On the roller-coaster that is the current state of sports media in North America, the folks at The GIST are among the ones enjoying the ride.
In October, “the revolutionary and inclusive sports media brand” announced it had reached one million subscribers across its various and sundry platforms. It’s most likely not a coincidence that the milestone was reached in a year highlighted by the overwhelming impact of basketball superstar Caitlin Clark on both the NCAA women’s hoops game, and the WNBA, along with a dominant performance by Canadian (including swimmer Summer McIntosh, who was a no-brainer choice to receive the Northern Star Award as the country’s athlete of the year) and American women at the Paris Olympics.
Ellen Hyslop, the co-founder and head of content for The GIST, made her maiden appearance on the Gaming News Canada Show presented by GBG Plc to talk about the company’s evolution since its creation in 2017. She discussed with host Steve McAllister the “Caitlin Clark effect” - including Clark’s recent selection as TIME Magazine’s athlete of the year - the arrival of a North American women’s professional hockey league, and support of women’s sports from brands and corporations. Our conversation also included the appetite “GISTers” have for the NFL and other major professional sports.
Hyslop spoke with McAllister in July 2021 for a Toronto Star column about sports and sports betting, so we revisited that topic and the partnerships The GIST have had with sportsbook operators. Finally, she gave us a (tiny) glimpse into what GIST subscribers can expect in 2025.