…All there’s left to do is smile. And since smiling actually scientifically makes you feel better, watch this video, posted by the Knicks on IG. I couldn’t stop smiling watching it myself. 

Jalen Brunson just said Monica McNutt, get behind me. TLDR: Taylor Swift was courtside at Game 4 and McNutt, the Knicks’ radio analyst, called her a casual (paraphrasing), and it seems she’s been getting some hate from the Swifties. Brunson requested they lay off, please. 

New York Daily News writer Kristian Winfield is on a tear with his Knicks coverage. Here he described scenes from the locker room. Here he writes what this title means to the likes of Clyde Frazier, Willis Reed, Quincy Acy, Marcus Camby, Steve Novak. Almost as much as it means to the girl (gender neutral) reading this. :) 

I know we’re saying this every day now but Nike’s still just doing it! This ad, which Josh Safdie directed, didn’t need the bells and whistles of celebrity or status to perfectly depict how it feels to be a Knicks fan. 

Because we can’t get enough, these are the must reads. For the poets in the chat these fan’s notes by David Remnick in The New Yorker go hard. “At long last, the team that New York City cares about the most has loved it back,” Matt Fleggenheimer writes in this piece for the New York Times. And this Chris Mannix piece in SI is all about Jalen fulfilling his dreams. This one from Justin Tinsley in Andscape is about KAT’s grief and perseverance. Ok, enough reading, let’s scroll down and go to the video.

And for even more, you absolute sicko, head to Substack and check out our Daily Digest, where we’ve curated a full Knicks content takeover. 

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Yesterday, I woke up in a city that never sleeps. A city so nice they named it twice, yes, but a city we might consider renaming to “New Brunson” after last night. After hours of jubilant property destruction, (i.e. burning down buses), commandeering buses, hanging from streetlights, making out on street signs, life in New York has settled a little, but the electricity she produced during the greatest NBA Finals Of All-Time lingers. We won’t be resistant to making plans lest we double book during a potential Game 6 or 7, but we will be beaming, opening doors for strangers, lending a helping hand to neighbors. Energy doesn’t go away after an explosion, it just transforms. 

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I anticipated all of this, of course, but I had commitments on the West Coast for Games 3 and 4, and originally planned on coming back to the City on a red-eye Saturday night, praying we’d get a Game 6 (for which I was credentialed, sigh). The extra $200 to change my flight was worth it to experience this win for the city. 

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We landed and immediately took a cab into Manhattan, suitcases in tow, and it felt like they’d put molly in the water supply.  

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It was blocks and blocks of both friends and lovers holding hands in Brunson and Sprewell jerseys as they hurried to their watch parties. It was TVs in establishments that have no business having TVs. Projectors set up in vegan bakeries and dry cleaners and the churro restaurant that I’m sure is a money laundering front. It was a night where everything became romantic. Jaywalking through traffic felt like blocking on a film set. 

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And after the clock hit midnight (zero), we all became kids again. Unsupervised ones at that. Crying, screaming, unsure of how to express the level of emotion we were feeling. 

WNBA great Tina Charles said it best. The city gets knocked down and gets back up every day and the Knicks mirrored that journey.  

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Countless watch parties under the Manhattan Bridge, at Radio City, in Midtown, Harlem. Sesame Street characters got involved. Batman was there. The guy who balances stuff on his head while biking balanced a bike on his head (IYKYK) 

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@gabbbbbiiee

we’re all family in this house 💙🧡 @New York Knicks @sanitation #knicks #nyc

And then there were the players themselves. This very special team, whom I have waxed poetic about many times already. Its humble (and prolifically selfless) star, who is not too small, it turns out, and who held the hopes of eight million in the palm of his hands, cussed and cried. And finally talked his s***. Now can we get him on SVU? 

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Its subdued Nigerian Brit Missourian proved himself clutch under the biggest lights, except when technology is involved. 

Its Hart, who is also its personality hire, defended the trade that brought his former teammate Mikal Bridges across the bridge to Manhattan.  

And the team’s big, who is never afraid to emote, thanked his fiancée for her lucky bag, and for being a steady presence in the loss and absence of his mom. 

Saturday night — June 13, 2026 — will go down as one of the best days in New York history. The day they did the impossible.  

Timothée Chalamet was in the locker room, but he wants to make it clear that although he’s not an athlete, he prefers this to an Oscar. Is that because he has never won an Oscar? Not hating, just saying…

Spike partnered with Jumpman for a very special video. 

Ziwe made sure to let him know he needs a new banner, by the way.

Joyce Carol Oats absolutely cooked Wemby (don’t shoot the messenger). 

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Hanif Abdurraqib has some very poignant notes for Wemby.

For some reason I read this compliment by Bill Simmons as shade at first. Maybe because I still have Jalen’s chip on my shoulder. 

Breanna Stewart shouted out Jalen and the Knicks for the win. And speaking of the Liberty, despite being part of the Brooklyn Nets’ organization, they actually were instrumental in the Knicks win. 

Mayor Mamdani stayed up until 3:45 a.m. celebrating. He beat me by an hour, and I vow to do better next time. 

And the most important Jalen Brunson fan in the world, Mariska Hargitay, went on an absolute posting spree. I’m starting to think they might actually be in love. Sorry to Ali Brunson and Detective Stabler. 

…Such as this Spurs-Knicks NBA Finals, we get a documentary 10-20 years later. This time, we’ll be getting one much sooner, thanks to Ben Stiller, who has been shooting one from his courtside seat this entire time?! Is that legal? Who cares! 

Anytime I can sing the praises of Reddit, I will. And honestly, the same goes for Adidas. So, a Reddit AMA with the Global Category Director who helped design the World Cup national team kits for Adidas is kind of an obvious slam dunk for me. You’re welcome. 

Megan Reyes is the best jersey-styler this side of the Mississippi. I don’t really know which side of the Mississippi she’s on these days, but I’m sure that’s true. If you need help finding interesting ways to wear your World Cup kits, check her out. She does hats, too. And if you pay attention closely, you may just read an exclusive interview with her in OffBallFC one of these weeks.   

Kelsey Plum, UAre an Adidas athlete. The Sparks star left Under Armour earlier this year for stripier pastures, it seems. A move that wasn’t wholly surprising, considering she’s been leaving Easter eggs. 

New York City officially named June 11, 2026 “OG Anunoby Appreciation Day” for his big performance and, namely, his very clutch tip in to win game 4. Though, I don’t see why it can’t OG Anunoby Appreciation Day everyday…

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Jay Caspian King is a writer, director, podcaster, Tweeter extraordinaire. If you haven’t read his books, you’ve probably seen his posts, which spark virality like a toddler in daycare. I know him to be hilarious and biting, but also smart. Of course, until our conversation, I only knew him parasocially. Now, I know him a whole 36 minutes worth, which technically isn’t nothing! But he is someone I feel like I could chat to for hours on end. The two of us undoubtedly would end up in a misery spiral, because we seem to have similar temperaments and takes on the state of the world. I cut most of those serious and somber exchanges out and saved you only the good stuff on the World Cup and the NBA Finals. 

Ashtyn Butuso: I’m obviously a follower of yours, but I’m trying to understand, are you a Knicks hater?

Jay Caspian Kang: No, I don't really care….Okay, like, it's more funny than anything, I guess I want them to win. I got a lot of friends that I'd be—I think I'd be happy for.

It’s just basketball. It's a weird thing, this fandom. Not to get too deep about it, but it just feels like it’s people moving there and they decide that this is their place. Knicks fandom is like their way of confirming that, which I think is totally fine, but it does lead to some weird dynamics. Like, I don't believe you like it this much.

AB: You’re so locked into both the Finals and the World Cup, and you have smart takes, rooted in empirical evidence…

JCK: [Laughs] Is that true?

AB: Maybe not, but they’re true. And there’s a fervor there, and they are rooted in something, they’re smart. And I just want to talk about this significant moment right now that we're in, because the World Cup and the NBA Finals sort of rule everything. And I saw your tweet, I think it was today where you said, I need to take my daughter out of soccer because none of you guys care.

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JCK: Yes. That's a long-term fight for me. Basketball is the sport that I followed my whole life. And the one I care about the most by far. Soccer is relatively new. I found it about 10 years ago, but my kid plays a lot of soccer — she's only nine, but for the past four or five years, I've tried to support her by learning a whole lot about soccer. It's led to me watching a ton of soccer myself. And I've gotten very, very invested in that, both intellectually and emotionally, I guess.

AB: Well, as someone who did grow up playing soccer, and being an even bigger basketball fan, I have to say I would support her switching to basketball because the Europeans are tracking better than the Americans in the W right now. 

JCK: Yeah. Even in women’s soccer, in the last 10 years, the players on the U.S. team are good, but it's shifted too. I think the Guardian and ESPN both did individual lists of their top 200 or top hundred women's players in the world. I think in both of them, the highest-rated women's player from the U.S. was Emily Fox at like 26 or 27.

AB: : I don't even agree with that. Where was Naomi Girma?

JCK: I feel like she's always disrespected. She was like in the 80s or something. I'm like, how is she not the best defender in the world? But I feel like they watch more than I do, I don't know. 

AB: Yeah that stinks, and you're right. We’re here to talk men’s soccer though, and in terms of sports, this summer is wild. Which is more important to you right now, the World Cup or the Finals? 

JCK: I'm not doing much prioritization except for prioritizing watching everything over the other stuff I'm supposed to be doing. I think that maybe the Finals is not so exciting, and that maybe it would not seem like the two were in competition. Because the World Cup is such a big deal.

AB: I wrote a piece the other day about why we should care about the U.S. men's national team, because above all, I think it's just fun to have a dog in the race and to care about something. We do that for every other sport in international competition, and when it comes to men’s soccer sometimes we go “Ew!” Why is that?  

JCK: It's a good question. We don't have that problem with the women. I just think it's because there are lowered expectations for the team always. But can you have a more successful American player that Christian Pulisic? I don't think so. But…let’s say they win [on Friday]. And then they win again, I think there'll be a lot of excitement for the team. They obviously have a real fan base, but it just always felt kind of cultish to me.

AB: We know your prickliest takes on New York fandom now, and I know you aren’t Wemby’s biggest fan. 

JCK: With Wemby there's this obvious thing that could happen with him where he comes back and they win and he's had the ultimate arc. Now he’s kind of spat on and he’s having eggs thrown at him and being harassed, being called a dirty player and having people turn on him finally, after being this golden child for the first three years in the league where everybody just kind of unabashedly loved him so fast and he had to go through this.

And I kind of don't want that to happen because I feel like it would be too soon. I want this to take place over years. That's the normal life cycle of an NBA player is that it takes like five, six years for them to get to that point. I just want the normal order not to be disrupted by this guy just because he's so tall.

And losing to the Knicks and having his first dose of hatred will make him a more likable player in a lot of ways. LeBron went through this obviously where he goes to Miami and everyone hates him. And then by the time he got to Cleveland and wins in 2016, a lot of people have switched. 

AB: Why can't a player just be liked their whole career? 

JCK: I actually think that [the Spurs] might win. But if he won this year, the coronation would happen too soon. I'd be disappointed because I was more hoping that I could enjoy this with this guy for years. You know, you gotta have intense feelings about them to truly love them.

AB: You’re making me think of “The Last Black Man In San Francisco” where he says, “You don't get to hate it unless you love it,” except you’re giving “you don’t get to love it unless you hate it,” which is a hilarious reversal. What are you loving or hating about this World Cup?

JCK: The question that I've had about the World Cup the whole time, is: Will the political questions with it actually show up? When the World Cup was in Qatar, for example, between all the people that died making these stadiums and the obvious corruption that was happening within FIFA, once the actual tournament started, like nobody even remembered that it was in Qatar, right?

And so I was wondering if that would happen again with the World Cup here. Because you have all these scandals around Trump and visas and then also the crazy way they priced all the tickets and the fact that it seems like nobody really wants to go to a lot of these games now in the States. And I imagine that it's probably just going to go away like that. People will start to get into the tournament and it won't be an issue. 

There is a sportswashing question that you can ask there: Do the politics of these things actually end up mattering when the event itself is so appealing?

AB: What is the most appealing part for you? Who are you excited to watch? 

JCK: The team that I was most invested in is Portugal. They have the best midfield in the world by far. And then they're passing it out to like Cristiano Ronaldo, who, at least through what we've seen so far, just seems to be intent on ball hogging and trying to score goals for himself.

