Rory McIlroy Is So Back-To-Back, Baby

…Because they were all there. Every single one ‘em. Caleb Williams was seen living his best life in the VIP with Kylie and Kendall Jenner. Lewis Hamilton was in the building alongside a certain Kim Kardashian, while USC hoopster Jazzy Davidson was there enjoying some post-March Madness fun (I wish I spent my college downtime like that). Tara Davis-Woodhall was unsurprisingly the content queen she always is, taking us all on the journey with her and her husband, Hunter. And they weren’t playing with their Day 1 and Day 2 fits. Naturally, Paige Bueckers, Chief Side Quest Officer, was on site.

Not a single athlete is doing it right now like Jared McCain (obvi). For his latest trick, he was a guest on Richard Jefferson’s show (the latter was wearing a full suit with his bare feet out, for some reason). Richard got Jared singing (doesn’t take much) and talking about his joyfulness (takes even less), as well as that trade from Philly to OKC, and so much more. If you watch one thing this week, watch this. (But please do also watch the WNBA Draft tonight.) 

The NHL is known for many things. Its place at the center of sport’s marriage with fashion has not been one of them, until recently. That’s all changing thanks to skinny pants and “hockey butts”. Dive deep into this great story from The Athletic’s Fluto Shinzawa on hockey’s coming of age in fashion. 

The Internet is still talking about the viral Pacers couple of ‘What The Eff Are You Talking About?’ fame. Tom Dierberger at Sports Illustrated refused to accept the moment as just another ‘Guy Overexplaining Something To Uninterested Girl’ meme. He engaged Grace and Michael in a conversation that was at times highbrow (“We were talking about the academic rigor of a liberal arts education”), at other times lowbrow (“Knicks suck”) and nonstop hilarious.

Marie-Louise Eta just became the first ever woman to take charge of a men’s team competing in the top five European soccer leagues, after she was appointed head coach at Germany’s Union Berlin. 

Even as someone who admittedly wouldn’t call themselves a golf lover, it was hard not to get emotional seeing Rory McIlroy crowned Masters champion for a second year in a row — a rare repeat winner of golf’s Holy Grail — after taking more than 15 years to get over the hill at Augusta.

It’s a win that places him in the pantheon of greats, the select few who have won at Augusta in consecutive years; Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo and Tiger Woods are the others in this golfing Rushmore. Talk about an exclusive club. The internet is already abuzz with people saying it's high time McIlroy’s name was floated in the GOAT debate. (And if you really want the Rory deep cuts, might we recommend Alan Shipnuck’s spicy, six-day-old biography on the man.)

In true Nike fashion, the Swoosh — Rory’s longtime partner — was on hand with a motivating spot locked and loaded, blasted out as he pulled on the second green jacket of his career in as many years. As Nike put it, the Irishman now has “one to rock, and one to stock.” 

And one thing you can rely on The Masters for is that it will always produce some of the most enduring images in sports. Like this one. Or this no less brilliant (if less triumphant) image.

I personally found it fascinating following the weekend’s action, naturally, for what was going on on the course, but also for the many things happening around it.  

I learned (from friend of OffBall, NFL defensive lineman and lover of golf, Kyle Van Noy) how insanely cheap the food prices are at The Masters, a rarity for sporting events in this country. $3.00 for a humble pork BBQ had me questioning the $25 I dropped on chicken tenders at Yankee Stadium. 

I also learned that Jason Day truly puts that sh*t on. I’m a fan of any athlete who pushes the boundaries of their respective sport’s dress code. The fact that Day’s birdie-inspired outfit on Day 1 — made by golf apparel disruptors, Malbon — split the golf world in two, is exactly the kind of role I love to see fashion playing in sports (chaos). 

Anyway, I learned a lot, Rory earned a lot, and we can all thank sports for giving us yet another weekend that will live long in the collective memory. Until next time.

If your WNBA fan friends didn’t show up to work today, or have the Do Not Disturb icon set on Slack. It’s been a lot lately (positive). If you’re cool enough to know any WNBA players, check on them too, because the past few weeks, days, hours and seconds (probably) have been a wild ride. 

We’re officially living in a post-CBA WNBA era. And the girlies are getting their money. It’s hard to keep track of all the trades flying about, free agency or otherwise. 

The Angel Reese-to-ATL bombshell kicked things off nicely last week, and since then, it’s been a non-stop flurry of deals. 

Jackie Young made history as the W’s first $1 million player, while Brittney Griner and Arike Ogunbowale reportedly have since agreed to seven figure deals with the Connecticut Sun and the Dallas Wings, respectively. Rickea Jackson and Dijonnai Carrington are headed to Chi Town. Meanwhile, Gabby Williams has traded Seattle for pastures more purple in the Bay Area, with her trade to the Valkyries announced yesterday.

Remember, if it all gets too much — speak to someone. Speak to our friends at Togethxr, specifically, who kindly opened a support hotline.

And just when you thought you could catch a breather, I’m here to remind you that it’s time for the Draft this evening. Unlike last year, there’s an added element of excitement around tonight’s proceedings, given the fact that literally no one knows who’s going first pick, or second, or third, or fourth, for that matter. Is Dallas using its No. 1 overall pick to reunite Azzi with Paige, or will it be Spain’s Awa Fam whose name is called first? Will it be neither? Everyone has an opinion, nobody knows. We’ll see you online tonight.