We’ve got mascot beef
From The GIST (hi@thegistsports.com)
Today’s the day!
The Paralympics Opening Ceremony begins at 2 p.m. ET, but not before our special edition preview of the Games hits your inbox later today. In the meantime, scroll on for today’s news. Trés bien.
— NY Liberty mascot Ellie the Elephant, sharing some hilarious content after the arrival of the Chicago Sky’s new mascot, Skye the Lioness. Skye was created by the same costume designer who made Ellie, making the two mascots sisters, in a sense. Sibling rivalry, loading.
US Open
🎾 Let’s go down to the tennis court
The GIST: It’s still early in the tournament, but record-setting crowds are pouring in to watch week one of the US Open, where there’s already been shocking upsets and triumphant debuts on the famous blue hard courts of Queens, NY. Aces all around.
World No. 11 Stefanos Tsitsipas, No. 11 Danielle Collins ousted in first round: Tsitsipas lost to unranked Thanasi Kokkinakis in four sets yesterday, yet another poor showing at the Big Apple Grand Slam, where he’s never made it past the third round.
- As for the women, Collins (who was making her final major appearance) was upset by fellow American Caroline Dolehide, a lackluster finish to an otherwise outstanding pre-retirement year on the WTA Tour.
- But on the other side of an upset is an athlete ascending: two-time US Open champ Naomi Osaka entered as an unranked wild card and topped 2023 quarter-finalist No. 10 Jelena Ostapenko yesterday in a thrilling first-round matchup.
- And on Monday, 16-year-old Iva Jokić became the youngest American since 2000 to win a main-draw match. Teenage dream, indeed.
Three American men head into Round 2: No. 12 Taylor Fritz, No. 13 Ben Shelton, and No. 20 Frances Tiafoe all begin their second-round campaigns today, still facing unranked opponents at this early stage, while No. 1 Jannik Sinner is moving on after winning his first match since news of his doping scandal broke.
No. 3 Coco Gauff, No. 2 Novak Djokovic continue their title defenses: Both defending champs hit Arthur Ashe Stadium for second-round action tonight, with Gauff facing Tatjana Maria at 7 p.m. ET and Djokovic taking on fellow Serbian Laslo Djere directly after, at 8:15 p.m. ET. Watch the throne.
🇺🇲 Nicky Nieves (sitting volleyball) and Steve Serio (wheelchair basketball) will serve as Team USA’s flag bearers for today’s Paralympic Opening Ceremony, boasting a combined three gold medals between them. Red, white, and boo-yeah.
🏀 Another day, another record for Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark. She tied the WNBA rookie record for most three-pointers in a season (85) during the Fever’s Monday win over the Atlanta Dream. That victory was also Indiana’s 14th of the year, their highest total since they last made the playoffs in 2016.
- Speaking of stars, on Monday, the Seattle Storm honored legend Sue Bird by renaming a street “Sue Bird Court.” So well deserved.
💰 As another NFL season looms, brothers Jason (former Philadelphia Eagle) and Travis Kelce (current Kansas City Chief) signed a three-year, $100M+ deal with Amazon’s Wondery yesterday, giving the company exclusive rights to their very popular podcast, New Heights.
🏈 In more football payday news, the Dallas Cowboys signed star wide receiver CeeDee Lamb to a four-year, $136M deal on Monday, finally ending a lengthy contract holdout. Cha-ching.
⚽ Who says you can’t go home? Former USWNT star Abby Dahlkemper was traded from the San Diego Wave to her hometown Bay FC on Monday.
🏎️ F1’s Williams Racing announced yesterday that American driver Logan Sargeant will be replaced by F2 racer Franco Colapinto for the rest of the season after Sargeant’s recent race struggles.
Giveaway Alert
🏈 Touchdown call the amateurs
August is slipping away into a moment in time and you know what that means — the NFL season is right around the corner and we want you to be part of the action this fall.
We’re giving you and your fellow football fanatic the chance to win the ultimate NFL experience:
🎟️ Two tickets to a game of your choice
🏨 Hotel accommodations
✈️ Two roundtrip flights
This is the trip of your wildest dreams — enter to win today.
Together With Nike
The only thing better than brand-new Nike Sabrina 2s? Designing a completely custom pair in the Nike By You lab. There’s endless color combinations from the Swoosh to the laces, plus you can add unique texture and even choose a signature stamp — the possibilities are limitless, just like your game.
- Perhaps you’ll take inspiration from WNBA superfan Druski, who decked out his white sneaks with pops of pink and mint midsoles. Safe to say, Sabrina herself approves.
🏀 WNBA: Connecticut Sun vs. Indiana Fever — Tonight at 7 p.m. ET — WNBA League Pass
- Caitlin Clark’s Fever will be looking to continue their hot streak, but the Sun have been burning up too, currently on a three-game win streak and second in the league standings. Come for the hoops, stay for the romance.
🏆 PGA: TOUR Championship — Tomorrow through Sunday — ESPN+
- This is it. The grand finale of the three-event FedExCup Playoffs tees off from Atlanta, Georgia and, thanks to the tourney’s Starting Strokes format, world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler will start with a two-stroke lead as he looks to add more hardware to an already historic season.
⛳ LPGA: FM Championship — Tomorrow through Sunday — Peacock
- After an action-packed stretch of golf in Europe, the Tour returns to North American soil for the inaugural FM Championship. TPC Boston will play host to 144 of the world’s best swinging for a slice of the $3.8M purse.
- And in other women’s golf news, U.S. Solheim Cup team captain, Stacy Lewis, finalized her team yesterday before the biennial tournament vs. Team Europe takes place in Virginia next month. Putter up.
Here’s what has The GIST team currently hyped:
🦆 How to help protect your finances
You’ve seen the iconic Aflac duck commercials, but you might not know that Aflac can help with expenses health insurance doesn’t cover. For example, did you know they pay cash that can help with co-pays and even rent? Noted.*
🏀 What to shop
Reese's Pieces. Chicago Sky rookie Angel Reese just dropped the aptly named apparel collection including shirts, sweatshirts, and hats as part of her new deal with Hershey. Delicious.
👟 Who to check out
Cierra Boyd, the designer making waves in sustainable fashion with her unique and sporty creations, like Sha'Carri Richardson’s iconic sneaker corset.
*P.S. This is a sponsored post. Quack quack.Question of the Day
As mentioned, the Paralympics officially begin from the City of Light today. How are you planning to stay up to date on all of the action?
Today’s email was brought to you by Lauren Tuiskula, Alessandra Puccio, Marga Sison, Lisa Minutillo, and Briana Ekanem. Editing by Laura Pastore, Emily Ohman, Emma Leishman, Rachel Fuenzalida, and Lindsay Jost. Fact-checking by Parul Kanwar. Ops by Briana Ekanem and Marga Sison. Ads by Katie Kehoe Foster and Alessandra Puccio. Managing edits by Lauren Tuiskula. Head of content Ellen Hyslop.