Is Cristiano Ronaldo going to destroy his own country’s odds at a World Cup by being so crazy and selfish? And that answer seems to be, yes.

AB: What’s soccer’s stance on Shakira being music’s face of the World Cup right now? Too much of her, not enough, just the right amount? 

JCK: I feel like all the World Cup songs that she has done are not really World Cup songs, which I know that other people have said, but I just find it really interesting because it's clear they're kind of thinking, well, who would be the least offensive person that we could put out there that seemingly represents all the cultures of the world?

[Laughs] I guess, kind of ethnically, you would be like: Where is she from? Is she from the Middle East? [Is she] Asian? South America? Is she from Spain? You may not really know. 

AB: [Laughs] She’s Colombian! 

JCK: Is she Algerian? Like, I don't know. What [other reason] would it be? I will say, my kids love Shakira. For the World Cup songs, like, they're dancing around.

After last night’s Knicks-Spurs game, there was a lot of talk about what it means to be a casual fan vs. a real fan. It’s a topic I love to talk about ad nauseum, but lucky for you, I’m not really here to give takes on it (for once). 

Perhaps that’s because the celebrities are doing the heavy lifting for me. 

Selena Gomez, for instance, who is perhaps the most notable Spurs fan on the planet, threw subtle shade on her IG story when she said it was funny how so many people were suddenly Knicks fans. Interestingly enough, her Pennsylvania-born, Cleveland-rooting bestie was at the game in orange and blue with the most LA people in the arena, the Haim sisters.  

Monica McNutt had something to say about that from the booth. And eventually had something else to say about it on TMZ — that something else being an apology. 

And Noah Kahan made fun of the whole situation by calling himself out for being a long-time Knicks fan since May. 

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Probably the remarkable thing to me was the sheer volume of celebrities at MSG for Game 4. Sydney Sweeney was six rows back. The Jonas Brothers were in peasant seats. 

In Barcelona for the Grand Prix? Follow this city guide. 

Collab with an opp.  

Watch this and then call your grandpa.

Our team has been going deep on the internet since the moment we launched. Every day, twice a day, we pore through the world wide web to mine the best content and stories across the internet, the stuff we’re all talking about. And we put it all here, on the homepage. It’s been a great system. 

Today, that’s changing – but just a little bit. We’re moving all of our curation muscle to our shiny new Substack here. Now, that’s where we are putting all of the internet’s best s***. Because now that we’ve been creating some of the best s***, too, we decided the treasure trove of original content should live on our homepage.  

Every day, at precisely 10pm ET, our OffBall editors will keep our Substack active with daily posts of all the best content, our favorite creators, and highlight all the exciting conversation around sports – you know, like how we do. 

And our homepage will now be a hub of the best of OffBall content. Like OffBall FC which we just launched with Daniel-Yaw Miller and Madison Hammond, have you heard? And this newsletter, written by me. And, of course, all our great social content at OffBall and Celebrity Row IG channels.  

OffBall was born from a simple premise: to find and celebrate all the good s*** on the internet. A task that has become increasingly difficult amidst the tyranny of the algorithm, but one we are happy to do. It ain’t much, but someone’s gotta do it!

So subscribe to our Substack Daily Digest, go check out all the good stuff we’ve been up to here and of course, continue to send us all your favorite work to platform and tell all your friends! 

…It’s mandated by the city, so if you live in New York, you’re technically breaking the law if you don’t abide by it. And if you’re still searching for a Game 4 watch party, there’s an app for that. But also, here’s one in Central Park. Here’s another outside of MSG (you’ll need a ticket). I imagine the parties are open to Spurs fans, but please everyone stay safe. 

Looks like I gotta get Roku, because I can’t miss “Gamechangers: America’s Top 25 Female Athletes,” Roku, Omaha Productions, and others came TOGETHXR to produce an hour-long special documenting the impact of the greatest female athletes of all time. Reply to this with your Roku login. 

Time has released its 100 Most Influential People in Sports of 2026, (even though it’s only June and it seems like they do this 3x a year) and the list is chalk full with great personalities and profiles. LeBron, Eileen, Jannik, A’ja. Even you made the cut! Just kidding, no you didn’t. 

Since her retirement, Sue Bird has been instrumental in telling women’s sports stories, and that’s never going to change, even if she says she will never play basketball again in this Women’s Health piece by Amanda Lucci. She also talks about her breakup with Megan, so you’re gonna want to click on it. 

I’m at the Knicks watch party, I’m at the Chanel-hosted Tribeca Festival Artists Dinner, I’m at the combination Knicks watch party/Chanel-hosted Tribeca Festival Artists Dinner. I wasn’t, but every celebrity from Keke Palmer and Cole Escola to Ayo Edebiri and Robert DeNiro celebrated the Knicks’ final appearance with the French luxury label. 

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“Go Off” is a special edition of our daily newsletter, featuring my thoughts, takes, and general vibes, presented to OffBall readers every Wednesday.

When it comes to sports merchandise for women, gone are the days of pinking it and shrinking it. The ante has been upped by brands like DANNIJOPRO. The white space — as sisters and founders of DANNIJOPRO, Danielle and Jodie Snyder, referred to the merch space they built a brand to exist in — is now filled with eye-popping upcycled versions of the old and more traditional gear. I’m a jacket-carrying member of their fanclub, and I’m thrilled there’s a brand like DANNIJOPRO with league and team licenses, because you can tell they really care about producing something special. 

This isn’t your grandpa’s merch. 

For the sisters, their love of upcycling began at a young age. “We taught ourselves as kids to play with our dad's medical tools and instead of using arteries and veins, we used wires and beads. We started a jewelry company called DANNIJO that we launched in 2008, known for statement jewelry,” Danielle told me.

While Jodie’s been a long-time sports fan (their family has had Jacksonville Jaguars season tickets since ‘95), Danielle began to understand the power (and therapy) of sports when her husband started taking her to Golden State Warriors games. 

“I realized there was nothing cool to wear to these games, so I started cutting up my husband's old jerseys and ordering things on eBay, adding crochet collars, stitch work, crystal work, and glitter,” Danielle said.

Fellow fans flooded her with questions about where to purchase them and the rest is history. 

“Especially in the world we live in now, with AI and everybody wanting fast fashion — sports is one thing where, if you're a fan, you're always a fan. We love sports, but we also want to look good and love what we're wearing. It's an expression of yourself,” Jodie said. 

DANNIJOPRO customers are “sport-ish” — they may not know the entire roster, but they understand the importance of community in sports and the excitement of the competition, and perhaps above all else, the power of storytelling in fashion. 

“Our greatest inspiration is sort of the cross-pollination of sport, right? So this idea that we’re having fun with the female lens,” Danielle told me. 

Speaking of expression, the founders say no one does it like New York. We spoke before the historic playoff run, but even at that time, the best selling team was the Knicks. You’d be hard-pressed to sit courtside at MSG and not see someone in DANNIJOPRO, in fact. Allison Williams, Susan Sarandon, Leslie Jones, Brooke Shields, even Buddy Hield, they’re all doing it. 

The brand sent me their Half-Court Coat, and I’ve worn it so much, it’s actually given me reason to rejoice the lack of summer we’ve had in NYC. Plus, if I ever run into Susan Sarandon, we’ll be matching. Life’s all about perspective, you know.

Live from the World Cup: foreigners are discovering all America has to offer. It’s mostly food (like this Quesadilla Explosion Salad from Chilis, which I’m now learning is a real thing), gorgeous greenery, and strip clubs, at least for German soccer fan @FreddyLA7 on X. 

He’s (I’m assuming gender here, but forgive me if I’m incorrect) currently going viral for taking a road trip (with a World Cup replica trophy) through the States to learn all about our culture. And although I disagree at the metro in Atlanta is scary, I can see the comparison to a GTA lobby. 

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So far he’s seen the USMNT play Germany in a friendly, Taco Bell, and Stranger Things. 

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He’s learned about Walmart, Waffle House, the Chattahoochee River, and the burden of American choice.

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He’s headed to an Auburn game and then Houston for Germany’s next game. 

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He’s getting free DoorDash, B-Dubs, and engagement from HOF American footballers, even if he doesn’t know it. 

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And they say Americans have no culture…

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…Came out of Rikers Island. And from the pen of Bryan Armen Graham of The Guardian,  who spent Game 1 of the NBA Finals at a watch party with residents of one of America’s most infamous prisons, where basketball briefly collapsed “the distance between the island and the city beyond the bridge.” It’s only Monday, but this will be your week’s must-read.

You can buy Taylor Swift’s Eastern Conference Finals chair on The Realest. We are saying sentences that have never been said before. 

I love Caitlin Clark, but I’ve been #noticing all of the #discourse, and I fear we need to get a PR professional up in here. Or maybe we get her a nap. Many others agree, for what it’s worth. I think we can all agree Clark is under a microscope and she’s understandably tired. Anyway, I am #monitoring the situation. 

The hottest new online game is called “82-0,” and I absolutely suck at it. The premise goes: You spin a wheel and build an all-time NBA roster based on the era and team you get. Easy peasy! Not for some of us, though. 

Back in my day, we walked 15 miles in the snow (uphill both ways) to prom. Now, thanks to NIL, kids are spending $80,000 on their prom experience. You can’t take it with you, I guess!  

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Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, Mikal Bridges, (and you know what? Ryan Arcidiacono and Donte DiVincenzo too) are college basketball's last major export from the pre-NIL-transfer-portal era. They’re a shining example of how players of yore could find success in the league. You know, when players would spend years on the same team, learning and growing and being goofy together. 

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One could argue that it’s largely because of the Nova Knicks’ chemistry that the Knicks are where they are. Said chemistry began taking shape while they were becoming men themselves; their pre-frontal lobes in those formative development years. And yes, also because KAT is a monster, but I already named my cat after him, so let me pay my dues to the rest of the Knicks real quick.

I married into VIllanova fandom. My husband went to Villanova, and we’ve been to many a Big East tournament game at the Garden, games in Philly, and now, Knicks games, which still manage to feel like Nova games. We go to the alumni games and get the commemorative Nova X Knicks merch and wear it around town with pride. I’ve been wearing a 2018-era Jalen Brunson Nova jersey for my Finals game watches. 

This is still one of the best commercials of all time in my opinion. Special shout out to how Donte is body-acting with his shoulders to look extra sad.

Plus, not to be dramatic, but they’re impossible not to love. 

There’s a reason Josh Hart — who I am always so surprised to hear was the bully in college, and got in actual fights with Mikal and Donte — is named Hart. Hoarding all the rebounds and providing all the levity, he’s sugar, spice, and everything nice.  

@nextgen_sports

Josh Hart- Funniest NBA Players #knicks #nba #joshhart #newyork #msg

Jalen Brunson was drafted lower than his Nova teammates. And he’s more clutch than Michael Jordan right now (I’m not making that up), but most importantly, he knows where his teammates shine and what role he can play in lifting them. Like the best podcast hosts (and he is, which you already know if you listen to the “Roommates Show” obviously), Jalen is dry so that Josh can be the personality. Off the court, he’s providing the setup so others can have the punchline. On the court, he’s fighting through 10 injuries and getting zooted off enough toradol to tranquilize a zoo animal. 

Mikal knows his role, too. Silent but deadly. Banter isn’t a prereq for him. His only job is to make three-pointers and eat Chipotle.

Together, the three of them are magic. And the four of them would have even more magical, the greatest team that never was. I watch the GQ interviews for fun all the time — can’t recommend those enough.

They each have their own things. While we beg for morsels and tiny BTS moments of our favorite players, the Nova Knicks willingly let us into their hobbies and interests. Josh has wine and candy, Jalen has Justin Bieber and Law & Order: SVU. And again, Mikal has Chipotle. 

They’re the perfect pairing for the city they reside in. The Nova Knicks are each other’s chosen family, in a city chock full of micro-communities where neighbors find their chosen families, too. 

And by the way, when I say Nova Knicks, I’m also including the literal Pope. 

Grab yourself a big giant cup of coffee, because we’re gonna need the energy. Although, I do need to offer a disclaimer that no matter how much coffee I consume, I will not be able to personally match Paraguay energy. 

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While the rest of the world is mad (????) at the kick times, we’re scheduling our lives around the games.

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I am once again asking you to root for the USMNT, because we have nothing better to do, but also because they need us. 

