…Despite actually being Brits. My timeline was flooded with selfies (well, just the one selfie over and over again) of them and superfan Marlins Man on Wednesday night for Game 3 of the American League Division Series between the Yankees and Rays. It was the couple’s first baseball game (and alas The Yankees’ last of the season), but more importantly, Marlins Man reported (live, from the scene) that it was Dua Lipa’s first-ever hot dog.  

If we ever get that “Barbie” sequel, Serena Williams has next (God, if you’re listening…please). “I could be Raquelle,” the tennis GOAT told Bustle upon the reveal and release of her Barbie Signature Doll on Thursday. Demoralizing serve not included. 

Mel C has dibs on Sporty Spice, so Romeo Beckham will have to settle for Sportswear Spice. Romeo, the ex-footballer-turned model son of Sir David Beckham and Posh Spice, teamed up with Justin Saul to launch Intra. James Westwood of Goal wrote about Romeo, Justin, and their fashion label, which they call “a love letter to a footballing culture.” Check out Intra’s second collection “Dawn” here.

Friend of the Pod (Newsletter) Daniel-Yaw Miller always offers one of the best marketing perspectives on where brands in sports are hitting and where they’re missing. This week’s SportsVerse is no different. In it, our old pal goes deep on why growth for growth’s sake actually harms a brand. He’s looking at you, Lululemon (and others).

Chris DeVille, managing editor at “the world’s best music blog” Stereogum, is used to interviewing musicians. But he’s new to interviewing them strictly about their NFL fandoms, as he does on his “Music Nerd Football Podcast.” He’s a Browns fan, so commiseration is welcomed. Listen to the latest episode here.

Megan Armstrong is a friend of mine, but she also happens to be a gifted journalist and storyteller. And since pictures are worth 1,000 words (I just made that up), she saw photographer Madeline Carter’s iconic image of (newly-minted five-time MVP) A’ja Wilson from Game 3 of the Aces vs. Fever playoff series, and knew she wanted to help tell the story behind it. Megan and Madeline’s conversation is below. 

But first, the iconic image.

Megan Armstrong: What was your experience watching this photo continue to circulate and become bigger than you could have imagined?

Madeline Carter: I went into that game having a slump, as all creatives do. I've been battling a cold for like the last week or so. I was kind of sick and not in a great headspace. So I told myself to make one image for myself. I almost didn't file the photo because I just overthought it and wondered if people would think it was good. I posted it on my Instagram because a mentor told me to stop posting and deleting photos. I told my boyfriend, "I'm going to delete it before I go to bed." And he was like, “No, just leave it up, and then you can think on it in the morning." 

I woke up at like 7 a.m. and my phone was buzzing off the hook, and I was like, "What is going on?" I thought it was like an Amber Alert or something. It had 2,000 likes when I woke up, and I couldn't believe it. I just started pacing around my apartment because I didn't know what was happening. I went to go get some Dutch Bros, and when I got back, it had 10,000 likes. I couldn't believe it. I've been speechless for days.

MA: What is your favorite interpretation of the photo?

MC: I saw a viral video by KevOnStage, and he said a hand cannot stop you from greatness. I really liked that interpretation.

MA: What do you think is the underappreciated or misunderstood difference between photojournalism and content creation in sports?

MC: I love that you asked that because I have seen people speculate that I photoshopped things or fans out of the photo because it has a really clean black background. As a photojournalist, I'm not allowed to remove or add anything to the photo. I can crop it — what you see is almost the full crop of that photo as is. I can tone it a little, but I can't remove or add anything, and I can't stage things. There's a code of ethics that I have to abide by, the National Press Photographers Association's code of ethics.

MA: What do you love specifically about the craft of photojournalism?

MC: I'll be really honest with you: I grew up with a learning disability. I grew up with it in math, so it never impacted how I read or anything, but I was in classes a lot with kids who struggled to read. And I saw that pictures were a really valuable way for them to understand the world and to understand things around them and to understand the stories that they were reading.

I just love the way that pictures connect people to things and to stories. I love that they can be a visual aid to people. I'm just really, really passionate about how many doors photojournalism opens to people just understanding news and events.

MA: How much does it matter to get credit? 

MC: One thing that I will say is that I've seen a lot of shirts and things like that online, and I will say it is a copyrighted photo. I would also say that photographers work really hard to get the photos that they get, and they work hard to have a special [and] trained eye. A lot goes into it. And so, I think that appreciating the work that someone does goes beyond just crediting them, but also respecting copyright law. 

MA: Where are your sports allegiances?

MC: I probably shouldn't say for the WNBA because I cover the WNBA. But I will say I grew up in Milwaukee. I have to give a shout out to my parents and to my grandpa because I'm a huge Green Bay Packers fan. My family has season tickets to the Packers. But I actually got really into photographing basketball because my grandpa, who died when I was younger, was a high school basketball coach, and it's my way of feeling close to him. I also root for the Milwaukee Bucks. I love the Brewers. 

MA: Of all the people acknowledging and reacting to this photo, who excited you most?

MC: There's been a few, and there's also been ones that I'm still learning about. I feel like I haven't seen it all. So, if you've seen any cool ones, you have to tell me. But I was really excited because someone who I actually went to middle school with — who I haven't spoken to since middle school, which is really funny — tagged me in a comment from Coach Yo from Ole Miss, who is one of my favorite coaches. She said it was an iconic photo, and I was like, "Coach Yo just called my photo iconic! What are you talking about?!” 

MA: Does having a photo blow up like this, the next time you have to go and shoot, empower you or make you nervous?

MC: You must have read my therapist's notes from our session yesterday. I actually talked about that, and I am admittedly very nervous. The weird part about it is also that I feel protective of my work because I am a photojournalist, so the integrity of the truth of the photo is really important to me. In the age of AI, seeing some of the edits has been really upsetting.

MA: Where does this A’ja photo sit on the Mount Rushmore of photos that you've taken?

MC: It's funny. I had to talk about it to my therapist yesterday because I was like, is there truth to the things that people are saying to me? Are the mean comments valid? I made a print of it to frame in my apartment. And when I opened up the print and saw the picture on a full scale, I was like, Okay, wow, I'm actually really proud of this picture.

I want to keep working toward other great photos. I don't want to get hung up and say that this will be my peak because I'm 26. I'm young, and I have a long way to go in my career. I want to say that the best is still yet to come. And when you're photographing someone as great as A’ja, there's more to be expected.

In between Marlin Man’s Dua Lipa posts (do you ever just say a sentence and think: “what is anything anymore?”) “Team Moms: Baseball,” the reality TV show that Kim Kardashian executive produces, dominated my social timelines. And every article and post I saw was more dramatic than the last. 

For the most part, the internet reactions seemed to be negative, but there were some people in support of the show. 

We’re getting thinkpiece after thinkpiece on whether or not the show (which features a mom calling her child’s bully “a little b*tch”) is something we should even allow. But the cast insists it’s good exposure for the school and for their sons. Some TikTokers have come to the show’s defense. 

Watch “Abbott Elementary.” And Sheryl Lee Ralph repping Eagles fans with Jake Shane.

Go for a run. But read this first.

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