…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.)

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.

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). 

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. 

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!

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.

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.

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. 

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.