Delulu hours
From The GIST (hi@thegistsports.com)
Hello!
Start your Wednesday by waving goodbye to the GOAT — legendary Stanford women’s basketball head coach (HC) Tara VanDerveer, the winningest HC in NCAA history, announced her retirement yesterday after 38 incredible seasons helming the Cardinal. Smile because it happened.
— Legendary golfer and current world No. 959 Tiger Woods, sharing his high hopes to win his sixth green jacket ahead of the Masters (which we’ll be previewing in a special edition) teeing off tomorrow. Delusion Confidence is key.
SheBelieves Cup
⚽ Back to back to back to back
The GIST: The No. 4 USWNT launched a strong comeback to defeat No. 9 CanWNT 5–4 on penalties and clinch their fifth consecutive SheBelieves Cup title last night, while No. 10 Brazil took third over No. 7 Japan.
- Winning hardware is always nice, but the real benefit of this friendly tourney is learning about the Paris-bound squads with just 107 days until the upcoming Summer Games. Fantastique.
Championship recap: This one was a back-and-forth battle. CanWNT forward Adriana Leon capitalized on a turnover and exposed an American defensive error to put the red and white up 1–0, a lead that was answered by American forward Sophia Smith’s two second-half goals.
- Canada eventually equalized late on a questionable foul call, but in the end, the red, white, and blue prevailed, with goalie Alyssa Naeher recording three saves in the shootout and scoring a penalty kick of her own. Swear it’s déjà vu.
No. 4 USWNT’s keys to success: The Americans maintained possession for most of last night’s game but struggled to sustain their attack until the second half. That’s when, after a few months of inconsistent performances, Smith re-asserted herself as a top offensive option and won the tourney’s MVP award.
- SheBelieves marked the end of interim head coach Twila Kilgore’s successful tenure, as the Emma Hayes head coaching era now begins in earnest. Ch-ch-changes.
No. 9 CanWNT takeaways: The defending Olympic champs played with a combination of patience and tenacity last night, first waiting to capitalize on American mistakes and then moving quickly after turnovers to apply offensive pressure, which resulted in their two goals.
- Unlike the USWNT, whose pace dropped once they were leading in the second half, CanWNT was ready to strike at all times. You can never count the red and white out.
🇺🇲 No. 2 Team USA topped their archrivals, No. 1 Canada, 1–0 in overtime on Monday to go undefeated in Ice Hockey Women’s World Championship Preliminary Round play. The red, white, and blue’s quest to repeat continues tomorrow at 8:30 p.m. ET vs. No. 7 Japan.
🎓🏀 No. 1 UConn men’s basketball are back-to-back champions after taking down Canadian Zach Edey and Purdue 75–60 in Monday’s March Madness title game. Dominant.
😡 On Monday, the NAIA, the governing body for small college athletic programs, passed a policy that essentially bans trans athletes from women’s sports. Say it loud, say it proud: trans athletes belong in sports.
🔒 With only 10 days until the Stanley Cup Playoffs begin, the Nashville Predators secured a postseason berth last night. Doing that hockey.
🏆 Iowa superstar Caitlin Clark won her second-straight Wooden Award, an honor given to the year’s most outstanding women’s college basketball player. A no-brainer.
🏀 The Charlotte Hornets will interview 2024 G League Coach of the Year and 2007 WNBA No. 1 draft pick Lindsey Harding for their open HC job. If hired, Harding would be the first woman HC in the league — time to smash that glass ceiling.
📚 The GIST’s Book Club: Reviewing Sidelined: Sports, Culture, and Being a Woman in America
Looking for the perfect book to fire you up this Aries season? Sidelined: Sports, Culture, and Being a Woman in America, is an enraging look at misogyny across sports media.
Author Julie DiCaro unflinchingly shares her personal experiences in the sports industry. As women working in sports, we know firsthand how tough it can be.
TL;DR: This book is a must-read for sports fans. It’s short, hard-hitting, and important — just like DiCaro’s 2016 #MoreThanMean video.
Looking ahead, April’s book club pick is Fangirl Down by Tessa Bailey. Read along on Fable, and join our book club list to stay up-to-date.
⚽ UEFA Champions League: Paris Saint-Germain vs. Barcelona — Today at 3 p.m. ET — CBS
- Two of the game’s greatest scorers — Kylian Mbappe for PSG and Robert Lewandowski for Barça — clash in Leg 1 of this quarter-final matchup. Golazos, incoming.
🏀 NBA: Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Denver Nuggets — Tonight at 10 p.m. ET — ESPN
- With the regular season nearing its close, the top seed in the Western Conference could be decided in this pivotal matchup between the current No. 1 and the defending champs.
🎓🏒 NCAA men’s hockey: Frozen Four — Tomorrow at 5 p.m. ET and 8:30 p.m. ET — ESPN+
- And then there were four. No. 3 Denver and No. 2 BU start the semifinals party before Michigan and No. 1 BC drop the puck for a ticket to Saturday’s championship game.
Together With goodr
Spring has sprung, the birds are chirping, you’re spending more time outside — you just need some goodr shades. Their 100% polarized, non-slip sunnies are a sweaty sporty spice’s best accessory, built for activities and available in tons of colors.
- Best of all, goodr sunglasses start at just $25 (with an extra 10% off if you sign up using your email). Go on — treat yourself.
Peep our squad’s MVPs (Most Valuable Picks):
🏀 What to review
The successes and missteps at this year’s women’s March Madness. The tournament saw record-setting crowds and viewership, but also had glaring issues, including mismatched three-point lines.
🍗 What to watch
This episode of Chicken Shop Date with Formula 1 driver Lando Norris. Fingers crossed Amelia interviews the whole grid.
📚 What to read
There's Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension a personal reflection on basketball, grief, and the impact of LA Laker LeBron James, written by Hanif Abdurraqib.
Question of the Day
Happy National Siblings Day! Celebrate by letting us know who your fave sports siblings are — select from the choices below or reply to this email with your top duo.
Today’s email was brought to you by Lauren Tuiskula, Alessandra Puccio, Marga Sison, Monica Schrock, and Briana Ekanem. Editing by Laura Pastore, Janine Kiefer, Emma Leishman, Rachel Fuenzalida, and Lindsay Jost. Fact-checking by Parul Kanwar. Ops by Marga Sison and Annie Chan. Ads by Katie Kehoe Foster, Alexis Allison, and Dee Lab. Managing edits by Lauren Tuiskula. Head of content Ellen Hyslop.