I’m also once again reminding you that it’s hilarious that each team is stationed in a random city in America. Like Spain in Chattanooga. Ghana in Smithfield, Rhode Island. Morocco in Basking Ridge, New Jersey. Scotland in Charlotte. Argentina in Kansas City, Kansas. England, in Kansas City, Missouri. The list goes on.

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Here are all 48 teams stories. Italy and Nigeria, look away.  

Spain is the official favorite. According to computers, that is. 

But Curacao is officially becoming the fan favorite. 

Don’t forget to subscribe to our soccer newsletter for updates allllllll tournament long!

@offball.news

Get to know Wemby’s younger brother, Oscar 👽 📍 @adidas Eurocamp with @Aliya Kisivo (Kae) @oscarwemb

…But no one told that to the fan who rushed onto the court during Game 1 of the NBA Finals. The fan, who forgot to take his jacket off despite having written something on his t-shirt (we’ll never know what it said I guess), and failed to get Wemby’s head in the shot, risked it all for this footage. Come on, man, this is why God created photography tutorials on YouTube.

Are these Knicks inevitable? Maybe it’s too early to tell, but their star power is inevitable. Vanity Fair’s Dan Adler tells a story about how celebrity City slickers are taking over San Antonio, having already vanquished The ATL, Philly and Believeland. 

Some of the most integral teammates are not on the roster at all. The wives and girlfriends of these NBA Finals are famous in their own right, and some of them even ball, too. Meet the WAGS of the Finals here.

By now, you’ve seen the Manhattan subway station entrance (by now you have probably also noticed all of our top links are about the NBA Finals) enameled in Knicks orange and blue, and I know some of you detail-oriented freaks out there were wondering how they got the exact color match so fast. Fast Company’s Hunter Schwarz has the story here. Real journalism lives! 

Jalen Brunson has the clutch gene, but Karl-Anthony Towns was Game 1’s coolest KAT (cooler even than my kat), captivating the most hater-hearted fans from Boston and LA. His cameo in “The Devil Wears Prada 2” and its confluence with the Knicks seemingly eternal win streak had already won the internet. But it has nothing on this now-viral postgame interview in which he said he felt his mom watching him play. 

Why do we care so much about Wemby crying? The Spurs aren’t shedding tears about this series just yet, but it would be fine if they did, says Katie Heindl in this SB Nation piece. I personally love a good cry. I’m crying right now, even. 

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As a member of the San Felipe Pueblo, Utah Royals midfielder Madison Hammond (writer, too, of the outstanding new Wednesday OffBallFC newsletter) is the first Native American athlete in the NWSL, and she’s laying the ground for future generations of Indigenous athletes. 

Hammond’s rich heritage made her the obvious candidate to help Nike co-design their 2026 N7 Collection — an initiative that provides support and sports programming to kids in Native American and Aboriginal communities. She was moved and surprised that one of the world’s biggest sports brands wanted to tell her culture’s story in that way. But that’s not because it isn’t already a story worth being told.

“There is a beauty within our [Indigenous] communities that can be amplified in the mainstream,” Hammond told me in an interview this week. “Our relationships with each other, with our families, with our beliefs, are a great example of loyalty and pride, which I feel like are two things that have really elevated my career. It’s not that our stories need to be elevated as a charity case, but they need to be recognized as a true addition to culture.”

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The collection, which evokes the Southwest through the incorporation of colors representing Indigenous motifs like Pueblo architecture, water, clay, and mountains, is a stunner. “With this collection, I made one thing clear going into it: I wanted it to be a dope representation of us in a way that was not tokenized,” Hammond says.

For her, the color schemes and concepts remind her of her New Mexico home, and for Indigenous people that extends far beyond memories and nostalgia.

“The intangible power that comes from home has supported me as an athlete in a way that I didn't really fully appreciate until I was later into my career, but it's that sense of home traditions, customs, and beliefs that really has grounded me,” she says.

Her favorite pieces (mine, too, for what it’s worth, which I know is basically nothing) of the collection are the P-6000 sneakers and the jersey. Check out the N7 collection here. 

Gabby Golf Girl, or Gabriella DeGasperis, is a teenaged content creator-slash-trick shot connoisseur with over 1.5 million followers across her social accounts. She’s making golf accessible and fun to audiences whose desks it may never have come across otherwise. And she’s amassed such popularity, she’s drawn the eyes (and collaboration) of athletes like Stephen Curry.

And D’Angelo Russell. 

Her interview style is breezy and conversational, and her video concepts are fresh, like when she traveled to Texas A&M and challenged a frat house to a little one-on-one. And she gets really technical about the game in her videos, but not in a way that feels intimidating to a newbie.

At 18, she’s a natural on camera, but that’s probably because she’s already been creating content for five years (and playing golf since she was five). What started as posting daily golf workout videos, eventually turned into 260,000 YouTube subscribers, 253,000 followers on TikTok, and 1.1 Million on Instagram.

Quiz your friends.

Listen to the soothing sounds of basketball, by the world’s greatest composer (in my humble opinion) Nicholas Brittel and rapper Nas.

Go shopping, soccer fans!

…How about a wagon? The Knicks’ bandwagon has room to spare. It always has room to spare! Come sit next to me (it just won’t be at this Knicks watch party.) Then again, the Spurs are the youngest NBA finals squad ever. Choices, choices. Just make yours before 8:30 p.m. Eastern!

WFH is old news. Now, it’s all about WFB (Work From Bar), thanks to Stella Artois. For the duration of the World Cup, the Belgian beer brand is allowing New Yorkers to expense their drinks on matchdays from local bars. Stella Artois, if you are reading this, I love your work. And I will be participating. Don’t tell my boss, who is surely reading this right now. 

“The Baklava Guy outside of Knicks game is finally getting the attention he deserves.” -A real sentence I said today. Basically, his deal is baklava. Outside of MSG. Read more here. 

Natalie Nakase said the Valkyries was poly. Well, kinda. According to Maya Goldberg-Safir of the “Rough Notes” Substack, the WNBA doesn’t have true rivalries the way other sports do. Because everyone’s your enemy when no one’s your friend. 

Thanks to the big names like Sinner and Alcaraz, men’s tennis has always been fun. But thanks to their absences from most (and all) of the French Open, along with early adieus from such big names as Novak Djokovic and Taylor Fritz, men’s tennis has been arguably more fun, in an unhinged way, at least. Flavio Cobolli forever. 

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“Go Off” is a special edition of our daily newsletter, featuring my thoughts, takes, and general vibes, presented to OffBall readers every Wednesday.

This week, there was so much discussion on social media about whether Americans should root for the USMNT in the World Cup. I love an international competition, and even though I wouldn't describe myself as super patriotic in most settings, I am a devout supporter of Team USAs of all types. I’m sorry if that somehow rubs you the wrong way (lol), but let me give some context, then I’ll explain why I think the American thing to do is to be fully bought into the USMNT.  

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I believe the conversation all began thanks to the above tweet (no shade to the Tweeter), and it got me thinking. 

Are Americans resistant to supporting American men because the team sometimes underperforms and we feel they should be punished for that? Sometimes I hear people say “they’re so bad, it’s embarrassing” or whatever. To me, that logic doesn’t track. The very people who shame fair-weather fans are going to shame a team because they aren’t the best in the world? Do we have some God-given right to being the cream of the crop of every sport? Nay! Have we only the capacity to care about a sport that is intrinsically American, like baseball or the NFL? Naur! 

One of our favorite pastimes is projecting a hard, gritty demeanor in every situation possible. And historically, there’s little we love more than an underdog story. We even love pretending we’re the underdog. How often has someone like Tom Brady or LeBron said “no one believed in us”? 

Plus, when it comes to Team USA basketball (men’s, women’s), or Team USA hockey (again men’s, women’s) the entire country rallies around them. What is it about giving American soccer the same treatment that feels in opposition to our core values? Nothing, I say! Got ‘em!!! 

And maybe the haters are apprehensive about rooting for the home team because of politics. There I say heresy, once more!

No matter where you sit on the political spectrum, I’ve got bad news about who some of your athletes align themselves with politically. Mostly, athletes barely know politics exist. And there’s a chance, regardless of your persuasion, their politics are not your politics, anyways. Whether that makes you happy or frustrated, it’s true. 

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And if your final argument, because I have ripped your other two to shreds with my ironclad logic, is that they are boring, well… I can help with that. I’ve got storylines for you. I’ll even stop being mean for the duration of this newsletter.

First up, midfielder Sebastian Berhalter. The son of Gregg Berhalter (who is a polarizing figure, I agree) is a blast on the mic (and by that I mean in interviews, but also in karaoke and on TikTok). 

@betches.sports

brb trying to figure out how to make @Sebastian Berhalter’s vuvuzela impression my ringtone

Midfielder Gio Reyna and defender Joe Scally go way back like car seats and spinal cords. Their chemistry is off the charts this year, especially, because they play together for German football club, Borussia Monchengladbach (please don’t spell check me on that). Even their dogs are best friends.  

Center back Chris Richards might not play because he’s nursing an injury, but he’s on the roster, and his fits will make an appearance one way or another. He’s very funny, too. 

Is it boring that forward Tim Weah and midfielder Weston McKennie have gone on the record multiple times to start beef with Italian and French people about their food? While they played in those countries, nonetheless? I think not. That’s one of the bravest (most insane) things you can do.  

And if you’re searching for some intensity, defender Antonee Robinson has got it for you. He can also do this??? 

If nothing else, support them for the Virgil Abloh Archive fits. 

This week, in my NYC studio, my hot yoga teacher told me to channel the Knicks’ persevering spirit, to be fueled by the doubters just like Jalen Brunson. A flight attendant on my husband’s flight into the City last night boldly proclaimed: “Welcome to New York, Knicks in 4.” One friend told me her musician girlfriend has a show during Friday’s Game 2, and the group chat shed a collective tear for her. Another friend sent me a screenshot of a message board for Upper East Side moms searching far and wide for tickets. 

Go for a 15-minute walk and you will receive no less than five unsolicited “Go Knicks” greetings. I tried to explain to my friends in Portland why I’m all in on the Knicks (aside from my husband having gone to Villanova) and they all called me a traitor. A bar on the UES is hedging their entire Game 1 night’s take on a Kalshi bet. Subway stations are painted blue and orange; Timbs hang from lightposts. 

This is what New York is right now. You wouldn’t even know Game 1 is in San Antonio. 

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And it’s not like San Antonio isn’t showing out right now. 

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It’s the silly little guys, the poets, the “dumplings come to life,” the guys watching horror movies to unwind versus the hustle guys, the heart guys, the-carrying-the-weight-of-the-most-anticipatory-city-in-history on their shoulders guys. 

The Knicks’ Jordan Clarkson is from San Antonio, the Spurs’ Julian Champagnie is from Brooklyn (which means we legally have to call him Prosecco). Both want to rip the heart out of their hometowns. 

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Even before we’ve tipped off, these NBA Finals feel like history. And no matter what happens tonight, no matter which team Jeremy Sochan gets his ring for, from the Riverwalk to Riverside park, you can feel how much this means. 

…Is FINALLY almost over. Season 8 premieres tomorrow, and I watch it as religiously as I watch my favorite teams in the playoffs, so I will be seated and open to be pulled into chats. This season it will be extra sporty, because it will feature an actual Paralympian. Pepe and Chris WHO? (No offense). 

If you want to believe in love again, delete the apps and get a baseball video game, like Defector’s Luis Paez-Pumar did. To be clear, you will be in love with baseball, not a person, but whatever, love is love!  

The Chiefs have many famous fans, and many of those famous fans have a group chat. Here’s what Eric Stonestreet, Jason Sudeikis, David Koechner, Heidi Gardner, and Paul Rudd are talking about in it. And here’s this quasi-famous Chiefs fan’s official submission for admittance. 

Under Armour has been making some surprising moves lately, like cutting bait with Kelsey Plum and Stephen Curry. But while their basketball footprint has disappeared, their football footprints are deeper than ever, thanks to the Bayou King. 

In courtside news, Adam Sandler has apparently found his WNBA team, and they aren't in New York. Also, fans are speculating we’re going to get Justin Bieber courtside at MSG for the finals, which means Jalen Brunson would probably score about 3,000 points. 

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I don’t usually take this approach in the newsletter, but there were sooooooo many sporty things over the weekend, I’m going to put on my writer’s (re)cap here, for all of us. 

