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I am not an astrology expert, but former NFL quarterback and divorced man Tom Brady does have astrological lines running through both Brazil and South Africa.

Why could this possibly be relevant? Well, TMZ exclusively reported that Brady and supermodel Candice Swanepoel are dating. She is from South Africa.

According to the outlet, the pair have been “secretly” dating since June and have been going on dates on Indian Creek Island, which is also known as “Billionaire Bunker.” It’s the same place where Jared and Ivanka Trump, Jeff Bezos, and Mark Zuckerberg all own properties.

✨💌Before we get into the latest developments in Brady’s personal life, I wanted to ask you to consider becoming a paying subscriber for less than the price of a latte really anywhere in America: $5/month. Plus, both monthly and annual subscriptions are 20% off for a limited time!💌✨

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I love writing this newsletter, but this is a one-woman operation. I’m so proud of what I’ve built over the past six (!) years. I cannot believe this is read by people who work at places like ESPN, The Ringer, Netflix, Klutch Sports Group, and more.

It is truly a dream come true that this is part of my job, but I can only continue doing it at the pace I aspire to with your support.

Now onto the mess (and there’s a lot of it today)…

Brady and Swanepoel have apparently managed to keep a low profile because of the location of their dates. Energetically, it feels like if you want to step foot on Indian Creek Island, you have to sign an NDA, so it’s not that shocking that they haven’t been spotted.

What is somewhat shocking is that Brady’s ex-wife and Swanepoel’s former coworker at Victoria’s Secret Gisele Bundchen is apparently totally fine with them dating.

Bundchen and Swanepoel’s time as coworkers at the lingerie giant was brief. Bundchen retired as an Angel in 2006 and Swanepoel became an Angel in 2010. They did both appear together in the 2023 Icons Collection campaign.

My favorite crossover between these two supermodels was back in 2012 when they both attended the opening of Mario Testino’s show at the Museum of Fine Arts…in Boston…Where Bundchen’s then-husband was playing football at the time.

No, he did not attend the event, in case you were wondering. He was reportedly preparing for a Jets game, which they won by a field goal. I checked.

Do I think this will last? Honestly—and I am not just saying this because I looked at his astrocartography—but I do kinda see it working.

They both recentlyish got out of very long-term relationships (Swanepoel separated from her fiancé in 2018 and Brady got divorced in 2022). They both have children. And they both really love to work out.

Obviously, working out was part of Brady’s job, but Swanepoel was one of the early supermodels who made working out part of the job description. If you were a Models.com sicko like me, then you will recall that Swanepoel famously has been training with Justin Gelband since she was 17.

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Gelband has also worked with VS Models like Lais Ribero, Jasmine Tookes, and even apparently trained Taylor Swift for two years? I did not know this. I thought she was more of a Dougpound girl (iykyk). He was also the co-founder of ModelFit, where Karlie Kloss worked out, so perhaps that’s where Kloss and Swift met…

Anyways!

To make things more complicated, there’s a rumored rift between Swanepoel and fellow model, Joan Smalls, possibly over…Brady. Last week, Smalls commented on a Just Jared Instagram post about an alleged fallout between the models.

Smalls also called Swanepoel a “backstabber” in another comment.

Sure, this could just be a friendship that ran its course, but DeuxMoi reported that Smalls and Brady allegedly dated on and off for a year. I can imagine this could…perhaps…be why Smalls and Swanepoel don’t follow each other on Instagram anymore.

Moving! On!

It would not shock me if Brady and Swanepoel make their red carpet debut at the Met Gala next year (if it even happens). Not only would Swanepoel being there be a likely place for her to be, but I fear there is nothing Brady loves more than being competitive with his ex-wife, who happens to be the highest-paid supermodel in the world, whether he will admit it or not.

Off The Field (And In Your Inbox)

• I think I might’ve influenced LeBron James: Since the NBA season started, the Philadelphia 76ers star has posted wayyy fewer inspirational quotes than he did in the off-season. In fact, today he hasn’t posted any, which is one of the few times since July that he has skipped a day. LeBron, if you’re listening, let me know. And for those who have no idea what I am talking about, read below. (via Instagram)

• Wanna watch a WNBA Finals game…on your lunch break? Sigh…I know this was the best possible solution blah blah blah, but the fact that Game 6 of the WNBA Finals is being played at 12:30pm ET on Thursday in Atlanta is just BONKERS. This is a professional sport! You’re telling me Golden State Valkyries fans could be watching their team win a championship at 9:30am PT? At least let me finish my coffee first, damn. (via Yahoo Sports)

• The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders unionized: In! This! House! We! Support! Unions! I love this news. The Cowboys and the DCC released a joint statement saying that they are recognizing the union, which is a great first step. Now, I am curious how long contract negotiations take… (via The Guardian)

• Jay-Z hired himself to perform at the Super Bowl halftime show: Listen, if you already work for the company, it is a lot easier to get a job internally than externally. Even if you have 10738 referrals. How do I know this? Because before I was a Sports Gossip Expert I was a corporate woman! Did you know I used to run Waze’s global social media strategy? Anyways… Congrats to Jay-Z? I guess he only has himself to thank for this move? At least this hopefully means we’ll get a Beyoncé cameo. (via NFL)

• Tennis players are maybe beefing: I know will have way more insight into this story than I can provide right now, but Matteo Berrettini was asked after his first-round win at the Vienna Open about Lorenzo Musetti’s recent win in Lyon. Berrettini does not look pleased with the question and asks, “Is this live?” during the interview. Reader, it was live. To make things even messier, the former Davis Cup teammates reportedly unfollowed each other on Instagram, and both broke up with their respective partners the same week. Idk what it all means, but I am sure we will find out soon enough. (via Tennis 365)

