The Pro Athlete to SNL Pipeline

…Err– X, we mean. Premier League media teams and journalists spoke to The Athletic and said there are a few reasons for this. Bring back the glory days of 2010s football Twitter. 

Men have stuff to carry, too. And they’re no longer stuffing it all in their pockets. Your favorite athletes are now opting to carry large bags as fashion statements. Maybe that’s a natural evolution for people with Birkin money. 

Issa is a owner—of the MLS club San Diego FC. Issa Rae joins Padres fan fave Manny Machado, World Cup winner Juan Mata, and others as part of a larger ownership group looking to engage the community.

Call him Maxverfashion the way he’s dressin’. Max Verstappen is officially an AlphaTauri model, and racing’s once sensible dresser, who formerly only wore the team kit, just might be in his fashion era. 

The official trailer for Jamel Johnson and Josiah Johnson’s Memes & Nightmares is here and it’s perfect. The doc-com focuses on how fandom and digital platforms intersect. J.R. Smith shows up. And Jalen Rose. And Ros Gold, Matt Barnes, and the list goes on. 

@serena

When Kendrick and team called and was like ‘we’ve been trying to do something forever, what about this? We loved your crip walk at the Oly... See more

The celebration for the 50th anniversary of Saturday Night Live will be a three-hour special and feature some of the show’s former greats. And—we’re not sure why, but—it airs on Sunday night. 

There’s probably no better indicator that you’ve “made it” than being invited onto SNL, which has long been a platform for athletes to flex their acting chops (or lack thereof). We aren’t sure if any athletes will show up for the celebration special on Sunday, so what better time to relive some of the classics? 

Peyton Manning, perhaps the unofficial king of the athlete-comedian crossover (rivaled only by brother Eli), has had some of the most memorable moments ever on the show. But when you can’t get the real Peyton to do the Broadway Halftime Show at The Super Bowl, Taran Killam makes a good fill-in. Keenan makes an even better tap-dancing, fake Richard Sherman. Speaking of Keenan, this isn’t actually Big Papi, but it might as well be. This one reminds us LeBron could be a comedy star. Ronda Rousey played the perfect generic Bachelor contestant who likes both night and day. And forgive the recency bias here, but Caitlin Clark telling Michael Che “you don’t have a girlfriend,” hits every single time. And everyone say thank you to Melissa McCarthy for being Melissa McCarthy. 

Sketches like Roundball Rock still slap, obviously, because anything Tim Robinson is involved. And, if you’re a living, breathing human with a pulse, you’ve surely chanted “Da Bears” once or twice in your life. Technically, the Space Olympics are not a real sporting event, but honestly, we’re probably not far off from them. 

Some sporty monologues are worth revisiting because they embody a particular cultural moment, like Nancy Kerrigan answering questions about Tanya Harding Or like this one, from before he added the Coach to his Prime. 

If you aren’t watching motorsports, wyd? From F1 to NASCAR to Indy to Truck Series, they’re all the rage, and your choices are endless. The storylines are never-ending, but here are some quick hits: 

This weekend, start your engines for the mother of them all: the Daytona 500. Owner Michael Jordan will be there rooting on his drivers, Bubba Wallace, Tyler Reddick and Riley Herbst. 

You probably know a thing or two about F1 already, but either way, mark your calendars for February 18, when all 10 teams show off their 2025 liveries in the same location for the first time ever. But don’t count on the cars to be the exact models used in races—teams will likely keep that tech a secret until the season begins in March. 

Frankie Muniz’s upcoming year is looking more like a Disney Channel Original Movie than a real life. By day, he’ll juggle filming a TV show (the reboot of Malcolm In The Middle) and by night, he’ll race in his rookie season of NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. 

IndyCar is killing it on social. They’re focused on getting new fans involved for their upcoming season that tips off- no, kicks off- no, goes full throttle, March 2nd. 

So hop in or eat their dust; racing’s going pedal to the medal. Sorry, too much.