Roland-Garros is really (literally) heating up (it’s been deathly hot), but sadly most of the crowd faves have been 86’d (I’ve always wanted to say 86’d — no idea what it means). Coco Gauff lost, Sinner’s out, Djokovic was defeated by teenager Fonseca, Shelton’s out, Anisimova was upset–you get the point. But the fits have been fun. 

Frances Tiafoe, you’re our last hope. Just don’t get in a fight. 

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Arsenal fans were nursing their wounds after losing to PSG in penalty kicks (I streamed it from a yacht in the middle of the Hudson River, more on that below). Is this a fair way to decide a final? I don’t know, does it seem likely to change? No. Should we just accept it as our reality? I vote yes. Anyway, sorry to my colleague, Dan, who was there, and will have to write about this in our just-launched OffBall FC newsletter. And fans of other Premiere League teams were ecstatic. Like Josh Hart.

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Speaking of France winning stuff, the Knicks will meet Wemby and the Spurs in San Antone for Game 1 on Wednesday. The Spurs defeated the Thunder, and everyone on X decided it was a matter of literal war and fascism?

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You know, even I, a longtime OKC defender, will not be touching that subject. Paige Bueckers was there, for reasons I still don’t understand, but fully support regardless. And the best part about all of this is that Jeremy Sochan is getting a ring either way. A nice consolation for the Arsenal stan. 

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The same can be said about a Filipino champion, by the way. 

After Jeremy getting a ring no matter what, the second best part was this meme.

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And, back to the yacht part, because it’s about me, but also because it’s about me on a yacht. The U.S. Sail GP Team invited me aboard their spectator yacht for a big race weekend in NYC this week. The race (which is described as a Formula 1 Grand Prix race on water) was disrupted by a little something called the elements — who forgot to put “be chill” on their calendar for the weekend. It was so windy (how windy was it?!) that the crane that drops the thirteen boats into the water could only manage to get four into the soup. And after a nosedive by the Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds-owned Australian team, there were three. It really made for a unique experience, I’ll tell you what. 

Anyway, the great news from the weekend was that the U.S. Team (which has the first and only female grinder on any Sail GP boat, by the way) looked fresh as hell, thanks to Tommy Hilfiger. 

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And Stewie was there for the pre-race pageantry. 

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I’ll keep this brief, and I’m going to try to talk about other stuff in the coming days, but all I want to do right now is watch Knicks and Spurs fan edits. Lucky for me, HoopTok is delivering. 

If you’re excited for the 1999 Finals (and also NBA Cup) watch this one. Or this one. 

Here’s this one, for KnickTokkers. And this one for those in the Avril Lavigne x Jalen Brunson/Josh Hart Venn diagram. Because Jalen Brunson is literally lowering the crime rate.

For the fan of “lofi beats to study to” here you go. 

Spurs fans, you’ve got a treasure trove of edits, thanks to Wemby (and very talented editors). If you click any links in this section of the newsletter, let it be that one. 

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…“Off Campus” rejoice! Season 2 plans have been revealed and, speaking as someone who binged Season 1 in like three days, I’d say things are moving in the right direction. For the readers in the chat, they plan to skip book two and go straight to book three. I don’t know how to read so that means nothing to me but you know.

Speaking of hockey romance (Why does it feel like this is the only thing I talk about anymore? Does anyone want to hang out in real life?), the unaffiliated-with-Heated-Rivalry “Heated Rivalry: The Unauthorized Musical Parody” reviews are in. And they’re great. 

Speaking of heated things (sorry, at least I’m moving off hockey romcoms), it’s too damn hot at the French Open. The players (and fans) are dropping like flies. Online armies are calling for someone to address “the heat issue” which, feels like a bigger problem than Roland-Garros can solve, but maybe if we all keep recycling…

Speaking of other heated things (sorry again, but I’m on a, um, heater), San Antonio vs. OKC is starting to manifest Texas-Oklahoma football rivalry vibes. However, Shai vs. Everyone on the Internet is a rivalry that I (and Molly Morrison) simply will not stand for any longer. 

Speaking of…things, here’s one last thing. We launched OffBall FC, a soccer storytelling platform written by my colleague Daniel-Yaw Miller and pro NWSL-er Madison Hammond. Give us a follow here. Give us a subscribe here. Plus, we’ve got a special Champions League final takeover happening here. 

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I’ve been lightly stalking Mina Kimes for a few weeks. That’s not totally true, but it’s not totally not true either. And it’s good for clicks. The real version is I have been hitting her up once a week or so, asking if she’d pretty pretty please chat with me, because she’s one of my personal GOATs, and I fully believe that few people have the insight and perspective to lend, say, a sports culture newsletter that she does. Anyways, Mina found time in her busy schedule to chat with me about many things very near and dear to her heart, including hosting the Scripps National Spelling Bee, her love of geography, and the Mariners’ eternal World Series quest. But first… “Celebrity Jeopardy.”

Ashtyn Butuso: How long was it a dream of yours to win Jeopardy?

Mina Kimes: I could argue I built my entire career purely so that I could somehow backdoor my way into “Celebrity Jeopardy.” I hate telling people, by the way, that I was on “Celebrity Jeopardy” because their first reaction is, "You're not a celebrity." The reason I was on this season, which was All-Stars, was because I was on the prior season, and I had won [but] I really kicked myself about how that one went over for a while. So this was a little bit of a redemption tour for me.

AB: How was it facing a friend in Katie Nolan? 

MK: I do love that it is a little bit of a document of our friendship because they got to show a few moments of us talking. It was just fun to be on TV with my friend again because we hadn't been on TV together in so long.

AB: It feels there are some parallels between the spelling bee and Jeopardy.

MK: I think there's a lot of connective fiber. Obviously, they're both competitions that involve knowledge and academics, right? But also, there's a lot you can prepare for in both, that I think is surprising to folks. When people watch Jeopardy, they think you either know it or you don't. And certainly that's part of it, but there's so much that goes into strategy and wagering and buzzing and there's ways you can prepare for it that are sort of deceptive or maybe not well-known. 

And I think the same thing applies to the spelling bee. Obviously, being good at memorizing stuff is important, but we all have spellcheck. We all have access to the internet. But as I've spent more time watching it and learning a little bit about how these kids prepare and get there, I've learned that it's far more about critical thinking and problem solving. The kids now don't just know the words, they know how they're built. They know what a lot of them mean. There's vocab rounds. I think when you watch, [you see] it's a game within the game, then you start recognizing patterns and how they're using deductive reasoning. It's similar to football for me. 

AB: So, I have a feeling you’d be really good at MapTap and GeoSports and all the games.

MK: I grew up competing in geography bees. I grew up all over the country. My dad was in the military and geography was really important in my family, knowing the capital of every country in the world, things like that. I play this game every day called Quintumble which is a 5x5 grid game of letters and I have a couple friends who, that's all we do! Every day we just text each other our Quintumble score.

The best kind of friendship is one where you just send each other a single game. I think these games really are more social than any social network right now, right? I have actual friendships with people who I just play games with.

AB: Obviously you've achieved every professional goal, because of your formidable sports TV stardom. But what are other goals? 

MK: That's really sweet of you to say. I'll say one that's directly a goal. I want to bring back the geography bee, which stopped in, I think, 2020. National Geographic stopped putting it on…As somebody who's really passionate about geography and who grew up doing geography bees…

AB: …I didn’t even know about this! 

MK: … Alex Trebek used to host it, by the way! Similar to spelling, learning about geography is more important than ever. I would love to do that. In terms of my actual job, I would love to play a role in helping more women talk about the game either on podcasts or on television. I've been doing this now for close to a decade and there's still not that many of us. Especially because there's so many female football fans, period, and that's a number that continues to grow every year.

AB: Pivoting without any good segue, I like to ask everyone what their biggest fear is. What’s yours?

MK: The Mariners never making it to a World Series in my lifetime. It's not looking great right now…and I have a two-and-a-half-year-old son and I live not super far from Dodger Stadium and I sometimes look at him and I'm like, did I just curse you with a lifetime of baseball misery? 

AB: That's if he's a Mariner fan. What if he betrays you and changes his mind?

MK: He probably will, because I've learned in my limited time as a parent, trying to get your kids to do anything is a fool's errand. And so I'll say that and then I'll also say global warming [laughs].

AB: Ok… on a more positive note. You are someone whose taste I admire. Tell me what you are reading so I know what to read next. 

MK: I just read “Kin” by Tayari Jones, which is a very popular piece of fiction about two female friends in the American South. It's very, very beautifully written. I devoured it. Next on my list is “American Hagwon,” by my friend Min Jin Lee who wrote the book “Pachinko.” It’s super long but you'll just tear through it. Oh, I'm actually also reading, for obvious reasons, “Bee Season” by Myla Goldberg, which is about a girl who competes in a spelling bee. 

AB: What is so special about the spelling bee, for those who aren’t familiar? 

MK: As I've done the prep, not only am I excited to dive into the how — and I really want to do the spelling bee like we talk about football on NFL Live — but I've also been reading the dossier of these kids as I try to learn more about them and their names, and you just fall in love with every single one of them. They're also 12 and it really shows up. It'll be this kid who knows the first thousand digits of pi and last year he was bitten by a pig. The fun facts are just so great.

AB: So it’s kind of giving Little League World Series in that way.

MK: Yes! Exactly.

You should really try to make it to Cannes Lions, if you Cannes. 

Why, you ask? What a great question. Cannes Lions is a five-day extravaganza where you can connect with some of the biggest marketers and executives and brands in the world. And, for two of those days, their programming will revolve around sports. Let’s call it, LIONS Sport. 

Got any other questions? Save them for my favorite track girlie and World Champion, Tara Davis-Woodhall, who’ll be speaking on a panel with Kayla Green, Founder and CMO of ATHLOS, about how to capture next gen fans. 

Speaking of capturing next gen fans, part of that mission will require keeping girls in sports, something we all need to lock in on. “Mamas, don’t let your babies grow up to quit sports!” -F1 pioneer and legend Susie Wolff, probably. Wolff will be leading a workshop on how to be actionable about change and progress when it comes to encouraging girls to stick to (playing) sports. 

And if you are someone that historically can’t handle the pressure, you’ll want to sit in on F1 racer George Russell teaching you the positive impact pressure can have on you, and how you can leverage it to sharpen your instincts and navigate that tissue-thin edge between good and great.. 

I don’t know about you, but I've been to Cannes before, and I'll do it again this year (threatening)! 

Read on here, then book your flight. 

Timepiece collectors and soccer fans alike: treat yourself. 

Knicks fans, treat yourselves. RIGHT NOW, I am so serious!!!!!!

Have a bbq, but please, whatever you do,make sure you don’t poison your teammates.

…We’re biased, but yes, it is. We’re so excited to announce something we’ve been cookin’ up for months behind the scenes. OffBall is going Offbol with today’s launch of OffBallFC, a new brand from OffBall focused on culture-first storytelling and activations in soccer. (Oh and also, NWSL player Madison Hammond is headlining the creative squad, no big deal).

Just in time for (but not limited to the duration of) the World Cup, we’ll be celebrating everything soccer (it’s okay to say soccer!) for the casual fan (like me, maybe you). And, just like this here newsletter and our website, the content will be curated and taste-driven. We’ll continue to forego AI slop, taste slop, global conflicts, and ticket prices, and deliver the compelling, feel-good stuff. That means all the fun stories, memes, content, and more. 

Madison and Daniel-Yaw Miller (you know him as the writer of my pesky kid brother newsletter, SportsVerse), will bottle all the ways soccer is influencing culture and send them to your inbox. Things like Olivia Rodrigo and Barcelona. The first ever World Cup Final halftime show. American investment in global clubs.

Sign up here. Like right now.

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“Go Off” is a special edition of our daily newsletter, featuring my thoughts, takes, and general vibes, presented to OffBall readers every Wednesday.

I’ve been quietly conducting a scientific study for a few months as I’ve noticed Arsenal support in the States seemingly skyrocket, and my findings, while not revolutionary (or even that scientific), are worth writing about. 

Nine years ago, this Reddit thread credited Thierry Henry for building an entire generation of Arsenal fans in this country. Fair, but I would wager we’ve seen a huge uptick in a new gen of Gunners. I attended an Arsenal-Man U match in January 2023, and while the atmosphere was electric, I admittedly didn’t have the context. I didn’t do the required reading. 

