…Angel Reese. The Dream clinched their spot in the WNBA Finals exactly 364 days after Angel Reese tweeted about making it to the finals. What makes it even more unbelievable is that she was on the Sky at the time, a team that won’t see the finals for a long time. Sorry, Chicago, we still love you.
When I tell you flag football is everywhere, I mean that flag football is everywhere. Amanda Mull wrote about how the fastest growing sport (for high school girls) is turning into its own economy, thanks to the NFL and colleges who are sponsoring teams. I have at least five years of eligibility, and patellar tendinitis. Who wants me?
When it comes to brands trying to connect with Gen Z tennis consumers, “people are looking for evidence of a life actually lived,” says Evan Cole in Racquet Theory. Out with gatekeepers, in with actual tennis tastemakers. Warning: Cole curses, but sometimes a topic calls for a good old-fashioned b*llsh*t!
Speaking of b*llsh*t, I’m still on my baseball b*llsh*t! Instead of lamenting and recounting ballpark heartbreak, I’m preparing to lock in for this Dave Eggers baseball project. ”The Comeback,” which will feature Sterling K. Brown, Callum Turner, and Tom Hanks. They are calling me the most seated person in the world for this.
Lamine Yamal dropping a 29-piece line with American Eagle was story enough. Add to it that as AE’s first-ever, multi-year global ambassador, Yamal hosted a 48-hour bash in Barcelona to celebrate? Lamine Yamal is a force on the pitch and the runway. American Eagle, more like Spanish Águila.
Forward this to an Angel City stan.
Angel City center back Sarah Gorden is one of the most dynamic athletes in the NWSL. She’s a single mom, a professional soccer player, and fashion designer. She also manages to meaningfully nurture each of those missions simultaneously. I spoke to her recently over video chat, and got a clear picture of just how many plates she’s spinning, and how she gets creative about keeping them all up in the air at once.
AB: I want to talk first about fashion because you're obviously so creative. That's apparent the moment you look at your Instagram. How do you nurture that part of yourself?
SG: I like the way you worded that. I think that's still something I'm figuring out. For a lot of years, being a professional athlete, a mom, and trying to figure out life… I didn't have the luxury of figuring out how to nurture that part of me. The last few years, that's really come to life for me. I also think that in today's day and age, it's easy to distract myself with the wrong things.
AB: What are the wrong things you're distracting yourself with?
SG: Social media or little things that keep me from being present. Little things that feed that tendency to be away from myself instead of being present with myself. Meditation is a really big part of my life because I'm easily distractible. Carving out time to be with myself allows me to follow what I feel.
For me, creativity is everything from trying to create this fashion brand to playing football and being free on the field, painting, art, dancing, and listening to music. Being able to listen to myself and be with myself is the biggest thing I can do to let my creativity flow.
AB: I think it's really important, the way you put that: being able to be with yourself. I've been trying to do this more lately: On the subway, I don't let myself have a book or headphones, and I don't look at my phone. I'm like, "I'm so bored right now, painfully bored." But I think there's value in being bored and realizing that being with yourself can lead to more creativity. Where do you think inspiration finds you? What's your version of that?
SG: Meditation brings me back to myself. For so much of my life, I almost avoided myself. But where does creativity find me? Everywhere. I'm a big music person, and I like to write. Spending time and having fun with my son is important, although he's a preteen now, so he's a little too cool for me.
AB: Times are changing.
SG: Times are changing. But the biggest thing for me is football. It's such a platform to create and be present. As athletes, it's easy to get caught up in performance, accomplishments, playing well, and telling ourselves we have to play well. I'm at my best and most creative when I'm just there, flowing. That's where creativity really finds me.
AB: You mentioned your fashion line. Tell me about it.
SG: Fashion is a big way for me to express myself. My line is called “Saera.” It's really about bringing out the best of me, sharing the pieces and things I love with the world. My fashion has always been a little sporty and very comfortable, with small elements of high fashion, vintage archives, heels, and pops of color. There's a lot of unisex clothing and pieces that are comfortable, cozy, and simple. The idea is to bring out your individuality by using those pieces to express yourself.
AB: Is that white [on your Instagram] backdrop in your house?
SG: Oh, yes…the idea was to have it for the line because I'm figuring this out by myself. I thought it would be an easy way to create content or take e-commerce photos when we need them.
AB: Tell me about your favorite tunnel fit. I know you've worn your own pieces as tunnel fits.
SG: My favorite tunnel fit would be from our home opener this year. I wore two pieces from my line: a black Saera jacket and track pants. The jacket was inspired by the intersection of sport and fashion. The material is sporty, but the silhouette is inspired by high fashion, archival vintage, and early 2000s and '90s pieces. It was the perfect intersection of the brand. We went all-in on the details, and it was the first time I'd publicly worn something from the brand.
AB: Something I find interesting about you is your relationship with your son. Even looking at photos and watching videos, you can see how strong and beautiful that relationship is. As the mother of a boy, what lessons are you instilling in him?
SG: I get asked about parenthood and motherhood a lot. As athletes, we usually answer these questions from a positive perspective, but it's really difficult to raise a boy, especially as a single mom.
Now that he's 12 and a preteen, our relationship is changing. When he was younger, we had a great relationship. He always looked to his mom and wanted to be close to me. He still wants those things, but he's growing up and experiencing different things.
I'm learning so much. I try my best to be there for him and listen to him. I don't always get it right. A lot of times, I walk away wondering if I'm missing something. Right now, I'm away from him on a 10-day trip, and I wonder, "Am I doing this right? Did I give him enough of my time?"
The answer is usually no, but all I can do is come back and try again.
I love him, and he appreciates our relationship so much. I'm grateful that he always gives me another chance when I don't get it right. He's learning, and I'm learning. That's all we can do.
AB: It's everyone's first time here! Single motherhood is already an incredible undertaking. Add being a professional athlete, and it's even more unbelievable. I want to talk about providing partnership opportunities for NWSL players who are moms and pursuing their own business ventures.
SG: I'm excited to be partnering with AT&T on this “She's Connected” series because that's exactly what it's about: sharing the balance of my life as a mom, professional athlete, mentor, and entrepreneur, and getting to share my story.
You've heard a million times how important it is to share what we've been through because women's sports have come so far in such a short amount of time. It's important to have partnerships like this. In my 11 years as a professional, opportunities like these weren't an option for me or many other players. It speaks to the growth of the sport. Having a partner like AT&T highlight my journey and my life has been amazing. Mentoring someone else along the way has been special, too.
I can’t really find where it all started, but at some point, the internet decided to turn this 2022 Takeoff and Quavo video into a slew of various AI slop videos, featuring different notable characters. I’ll let you look those up, if you care, because they really aren’t worth any additional coverage (this is a newsletter of taste, after all).
Anyway, the WNBA crew over at NBC Sports did their version (no AI), and I haven’t stopped watching it all weekend.
The video is so spellbound thanks to Sue Bird’s undeniable charisma. Worth mentioning, of course, that Cheryl Miller is a total star, Maria Taylor is gorgeous, and Tina Charles is cool as hell, but Sue’s participation really set the internet on fire.
Most of the quote tweets are some variation of “why is Sue Bird so smooth?” and “Sue ate that.”
And, for what it’s worth, it’s not the first time we’ve been completely transfixed with their content. Remember this one?
Or this one?
My take is that her fit is half the draw here. I was obsessed with it on Joey Tribiani, too.
Day ones know that she’s been this smooth, but that doesn’t really change anything — I’m still going to be watching in awe for at least 7-10 more business days.
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