It is no doubt that professional female athletes have been taking their well deserved time in the spotlight. As a girl who has played sports since she was old enough to walk, I love seeing my fellow women shine and kick butt out on the court, pitch, field, rink, pool, or mat. I just wish there was a sports-media outlet that would fairly report on the women’s sports world. Oh wait, there is! Look no further than The Gist, who prides itself on delivering content that covers all relevant aspects of women’s sports at both the professional and collegiate level.
The Gist is an online media outlet co-founded in 2019 by college besties Jacie Dehoop, Ellen Hyslop, and Roslyn McLarty. Their motto is “Leveling the Playing Field”, meaning that they provide equal coverage of both women’s and men’s sports. In the male-dominated sports industry less than 5% of coverage goes to female and non-binary athletes. As an avid sports fan of everything from Serena Williams’ grand slams to Steph Curry’s sharp three pointers, I want updates on all aspects of the athletic world. That is why The Gist is perfect for everyone; they not only give you all the info on the USWNT for the Olympics but they also have the stats on baseball in spring training. To boot, they are always on top of the latest stories and fill their content with enjoyable pop-culture references.
I could sing their praises for eternity from their entertaining and informative instagram posts to their witty newsletter. Seriously, it is one of the only newsletters I actually read and that’s saying a lot. They also offer a podcast called The GIST of It where hosts Ellen Hyslop and Stephanie Rotz tackle current sports topics and the influences that pop culture and social issues have on athletics. Episodes drop twice a week and are about 25 minutes long making it the perfect hot girl walk audio accompaniment.
If you are looking to break into the sports world professionally, The Gist offers a job board that helps women and non-binary folks find their career. They vet all companies and roles to ensure only the all-star organizations make the cut. With everything from marketing to finance, the job board has it. A true hail mary! Less than 15% of sports journalists are women and The Gist is changing that one step at a time. On top of uplifting all women interested in athletics, they also have incredibly cute and comfy merch! I rarely take off my Gist hoodie or T-shirt because they feel like clouds and who doesn’t love supporting a women-run company?
The Gist is doing something that no other sports media company has ever attempted and that is giving women and men equal coverage in print. No matter if you have loved sports since lacing up your first pair of athletic shoes or just became interested (possibly via Taylor Swift and her love for the Kansas City Chiefs), then you need to follow The Gist. You can look at their website, subscribe to their newsletter, listen to their podcast, or catch them on Instagram, TikTok, or Twitter. Let’s continue to level the playing field!