What Do Chelsea Gray, The Pistons, Tracy Morgan Have In Common?

…Because it’s a great day for me. Why? Glad you asked! Netflix announced the release of four “UNTOLD” sports films. They’ll cover Lamar Odom’s demons, a big chess rematch, a quarrel between an Olympic equestrian and his student, and, drum roll please… the Portland “Jail Blazers.” Huge news for this Bonzi Wells stan. 

The Olympics are running it back. Well, the “Olympics of Fashion,” at least. Much like the actual Games, Vogue World, aka the Olympics of Fashon, will be held in Milan on September 22, Anna Wintour announced. And it turns out the biggest sports stage has a lot in common with its biggest runway. 

We watched Season 8 of F1’s Drive to Survive so you don’t have to. And by we, I don’t mean me (yet). If you’ve got questions, Filip Cleeren of Motorsport.com has you covered. 

I’m coming to the cottage. -Me  (Now that the Heated Rivalry Air BnB is available for rent) -Ilia Rozanov 

Timmy C, Steve Nash, and LeBron James: Dream blunt rotation? Just kidding, I don’t even smoke. And LeBron probably doesn’t either. But they will all be together for an episode of Mind The Game (LeBron and Steve’s pod). Dream ball rotation? Dream vibe rotation? Someone help me out here.  

“Go Off” is a special edition of our daily newsletter, featuring my thoughts, takes, and general vibes, presented to OffBall readers every Wednesday.

Being alive in 2026 means that some days, you are scraping the bottom of the barrel for general enjoyment and belief in the good in humanity, in the humanity in humanity. That’s kinda my vibe right now, as I claw my way out of this metaphorical and literal blizzard. So, I figured I’d share some of my points of inspiration with the class, in case you’re feeling similar. This work is not easy, but someone’s gotta do it. 

First things first, I watched The Rise and Fall of Reggie Dinkins last night, and I can’t explain how good it felt to watch something that harkens back to a simpler time: the days of the proper (funny) sitcom. Maybe it’s less of a sitcom and more of a mockumentary, but the point still remains.  Any show produced by Tina Fey is good (by law), but Tracy Morgan is back. And playing a disgraced football player has him very in his bag. It makes me think we need to show more love to sports comedies. Chad Powers was pretty funny, all things considered. And don’t get me started on how you all overlooked Stephen Curry and Adam Pally’s Mr. Throwback.  Maybe they can let female athletes have a funny show, as a treat. Anyway, Alison Herman wrote a good review, if you like reading those! We stan Alison Herman in this house. 

Second things second, the latest Players’ Tribune article, which is a love letter from Chelsea Gray to her son, makes me think everyone should be writing letters to their kids before they’re old enough to read or understand sports, the ways of the world, and object permanence. 

You’re up, Alysa Liu. I’m sorry to be the 10,000th person to call you their inspiration, but in my defense, I said it a few weeks ago, many times, again and again, and that was before some people (see her IG following, which has grown from 200k to more than 5M since the Olympic Games). Anyway, I was so inspired, I forced my friend to help me get better at ice skating. And I might even do it again. Though, to be honest, my knees really started hurting after like 40 minutes, and if I squint, I can see an ACL tear in my future. 

Next up, the new Bad Boy Pistons are officially on my fun list. I think the NBA needs a team with the juice. And just as their Detroiter ancestors (the old Bad Boy Pistons) before them, this team seems to be the one who’s got it. Plus, Cade Cunningham!!!! 

And last but not least, probably least, actually, but only because the other stuff is really good. I am enjoying this trend (maybe meme format is a better descriptor), which pairs random duos up on social media and does nothing else. I love having a vision for no reason. Someday, I hope to make up random duos. You know what, why not today? 

Nicole Kidman, you are needed on set to record a new sports-themed commercial for AMC.

I’m a firm believer in the power of watching sports in public. I know some people prefer to be locked in at home, and I see the value there, too, but there’s nothing like celebrating at a bar. And where do you go when you don’t want to drink (maybe you never want to drink!)? 

Enter, the movie theater. 

NBC showed Olympic events live at participating AMC theaters, a premise that is so good, I’m pretty sad to have missed it. 

But I will not be missing the future events, slated throughout this year, I’ll tell you that much. F1 and Apple TV are bringing races to 50 theaters nationwide, beginning with the Miami Grand Prix on May 3. WWE is doing the same thing for its Elimination Chamber this weekend. And we’ve talked before about the Cosm Dome, which claims to be even better than a real-life experience, which I’m not sure is true, but I don’t doubt it’s sick as heck. 

If what Nicole says is true, and heartbreak feels good in a place like this, we’ll be right at home, because sports fans are no strangers to heartbreak.