laces in Sunday’s semis.
💰 Speaking of Unrivaled, Golden State Warrior Steph Curry became the latest investor in the 3v3 league yesterday, shortly after accepting an assistant general manager role with Davidson College’s basketball programs. What a way to give back to your alma mater.
⚾ Check on the NY Yankees fans in your life because ace pitcher Gerrit Cole will officially miss the 2025 season after news that he’ll undergo Tommy John surgery on his pitching elbow.
🏎️ With the start of the Formula 1 season just a few days away, McLaren is defining the relationship with Oscar Piastri, signing the 23-year-old Australian driver to a multi-year contract extension yesterday. Vroom vroom.
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🎾 Indian Wells: World No. 3 Coco Gauff vs. No. 58 Belinda Bencic — Today at 11 a.m. ET — Tennis Channel
- The Round of 16 is underway, and two American women, including Gauff, are still in contention to end the country’s 24-year women’s title drought at tennis’ “fifth major.” And Gauff is playing like a real pro, most recently dominating in the Round of 32.
🎓🏀 NCAA men’s basketball: SEC Tournament — Tonight through Sunday — Various channels
- With a whopping seven SEC teams in the latest AP Poll, expect absolute chaos as they hoop for conference glory and make their final cases for a March Madness ticket. The top dogs don’t hit the court until the weekend, but the Big Dance pre-party won’t disappoint.
⛳ PGA: The PLAYERS Championship — Tomorrow through Sunday — Golf Channel
- World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler is swinging for a three-peat at golf’s biggest non-major tourney, but he’ll have to top rising star (and Ponte Vedra, Florida’s hometown hero) No. 5 Ludvig Åberg to pull it off. Fore!
🏒 NHL: Washington Capitals vs. LA Kings — Tomorrow at 10:30 p.m. ET — FanDuel Sports Network
- Caps captain Alex Ovechkin is just nine goals shy of Wayne Gretzky’s NHL career goal-scoring record. Brew some java, schedule a late afternoon nap, or combine the two with a classic nappuccino because history won’t watch itself.
Recs from our roster!
⚽ What to check out
The new NWSL uniforms, blending club pride with bold designs. A highlight? No more white shorts — because players shouldn’t have to worry about period leaks.
🏉 What to celebrate
Women’s rugby. Ilona Maher’s stint in England’s Premiership Women’s Rugby only boosted the league’s visibility. Proud, but not surprised.
📸 What to admire
This photo series. Four Muslim athletes share how Ramadan transforms their game — and their lives — in a stunning shoot.
Question of the Day
We’re marching right into the college hoops madness with the women’s and men’s tourneys tipping off in less than a week. With the excitement building, we want to know: What’s your favorite part of the festivities?
On Monday, we asked who you think will win the Wooden Award for the most outstanding women’s college basketball player. 33% voted for USC’s JuJu Watkins, 25% voted for UConn’s Paige Bueckers, 15% voted for Notre Dame’s Hannah Hidalgo, 14% voted for UCLA’s Lauren Betts, and 13% voted for Texas’ Madison Booker.Today’s email was brought to you by Alessandra Puccio, Lisa Minutillo, Lauren Tuiskula, Marga Sison, Megan Murray, and Briana Ekanem. Editing by Laura Pastore. Fact-checking by Marga Sison and Rachel Fuenzalida. Ops by Briana Ekanem and Marga Sison. Ads by Katie Kehoe Foster, Alessandra Puccio, and Lisa Minutillo. Managing edits by Lauren Tuiskula and Alessandra Puccio. Head of content Ellen Hyslop.