• Is Tom Cruise a Milwaukee Brewers fan: Or was he just in the Wisconsin capital attending the World Series in the hopes of getting more people to see his new movie, Digger? Confession: I did not see it, but I did look up the entire plot online.(via Yahoo Sports)

• Karl-Anthony Towns and Jorydn Woods should host a Halloween party like Heidi Klum: I feel like based on their dedication to dressing up as Game of Thrones characters ahead of Halloween (which HBO posted and I assume paid for, despite there not being an #ad disclosure, so not sure about that?), they would host a killer (pun intended) Halloween party that could rival Klum’s…I love when people commit to a theme! (via Bleacher Report)

• The soccer Oscars happened: On the men’s side, England’s Harry Kane won the Ballon d’Or and Spain’s Alexia Putellas took home her THIRD Ballon d’Or Féminin title. Congrats! (via ESPN)

If Bravo and ESPN had a baby, it would be Impersonal Foul. This newsletter is free, but please consider becoming a paying subscriber for just $5/month.

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Since July 27th, 2026, Philadelphia 76ers star LeBron James has posted 497 inspirational quotes to his Instagram Story.

How did I get to this exact number? Well, I screenshotted and organized every one of them in Google Drive for an episode of that and I worked on for months.

While James has basically been chronically online since you could be chronically online, the uptick in posting inspirational quotes started right around the time he signed with the Sixers.

Before you come for me: Yes, James has posted inspirational quotes to his Story before, but not at this frequency.

Methodology

From July 27th until October 19th (the day before the start of the NBA season), I screenshotted every inspirational quote that James shared on his public Instagram Story.

Accounting for human error, I'm confident I didn’t miss a single quote he shared.

About once a week, I would pull the screenshots from my camera roll and organize them into subfolders by posting date.

Most of the time, James posted these quotes first thing in the morning, all at once. Rarely were there days when he’d post, let’s say, two inspirational quotes, and then post four more later in the day.

Almost always, this man was posting these slides back to back, within seconds of each other. I know this because I have the timestamps from when I was screenshotting them and I could see James was posting these back to back to back to back to back.

Rise! And! Grind!

There were even days where James posted upwards of 16 inspirational quotes in a row.

In fact, there were nine days when James posted at least 10 inspirational quotes in a row. If you know anything about social media strategy, posting that many slides to your Instagram Story is absurd and will lead to a very low completion rate, which isn’t good for engagement.

This, of course, makes you wonder: Who are these quotes for other than James?

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Very few material items elicit a visceral response in me.

There are my beloved High Sport pants (expensive but worth it). My $12 Vanicream face wash that doesn’t break me out. And then there are the turtlenecks that New York Yankees players wear during games when the heat finally breaks for good.

In this current ✨climate✨, fall feels less like fall and more like a suggestion of “fall” to make us all feel better about the state of the world at large.

You can now purchase a Pumpkin Spice Latte in August. I still can wear a t-shirt to pilates with no sweatshirt in September. And I put off purchasing another Babaa no. 17 sweater for a few more weeks, because I will just overheat anyways.

With the official start of fall at the end of September comes a pivotal moment in the sports calendar: The MLB playoffs.

I must admit: I don’t really pay close attention to regular-season baseball outside of keeping tabs on my beloved Los Angeles Dodgers and whether there are any updates in the Shohei Ohtani betting scandal.

However, I do start paying closer attention to baseball when the playoffs start, like many other fair-weather baseball fans. More importantly, I pay even closer attention when the Yankees are in the playoffs and wear turtlenecks (that are really more like mock necks).

There’s something about those mock necks that feels like curling up with a good book in front of a crackling fire with a cup of hot chocolate.

The Yankees playoff mock necks are the Christian Girl Autumn of sports apparel. I know that when I see those on television, we’re in a new season of life.

The mock necks are comforting in the way watching Gilmore Girls as the leaves change outside your living room window makes you want to wrap a giant, ultra-soft microplastic blanket a little bit tighter around you.

Maybe that piece of clothing evokes a twinge of nostalgia for the late-90s, early-2000s Yankees, like when Derek Jeter hit a walk-off home run in Game 4 of the 2001 World Series while wearing a mock neck.

And when I see current Yankees players like Aaron Judge wearing them as the temperatures drop, I can’t help but root for them.

The more I think about it, though, the more I wonder if maybe I am just rooting for the mock neck itself? Or perhaps I am just yearning for a time before social media, the same way that people are praising Phoebe Bridgers for a phone-free concert experience?

I’m not quite sure where the feeling of comfort comes from when I see this item of clothing on a professional baseball player, but I do know this: With the Yankees being eliminated by the Tampa Bay Rays in the ALDS last night, I know my playoff-watching experience won’t be the same.