And because I’m a very casual Tottenham fan (it was a huge weekend for us, too, for other reasons…), all I knew was that I was supposed to have a strong disdain for this team that randomly had Dwight Howard leading them in pregame chants. I should have understood at the time that the fans next to us accusing us of being Man U fans “because we aren’t cheering for Arsenal” was shade, levied by some of the most devout, knowledgeable fans in the game. 

No shade but the kits are mostly unremarkable to me, and to a total outsider, they aren’t the obvious bandwagon pick. So why is everyone, diehards and casuals alike, seemingly an Arsenal fan? This is a question I often ask my North London Forever colleague Daniel-Yaw Miller, by the way. So, if soccer isn’t your sport, but you’ve noticed everyone and their dogs wearing this kit, here’s the reason. The mic is yours, Dan:

Arsenal has been and always will be the Culture Club, worldwide. It's the reason why when we won the Premier League last week, there were fan parades, parties, religious ceremonies, fake sick notes all concocted in the blink of an eye, not just in London, but in NYC, in Nairobi, in Tokyo, in Sydney. Arsenal is a team that transcends mere support for soccer itself. When speaking to Americans (occupational hazard), I always compare Arsenal to the Knicks. Until last week (when Arsenal finally went all the way and won something), Arsenal and the Knicks shared so many parallels in my eyes. Two iconic teams whose badges, logos, jerseys and visual identity bleed into street culture, music and fashion. Two iconic brands that are loved all the way from the hood to the box seats at the Emirates or celebrity row at MSG. Two teams with storied heritage, which have had years upon years of likeable rosters, yet so many times have come up short of championship glory. If Knicks fans are looking for solace from Arsenal's story, they're in luck: there is always light (and a Championship) at the end of the tunnel.

Ignoring the comment about speaking to Americans and moving on, his comparison of Arsenal to the Knicks, on the heels of the beloved NY team punching their ticket to the NBA Finals, is one of great coherence to a more casual soccer and diehard basketball fan like myself. Thank you for dumbing that down for us Yanks, Dan. 

Other comparisons have been made by other colleagues of mine (some said the Cowboys, another said the Yankees), but the Knicks makes the most sense to me. After years of devotion and, let's be real, anguish, both teams are having their moment in the sun. 

On Monday night I went to the New York Liberty game (don’t want to talk about the result), and immediately sprinted from Barclays Center to my neighborhood bar to be there when time ran out (not to brag but Google says its a nine-minute walk and we ran it in about three), and it was well worth it. No matter where you were in the city, you could feel a release of decades of disappointment. Rain fell after a 27-year drought. 

All week long I’ve been scrolling through party after party on social media. They’re celebrating the Arsenal Premier League win — the club’s first championship in decades, by the way — everywhere. From Ethiopia to London to Uganda to  New York. Also, they both claim the heart of Anne Hathaway. 

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This week, New York looked just like Emirates. Because Knicks fans, like Gunners, understand they’re a part of a community that shows out for their teams, and also for each other. That’s another thing I wouldn’t fully have understood if I didn’t live in New York. 

The other day I watched an interview with famously prickly tennis star Iga Swiatek, and she was beaming, laughing, charismatic. She was making jokes about hoping to attend Taylor Swift’s wedding, telling stories about challenging her coach to a volleying match for 100 euros, which caused him to tear his Achilles. It was a delight, and a far cry from her usual public persona. It was also my intro to this year’s French Open at Roland-Garros. And since then, not only have matches been on my TV non-stop, but the content on social has been good, too. 

Anna Kalinskaya brought her emotional support spectator, a.k.a. her dog to the stands.

I learned Coco Gauff brings nine rackets to her matches. And although it’s hotter than l’enfer, it’s nothing she can’t handle.

And that champions are made from clay. 

But also that clay is…bullsh*t. 

Flavio Cobolli can do this.

Aryna Sabalenka spent some much deserved downtime taking in the tourist spots.

Another year around the sun and I still don’t own the Lacoste tennis skirt bag. Devastating. 

Naomi Osaka and Taylor Townsend celebrated Black excellence. 

Jannik Sinner is working on a Lego Eiffel Tower.

And speaking of Taylors, Mr. Fritz was already upset, and so was Jessica Pegula. 

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Forward this to someone at the park hang today.

It’s pouring rain where I live, but I am told the spirit of summer is already alive for most everyone else in the country. If that’s the case for the city or burg you call home, congratulations, and please keep me in your thoughts and prayers. 

Since it’s a long weekend for most of you, I assume you’re out boatin’, bbqin’ and boozin’ (alcohol or not). But I know you’ll find the time to read your favorite newsletter, too. Don’t worry, I’ll be brief! 

This weekend was a lot of fun for so many of our favorites. The Canadian Grand Prix and Indy 500 were both lit, albeit a little wet. I stand with the people of Montreal and Indy, who are also having a rainy weekend.

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Almost as lit as the announcement we are making on socials tomorrow. Make sure to refresh your apps every 30 seconds, just to be safe. 

Even though they watched the Cavs lose, Taylor Swift’s hair looked amazing, and my GOAT tight end Travis Kelce proved he can chug a beer faster than yours.

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Richard Jefferson kept calling Taylor Swift “Travis’s girlfriend” and boy, people did not like it. I thought it was funny, and I’m sure Taylor would, too, but that’s a risk you take being the funny guy. 

Speaking of girlfriends, Livvy Dunne was in attendance for Pirates vs Blue Jays, and her boyfriend Paul Skenes didn’t have the best game, which led to lots of online fodder, as you can imagine.  

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The French Open is officially here, and some people are underwhelmed with Roland-Garros. 

My OffBall colleagues were in GQ to get you pumped for the World Cup, which officially begins in 17 days!!!! Can you believe it’s really happening!! I kind of can’t!! But let’s go!!  

Now get off your devices and go chill by the pool. See you back here for your regularly scheduled programming on Wednesday! 

…Aaron Rodgers might have some tips. The 42-year-old ayahuasca aficionado announced this will be his last year in the NFL, so Aaron fans, make sure to bid him adieu if plays in your city. What do we think life after football will look like? Perhaps he’ll have his own Shaolin Monk Summer?

Lyon and Barca sold out the Women’s Champions League final. The players aren’t thrilled, though, because the stadium in Oslo holds just 28,000 fans, and Barcelona historically sells out Camp Nou (about 90,000 capacity). Is this a step backwards? 

The Carolina Hurricanes have been on my mind lately, because of cost-slashing owner Tom Dundon (gulp) but also because they’re in the NHL’s Eastern Conference Finals right now, and thanks to tailgaters with truck-bed pools and crazy outfits, the Caniacs are bringing the college football vibe.  

The Dodgers are the best-run team in baseball, and the Dodgers controlling owner (billionaire Mark Walter) bought the Lakers late last year, so by the transitive property…the Lakers are the best team in basketball, right? Not exactly…yet. But maybe soon! 

Kenny Beecham, Madelyn Burke, Kevin Clark, Allie Clifton, John Wall, Renee Montgomery — whoops sorry, I almost just kept naming names, forgot I was making a point. Those are Awful Announcing’s 2026 rising media stars. It’s kind of a perfect list, to be honest.  Almost as perfect as their 2025  list.

We, at OffBall, have a big announcement waiting for you on the other side of Memorial Day Weekend. Just in time for the Champions League final and World Cup. That’s all we’re going to say. For now.

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Extry! Extry! Read all about it! The first F1 race on Netflix will take place this weekend! And if that doesn’t sound like a big deal to you, I don’t really care, because it is a big deal. Here’s why: 

Apple, Netflix’s direct competitor, said, ‘Girl, lay down your weapons because we’ve got way too much in common.’ Actually, I don’t know how the real conversation went, but that’s how I imagine it going. And the end result is that Apple TV gave Netflix broadcasting rights to certain races this year. Including this weekend’s Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal.  

@not_tusky

CANADAAAA HERE WE AREEEE🔥 AFTER ANOTHER LONG BREAK WE ARE BAAAACK #f1 #f1edit #formula1 #formulaone #canadiangp

Also something to watch this weekend: F1’s driver of the moment (and maybe even year), 19-year-old Kimi Antonelli, of Mercedes. Sure, because he’s primed for a heck of a race, but more importantly he has been in a prank war with Mercedes engineer Peter Bonnington.

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Boy, do I love a good old fashioned prank war. 

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Some things you can do this weekend to get ready for the race: 

• Speaking of Netflix and Kimi, if you didn’t watch The Seat, make sure to do that now. 

• Set yourself up for a psychological win. Like the one George Russell will try to get against his teammate, Kimi, (I know this sounds sinister, but it isn’t). 

• Speaking of George Russell, try Barriers, his girlfriend Carmen Montero Mundt’s skincare line. Barriers, if you want to send me some, I will not object.

• Listen to Podium Sundays’ would-be F1 drivers’ commencement speeches. They are very uplifting (not really, but they are very funny). And at least they don’t mention AI!

Yes, “Heated Rivalry” was the moment, but it’s also proven to be enduring. Significant. A substantial piece of popular culture we’ll remember forever. That isn’t true for most shows these days. But I (and the industry, it seems) am hopeful that it’s not the only sports show to remind us love is alive. In fact, in the midst of the streaming era, this genre finds itself in a golden age. 

We’ve got an Irish rugby love story, “Boys of Tommen” (based on a book by Chloe Walsh), on the horizon. If you missed “Finding Her Edge,” a romance about figure skaters, check it out on Netflix now, because Season 2 is coming. And the show du jour, “Off Campus,” is the next big hockey (straight) romance that everyone — and I mean everyone — is talking about.

Plus, most near and dear to my heart: you’ve heard of “Love and Basketball”, but have you heard of “Courtside,” a modern sports love story featuring real WNBA players Gabby Williams, Sydney Colson, and Theresa Plaisance? Deadline just announced yesterday that Run-A-Muck (co-founded by Jennifer Beals) would develop the film.

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Plan a trip to Rome to watch some hoops. 

Call your grandma. She probably wants to talk. Maybe even about baseball. 

Be one of 1000 people to secure cheap World Cup tickets. 

…NYC’s most famous fans showed out for the Knicks’ (insane) Game One victory against Cleveland. Here’s Vanity Fair’s Celebrity Row Power Rankings (30 Rock supremacy, for me). You’re going to be served a lot more Knicks fare over the few weeks, and some of it will be pretty, pretty good, like this story of how the Knickerbockers got their name.

It should be said that Kansas City is one of the best soccer cities in the country. Since 2009 $700 million has been invested in soccer-related infrastructure in KC. So, despite the city having the smallest population of all the American host cities in the World Cup, it makes sense they’d play games there. ESPN’s Elizabeth Merrill explains. 

Caitlin Clark will be grand marshal of the 2026 Indy 500. Since I don’t know what that actually means, I’m imagining when The Grinch is elected Holiday Cheermeister. Just kidding, it means she’ll be the one to say, “Ladies and gentlemen, start your engines.” 

Unrivaled fans: If you want game-worn jerseys, locker room signs, or game balls, go bid on some at The Realest. Don’t say I never put you onto anything cool.  

Before Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was given his MVP trophy, ESPN’s Shams Charania broke the news that SGA was to be crowned the league’s best player. Fans were mad and Blake Griffin told Shams to go to brunch, which I guess is better than saying “go take a hike!” Front Office Sports’ Ryan Glasspiegel explains why this type of scoop would never happen in the NFL.

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I’ve been trying to find something extraordinary or insightful to say about Victor Wembanyama, because I believe he deserves not just one thinkpiece, but an anthology of them. He deserves everything. We should be studying this person’s brain and body and heart every step of his career (only with his consent, of course). The challenging part about this is that Victor Wembanyama is like no one sports has ever seen. 

There are parts of him that feel familiar to players from bygone decades (his extracurriculars — which I’ll get into later — and intellectual curiosities evoke Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, for instance). His style of play might be considered KD-esque, if you added 6 inches of height. 

Yes, I am in awe of Wemby when he confidently pulls up from 30 feet. But I am just as in awe of Wemby when he’s defending his joy of reading before games (neuroscience says it reduces stress), or when he answers a postgame question as frank as can be. 

@tmmgentx

Read like Wemby #bookish #wemby #booklover #booktok #spurs

My coworker, Terence, says he’s a villain, in a way. “He smiled the whole game,” he told us in our daily meeting. He slapped the floor, he laughed often, he flexed. He also famously dislikes Chet Holmgren, which is villain behavior. So maybe Terence is right, but if we do take him for a villain, he probably falls into the Dexter-type villain. Yes, he’s a serial killer, but he’s our serial killer and we love him. 

