James Pearce Jr, IG Boyfriends, And Glow In The Dark Flag Football

…Offball, that is. Right now on the site, we’ve got a special Winter Olympics takeover in honor of the Opening Ceremonies tonight. That means all of the perfectly curated content we’re delivering is totally focused on the icy happenings in Cortina and Milan. 

Who said nerds can’t ball? Sure, Leonard Williams is one of the Seahawks’ most elite defenders, but he’s also the NFL’s top Magic: The Gathering player. His card collection would make any nerd proud. Kinda cool no one could ever beat him up or shove him in a locker.

Find someone who defends you like Jordon Hudson defends Bill Belichick. Say what you want about her, but she’s riding for her man no matter what. But is that why he was left out of the Hall of Fame to begin with? I don’t know, I’m just a woman who types for a living. 

The Westminster Dog Show is the happiest place in the world. It’s got it all: vibes, fashion, puppies. Is this technically sports? Hard to say, but Penny the Doberman rocks. We love when a bad bitch knows who she is. 

We’re living in a golden age of Winter Olympics fashion. Some of the best team apparel and fan gear is being designed by fashion insiders being called upon by their home countries to create pure heat for their athletes, whether they’re in a bobsled or looking swagged out at the opening ceremony. Our pesky kid brother newsletter had the details. 

The so-far highlight of my Bay Area Super Bowl trip came at NFL Honors Red Carpet last night. As James Pearce Jr. walked by (he wasn’t really doing interviews) with his handler, I shouted (like a stereotypical carpet paparazzi) “James, where’s Rickea?!” Not because he gave me an amazing answer or she popped out from behind a door. But because he looked at me, completely neutrally, not stonefaced and not smiling, and said quietly while shrugging, “she’s at home.” It was so matter of fact. And it was also a lie, because I know she’s in Miami at Unrivaled! 

That interaction will stick with me forever. But anyway, there were many other highlights that are more interesting to people like yourselves. 

We went to a women’s power brunch and got this perfect video.

Also, the Toyota Glow Up Classic was an absolute riot, and I think we crushed the video we made for our friends at Toyota. 

My colleague Shanon went to a Women in the Game panel, which featured many of our friends, but the main highlight from that was that Cowboys tight end Jake Ferguson aka Haley Cavinder’s partner was an enthusiastic IG boyfriend, standing in the back filming her proudly.

Shanon sent me videos but our newsletter host doesn’t let us embed video so just imagine it. 

We’ll have lots of videos coming on social so keep watch for interviews with Certified Fun Guys like, DeMario Davis, Bijan Robinson, Joe Milton, Hendon Hooker, and Tre Boston. But for now, enjoy this game we’ve been playing, which we’ve named: Off the Dome. 

The NBA trade deadline slammed shut yesterday, and boy, was there movement. AD is headed to Washington, Chris Paul to Toronto (??) and maybe waived (??), Kristaps to the Warriors. Everyone was switching cities this week. Well, everyone except Giannis, who, as he put it, is “not f****** leaving” (yet).

My favorite trade of them all, by some distance, was Jared McCain’s move to OKC. If you, like me, first came across Jared on TikTok as a fresh-faced rookie posting himself singing, painting his nails, dancing to Drake, and generally balling out in his lone season at Duke, you’ll have shared my heartbreak in seeing his ROTY campaign ripped away by injury last year, after such a promising start to life in the NBA. 

Having to watch him struggle for minutes—even spending time in the G League—after his comeback early this season was stunted by the formidable backcourt duo of VJ Edgecombe and Tyrese Maxey, was harder still. 

But fear not, because Jared is headed to OKC. Sure, Oklahoma already had the bragging rights of being NBA Champions, but what it didn’t have (until yesterday) was the undisputed vibiest TikTok Gen-Z super team dynasty in all of NBA history. Jared and his 5 million TikTok followers were the final pieces of the intricate puzzle that naturally includes SGA, Chet Holmgren, as well as known dancing queens and TikTok lovers Jalen and Jaylin Williams (not related). 

In all seriousness, we’re living in an era (in sport and maybe in the world in general) where authenticity is the most valuable commodity, and one that’s increasingly hard to come by. Jared McCain is one of those athletes who exudes joie de vivre and only really knows how to be himself. The hope is he now finds that he’s valued as a very talented player as part of a very talented team that play championship-winning basketball and have a lot of fun in the process, simply by just being themselves. 

If it’s good for Jared, it’s good for the game of basketball.