3...2...1...The Ball Drops Tonight On An Unrivaled New Year

…Wait ‘til you see Francisco Lindor’s $21.2 million apartment. The 5,300-square-foot Upper East Side penthouse boasts such luxurious accoutrements and details, I don’t know what most of them are. Why do we know all of this about his home? I don’t know. But I guess we also know he’s staying in NYC for the long haul. 

Since it’s January, my workout classes have been fuller than ever. Not with NFL stars, though, because I do yoga sculpt, and they do pilates. From Jonathan Owens (he does it with girlfriend Simone Biles) to Fred Warner to Stefon Diggs and more. They reallllllly do pilates. Those abs you see under the NFL-issued crop tops are not AI. 

To me, women’s sports fans, as an audience, seem pretty obvious, but it seems like some brands unintentionally infantilize them, or come off a little, how should I say, tone-deaf. Hypebae’s Simi Iluyomade explores why that is. Thank you, Simi, for your service. 

Equestrian-er (that’s the word, right?) Zoie Brogdan is the dark horse for content creator of the year. The 20-year-old UCLA Bruin is chomping at the bit to redefine what the once-very traditional sport looks like. Sorry for the puns, not trying to beat a dead horse. 

Few are having a better time than Jaylen Brown these days. Undeterred by his ‘Player of the Month’ snub (or perhaps, motivated by it), Brown has been salsa dancing with gorgeous pop stars, dropping 50 burgers, and becoming your new favorite streamer. Plus, everyone kinda forgot about the spray-on hair thing. Oops, sorry. They probably remember now. 

The second season of Unrivaled is finally here, and there’s a lot to know going into it. If you didn’t watch along last season, here’s your officially Unrivaled cheat sheet, and here are the rosters. If you have, you know it’s going to be eight weeks of ridiculousness (no Rob Dyrdek). 

Even with just one season under their belts, Unrivaled has become an undisputed content champion. They’re posting like no one’s business (all the teams have their own accounts this year, too), and they’re giving us the best of the best. 

And then of course, some of the good content is on the official Unrivaled accounts, but some players, like in the case of the Vinyl’s Rhyne Howard, who is in her Jackson Pollock era, also deliver the good stuff on their accounts. Better follow every single one of them, just to be safe. 

The biggest (and saddest) news out of camp was that founder Napheesa Collier would have to sit due to double-ankle surgery (I have so many questions, by the way). But she’s still there in spirit. Also in actual physical form, because she’s rehabbing in Miami. She may be sitting out this season, but she’s hanging out with my good friend Juju Gotti. Which kind of means I’m friends with her, if you think about it. Best not to, though! 

The Studbudz streamed this weekend and it was exactly the chaos you’d expect. I imagine we’ll get lots of this this season, but for now, here’s Kelsey Plum in the club with them. There is some more NSFW stuff out there if you look hard enough. Could be all the Maker’s Mark. Anyway! 

By the way, some of the content has fans wondering if WNBA teammates Kate Martin and Veronica Burton are dating. Exhibit A. Exhibit B. I’ll keep an eye on this so you don’t have to. Because you’ve got a lot on your plate, and that’s the kind of friend I am. Also, because I will already be spending all my extra time trying to figure it out. Moving on, for now…

The Dallas Wings may all be on different teams in this league, but they’re still practicing team-building.

I’ve got my eyes on the Breeze, not for talent, but for fun. Not that they aren’t capable of winning, but they’re kind of the young guns. That’s why their content is the best. Also, they’re dunking. 

Finally, make sure to follow my girl Ari Chambers for the BTS. 

This week, my pal (and the editor of this here newsletter), Daniel-Yaw Miller, will be guestwriting the newsletter for our friends at SPORT BEACH. They’ll hold court at CES 2026 in Vegas, and they’re bringing a bunch of sporty names and faces along. I’m not one of the lucky faces or names, but I did get to go to Cannes for SPORT BEACH last year, so we’ll call it even.

If you’re wondering what sports talks happen at a tech summit, easy peasy. It’s these ones: How Technology Shapes Olympic Performance; The Art and Science of Coaching; The Future Of Olympic Storytelling; Technology’s Global Role in Soccer. And so much more. 

Dan will be reporting on conversations with people like Jozy Altidore, Diana Taurasi, Miles Chamley-Watson, Masai Russell, and so many more, on the scene at the Encore Beach Club at The Wynn in Las Vegas. 

Additional info is here, if you’re around. Otherwise, keep an eye out for some additional links later this week, including a major SPORT BEACH announcement. 

See you at the beach. Kinda.