For the same reasons Terence finds him a villain, which I do think he means positively, I find him to be a hero. I think we are making the same point, even. Especially since in real life, no one is just hero or just villain. 

Victor Wembanyama, to me, is either the last truly authentic athlete or the first truly authentic athlete. Either way, it’s a complete breath of fresh air to watch him in action (any kind of action). He set the entire internet ablaze in Game One of the Western Conference Finals by winning a double overtime game I admittedly thought would be one-sided the other way (condolences if you are a Thunder fan, by the way). And then he quite literally said “I told you, so.” 

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I asked Friend of OffBall and notable Spurs fan, Shea Serrano, what makes Victor unlike anyone else. He replied with this: 

He is the combination of two things, those things being (1) An innate and obvious desire to be the best player in the game; and (2) A person talented enough and athletic enough to make a bona fide run at the claim. Those two things together are how you end up with someone like Wemby. And then you add in the fact that this is all happening for the first time inside a guy who is 7-foot-5, and that's how you end up with everyone saying that we're looking at something we've never, ever, ever seen before.

I know that’s all true, but it's the off court, stuff, too. By now, everyone has talked ad nauseam about that winter day he played chess with strangers in New York City’s Washington Square Park, but what goes unmentioned is that you can see the light in his eyes. He approaches the unknown with curiosity and openness, and he approaches his goals with a logical stoicism. And when he wants to break, he does. He lets himself cry. He spends a vegetarian summer eating with monks. He understands that life is fragile. And he says that. (Please, watch the feature linked below).

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In my favorite sports doc of all time, Court of Gold, Victor said he’s never had the option to be normal, and I know he meant physically, but I don’t think it’s a stretch to say those spectacularities probably leaked into his mind and heart, too. Because when you line him up among the other 500-something players in the NBA, he’s completely abnormal (positive). His body is alien-ish, yes, but in a sea of athletes protecting pocketbooks, partnerships, and endorsements, his thoughts are a bit alien, too. 

The 22-year-old, whose frontal lobe hasn’t even fully developed, seems more sure of himself than most people I know. He even admitted the Spurs have tried to give him PR training, and he rejected it. 

Surely, there have been athletes as true to themselves as Wemby, but I don’t know that I’ve seen it firsthand, in my lifetime. So, you tell me, is he the last authentic athlete? Or the first? Or maybe he’s just French. 

When I saw the world’s surprise reaction to Neymar making Brazil’s World Cup roster, I was confused. “He’s one of the greats...Of course he should make it,” I thought. 

But, because he’s been sidelined by injuries, and because it will be his last World Cup ever, and because whether or not he deserves the spot is up for debate, the announcement that he’d make the roster was a major one.

To an American like me, it’s a no-brainer either way. Not only do they get the veteran presence on the team, it’s a story of triumph, and it’s good for the brand (which is what we in America call “the team”) because it means more people will tune in.

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…Just ask (retired GOAT) Tom Brady, who, at 48, became a runway model for Gucci this weekend. And, oh yeah, the show (which creative director Demna said was a logistical nightmare) was in Times Square. And sure, it’s well-documented he can’t run, but the man can walk.

As we head into the league’s finals between Ottawa and Montreal, the PWHL continues to break records. The team at TOGETHXR put together a fact sheet with all kinds of numbers on it for you to memorize and use when a reply guy says no one watches women’s sports. 

The clip economy has been a major topic of discussion this past week, which has caused further discussions on how brands choose to advertise. For her ‘Link In Bio’ Substack Rachel Karten explains why brands who opt out of prioritizing highlights or social trends, like the Milwaukee Brewers, are brewing up something special. 

If you’re new to tennis, one thing you’ll need to understand is that each of the major tournaments has an identity of its own. And for attendees who may want to dress the part, the Wall Street Journal’s Sam Schube has got a moodboard for you. 

I will not stop screaming it from the rooftops: these NBA playoffs have been amazing. Everyone including, Defector’s Patrick Redford, agrees. As we enter conference finals, I hope rival brands continue to throw (playful) shade.

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While the world's attention turns to the FIFA World Cup kicking off in June, a very different type of World Cup has just wrapped up in Mexico City. The Street Child World Cup, organized by the Street Child United charity, brought together young people representing their countries from across the globe who have experienced homelessness or marginalization, using soccer as both a vehicle and a platform to advocate for their rights, their stories, and their futures. 

This was the fifth edition of the tournament, and by all accounts, the most remarkable yet and I was there to see it unfold. On Thursday, Brazil took the boys' title, beating India in a final that sparked wild celebrations. Mexico's girls won the girls' Cup against Kenya in front of an electric home crowd. 

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In a sports world that can sometimes feel corporate and impossibly distant for the everyday fan, this felt like a reminder of what the game is actually for.

And if you're thinking this was a charity tournament with charity-tournament soccer to match, let me stop you right there. I was pitchside for the boys' semifinal between Brazil and Pakistan, and it was one of the most competitive games of soccer I have ever witnessed with my own eyes. The crowd was on its feet for the entire match and there were at least five red-card-worthy WWE-style tackles, which made it all the more mesmerizing.

John Wroe, CEO of Street Child United, summed up the spirit of the whole event. The organization has spent years battling visa complications, diplomatic obstacles, and logistical nightmares to get teams like Team Pakistan to the tournament. For Pakistan alone, there were five separate plans to secure visas, with routes through Tehran, Doha, and eventually Istanbul, where the Mexican embassy finally came through.

"We say it's the World Cup of peace and the World Cup of joy, and you can't help but catch the emotions of these people," Wroe told me on finals day. 

Team USA Girls self-admittedly came into the tournament as underdogs. Their team leader, Aaron Kraus — a Brooklyn-based public defense investigator who began coaching as a volunteer four years ago  — oversaw a group of girls drawn from three different cities across the U.S. who had never met before arriving at the airport on Day One. Eight weeks of Zoom calls laid the groundwork for the chemistry that saw them through, battling illness and injuries to reach the semi-finals. 

"They came into it kind of being wowed, like, ‘Oh, it's Brazil, oh, it's all these superpower teams.’ And they've done really well, and they've also gone through some adversities. It's been nine days of ups and downs, and getting a win would mean a ton to them," Kraus told me ahead of the semis. 

I spent much of the few days in Mexico City witnessing the tournament and other events alongside streamer, content creator, fellow Londoner and fellow Arsenal fan SamHam, who, like everyone there, was moved by the emotion and competitiveness on display. He described watching the Pakistan coach deliver a team talk for the ages to fire up his nervous players before the match against Brazil as a moment that said everything about what this tournament represents.

@samham

Street Child World Cup Finals pitch inspection ✅ @Street Child United #football #worldcup #fyp

The Street Child World Cup might not have the broadcast deals, the sponsorship activations, or the cultural cachet of that little tournament that follows it this summer. But it represents something the FIFA version of the tournament will do well to remember: that at its core, sports belong to everyone. And fans, stakeholders, sponsors, and broadcasters should never forget the one simple truth: soccer will always belong to the streets. 

I haven’t listened to all the new Drake songs, because if you ask me, three albums at once is too many albums at once. (Also because Jared McCain will do the heavy lifting and has already introduced me to the best songs on each album via his TikTok sounds.)

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From what I have listened to, and what I’ve been told, there are lots of sports references to be enjoyed. First of all, there’s a song called WNBA. Although, it kinda reads like someone who doesn’t watch the WNBA wrote it, but art is subjective. I wasn’t aware of the LeBron-Drake beef until now. 

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I’m gonna have to call in sick tomorrow to get through all three albums, but if KD and Wemby like them, it will be time well-spent.  

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@arianna.roberson

carry on … 😗

…And I’ll say it again: Hanif Abdurraqib writes something, you legally have to read it. Especially when he’s romanticizing the Timberwolves and small-market fandom. I will sue you if you don’t click.

FIFA announced yesterday that Shakira, Madonna, and BTS will play the first ever World Cup Final halftime show. For some reason Chris Martin’s Coldplay and Sesame Street’s Elmo made the announcement on Instagram. You know what? Hell yeah. 

Nothing in life is free… except Victory+, which is actually free. It’s a new (did I mention free) streaming app for many of your favorite sports leagues. Now, they’re upping the alt-cast ante, with Kelley O’Hara and Ali Riley on the NWSL call for Utah vs. Louisville. More here.  

Speaking of nothing being free, we’ve all gotta make a living. For some athletes, that means joining OnlyFans, which can be a better way to earn than being a literal professional athlete. 

NFL schedule release day was yesterday, and every year, it’s one of the most fun days to be on [pick your social media app of choice]. Watch some of my personal favorites here. And here. And don’t forget to add calendar invites for your team. Or do what I do, which is plan for nothing in life, and wake up in wonder at what fun each day might deliver. (Also known as being disorganized.)

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I’m not trying to be another person writing about the new vanguard of NBA players, but I do have to write about the new vanguard of NBA players. Stay with me, it’s not what you think. 

These NBA playoffs have had no shortage of electricity, drama, and revelry. And they’ve been particularly good at supplying us with an arsenal of memes, which can be used for many a group chat. The “Clip It” generation is doing wonders for our text threads.

Dylan Harper is one of the most exciting players on the Spurs, and he’s also given us some world-class reactions. He is so good at timing and finding cameras, you’d think he trained at Julliard. We might need to give some credit to his mom here, not only for being his lifelong coach, but also for, presumably, being the reason he’s so funny.

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Honorable mention to his teammate Carter Bryant for his bench reactions. Like this one. And this one.

You obviously know about Jared McCain’s online presence by now, but leaving the 76ers and joining OKC has been transformative for him (and by him, I mean us, and the content we get because of it). 

@houseofhighlights

OKC’s team chemistry is UNDEFEATED. 🙌🔥 (@akosijbuddr) #nba #basketball #okc #thunder #shai

@bleacherreport

J-Dub & McCain are comedy 🤣 #nba #basketball #okcthunder #jaredmccain #jalenwilliams

Every carousel he posts, we’re getting at least one memeable image. Add a very simple yet classic “how your email finds me” caption to the image below and bam: that’s an easy money post for any social media manager. You can steal it, if that’s you.  

This one (below) with “how I pose after begging my friend to take a photo of me” would do numbers.

Something you’ll only notice if you’re crazy, like me, is that Jared’s teammate and friend Jaylin Williams ends every Instagram carousel with a photo of his very cute dog. 

And then there’s Wemby. Who, even when delivering one of the most flagrant fouls I’ve ever seen, I still can’t be mad at. 

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This next one has been doing numbers on my phone. When someone at work makes you mad? Slack it. Friend gives you half an apology and it makes you more mad? Send it. Someone tells you your team is “just a sports team” or it’s “just a game”? Post it!

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Anthony Edwards is God’s gift to content. And sh*t talk. We know that already, but it bears repeating: Anthony Edwards is God’s gift to content. Especially when said sh*t talk is being levied at children.

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I do wish the original poster of that video thought about how we’d want a screenshot of “I’ll bust y’all ass” without the additional text, so that’s a good lesson and reminder in Posting 101.  

And a special thank you to youngun VJ Edgecombe, who unlike the others, is no longer in the playoffs, but gave us this. And an all-time wink. 

Carson Roney has a work ethic like no other. That’s been apparent to her since college, when she’d open her family’s restaurant at 7 a.m., hustle to basketball or volleyball workouts or class from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., head back to the restaurant until close at 5:30 p.m., and end her night at volleyball or basketball practice. 

During her senior year, she bet on herself, said goodbye to the family biz, and went digital. Now, she’s content creating for literally millions of fans (5M on TikTok and 683k on Instagram). 

Her content is sports meets lifestyle and it resonates so much with her followers, it’s propelled her into the main role of a Gatorade commercial (yes, propelled was a pun and I’m sorry). And into NBA’s Creator Cup game. 

Interestingly enough, we spent much of our conversation talking about how addicted to phones people are, and how she was working on being more intentional about not scrolling too much. Also the stress associated with posting a brand video that might only get something like 10,000 views (which is a “flop” by today’s standards). Although, when you have a following as large and engaged as Carson’s, and you’re friends with Paige Bueckers, the flops are few and far between.

@carson.roney

Side quest of the year😂 congrats fam🤞🏼 @Paige Bueckers @WNBA @Coach

She’s careful about not being just for the basketball fans. 

