Baseball’s Renaissance Is In Full Swing

Spike Lee is the most famous courtside fan at Madison Square Garden, but he has another seat for appointment viewing that you might not be aware of—his local bar for Arsenal supporters. Which player will emerge as the Reggie Miller of the Premier League?

Keanu Reeves made his professional racing debut at Indianapolis Motor Speedway over the weekend. Feels like it’s unfair to race cars against a guy who can shift into Matrix bullet-time whenever he chooses.

This oral history of the “Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater” soundtrack is the best piece of content to come out around the game’s 25th anniversary. Here I am, doing everything I can, holding on to what I am, pretending I’m a superman.

Tyrese Haliburton is set to sign a signature sneaker deal with Puma to crown what’s been a year to remember. After false starts with LaMelo Ball and Scoot Henderson, Puma looks to have settled on the Pacers guard and Olympic gold medalist as the new face of its men’s basketball category. 

The Jets are putting down roots in the UK and working to build lifelong fans. Tailgate activations and sponsoring flag football leagues may get you some fans, but is it enough to convince someone to root for the Jets?

Which Champions League club is the most stylish off the pitch? Real Madrid’s collab with Zegna oozes class, while there’s also the streetwear swagger of AC Milan’s Off-White tie-up. Where better to look the part than on football’s biggest stage?

Baseball’s slow cultural demise has been chronicled for years. An aging fanbase, dropping viewership, and a failure to market the sport’s superstars was compounded by the NBA’s ascendance and the continued dominance of the NFL. It felt like America’s Game was in trouble.

But holy wow, has that changed in a flash. After a thrilling season that saw booms in both MLB viewership and attendance, the postseason is off to an electric start. The Mets and Phillies traded blows over the weekend and lit social media on fire in the process.

Leading baseball’s renaissance is Shohei Ohtani. After being stuck on the Angels at the start of his career, Ohtani’s move to the Dodgers brought him onto the biggest stage in baseball, and he remains the greatest showman in the sport. He inspires the type of fancam videos usually reserved for Taylor Swift.

@mlb

before you ask no i didn’t mean to post this on my personal #shoheiohtani #fancam #japan

Beyond his performance on the field, Ohtani has also quickly proven a popular ambassador of the game, with a New Balance signature deal that has him in commercials and billboards all over. Baseball transcends language.

Ohtani’s not alone in his rising stardom. Mookie Betts might be the most interesting man in baseball if he wasn’t on the same team as Ohtani. The Yankees’ dynamic duo of Aaron Judge and Juan Soto are lighting up the Bronx, and the Mets are the hottest, most meme-able team in baseball.

@pestogawd

OMG Remix leaked feat. Pitbull & Silvestre Dangond by Candelita Jose Iglesias #Mets #OMG #wildcard #mlb #postseason #letsgomets #grimace

The baseball boom isn’t contained to just the majors. The Savannah Bananas’ traveling baseball carnival has continued to throw one of the wildest parties in all of sports, and are set for their biggest tour yet in 2025.

This Saturday of college football was for the nerds. Starting the morning off, Cal hosted ESPN’s “College Gameday” for the first time ever, and the crowd put on a performance that will be tough to top this year.

Cal brought Miami alum Michael Irvin to his knees in agony at one point.

But the biggest nerd winners of the weekend were the Vanderbilt Commodores, who upset No. 1 Alabama in an absolute shocker. After the win, Vandy, the Ivy of the South, partied like an SEC powerhouse.

The goal posts came down, and went on a tour of Nashville.

Don’t judge a book by its cover, and don’t judge a school’s capacity to party by its average entrance GPA. College football can spark a party for any audience.