Off The Field (And In Your Inbox)

• The wildest scandals in sports almost always go all the way to the top: And that’s exactly what’s happening with the Manchester City drama heard round the sports world. The team was found guilty by an independent commission of 114 out of 115 Premier League financial rules. The club has been accused of “sham” contracts as part of a “disguised funding scheme” that contributed to them “inflating revenues and reducing costs” by over £900 million. The story plays out like a Stefon bit on Saturday Night Live, because this story really does have everything: Corruption, an alleged prime minister’s involvement, threats, and so much more. (via The Athletic)

• The Marlins Man has no idea who Dua Lipa is: Do I really believe that the MLB fixture had no idea who the pop star was? I’m not so sure about that, but they did sit next to each other at the Yankees-Rays game last night behind home plate. (via X)

• Did you watch the end of the Atlanta Dream vs. New York Liberty playoff game? It was juicy! The Dream pulled out the win in overtime and are now up 2-0 in the WNBA semifinal series. Come on, Liberty! (via Yahoo Sports)

• Cristiano Ronaldo is beefing with Portugal’s head coach: The soccer star has apparently had enough of the country’s head coach, Jorge Jesus, and released a statement longer than any essay I wrote in my AP classes. Ronaldo reportedly issued an ultimatum and said he won’t return to the national team while Jesus is the head coach. Everything about this man can be summed up by his reaction to one of his kids saying that their mom, Georgina Rodríguez, is more famous than he is. (via Bleacher Report)

• In even more soccer news: Sunderland captain Granit Xhaka has been fined over £100,000 for allegedly forging a COVID vaccination certificate while he played for Arsenal. (via OneFootball)

• Haven’t we learned anything about helicopters? Philadelphia 76ers star LeBron James has been flying back and forth between Philly and New York on a helicopter. James reportedly has access to the helicopter as part of his deal with Fanatics, which he signed back in 2024. Please! Just! Drive! (via Front Office Sports)

If Bravo and ESPN had a baby, it would be Impersonal Foul. Please consider becoming a paying subscriber for just $5/month.

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For partnership inquiries or to just say hello, email madeline@impersonalfoul.com

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There is nothing better than seeing someone whose work you admire interview a main character in your Sports Gossip Cinematic Universe.

Yesterday, The Wall Street Journal published an interview with the University of North Carolina football team’s head coach, Bill Belichick, written by of Gossip Time.

What makes this interview significant is the fact that Belichick talks about his relationship with his girlfriend, Jordon Hudson, in more detail than we have maybe ever gotten from him?

I’ve been covering the Belichick-Hudson saga here since news broke that the pair were dating. and I have also discussed the relationship and Hudson’s role in Belichick’s business dealings on .

From the very beginning, we’ve suggested that the story has always been about power and who really holds the power in the relationship.

To this day, we are pretty sure we are the only two people in sports media who have spoken with Hudson, who cold-called Charlotte on a Saturday night and whom we spent over five hours speaking with over the course of a week to get her to come on the show.

Reader, she did not come on the show, but never say never…

Anyways!

Belichick has been relatively silent about his relationship with Hudson and has avoided discussing her role within the UNC football program—until now.

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Good morning, everyone. I spent my weekend consumed by sports content. Did everyone else?

On Saturday, I watched my alma mater, the University of Georgia, beat Western Kentucky by 50 points. On Sunday, I watched my favorite NFL team, the Buffalo Bills, narrowly beat the Houston Texans. Somewhere in between, I watched the men’s and women’s U.S. Open final matches.

Sports! Are! So! Back!

I have a very fun free newsletter for you today. Up first, I had an imaginary conversation with Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback and local man who won’t stop talking, Aaron Rodgers.

Then we get into a few of my favorite storylines across the World Wide World of Sports that involve newsletter main characters like Bill Belichick’s girlfriend, Jordon Hudson, and Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow.

Enjoy!

A Few Questions For Aaron Rodgers

Hey Aaron, I just have a few questions for you.

It should only take a few minutes of your time. No, no. Please don’t hang up. I just have a few things I’d like to clear up with you.

Yes, you’ll be able to get back to prepping for your next darkness retreat in no time. What? You’re not doing that again? Oh, it was a one-time thing. Okay, well I didn’t know that.

I promise it won’t be long. Really, I swear.

You say you don’t want people talking about your personal life, but you told the world that your ex, Danica Patrick, was once depressed and “…not fun to be around.”

I can also imagine that you weren’t that fun to be around in the 2018-2019 season for the Green Bay Packers when you led your team to a…6-9-1 finish that season. Were you fun to be around then?

I don’t think you were that fun to be around, considering your brother, Jordan, called you out for allegedly not reaching out to your family during the California wildfires in November of 2018.

Oh, you did try calling your mom? Well, did you leave a voicemail? Of course you didn’t leave a voicemail. Listen: I also don’t leave voicemails, so I do relate to you on that and only that. Yes, I know you donated, but did you call your mom?

Fine, fine. We don’t need to get into all that, but I’d still love to keep speaking with you.

You say you don’t want people talking about your personal life, but you also told us intimate details about your sex life with Patrick.

Was anyone asking for those details? They weren’t? Oh, hrmmm. Okay.

Sorry, Aaron, no, I am not finished yet. I just need a few more minutes of your time. There are still a couple of things I’d love to address.

You shared that after you proposed to (your now ex) Shailene Woodley, a few days later she asked to “…go f**** this guy” before you two got married.

No one asked for you to share this with us, so….again…why? Do you think this makes people take your side?

Oh, you do? Well, I hate to break it to you, Mr. Rodgers, but I fear it makes people take Woodley’s side.

I understand you disagree, but let’s just agree to disagree. Oh, you don’t do that? You are always right? Sure.

Sorry, just another question and I really promise I am almost done.

I’ve noticed a trend with how you speak about your exes. You mentioned Patrick was “depressed” and in that same interview you also say that in Woodley’s side of the story about the break up she claims you “…gave her crazy depression”.

Do you think the call is coming from inside the house?

Oh, you don’t understand that expression? Well, it basically means that you are the reason—

Why are you interrupting me? Oh, you do know what it means? No, sir, I am not trying to mansplain something to you.

