…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).
Forward this to a quirky friend who is always applying to a weird job.
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.
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.
Many people weren’t going to miss the opportunity to call out Adidas’ rival. (Don’t shoot the messenger).
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.
There’s an inside baseball understanding on X that if PopBase is posting something sporty, it’s huge news.
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.
Who will take their crown?!
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.
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