The Difference Between The Culture Of Sport And A Sport’s Culture

…Is Lola Tung’s newest venture. She’ll star in a Sapphic soccer movie produced by soccer legend Kelley O’Hara. Between this and the announcement of The 99ers biopic, Tobin Heath is getting what she’s been asking for. 

I come bearing a fun little announcement for me/OffBall/my editor (you know, the writer of the pesky kid brother newsletter in the next paragraph). We will be tag-teaming the weekly SPORT BEACH newsletter, where we’ll bring you a behind the scene look at some of the brightest and best business executives, marketers, and athletes. Subscribe now. 

Everyone’s got their takes on the Met Gala (except me, a person who is always very neutral and normal about these things). But maybe our biggest takeaway from Museums Biggest Night should be that it was a total sports takeover. Daniel-Yaw Miller explains. 

This month’s issue of one of my personal favorite magazines, Interview Mag, features one of my favorite hoopers, Cameron Brink, being interviewed by her Stanford alum-mate, Phoebe Gates. P.S., the print version of Interview is very worth every penny. 

They brought in the big guns for the Scripps National Spelling Bee. Mina Kimes is set to host the competition, which will air on ESPN. Some of the best sports to watch are those that are only kinda sports. 

“Go Off” is a special edition of our daily newsletter, featuring my thoughts, takes, and general vibes, presented to OffBall readers every Wednesday.

Unfortunately for you, and anyone that comes into contact with me this week, the Met Gala has me thinking. F1 has me thinking. NBA Playoffs have me thinking. The start of the WNBA season has me thinking. I’m doing a lot of thinking. And although I offer no solutions, I’d like you to take a think with me. And because you’re probably smarter than me, maybe you’ve insights to add. 

My colleagues and I were talking about the Miami Grand Prix, and I mentioned the FOMO I felt by not being there. Not because of the race, but because of the pageantry that goes along with it. One of my colleagues commented on how it’s a shame the race plays second fiddle to the anterior events, because the race was great. To which my other colleague said he thought the race had been rained out. I said I hadn’t heard a word about the race. It was — as it happens — a crazy race. Another P1 for F1’s Gen Z hero Kimi Antonelli, and a last lap which saw Charles Leclerc spin out and go from a would-be podium finish to sixth place in the blink of an eye. 

A focus on the non-sporting side of things is great for F1, which has built a culture in which the draw for many of its new casual fans has become all the other stuff. The iffy part about this isn’t that the parties and yachts are fun. F1 is perfect as is. The problem comes when other sporting events attempt to replicate this with their own big parties, brand partners, and activations, seemingly deprioritizing their own identities. As a lover of sport and culture and sports culture, I think sports only benefit when the new fan actually learns about the game a little, too.

And that isn’t all to say there is no room for casual fans and it’s ‘diehards or bust’ — I don’t believe that for a second, and neither should you. Plus, casuals know the final result of a game or sporting event. (The term casual doesn’t mean totally disinterested altogether, but rather that they enjoy the exciting moments of the sport). But I do wonder if sometimes we are forcing the a monoculture of sports and forgetting about each sport’s culture. 

College football tailgates are perfect. The energy (and format) of March Madness, by design, isn’t easily replicable, and shouldn’t be. The Masters forewent some of its famed traditions this year and people missed the old merchandise. Even intrasport, each tennis major offers a different experience for its attendees — that’s why it’s fun to tick each of them off your list. 

I’m not gatekeeping, to be clear. Quite the opposite. I’m advocating for each sport to push the beauty of the game itself, as well as all the fun ancillary things. And in diluting the very makeup of each specific sporting event with big sponsorships and shiny toys and loud noises, we are at risk of losing sight of what made us fall in love with them to begin with. 

If we don’t take note of what makes each sport perfect, we risk a future where every major tentpole sporting event looks and feels the same, a future where it’s hard to discern what makes the US Open unique from F1 Miami or the World Cup Final different from the Super Bowl, due to identical brand activations, corporate hospitality moments, and the same fan engagement tactics. The beauty of sports has always been in its uniqueness, rather than its homogeneity. 

I’ll give you an example on a micro level. No mascot can be Ellie the Elephant, and no one should try. She is perfect. Other mascots should embrace the things that make them special, and enjoy her perfection. That’s why the Valkyrie’s mascot, Violet, was so great to me. She’s perfect, too, she’s just a nerd (positive). You can find a way to stay true to who you are while also creating something perfect in its own way. 

And I do understand the inclination to try and transpose the magic of one sport to another. At face value, it’s a huge win for business, but niche communities and rituals are important to the sports ecosystem, too. One of the most fascinating and cool experiences I’ve had at a sporting event was when I went to my first English Premier League game and learned midgame bathroom breaks or concessions are a no-no.

Is it a problem that I didn’t hear anything about the race last weekend, but saw post after post after post of mutuals in Miami? Maybe not. But I’m big on asking questions for the sake of it.

Stand up comic voice I recently learned about the Enhanced Games. You’ve seen this? You’ve heard about this? Basically, well, not basically, exactly the premise is the Olympics but with PEDs. You look puzzled, and I agree, I feel like I need more information, and yet, that’s kind of the whole deal. Let’s get with the program though, because they are somehow already valued at $1.2 billion. With a B! 

Some drugs are not allowed, though. Apparently, there’s evidence Olympians in ancient Greece took shrooms to enhance performance. Also, in 1904, the winner of the Olympic marathon did so with brandy and a neurotoxin found in rat poison. Neither of those will be permitted, even though I would like to see someone doing gymnastics on shrooms. Anyway, anything not FDA-approved is banned. And the PEDs are only allowed under medical supervision. 

I am told you do not have to be under the influence of any of these drugs in order to watch, so come one, come all. 

The events will include swimming, track and weightlifting, and the games start May 21 in…guess what city…yes, that’s right, Las Vegas! Check it out for yourself and let me know how it goes.