Okay, well I’m just trying to clarify why it’s strange to me that you keep bringing up your exes and intimate details of your personal life that no one asked for while simultaneously going on The Pat McAfee Show, rambling on about how the “media” keeps talking about your personal life, among many other things.

Oh, only you are allowed to talk about your personal life? I hate to break it to you, but when you are a public figure and doing interviews on podcasts talking about your personal life ad nauseam…you do know that the press is going to cover it?

What? You didn’t know that?! Oh my gosh, well, I am so sorry to break that news to you.

Does that change how you feel about doing interviews moving forward or will you continue to do whatever you want?

No, it wasn’t meant to be a rhetorical question, but I can see how you viewed it that way.

I am not trying to be rude. I really am just trying to get to the bottom of this.

Do you have time for one final question? I really swear this is the last thing and then I will let you go.

How did you and your wife Brittani meet?

Hello?….

Aaron???….

Mr. Rodgers…

Are you still there?

Off The Field (And In Your Inbox)

• My step-cousin just got his first game ball: Did you know I am a stepo-baby? I made up this term and no one asked for it, nor do I have any perks because of this affiliation. My step-cousin Joe Brady got his first game ball after leading the Buffalo Bills to victory. (via X)

• Jen Shah is back on the sidelines: After being released from prison, the Real Housewives of Salt Lake City star was on the sidelines cheering on The University of Utah’s football team. For those who don’t recall, Shah’s husband Sharrieff "Coach" Shah is the team’s associate head coach, cornerbacks coach and special teams coordinator. (via TikTok)

• Speaking of the sidelines, Jordon Hudson is also back: …and on the sidelines at the University of North Carolina’s first football home opener against East Tennessee State University. UNC won, which they probably could use the good PR considering the mess they are dealing with off-the-field. (via The New York Post)

• Joe Burrow wore wide-leg trousers: To the Cincinnati Bengals season opener, which they won! According to Burrow’s stylist, Kyle Smith, they are custom Alo. (via Instagram)

• The Dallas Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer needs a spon con deal with BIC: I have never seen a head coach with this many writing utensils tucked behind his ear. Was he also the type of kid who loved going to Staples ahead of the school year to stock up on school supplies for his pencil case? I also want to know whether he is a .5 or .7 kind of guy. I feel like he’s a .7, but that’s just my personal opinion on the matter. (via X)

• Don’t propose at a Yankees game on the jumbotron if you don’t have the ring yet: No, really. Don’t do that. (via X)

• Los Angeles Clippers owner Steve Ballmer has “sincere regrets” over the handling of the Kawhi scandal: Well, yeah. Would also love to know the thought behind this graphic design of this statement. Why they didn’t move “associated” to the next line is beyond me. Ballmer also tweeted the statement, which I feel like lands a little better. Wild for this to drop on a Sunday night. (via X)

• Hell yes: The U.S. women’s basketball team won the FIBA Women's World Cup final. LFG. (via ESPN)

• Daejon Love was arrested in 49ers gear: You have to hand it to him for committing to the bit. Love was caught on camera being arrested outside Boise Airport in a white Corvette. As a reminder, I interviewed one of his alleged victims a few weeks ago. (via TMZ)

• A New York Knicks star is making their SNL hosting debut: Jalen Brunson will host the Saturday Night Live season opener on September 26th. If anyone who works at NBC is reading this and has a ticket plug for the show, please email me. I will trade you some very good sports gossip in return. (via The New York Times)

Final U.S. Open Check-In

• Well, that man won: And leaving you with this response from my friend , which perfectly sums up how I feel about it. (via X)

• It looks like a U.S. Open social media manager is a fan of Pop Crave: At least based on this tweet’s wording… (via X)

• Aryna Sabalenka lost in the final: And smashed at least one racket afterward. (via Yahoo)

• There were a lot of celebrities at both final matches: Like, a lot. (via Page Six)

If Bravo and ESPN had a baby, it would be Impersonal Foul. Please consider becoming a paying subscriber for just $5/month.

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Back in May, I wrote about Savannah James’ high-end skincare line, Reframe Beauty.

The creative direction and digital design were done by a company that has worked with brands like Literary Sport and Thom Browne and James partnered with Nick Axelrod-Welk and Alexis Page (both beauty industry iykyk names) on the line.

The brand launched with three products in May of 2025 and there hasn’t been much press coverage since, posts on the company’s Instagram (or James’), or any new product launches…until about ten seconds ago.

I suspected Reframe may be launching another product when I noticed that James’ husband, LeBron James, began sharing more Reframe Beauty posts to his Instagram Story.

Of course, I had to dig further and noticed that just four days ago, VIOLET GREY announced they would be exclusively carrying the skincare line.

What’s piqued my interest further was the fact that VIOLET GREY used the phrasing, “…on the eve of launching Reframe an edited line of skin care essentials—exclusively at VIOLET GREY” in an Instagram post.

Not only that, but they say that James “…just added” skincare brand founder to her resume, despite the fact that the brand launched over a year ago.

And, yes, a skincare brand partnering with a major beauty retailer like VIOLET GREY isn’t out of the ordinary. However, I do find it odd that it’s happening now when they haven’t released any new products, have barely done any marketing, and rarely post about it on their own social channels.

Since they launched, they’ve only released those three products and have not really done much influencer seeding or PR—until now.

To read the rest of today’s deep dive into James’ skincare line (and the unreleased product launch I may or may not have discovered) and get all of the most fascinating off-the-field stories you need to know become a paying subscriber for less than $2 a week.

Now let’s get into it.

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I’m still processing the Los Angeles Clippers news that broke yesterday. I’m so curious what everyone thinks about the punishment and whether it was harsh enough.