“I really try to do a little bit of everything, so anyone can watch my content. My content's [not] just for the basketball girls, or just for the tall girls or just for one person. I feel like I'm at the point in my life where I'm trying to film more things that I enjoy. I hope my audience enjoys them as well, but you don't want to ever get into something where you’re just filming it for an audience and you don't like it because it just gets worn out pretty quick.” 

Part of that authenticity is letting followers in behind the curtain. “I will go online and film a quick video and tell you guys, I've had a shitty day…I feel like a lot of people aren’t very open about their personal life.”

And that’s not just a soundbite. Here’s her sharing her personal journey with anti-anxiety meds. 

@carson.roney

My health anxiety has me wearing an Apple Watch AND Oura ring 😂😂😭

Fit checks, hoops checks, mental health checks, what more could you want?

I’ve been big on quick games lately, and here’s another sports one!

Take a moment to honor the brave historymakers we’ve lost. 

If you canceled your Netflix in an act of rebellion when they raised prices last time (me), sign back up, because Omaha’s “Quarterback” is almost back.  

…But they still want to be Nike. As our pesky kid brother newsletter SportsVerse says, LinkedIn is rife with people calling The Swoosh out on its current stagnation, but they’ve still got plenty of imitators to prove their dominance. Also, lest we forget the Pope has chosen the Swoosh life.

Oh, the irony of following the last item with the news that football phenom Chloe Kelly has left Nike for Adidas, but I would call it mere coincidence. Life is full of those. Anyway, the newest Three Striper told Dazed about her goals, mentality, and who she’d trade wardrobes with. 

Hats are on a generational run, no cap (I’m the first one to make that joke). There are the designer ball caps, the cool-guy ball caps, the classic caps, and so much more. GQ gives you the best of the best baseball caps here. But if you’re more of a Kangol guy, I can help with that. 

Knicks fans are known for their, shall we say…colorful…post-game reaction videos (thanks to accounts like SideTalk) outside of MSG. These make for great music video backdrops. Just ask rapper Joey BadA$$. 

The Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue is out today and features 34 women, four covers, and five shooting locations. Hilary Duff, Alix Earle, Tiffany Haddish, and Nicole Williams English got top billing, but check out all the other women here. Read about some rival sports covers below.

“Go Off” is a special edition of our daily newsletter, featuring my thoughts, takes, and general vibes, presented to OffBall readers every Wednesday.

OffBall is all about sports and culture, as you surely know by now. So let us not forget that nerds have a culture, too. I do not identify as a nerd for the most part (though I often wish I did) but I do love a good game. Which I guess when you break it down is just what it means to be a sports fan. Are games not sports? Who is to say? 

Anyway, there’s a new game that has changed my life (for the last three days, at least). GeoSports is a game that tests your sports knowledge and geographic prowess at the same time.

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I do not know Frank Michael Smith, a contributor to The Athletic, but I thank him for his service, nonetheless. He launched Geosports nine days ago today, and it’s taken the sports nerd world by storm. And since everything is a collab these days, why not collaborate on the questions with one of the internet’s most beloved sports writers, like Yahoo’s Kendall Baker. 

As a woman, it’s an interesting game to play because it harkens back to childhood, being quizzed on my fandom to prove my worth. And putting aside the psychoanalysis a therapist might do on me for even feeling comfortable uttering that statement, I love this game. 

I’m really bad at Wordle, although I grew up watching its predecessor on Game Show Network, Lingo (don’t let them gaslight us into believing the new Wordle TV show is the first iteration, especially since it might get litigious). I’m a 10/10 on connections. You can’t stump me there. And when it comes to GeoSports, three days in, I’d say I’m above average. I’m not Patrick Mahomes, but in the right situation I could be Priest Holmes. (Yes, I’m a Chiefs stan.)

I first learned about the game on OffBall’s daily team call and I spent five minutes tuning my boss out (he could tell, this will not be a surprise to him) and traversing the digital globe to find Nanterre (a suburb of Paris where Wemby first got his start). I immediately texted multiple group chats, alerting them of the game’s existence, because I am the way-too-online friend. 

I’m going to say something dramatic but you have to promise you don’t feel bad for me: it’s the kind of game that makes me wish my dad was still alive. Because dads (and, if all parties are so lucky, their daughters, too) love namin’ guys (gender neutral). And that’s kind of the heart of this game. Perhaps that’s all life is: just years-long series of naming [guys, places, teams, things]. NOTE: I do hope we get women’s sports mixed in at least a 40/60 split, and I will reserve judgement until I have a larger data set. 

If this game isn’t for you, and you prefer to watch someone else under pressure instead, I have a game for you, too. It’s actually many different games, under the SportsIQ umbrella, which you can find on Instagram and TikTok. SportsIQ’s games are actually harder, but you get to be an inactive bystander and complain about how bad everyone else is. Kinda like watching sports, wouldn’t you say?

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Anyway, blow off work and play games. And text your friends about the games. 

Imma let you finish, Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, but Vanity Fair put out the best sports covers of the day. It’s a wild coincidence (?) that they did it the same day. And to be clear, SI’s covers are great too, but I had to compare the two. You know, for #clicks.  

Carlos Alcaraz’s VF spread is my favorite, and not just because this photo could live in a swimsuit. issue.

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The story shows a more vulnerable side to the megastar, who sometimes wishes he could do things a “normal” 23-year-old does. I highly recommend that one here.

A’ja Wilson’s cover story is all about how she wants to prove she’s the GOAT (something she’s kind of already done, if you ask me). The highlight is that she and her boyfriend, Bam Adebayo, are in matching outfits during the interview. 

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Kylian Mbappé is the third cover, and a quote that struck me from his piece (about representing your country in a major tournament) was: “We are not disconnected from the world. We are not disconnected from what happens in our country.” Whether you agree or not, I bet that really slaps in French. 

Bonus stories on Lane Kiffin (people are kinda mad about this one, but I’ll let you explore why). And Carlos Sainz for Vanity Fair Spain.

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…Because she’s a talented actress, yes, but also because we share the same dream of being a defensive coordinator someday. And because she’s beautiful. And smart. Anyway, what was my point again? Oh yeah, here’s a fun Hollywood Reporter Q&A with her. Careful, you might fall in love!  

The Seattle Storm’s Dominique Malonga Googled “computer science” and enrolled at Southern New Hampshire University immediately. Now, she’s literally and figuratively dunking on the entire league while working toward her degree (shout out Amanda Lucci at Women’s Health for this one). I can’t wait to clear cloud space to download her app. 

Let’s call a spade a spade: NBA players love ‘Spades.’ Many of them grow up playing the card game. They even have their own Taylor Rooks-hosted tournament at All-Star Weekend. The Athletic’s Terrance Moore on how it’s similar to basketball. 

If you thought the Super Bowl was spensy, you were right, but a group stage ticket to the Portugal-Colombia group stage game in Miami on June 27 will put you out even more dollhairs. WSJ’s Rachel Bachman says there are tickets — we s*** you not — that cost $5.75 million. Only a billionaire like Ronaldo could afford that kind of ticket. But he will be playing in said game, so…

Yamine Lamal and Olivia Rodrigo met up at El Clásico, albeit very briefly. Olivia was the La Liga x Spotify collab’s featured artist for the rivalry match, which gave Barca their 29th La Liga title, and evened the all-time series out at 106 wins each, but who’s counting?

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If you are ever feeling bored or uninspired, I find that it helps to think about how unique your lived experience is. Only 19,335 people will ever be able to say they witnessed the historic first game back for the WNBA’s Portland Fire after its 24-year dead period. I felt very hashtag blessed enough to be among those people. The second-coming actually set an attendance record for a W franchise’s first game. 

The Fire flew me out for a weekend in Rip City. It was a trip that felt extra special for a gal who hails from Portland, but I really had no idea how the gameday experience would go. 

I expected to hear “This Girl is On Fire” by Alicia Keys no less than 3 times, for instance. I was very happy to hear it zero times. No shade to Alicia, who has about 100 other instant classics, but I think we’re good on that track.  

The Fire’s experience had all the queer and women’s celebratory vibes you could ask for, and none of it felt corporate or archaically girl bossy. 

There were moments when the home team trailed double digits but the crowd was invested as if it was a tie game. Justine Skye killed the national anthem (positive), the queen herself, Ashanti, performed at halftime. HoopBus, who I’ve written about here, was there.  

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Portland legend Carrie Brownstein was there too (by the way, did you know YouTube TV has an entire channel called “Portlandia” that just plays Portlandia? One of my favorite things to tell people and also watch). Former Fire players Sylvia Crawley and Stacey Thomas were there. The Trail Blazers Donovan Clingan and Toumani Camara made it a double-date. Lauren and Jrue Holiday brought the family. 

I decided Nyadiew Puoch is my new favorite little guy (gender neutral). Mainly because of her outfit, but also because of her hustle. If she plays like this again, Sarah Ashlee Barker is on Portland legend watch.  

The city understood the assignment, too, as the weather was gorgina. This means anyone who came into town for that game didn’t have to learn about the All-Consuming Gray (™ Me, right now) — yay!  

Chicago’s Skylar Diggins commented on the determination and energy of the fans. Portland’s Serah Williams said they made her fall in love with basketball again. There were pyrotechnics, a stadium wide wave that just wouldn’t quit (seriously, it went on a little too long, but that’s ok, we were excited!). 

Only one game in and Lisa and Alex Bhathal (who also own the Sacramento Kings and the NWSL’s Portland Thorns) have so much to be proud of. It felt like a celebration of what Portland is, and also a prelude to everything it can become. Unrigid and spoke to the city’s quirks. The Firewerks (their dance team) was talented and inclusive of all shapes, sizes, genders.    

I’m even taking a pause on asking questions about the roster construction for now (see you soon, though, JuJu Watkins)! Do you know what it takes to get me to shut up? Yes, of course you do, you read this newsletter. 

A few weeks ago, I was being ornery about how wrong the Knicks were to fire Thibs and trade Donte DiVincenzo, and now I have to publicly admit none of those moves, mistakes or not, matter — they’re the clear Eastern Conference favorite to make it to the NBA Finals. 

I spent my weekend yelling at OKC haters who insist the team is “corny” as well, but I’m never taking that one back. Everyone who hates OKC is wrong, and history will prove that true. I bet my life on it. Anyway, back to what you really care about: the coastal elites.  

Mitchell Robinson, who is the only non-coastal elite on the Knicks (the man loves pickup trucks and Morgan Wallen) had a dunk that posterized Joel Embiid and sent the memes into overdrive.

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Now they’re Cistine Chapeling the dunk onto major landmarks. 

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And they’re commandeering the 76ers landmarks. 

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And after completing the sweep against the 76ers and occupying 70% of Xfinity Mobile Arena yesterday, they stole the spotlight on Mother’s Day.

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Some say the Knicks have got the stars to thank for their success. 

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But I think part of it is the spirit of the fans, who are absolutely insane, and I mean that both positively…

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…And also negatively (but respectfully).

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Anyway, this is the Tweet of the weekend for me. 

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Never change, Josh Hart. Never change, New York. 

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…But the bangers are up. Shakira and Burna Boy released this ditty to get you hype for the big tourney. What’s that? Low ticket sales and accommodations bookings? I can’t hear you over my hips not lying. 

Amazon is making a serious investment in women’s hoops. I went to an intimate WNBA On Amazon dinner and rubbed elbows with greats like Candace Parker, Swin Cash, and Cynthia Cooper, who offered nothing but the highest praise to the cloud giant. Speaking of the W, you do not want to miss our OffBall site takeover for the season tip-off. 

What’s it called when you draw a foul while going up for a shot and you’re also holding a baby? Oh that’s right, ANDMOM. It’s also the name of WNBA enforcer Skylar Diggins and broadcaster Cassidy Hubbarth’s new podcast on working in sports and being a mom. Reminder, order flowers for Mom on Sunday! 

Did you know the best golfers in the game are also the best gossipers? According to Golf Digest’s Joel Beall, the PGA is chock full of leakers and loose lips. So if you’re ever alone with a pro men’s golfer, ask him for a tea time.  

There’s lots of sneaker news out there today. The WNBA is partnering with Skechers. New Balance is tennis’s GOAT (h/t Hard Court on Substack). And the Pope is checks over stripes (sorry for the edit, I had to). 

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Adidas released their big World Cup ad, and it’s the kind of ad you know you’ll be talking about in 20 years. The kind of ad we’ve been starved for the past several Super Bowls. 

