Finstas For My Real Friends, Instas For My Brand Friends

…The NCAA Tournaments, despite only a few upsets and Cinderellas, have still been plenty interesting. For one, we learned about how High Point University’s curriculum is mostly fine-dining studies. College fans learned what we’ve known for… four days: “Old Ball knows ball!” And DraftKings learned you’re not allowed to say M**** M******! 

Fanatics is truly always up to something new. This time, it was a flag football game between NFL and professional, Olympic-level flag players. The flag team, shall I say, absolutely creamed the NFL players. There were a lot of familiar Fanatics faces, too. If you guess them all, I will send you a prize. Check your work here. 

Is it “Showtime” for the Lakers again? Between LeBron seemingly passing the baton soon, and Luka being at the center of multiple dramas (like fights, technical fouls, and whatever family stuff I’m not going to read about because he’s a human being and he deserves privacy), everyone’s watching them. Plus, Austin Reaves is dunking. 

I went on the podcast Good Follow with JuJu Gotti and Trysta Krick to talk WNBA CBA and NCAA Women’s hoops! Watch the full episode here and tell me how bad my takes are. And give them a follow if you aren’t because they’re…a…Good Follow.  

Remember when Rainey Ovalle made a banger to educate us on the NBA’s Jalens? We’re getting the NFL version. And based on the number of Jalens in that league, I fear the list is going to be a lot longer. But I guess that means a longer song. Ok, I’m in. 

Shhhhh… Do you hear that? It’s the sound of no one posting on main anymore. More and more frequently, athletes (and also a lot of civilians) are using main social accounts solely for brand deals and self-promotion. They’re posting the real stuff on Finsta. 

A Finsta, for our more offline friends, meaning “fake insta,” is essentially a burner account. Usually they’re private, but in the case of some athletes, they’re intentionally left public, so fans get an inside look at the more raw parts of their lives. 

If you’re a soccer fan, find a list of your favorite players’ Finsta @s here. 

One of my favorite Finstas belongs to Anthony Edwards (obviously…that man was born to be a content creator). Come for the dogs in his shoes, stay for the Duolingo check-ins. 

Liverpool’s Hugo Ekitiké’s account is a banger too.

49ers receiver Ricky Pearsall used his to hard-launch a relationship. Actually, can you hard-launch on a Finsta? Discuss in the comments below. Jk, we don’t have comments. Send me an email. 

Jalen Williams has one, but I have to say, it doesn’t feel very different from a standard account. Jalen, let’s get a little vulnerable, shall we?

Sidney Crosby has one, but we’re still on the prowl for what his @ is. 

First and foremost, let me send a shout-out to Puma for inviting me to their kit reveal event in Domino Square last Thursday. There were food trucks for each nation Puma’s dressing in the World Cup, a life-sized claw machine, jersey giveaways, and a 4-on-4 tournament. 

Puma unveiled kits for Ghana, Egypt, Morocco, Austria, Switzerland, Portugal, Senegal, Ivory Coast, Czech Republic, Paraguay, and New Zealand. 

Nike went more cinematic and less experiential with their big reveal for the USMNT. 

And Brazil became the first national team to partner with Jordan. They’re set to debut their Jordan away jerseys in a friendly against France in Boston on Thursday. 

You have to watch this South Korea kit teaser. 

Norway’s reveal might stress you out, but it has a happy ending. 

And last but certainly not least, Adidas brought back the trefoil logo for their teams’ away kits (everyone say thank you, Adidas!).