Please sound off in the comments with your thoughts.

You may notice I’m workshopping a new format for the free version of this newsletter. It’s a work in progress and more changes are coming soon!

We’ve got a lot to cover today including a New York Knicks star making his acting debut, Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s dog finally has a name, Karlie Kloss’ husband Joshua Kushner apparently didn’t do his homework before attempting to basically buy a piece of the World Cup, and more.

We’ll also be covering a few stories out of the U.S. Open that I’ve been tracking, including Coco Gauff’s mom doing something I have never seen before from the parent of a public figure and Naomi Osaka’s match look inspired by a famous basketball legend.

I’ll be attending the tournament today with Bogner, so I cannot wait to see what Osaka walks out in next.

Enjoy!

Off The Field (And In Your Inbox)

• I spoke with one of the 49ers scammer’s alleged victims: She’s the one who has been going viral for running an anonymous Instagram account highlighting his behavior since 2024. We discussed this story further on Tuesday’s episode of . (via YouTube)

• Uh oh: The Los Angeles Clippers are in bigggg trouble: The NBA has suspended team owner Steve Ballmer, fined the team $30 million, and forced it to forfeit five first-round draft picks after the team was found to have circumvented the salary cap with the Kawhi Leonard deal heard ‘round the (sports) world. Ballmer is not pleased. (via AP)

• Sorry, influencers can’t write off trying to catch a pass from Tom Brady: (via Sportico)

• OG Anunoby is one step closer to getting his SAG card: The Knicks starter is making his acting debut in the upcoming season of CBS’ Elsbeth. (via Deadline)

• Lionel Messi retired from international soccer: The GOAT announced that his international career is coming to an end, but you can still see him play for Inter Miami (at least for the rest of the season). I can guarantee you ticket prices are about to get even more expensive than they already are. (via The Guardian)

• Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s dog has a name: After the Swift and Kelce dog appeared in a Tommy Hilfiger campaign with Kelce (which I thought was very good btw), the dog’s name has been revealed…on Kelce’s podcast, of course. (via New Heights)

• Joshua Kushner apparently didn’t do his soccer research: It appears that Thrive Capital’s Joshua Kushner “…failed to appreciate the political dynamics of global football” when the FIFA deal fell apart. (via Axios)

Quick U.S. Open Check-In

• Naomi Osaka is a fan of Allen Iverson: In addition to walking out in a sick Who Decides War look styled by Law Roach, the tennis player wore an outfit during her Round 1 U.S. Open match inspired by former basketball star Allen Iverson. (via X)

• Please stop asking Coco Gauff’s mom for tickets to the U.S. Open: No, really, Candi Gauff is asking you to please stop asking her for the plug. You know it’s serious when this is a main feed post to 17,000 people. (via Instagram)

• Influencers are “invading” the U.S. Open: Well, at least according to The Cut they are….I think the debate as to whether influencers are taking over the tournament is layered and complicated. I defer to and for their expert opinions on the matter. (via The Cut)

• Ben Stiller is filming again: This time at Francis Tiafoe’s match against Rei Sakamoto, which Tiafoe won. I’m curious if Stiller is directing an upcoming Lululemon commercial or maybe Tiafoe is somehow going to be a part of the upcoming New York Knicks documentary??? Only time will tell… (via X)

• Trinity Rodman ❤️’s her boyfriend: And her boyfriend happens to be Ben Shelton who won his second-round match yesterday. I feel like after the Swift/Haim Knicks t-shirt went viral, we’ll see even more statement graphic tees from the famous partners of athletes and…just famous people in general at sporting events. It is a good billboard after all. (via The New York Post)

• Thank god: A good athlete home! Madison Keys let Architectural Digest inside her Orlando home and I’m into it. I’ve talked about this before, but so many athletes have really ugly homes and this is not one of those. (via Architectural Digest)

• Did Carlos Alcaraz watch The Odyssey? It appears that way based on this… (via X)

If Bravo and ESPN had a baby, it would be Impersonal Foul. This newsletter is free, but please consider becoming a paying subscriber. Annual subscriptions are currently 20% off.

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Happy U.S. Open to all who celebrate.

If you haven’t read my interview with Hard Court’s , I recommend you do that ASAP.

Today’s newsletter isn’t dedicated to the tournament. Instead, we’re focusing on one of the craziest off-the-field stories in sports that I’ve heard in a long time.

And this is coming from someone who is a Sports Gossip Expert!

The NFL season hasn’t even started yet and we’re already getting so much mess. For some reason, a lot of this mess is coming from the San Francisco 49ers.

Their coach got in a car crash (that wasn’t disclosed for 11 days by the team) and their owner was arrested on suspicion of engaging in prostitution, but the biggest story from the 49ers’ organization has to do with a man named Daejon Love who claimed to be a player on the team, but was actually just scamming innocent victims out of over $1 million and was just arrested by the FBI.

I spoke with one of Love’s alleged victims who has been running an anonymous Instagram account dedicated to spreading awareness about his behavior since 2024.

Before we get to that interview, let me catch you up on what you need to know about this wildddd story that is primed for a Netflix/30 For 30/Inside Edition crossover unlike anything anyone has ever seen.

U.S. Attorney's office in the District of Oregon, Love and his co-conspirator, Taylor Chan, were arrested and charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and wire fraud after they reportedly created fake investments to defraud dozens of women.

Chan acted as Love’s financial advisor to solicit money from women that Love met mostly online via dating apps.

Love often pretended to be an NFL player or a real estate investor, according to the FBI.

