The March Madness Seeds Are Set

…Because if you aren’t a big name in a major sport, getting brand deals can be difficult. OnlyFans is investing in MMA fighters, mountain bikers, divers, fencers, runners and more. Don’t worry, the link is perfectly safe for work! 

WAGs are the next big thing at the intersection of sports and fashion. Lionel Messi’s wife Antonella Roccuzzo hosted an Adidas workout class in Miami, and many other wives and girlfriends were in attendance. Seems like their partners aren’t the only athletes in the family. 

Artist Takashi Murakami threw out the first pitch at the Tokyo Series in the hardest fit any mound has ever seen. I guess it’s true what they say: art imitates baseball. 

Dressing up in costume to support Maine fisherman, museum hopping in Florida; Bill Belichick continues to surprise us these days. He and girlfriend Jordon Hudson were doing couples acrobatics on the beach—he’s so supportive. Literally.  

We went to The Rolling Loud Golf Invitational this weekend to learn which playlists celebs and golfers love. We also beat them all and won the tournament. Don’t fact check that.  

@littlebigliz

the warriors and knicks just got SEVERED 🧠🔪🏀 #nba

If you’re not wearing green today, consider yourself pinched by us. And if you’re the UC San Diego men’s basketball team, and you’re going to your first ever NCAA tournament, consider yourself pinched again, because you aren’t dreaming. 

The stage is set, and the top 68 men’s and women’s teams are headed to the biggest and best basketball tournament of the year. You probably aren’t on one of those teams, so the closest you’ll get to the competition is submitting your brackets. Here are some good bracket names, by the way. 

Every year without fail, March rolls around and brackets for TV/movies, food, fashion, and the like, start to pop up. Brackets have become a way for us to engage with all things pop culture. In many ways, the March Madness bracket has become the ultimate cultural influencer because it’s the OG bracket. And there’s a reason everyone is able to have so much fun with March Madness—from the non-sports fans to the casuals to the sickos. 

It’s storylines like: Rick Pitino making it back to the tourney with Jimmy Fallon’s favorite team, St. John’s. Or the underdogs, who the entire country can get behind. Like the aforementioned UC San Diego men, Drake, or McNeese State, who have the best student manager in the game. Or the women’s teams at Harvard, Norfolk State, or Oregon State. Or the (possible) final battle for LA between JuJu at USC and Kiki at UCLA, both being top seeds that could meet in the Final Four. 

Then there are the controversies: the North Carolina men’s team getting in, and social media being up in arms—probably because many people didn’t see that coming, their athletic director is on the selection committee. Conspiracy theorists have a day! 

There are so many reasons we turn up for the NCAA tourneys, and we can’t wait to watch them all unfold in the next few weeks. Plus, what other competition results in a perfect bracket prediction getting you to Mars?

Welcome back to Take Five, a series where our community taps in to curate the music, style, restaurants, trends, and influencers that have caught their eye. From the things that inspire them to what or who we should all be paying attention to.

We’ve had some fun with this series, featuring big names like tennis champion, friend, and OffBall advisor Naomi Osaka, NBA star Kyle Kuzma, and USMNT Striker Balo. 

Today we’re talking to a hooper who’s captured everyone’s hearts during this Unrivaled season, Allisha Gray.

Unrivaled has showcased just how dynamic Allisha is. She’s a bucket with nerves of steel on the court, but she’s also hilarious and multi-faceted. She’s an Olympic gold-medalist, a food critic, a gamer, and voted most likely to crash out.

Allisha, with the finals being tonight, we wanna talk all things Unrivaled!

OffBall: What has been a favorite Unrivaled moment?

“It’s amazing to be surrounded by top–level athletes and be able to compete against them every day.”

What’s the best restaurant in Miami? 

“Barton G—the food is great, and the presentation makes it a whole experience.”

@rhyball

Try this carnival dessert with us from Barton G 😂 #foodreview #carnival @allisha.gray

Which Unrivaled player would you trust with a secret?

“Rhyne Howard.”

What tv show, book, or movies got you through the season?

“I play video games mostly—A lot of PGA Tour 2K25—so that has helped me unwind.”

What’s something you wish people knew about Unrivaled?

“How competitive and dynamic the league is. It’s a space where the best athletes showcase their skills in a whole new way, and the energy is next level.” 

Thanks so much to Allisha Gray for chatting with us

Learn a new language with an MLB player. Hey, Australian counts as another language.  

Try this social media challenge that just might be harder than the NFL combine. 

Write Bos Nation a persuasive email. They’re pivoting to a different name. What should they go with? Bean Team? The Fighting Mark Wahlbergs?