The Hawks-Magic City Collab Was A Teachable Moment

…Or live long enough to become the villain. Ok, he’s not a villain, per se…also, no one’s dying. But Pat McAfee started out as anti-establishment, and now he’s another one of the suits, says Awful Announcing. Whether he likes it or not. 

Every so often, a partnership will make you go, “That makes sense!” This one doesn’t really, but I’m happy they’re doing it. Atletico Madrid and Peaky Blinders are doing a promotional swap ahead of the latter’s new film and the former’s La Liga match this week. What the hell, sure. 

Thanks to signings aplenty and lots of player movement to new teams, NFL Free Agency has been extra, as expected. The internet has responded as you’d expect. With memes. And memes. And memes. 

Hurry! Call Adidas!! I’m gonna need 50 cc’s of this ‘94 World Cup-inspired kit! STAT! It combines so many of our favorite things right now: denim (kind of), 90’s imagery, nostalgia, a V-neck. 

Who has two thumbs, loves combining sports and upscale dining, and honoring Black athletes from Ivy League schools? Damian Lillard! So much so, he opened a new restaurant in Portland dedicated to all those things, in partnership with sports marketing expert JR Duperrier. Table for me and all my best friends, immediately, please. 

Listen, if we’ve learned anything from the Hawks x Magic City collab that never was, it’s that the internet still can’t handle nuance. If you don’t know what I’m referring to, how does it feel to have no electricity or penicillin or running water, because I assume you live a very remote life (positive). 

Nonetheless, I’ll explain. The Atlanta Hawks were set to have a special Magic City (yes, this Magic City) themed night, and Spurs big Luke Kornet wrote a thinkpiece about why the premise was damaging to women. It caused quite an uproar from everyone online. Sports Twitter ran wild with the take machine on this one. Some were for the collaboration. Some were against. Some, like Cam’ron, defer to the parents. (Not to be lost on all of this is how much we are united in discourse because of the sometimes silliness, which I mean positively, of sports)

For some, it was frustrating to see someone speak out against women being exploited or abused only in the context of them being sex workers. I understand their points, and I’m not sure I disagree, but I personally don’t know if whataboutism is the correct response here. I do see their point that NBA players are silent on much bigger issues than this one.

The other side said Luke had a point. A lot of their takes being rooted in the idea that kids and families don’t need to be exposed to exotic dancers. 

Friends of mine called Luke woke; other friends of mine called him conservative. But whether or not we can argue or levy claims that one side is too woke or not woke enough, too conservative or that he should shut up and dribble isn’t really the point. To me, the takeaway here is not that you have to stake your flag in one of the sides and sit there, but it’s that this is a very rare opportunity to have a nuanced and serious conversation with those around us. 

By the way, I watched Law and Order SVU throughout my entire childhood. Ja Rule’s “Pain is Love” was my favorite album growing up. I saw Kate Winslet’s breasts on the big screen when I was, like, five. So, I take a tiny bit of issue with the pearl-clutching about exposing kids to this, considering kids are exposed to all kinds of stuff on their phones these days. 

Anyway, back to the heart of it, a lot of things in life feel like they’re Right vs. Wrong. We barely exist in grey areas anymore, but this is discourse that reminds us life isn’t always black and white. We can exist in a world where women are encouraged to dress how they want or be exotic dancers, and it still will never be ok to exploit them. And considering they can’t understand the nuances, perhaps it’s not necessary for every kid to be aware of that industry just yet. It’s a reminder that you should allow yourself to be convinced of something, or at least consider an opposing viewpoint to your own. Hear someone else out. 

I don’t know if canceling the night was the answer; I’m not a doctor, I just write one in a newsletter, but regardless, it’s a decent time to have an open conversation about a complex situation. Especially considering this was supposed to be fun for fans, not something done with mal intent. But as we well know by now, the internet is best at exhausting a topic it didn’t need to exhaust.

Maybe the real collaboration was the one where we shook hands, gave everyone their turn to speak, and agreed to hear each other out. Maybe the real Magic City was the beautiful Utopian society we created when we realized there might be more than one right answer. 

Now, what are they going to do with all those Magic City hoodies?

The stars are bigger and brighter in the desert! I don’t know if that’s true, but it is true when you consider Alex Eala, who is fast becoming tennis’s brightest cultural star, if you ask me, both on and off the court. I can’t really explain this (I don’t have to, it’s my newsletter) but to me, she is tennis’s Paige Bueckers. Or if you ask all of the links below, which further prove my point. 

@theslicetennis

Is Alex Eala 🇵🇭 the biggest tennis star in the world? 🤔 #eala #alexeala

She’s obviously got the talent, but, arguably more importantly, she’s got the rizz.

She’s literally keeping the lights on at Indian Wells. At least she was, at Stadium 3, when everyone else was ready to pack it in, but her fans showed out in huge numbers. 

And, bonus points, she speaks multiple languages. I don’t think Paige does that but 

@tennischannel

Mahal kita, Alex Eala! 🇵🇭 #tennisparadise #tennis #alexeala

Mabuhay to you, too, Alex!