Love posted videos of him working out in full 49ers gear, despite the fact that his footwork looks like how I would warm up when I played volleyball as a teenager and not the footwork of a professional athlete.

Love would also pose with 49ers fans, pretend to sign an NFL contract, and even celebrated his birthday with a 49ers-themed cake.

I feel like I am being served a new photo, video, or voice note from this man every two seconds on my feed.

While the FBI has identified 26 victims, they believe there are many more victims.

Based on what one of the alleged victims told me, there almost certainly are.

This story has so many layers and I feel like what we know so far is just scratching the surface…

An Interview With One Of The 49ers Scammer’s Alleged Victims

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

To get a better grasp of this saga that keeps unfolding by the day, I reached out to the woman who has been running an Instagram account warning other potential victims of Love’s behavior since 2024.

She spoke with me anonymously over DMs and shared how she first met Love in 2023, how Love allegedly tried to get money from her, how she’s feeling since the arrests, and more.

What led you to start the account in the first place? I saw the first post is from August 2024. Was that when you created the account?

Yes, I created the account in August 2024, but the investigating started in 2023.

There was another account ran by another woman in 2023, she reached me and multiple other women with her account that was dedicated to exposing him.

We worked together to get more info on Daejon. Eventually, Daejon managed to get her account removed.

She didn’t want to continue after that, so I started up the page again on my own and started fresh reaching as many potential victims as possible.

Were you also a victim of Daejon's?

Yes, I am a victim myself.

Is that how you were connected to the woman who ran the other account in 2023?

We connected over the shared experience, another lady helped us, so it was us three.

We lived in the same area at the time and we managed to go to the police to see if we could report Daejon.

They couldn’t do much about it at the time. They had only given us a link to report it to the FBI, because they said his actions were being committed in other states, so it would be a bigger process (the link that’s still in my bio is what they gave us back then to share).

I continued to share it throughout the years and, eventually, many more women came forward and started submitting their reports.

I saw that many of his victims he found on dating apps. Was that also the case with you?

We didn’t meet on a dating app like a lot of the other women did.

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One of my first jobs as a teenager was working at the tennis center at my local public park. I was given way too much responsibility and was in charge of booking courts for adults and telling them when they could and couldn’t play.

It was empowering!

I really do love tennis so much. I love watching it, wearing cute outfits to play (horribly), and observing how much the tennis world has changed over the past few years.

The US Open, in particular, has felt like a completely different tournament from the one I attended as a kid. There weren’t any brand activations and grounds passes weren’t going for hundreds of dollars.

With the first round kicking off this weekend, I turned to tennis expert . She writes Hard Court, an incredible newsletter about the business, culture, and style around the sport.

Schiffer views the evolution of the US Open as “…New York Fashion Week with a scoreboard,” and I think she’s onto something here.

I’m making this newsletter free, but interviews like this are typically reserved for paying subscribers, so consider upgrading to support the work I’m doing.

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Enjoy our conversation!

An Interview With Hard Court’s Jessica Schiffer

This interview has been edited for clarity. You can subscribe to Jessica’s newsletter here and follow her on Instagram here.

What’s your favorite off the court storyline going into the tournament?

Welp, most of the off-court storylines right now are bleak, whether it’s chronic injuries rippling through the tours or Nick Kyrgios testing positive for cocaine. So I’m going to go with the continued transformation of the US Open into New York Fashion Week with a scoreboard.

The celebrity attendance, outfits and general competition to be seen at the tournament have become almost a parallel spectacle to the tennis itself.

The Open was one of the first places we got to see Timothée Chalamet and Kylie Jenner out in the wild as a couple, and the following year Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce showed up to the men’s final at a time when we were all watching their every move.

@usopenA vibe #taylorswift #traviskelce #usopen

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I also think we’re going to see the WAGs come together much more visibly this year—sitting in packs in the stands, showing up for each other’s events and generally becoming their own little social scene around the tournament.

I’m very excited to watch this particular sideshow unfold, and I have a sneaking suspicion we may even get a few new player-partner reveals along the way.

With the rise of influencers/content creators and brands at the US Open, what is the biggest shift you’ve noticed in how the tournament runs?

The US Open kicked off its creator program last year, inviting creators both in and outside of the tennis space to attend and cover the event in the hopes of widening its audience reach.

These influencers are given all the same permissions as media, meaning they can attend press conferences and ask questions of athletes.

I think it’s generally a smart move—creators are at the forefront of new media—but I still think there should be some delineation between tennis-focused journalists and, like, a food influencer, so I’m curious to see how it unfolds.

Is there a brand partnership or activation you are most looking forward to seeing this year?

I’m not super excited about anything on the grounds, to be honest—I still think the US Open has a ways to go before it reaches Australian Open levels of interesting activations.

There’s so much attention on the tournament right now that I’d love to see brands get a little weirder and more ambitious with what they do with it (Ralph Lauren, I’m looking at you).

That said, there’s a big beauty partnership being announced for one of the top WTA players this week that I’m very keen to see come to life, because beauty has been sorely underrepresented in tennis despite the obvious overlap.

Paige Paul (nee Lorenze) is also doing a Dairy Boy pop-up during the Open, and I’m interested to see what she does with it because she’s built such a specific world around the brand—this mix of outdoorsy Americana, Martha Stewart-esque domesticity and sporty, slightly irreverent fashion. Frankly, a lot of tennis brands could learn something from how clearly defined that world is.

Speaking of worlds… World Team Tennis is also being revived and taking over Rockefeller Center on Friday to celebrate, which is a pretty major moment for the industry. For the uninitiated, WTT was the co-ed team tennis league founded in the ’70s by Billie Jean King and others that brought a much more colorful, entertainment-driven approach to a traditionally buttoned-up sport.

