End of an era
From The GIST (hi@thegistsports.com)
Welcome to a new week!
May you conquer it with the confidence of Timothée Chalamet (yes, that Timothée Chalamet) making college football picks over the weekend. Forget Mr. Tambourine Man — he’s gunning for a sports analyst job.
— Three-time WNBA MVP and Las Vegas Aces superstar A’ja Wilson, reacting to news that her favorite former rookie, No. 18 overall 2024 draft pick Kate Martin, is heading to the Golden State Valkyries after Friday’s expansion draft. RIP to the best handshake in hoops.
MLB
⚾ Forget about the price tag
The GIST: 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. Cha — and we cannot stress this enough — ching.
Soto cashes in with historic deal: Five teams (including the NY Yankees, Soto’s most recent squad) were reportedly bidding for the four-time All-Star’s services until the very end, but the Mets sealed the deal with the largest contract in pro sports history. Soto’s signing shattered last year’s then-historic $700M, 10-year deal inked by the one and only LA Dodger Shohei Ohtani.
- Why the hype? Well, a generational talent only comes…once in a generation. Soto’s just 26 years old, has been in the MVP conversation every season of his young career, and boasts perhaps the best “eyes” in the game. No wonder he’s a multi-million dollar man.
Flurry of moves anticipated throughout Winter Meetings: With representatives from all 30 teams gathered to wheel and deal until Wednesday, the market will only heat up now that Soto’s off the table. As always, pitching is a hot commodity, highlighted by starters, four-time All-Star Corbin Burnes and standout southpaw Max Fried.
- Plus, the bidding hype won’t end with Soto. Regarded as one of the best pitchers in the world, Japanese hurler Rōki Sasaki is expected to be posted this week as he transfers from Japan’s pro league to MLB.
- Under the international amateur signing rules, teams will then have 45 days to negotiate with him before the official signing period begins on January 15th. TL;DR? Things are just getting started.
NFL
🏈 Lights, camera, action
The GIST: Another football Sunday is in the books, showcasing everything from acrobatic catches to remarkable rushing touchdowns (TDs) to game-clinching scores — and that’s just courtesy of LA Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua. Scroll on to see who else is hitting the headlines after Week 14.
NY Jets eliminated from playoff contention: Jets quarterback (QB) Aaron Rodgers threw his first 300-yard game in three years, but it wasn’t enough to keep NY’s postseason hopes alive after yesterday’s 32–26 overtime loss to the Miami Dolphins. With so much energy spent on his docuseries, Rodgers apparently had no time to end the franchise’s league-worst 14-year playoff drought.
The NFC West is chock full of chaos: With all four teams still in contention for the divisional crown, yesterday’s games muddied the waters even more. Three squads — the division-leading Rams, Seattle Seahawks, and San Francisco 49ers — picked up huge wins while the Arizona Cardinals fell 30–18 to the aforementioned Seahawks but remained in third.
- Speaking of the Rams, their high-scoring showdown with the Buffalo Bills was pure cinema. Though LA eked out the 44–42 win, the Bills didn’t make it easy in La La Land, led by a history-making performance from superstar QB Josh Allen.
Atlanta Falcons QB Kirk Cousins continues to struggle: The Falcons signal caller tossed two interceptions in yesterday’s lopsided 42–21 loss to his former squad, the always-eating Minnesota Vikings. That marks eight straight interceptions and zero TDs for Cousins over the team’s four-game losing streak. He definitely doesn’t like that.
Kansas City Chiefs tally league-leading 12th win of the season: Sometimes things pan out exactly how you expect. Case in point? Thanks to a last-second field goal from kicker Matthew Wright, KC won their 15th straight one-score game, beating the LA Chargers 19–17 on Sunday Night Football and clinching the AFC West division title.
- The Chargers, meanwhile, suffered their 11th straight loss in games decided by three points or less. Course meet par.
🏎️ McLaren wins first World Constructors’ Championship (WCC) since 1998
McLaren’s Lando Norris finished atop the podium at F1’s season finale in Abu Dhabi yesterday, snagging 25 points to secure the WCC for his papaya squad. And while Norris cruised to the title-clinching win, it was absolute chaos behind him.
- Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz capitalized on an early on-track melee to finish second while his teammate Charles Leclerc sliced through the field, moving from a 19th-place starting position to third, but it wasn’t enough to claim the WCC.
- Meanwhile, after a disappointing qualifying on Saturday, Sir Lewis Hamilton capped off his Mercedes tenure with a fourth-place finish before heading to Ferrari next season. Every team needs a hero.
🎓🏈 College Football Playoff (CFP) field officially set
The 12-team CFP is locked and loaded after a weekend of conference championships. As the highest-ranked conference champs, the top four squads — No. 1 Oregon, No. 2 Georgia, No. 3 Boise State, and No. 4 Arizona State — will enjoy first-round byes while the other eight teams battle it out in the first round, which starts December 20th.
- As per usual, the unveiling caused quite the stir, and this year, No. 11 seed SMU was the center of the drama after the CFP committee chose the Mustangs ahead of perennial powerhouse (but three-loss) Alabama.
⚽ LA Galaxy defeat NY Red Bulls 2–1, win record-setting sixth MLS Cup
After a 10-year title drought, Los Galácticos are back on top of MLS following an undefeated-at-home season that was capped off by Saturday’s raucous finals win in the City of Stars. The Galaxy dug deep to pull off the dub, storming out to an early lead thanks to MLS Cup MVP Gastón Brugman and never looking back even without fearless (but injured) leader Riqui Puig.
🎓⚽ No. 2 seeds UNC and Wake Forest advance to Women’s College Cup Championship
Tonight’s 7 p.m. ET title match will be a classic battle between the old dog and the new tricks. Led by the nation’s leading scorer, junior forward Kate Faasse, record 21-time champs UNC blanked No. 1 overall seed Duke 3–0 in Friday’s semi, booking the Tar Heels a 29th (!!!) trip to the finals.
- And then there’s Wake Forest, who began the season unranked only to topple No. 3 seed Stanford 1–0 in their topsy turvy Friday semi, highlighted by goalie Valentina Amaral’s last-minute save. Don’t count this underdog squad out as they seek their first title.
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Recs from our roster!
🔥 Who’s coming in hot
GIST co-founder Ellen Hyslop and her bestie Steph Rotz, co-hosts of The GIST of It podcast presented by Aflac. They explain the news in sports and give their personal hot takes on it. Remember: It’s not a moment, it’s a movement.*
🏀 What to watch
The NBA Cup quarter-finals, as the eight-team knockout round bounces into action tomorrow starting with the Orlando Magic vs. the Milwaukee Bucks at 7 p.m. ET. Let the hardware hullabaloo begin.
🧳 What to snag
This BEIS Micro Weekender Charm. This adorable, practical charm is perfect for keeping your essentials (AirPods, chapstick, etc.) from vanishing mid-travel and makes for a great stocking stuffer.
🍩 What to subscribe to
The DONUT. Through their unbiased and easy-to-understand storytelling, you’ll actually look forward to reading the news. Subscribe today and become the journo of your friend group.
*P.S. This is a sponsored post. Quack quack.Question of the Day
As you read, the 12-team College Football Playoff picture is officially set. Of the top four teams in the bracket, who’s your early pick to win it all? Choose your winner below (or reply to this email with your squad) then make the rest of your picks in our college football bracket challenge, where there are prizes on the line. Hut, hut, hike.
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, Emma Leishman, Rachel Fuenzalida, and Lindsay Jost. Fact-checking by Parul Kanwar and Marga Sison. Ops by 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.