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It has Timothée Chalamet flexing his comedy chops and so many other stars. Trinity Rodman. Lionel Messi. Bad Bunny. Yamine Lamal. Jude Bellingham. David Beckham. Young David Beckham. It has everything, and everyone.  

In all of Adidas seventy…seven? (no, YOU had to type “2026-1949 =” into Google for that math) years, we’ve never seen something so captivating.

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Many people weren’t going to miss the opportunity to call out Adidas’ rival. (Don’t shoot the messenger). 

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They were already setting the expectation on the world stage, and now, their numbers (and notoriety as one of the best) will kick into an even higher gear. 

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There’s an inside baseball understanding on X that if PopBase is posting something sporty, it’s huge news. 

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And I’m sorry for burying the lede, but one of the craziest parts of this whole ad was the rollout. Timothée’s followers ate first.

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Who will take their crown?!

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Somewhere between Uncanny Valley and the Mandela Effect you’ll find the current state of the sports world — at least the digital one. Fake-sounding jobs, fake playoff series, planted engagement, it’s all a little surreal. I don’t mean that to sound Orwellian, but rather peculiar in an interesting way. The future is now. Let me show you what I mean. 

One lucky fan will be paid $50,000 to watch every second of the World Cup. Easy money! I’m going to be doing that anyways! Chief Hype Officer is a job teams give to comedians now (not a bad idea). Athletes are asking trainers for regimens that specifically help them get their bodies right for that very famous museum charity event. Drone operators are doing sports video. Soccer stars like Trinity Rodman and Messi and popstars like Bad Bunny are acting in films (albeit short ones). Neobanks are sports’ biggest fans. Recently, NBA fans experienced mass psychosis over a playoff bout between the Warriors and the Grizzlies this year (it never happened, but even I had to double check). And Mr. Beast’s clip farms are keeping the timeline fed, and it’s only a matter of time before they enter the sports arena. 

Speaking of fake-sounding jobs, I have written a black mirror-meets-sports comedy pilot that tell stories like these. I was even in talks with an athlete’s production company to develop it for a while before his team eventually passed — all it needs is your millions of dollars. Call my agent.

Learn a new trick. Or, at least, learn how to watch some new tricks, because there’s an X Games league, now. Read more here. 

Plan a whole trip to Italy, then remember the most beautiful tournament in tennis will be over by the time you get there, and also that you can’t afford it. 

Have an existential crisis while you watch these WNBA rookies do some math and call you old. Or young.

…Is Lola Tung’s newest venture. She’ll star in a Sapphic soccer movie produced by soccer legend Kelley O’Hara. Between this and the announcement of The 99ers biopic, Tobin Heath is getting what she’s been asking for. 

I come bearing a fun little announcement for me/OffBall/my editor (you know, the writer of the pesky kid brother newsletter in the next paragraph). We will be tag-teaming the weekly SPORT BEACH newsletter, where we’ll bring you a behind the scene look at some of the brightest and best business executives, marketers, and athletes. Subscribe now. 

Everyone’s got their takes on the Met Gala (except me, a person who is always very neutral and normal about these things). But maybe our biggest takeaway from Museums Biggest Night should be that it was a total sports takeover. Daniel-Yaw Miller explains. 

This month’s issue of one of my personal favorite magazines, Interview Mag, features one of my favorite hoopers, Cameron Brink, being interviewed by her Stanford alum-mate, Phoebe Gates. P.S., the print version of Interview is very worth every penny. 

They brought in the big guns for the Scripps National Spelling Bee. Mina Kimes is set to host the competition, which will air on ESPN. Some of the best sports to watch are those that are only kinda sports. 

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“Go Off” is a special edition of our daily newsletter, featuring my thoughts, takes, and general vibes, presented to OffBall readers every Wednesday.

Unfortunately for you, and anyone that comes into contact with me this week, the Met Gala has me thinking. F1 has me thinking. NBA Playoffs have me thinking. The start of the WNBA season has me thinking. I’m doing a lot of thinking. And although I offer no solutions, I’d like you to take a think with me. And because you’re probably smarter than me, maybe you’ve insights to add. 

My colleagues and I were talking about the Miami Grand Prix, and I mentioned the FOMO I felt by not being there. Not because of the race, but because of the pageantry that goes along with it. One of my colleagues commented on how it’s a shame the race plays second fiddle to the anterior events, because the race was great. To which my other colleague said he thought the race had been rained out. I said I hadn’t heard a word about the race. It was — as it happens — a crazy race. Another P1 for F1’s Gen Z hero Kimi Antonelli, and a last lap which saw Charles Leclerc spin out and go from a would-be podium finish to sixth place in the blink of an eye. 

A focus on the non-sporting side of things is great for F1, which has built a culture in which the draw for many of its new casual fans has become all the other stuff. The iffy part about this isn’t that the parties and yachts are fun. F1 is perfect as is. The problem comes when other sporting events attempt to replicate this with their own big parties, brand partners, and activations, seemingly deprioritizing their own identities. As a lover of sport and culture and sports culture, I think sports only benefit when the new fan actually learns about the game a little, too.

And that isn’t all to say there is no room for casual fans and it’s ‘diehards or bust’ — I don’t believe that for a second, and neither should you. Plus, casuals know the final result of a game or sporting event. (The term casual doesn’t mean totally disinterested altogether, but rather that they enjoy the exciting moments of the sport). But I do wonder if sometimes we are forcing the monoculture of sports and forgetting about each sport’s culture. 

College football tailgates are perfect. The energy (and format) of March Madness, by design, isn’t easily replicable, and shouldn’t be. The Masters forewent some of its famed traditions this year and people missed the old merchandise. Even intrasport, each tennis major offers a different experience for its attendees — that’s why it’s fun to tick each of them off your list. 

I’m not gatekeeping, to be clear. Quite the opposite. I’m advocating for each sport to push the beauty of the game itself, as well as all the fun ancillary things. And in diluting the very makeup of each specific sporting event with big sponsorships and shiny toys and loud noises, we are at risk of losing sight of what made us fall in love with them to begin with. 

If we don’t take note of what makes each sport perfect, we risk a future where every major tentpole sporting event looks and feels the same, a future where it’s hard to discern what makes the US Open unique from F1 Miami or the World Cup Final different from the Super Bowl, due to identical brand activations, corporate hospitality moments, and the same fan engagement tactics. The beauty of sports has always been in its uniqueness, rather than its homogeneity. 

I’ll give you an example on a micro level. No mascot can be Ellie the Elephant, and no one should try. She is perfect. Other mascots should embrace the things that make them special, and enjoy her perfection. That’s why the Valkyrie’s mascot, Violet, was so great to me. She’s perfect, too, she’s just a nerd (positive). You can find a way to stay true to who you are while also creating something perfect in its own way. 

And I do understand the inclination to try and transpose the magic of one sport to another. At face value, it’s a huge win for business, but niche communities and rituals are important to the sports ecosystem, too. One of the most fascinating and cool experiences I’ve had at a sporting event was when I went to my first English Premier League game and learned midgame bathroom breaks or concessions are a no-no.

Is it a problem that I didn’t hear anything about the race last weekend, but saw post after post after post of mutuals in Miami? Maybe not. But I’m big on asking questions for the sake of it.

Stand up comic voice I recently learned about the Enhanced Games. You’ve seen this? You’ve heard about this? Basically, well, not basically, exactly the premise is the Olympics but with PEDs. You look puzzled, and I agree, I feel like I need more information, and yet, that’s kind of the whole deal. Let’s get with the program though, because they are somehow already valued at $1.2 billion. With a B! 

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Some drugs are not allowed, though. Apparently, there’s evidence Olympians in ancient Greece took shrooms to enhance performance. Also, in 1904, the winner of the Olympic marathon did so with brandy and a neurotoxin found in rat poison. Neither of those will be permitted, even though I would like to see someone doing gymnastics on shrooms. Anyway, anything not FDA-approved is banned. And the PEDs are only allowed under medical supervision. 

I am told you do not have to be under the influence of any of these drugs in order to watch, so come one, come all. 

The events will include swimming, track and weightlifting, and the games start May 21 in…guess what city…yes, that’s right, Las Vegas! Check it out for yourself and let me know how it goes. 

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…On our website. In honor of the Met Gala tonight, our site editors worked their fingers to the bone to craft the perfect and complete takeover of all things fashion and sport. Pregame the main event with some light reading. I heard Anne Hathaway is going to wear an upcycled OG Anunoby jersey. 

Every year, Spotify features an artist on a limited edition F.C. Barca El Clásico kit. This year, the jerseys will feature our All American B*tch, Olivia Rodrigo. Good 4 U, girl! 

Am I the last person to know these two certified buckets have been besties since childhood? The Indiana Fever’s Raven Johnson and the Minnesota Timberwolves’ Anthony Edwards have been training together since they were 14, and you’re just now telling me? They’ve been talking sh*t to each other for 10 years, and you didn’t think I should know that??? Thanks a lot! 

Grammy winner Ed Sheeran became part-owner of his hometown team, Ipswich Town F.C., in 2024, and watched in horror as they were relegated that season. This weekend, The Tractor Boys (yes, that’s what they call themselves)  just clinched promotion back to the Premier League. Ed (and the team) is ecstatic, it appears. Pure class, mate. 

A lot of really sick stuff was going on at the Miami Grand Prix this past weekend. One of those aforementioned sick things was Serena Williams’s mini love letter to Lewis Hamilton. Most of the other cool stuff involves yachts and champagne. 

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“Dance isn’t a sport” I remember hearing my classmates (usually boys, let’s be real) say to me growing up. As a kid, I only danced briefly and very casually before I began to dedicate every waking moment to my (fruitless) soccer career, but I belonged to a dance family, and I love arguing, so I always felt impassioned enough to tell the ignorant classmates (boys) they were ill-informed. 

Many (many, many, many) years later, it feels like society has a better grasp of what makes a sport. Dance isn’t as disrespected as it once was, but traditional sports fans still have to go out of their way to learn about it. Dance historically is not on SportsCenter. But what if it was? That’s the watershed moment it feels like we’re on the cusp of, thanks to the International Dance League. 

So, I want to take this moment to come out publicly as being #proprodance (sorry to get political).

I went to the debut competition of the debut season in midtown Manhattan this weekend, and it was eye-opening for a few reasons. First, it’s clear the league/teams have large enough fandoms to fill a ballroom in NYC, and second, the founders have managed to bring in huge partners and cultural icons. 

Beauty brand e.l.f. sponsored the event, which meant each fan had a goodie bag on their seats. Honda Stage had branding everywhere, along with a literal Honda automobile in the building. 

Saweetie played a halftime show. I asked co-founder Connor Lim who was playing halftime at the remaining five series, and he said I’d have to wait and see.  

I also asked what he would tell fans of the “Big Four” sports, to get them to understand how special IDL is, and he said not only are these the best dancers in the world, but the dancers involved in this league are choreographing our favorite music artists. If that doesn’t make your ears perk up, I don’t know what will. 

It was also a cultural celebration in many ways. New Zealand’s crew, “Royal Family,” is known for their “polyswagg” style. “1Million,” the team from Seoul, to a dummy like me, was like the best of the best of Kpop choreography.

“Brotherhood,” the team from Vancouver, was breathtaking. If you need immediate dopamine, start this stream at 2:46:12 (then keep going, then go back and watch the ones you missed). 

The next series is in Vancouver on May 23. 

After a season that wasn’t the NBA’s most interesting (that seems fair to say, right?), the playoffs have been delivering…and then some. Actual basketball aside, which was very good, (did you see this play?) we got some of the best memes in a while. It’s not always fun to be online, but it has been for the NBA playoffs. 

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I can only imagine we’ll get loads more S-tier memes like the one above, especially considering the Knicks will be playing the 76ers, and Knicks fans and Philly-based fans are two of the most insane (positive, mostly) groups of people alive. 

Plus, we’re going to see this years-old (but somehow unbeknownst-to-me) beef between two of the most boisterous bigs in the league. 

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It turns out KAT is unstoppable, post DWP2 appearance, so Joel has his work cut out for him. 

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And if you even think about selling your tickets to Anne Hathaway or Timothée Chalamet, Joel Embiid will excommunicate you from the fanbase.

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Speaking of, we will definitely be seeing more of Anne Hathaway.

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Lock in for OKC/Lakers.  

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What’s Beyoncé’s best sports look? 👗 @Aliya Kisivo (Kae) #beyonce #metgala