Its return feels particularly well-timed given the explosion of interest in tennis right now.

Have there been any significant endorsement shakeups for the major tennis stars ahead of the tournament?

We typically see the biggest endorsement shakeups after the US Open, when contracts are being renegotiated or coming to an end, but this is when a lot of the fun gossip starts.

I’m particularly focused on what Ben Shelton will do with his apparel deal, given that his contract with On is up for renewal at the end of the year.

There’s been a lot of chatter about a potential move to Nike, and word on the street is that Shelton would love to do something with Jordan Brand.

The wrinkle is that Jordan reportedly turned down a similar request from Carlos Alcaraz, so I wouldn’t bet on that one—but stranger things have happened in tennis sponsorships.

I feel like I still see so many commercials/endorsements from former stars during the tournament (ex. Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, etc.). Maybe it’s just what I’ve been served (pun intended), but do you feel like brands are collaborating more with legacy stars than with active players or is it about the same as it has always been?

I think tennis as a whole is having a little trouble emotionally moving on from the Big Three era.

Federer and Nadal obviously have enormous cultural value and absolutely deserve to remain part of the sport’s commercial world, but at some point we do have to accept that there are other tennis players now.

What’s frustrating is that we have a new generation of genuine superstars who should be incredibly easy to market, and I don’t think brands have fully risen to the occasion.

Carlos Alcaraz is probably the most glaring example. He’s one of the best players in the world, wildly charismatic, incredibly fun to watch and already has enormous global recognition, and yet I think Nike in particular has done him pretty dirty from a marketing and creative standpoint.

We can love the legends and still acknowledge that tennis has produced some new people since 2005.

Are there any new tennis brands or collaborations in the sport that you are excited about?

My friend Bryson Malone just opened this amazing vintage tennis archive and creative studio called Graphite, and I’m really hoping tennis brands take advantage of both his collection and his talents because they’re in desperate need of a fresh POV.

His archive is also a great reminder that tennis history isn’t all Wimbledon whites and varsity sweaters—there’s so much weird, colorful, genuinely cool stuff to pull from. We are truly overindexed on country club cosplay, and I would love to see brands designing clothes that reflect a different side of the sport or, at the very least, are actually in line with what REAL PEOPLE play in.

With the US Open being the last major of the season, what’s been your biggest takeaway or observation this year in the sport?

Unfortunately, my biggest takeaway is that tennis’s punishing schedule is in dire need of changing, given how many players we’ve seen dealing with chronic injuries this season and last.

There are obviously multiple factors at play, including today’s increasingly physical style of play, but one thing we do have some control over is how long the show goes on. Tennis is essentially nonstop at the moment, and I think it’s worth the headache of figuring out how to lessen player obligations without hurting the sport. It’s not a miracle cure, but it feels like an obvious place to start.

Do you have any predictions about what we will see more or less of in the culture around tennis next year?

I think fancy walk-on outfits are going to move from being the exception to the rule for top players next year, especially after we saw so many players follow in Naomi Osaka’s footsteps at Wimbledon this year.

Brands are realizing there’s a whole additional fashion moment before a player even hits a ball, and one that’s arguably more useful from a marketing perspective because it doesn’t have to comply with the same performance or tournament restrictions as matchwear.

I expect we’ll see a lot more custom jackets, suits and other pieces designed purely for the entrance.

More broadly, I think we’re going to see brands giving players a lot more creative input.

Tennis has become so intertwined with fashion and culture that simply putting a logo on someone isn’t particularly interesting anymore. The players with a distinct point of view (and the brands smart enough to let them run with it) are going to get a lot more attention.

Just Something I’m Into

Not sponsored, just something I’m really into!

I’m not opposed to a long road trip, but I do think you need to break up the drive sometimes. On our way up to Maine this week (more on that later), I was gifted a night at The Beatrice in Providence, Rhode Island.

Not only was stopping in Providence a good halfway point, but I loved everything about this hotel. The service was incredible, beds were a 10/10 imo, the water pressure in the shower was actually strong, and it was dog-friendly.

They also had an amazing sauna, which is always a good idea after a long travel day.

We also had dinner in their restaurant, The Bellini. It’s a Cipriani restaurant and, once again, the service was outstanding and the food was delicious.

Get the burrata and cacio e pepe trust me.

Thank you again to the wonderful team at The Beatrice for having me. I will be back!

If Bravo and ESPN had a baby, it would be Impersonal Foul. This newsletter is free, but please consider becoming a paying subscriber. Annual subscriptions are currently 20% off.

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I’ve been thinking a lot about rituals and routines lately. Maybe it’s because I’ve spent a long time perfecting my skincare routine to deal with my acne-prone skin or because I’m always trying to decide whether I like writing down my schedule in a journal I bought in Paris two summers ago or if I should just stick to my digital calendar.

I almost always go with the digital version. Sorry to my journal sitting in my desk drawer!

With the US Open just around the corner, I was served (pun intended) another routine from former tennis star Rafael Nadal on social media of him warming up for a match against Casper Ruud at Roland Garros in 2024.

@rolandgarrosWinning Mentality 🎾 #RolandGarros #SportsTikTok #RafaelNadal #Nadal #CasperRuud #winning

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In the clip, Nadal is practicing swings and running mini sprints while Ruud just…stands there. Nadal is out there doing a performance while Ruud has no idea what to do with his hands.

That clip got me thinking about all of the different types of pre-game rituals athletes have. Some are more in your face, like Nadal’s, while others are more subtle. In some ways, that can even be more lethal for breaking your opponent imo.

I’m very excited to be partnering with the incredible team at Nike on this newsletter, who have just recently refreshed their pre-game collection, including 24.7 apparel and Nike Mind, which is geared around helping to improve your pre-game focus and mindset.

If you’ve been a loyal Impersonal Foul reader for a long time, you probably know how much I love the brand (especially their Tempo shorts IYKYK), so I was honored that they wanted to work together on this.

Anyways!

I used my research background to dig into a wide range of athlete pre-game rituals and have grouped them into four categories: The GOAT, The Monk, The Chessmaster, and The Jokester.

Each one of these categories of rituals approaches the pre-game mindset from a different angle, but they all impact the performance on the field. No matter the ritual, these elite athletes use their pre-game routines to play mind games with their opponents.

I’m curious to hear your thoughts on whether you think these are enough categories of ritual types. Instinctually, they feel right to me, but please sound off in the comments.

Enjoy!

The 4 Pre-Game Ritual Personalities

The GOAT

The theatrics! The drama! The star power!

This routine is not subtle in any way, shape, or form. In fact, most of the time, these pre-game rituals happen when the cameras are very much rolling.

The GOAT routine works only for athletes whose legacies are on the line and who know that people are watching their every move.

I’m thinking of Philadelphia 76ers star (I still can’t believe I am saying that) LeBron James tossing chalk in the air while the crowd in the arena cheers him on. He started doing that back in 2003 during his rookie season. A rookie!

James really knew he was destined for greatness and had a routine fit for a king.

It also made me think about Paige Bueckers getting her handshakes in with Dallas Wings teammates while warming up.

Bueckers is newish to the WNBA, but knows how much her presence can influence her opponents.

By doing the handshakes On! The! Court! she knows that her relaxed demeanor could freak out whoever she is playing against.

Regardless of the player, athletes who participate in public displays of confidence tend to win more than they lose.

The Monk

Breathe in, breathe out. The Monk is silent, but can be very, very deadly.

They meditate, probably read The Body Keeps The Score, and know which sound frequency will put them in the right headspace to win.

There’s San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama literally training with monks and meditating in the locker room before games. Manchester City striker Erling Haaland also meditates and has a clean diet I aspire to have. Former soccer great Alex Morgan has also discussed the importance of meditation in her routine.

You could also put tennis legend Serena Williams in this category. Oftentimes, she stands there silently as she waits to walk out onto the court next to her opponent and listens to the same music.

I do think my favorite Monk ritual is the fact that tennis star Jannik Sinner takes a literal nap before a match.

@nikeBefore his next match, you'll catch @Jannik Sinner prepping with a power nap

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However “woo woo” some of these rituals may be (tbh I don’t think they are), they can be the deciding factor in whether they perform well once the game or match starts.

The Chessmaster

For athletes with a Chessmaster approach to their pre-game ritual, the game starts before the game even starts!

As I already mentioned, Nadal falls into this category and so does his protege, Carlos Alcaraz, who juggles before matches to get out of his head and into his body. And no, Alcaraz is not training to become a Cirque Du Soleil performer (even though I would love that for him in retirement as a side quest).

Chessmasters are sickos (complimentary).

New York Knicks star Jalen Brunson shows zero emotion during warmups. He’s focused and locked in to a degree I truly don’t think the human mind can comprehend.

These athletes use absurd tactics to get into their opponents’ heads and throw them off course.

And! It! Works!

The Jokester

Don’t @ me, but I don’t think Alcaraz falls into this category. Even though Alcaraz is juggling, he’s not doing it to get a laugh. He’s doing it to mess with the competition.

Athletes like Las Vegas Aces star A’ja Wilson, who implement The Jokester pre-game ritual, are ones who really are laughing and playful before their matches start.

@wnbaA look inside the pregame routine of a 2x Champ 👀 Tune in to NBA TV tonight at 8pm/ET as A’ja Wilson and the @Las Vegas Aces take on the Minnesota Lynx! #wnba

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The! MVP! Is! Dancing!

I actually think a relaxed attitude may be the best approach. Listen: I’m not a sports psychologist, but I do think it makes a significant difference if you’re out there having a good time.

You get to play a sport for your job and what is better than that?!

If Bravo and ESPN had a baby, it would be Impersonal Foul. This newsletter is free, but please consider becoming a paying subscriber. Annual subscriptions are currently 20% off.

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Here’s a suggestion: If you’re a professional tennis player and you’re in Mallorca for a tournament, maybe don’t do drugs.

Tennis player Nick Kyrgios is facing the music after he was provisionally suspended from the sport for testing positive for cocaine.

To learn more about this story, get updates on Jordyn Woods and Karl-Anthony Towns’ wedding, and hear about a new sports reality show that Kim Kardashian is producing, you’ll need to be a paying subscriber.

I’ve been writing this newsletter for six years as a one-woman operation and your support helps me keep doing this.

Annual subscriptions are currently 20% off, but if you prefer to pay monthly, it’s just a little over $1/week! Your support really means the world.

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Now onto the mess.

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Finally, we have some incredible news from the Athlete Wedding Industrial Complex: A WAG wore something interesting at her wedding!

Last weekend, New York Knicks star Karl-Anthony Towns and Jordyn Woods got married in Malibu.

Kylie Jenner attended the nuptials with Knicks super fan Timothée Chalamet and were photographed hanging out with Justin and Hailey Bieber.

Ben Stiller, another Knicks super fan, was seen going into the wedding, as well. Of course, the Knicks roster was in attendance (duh), so maybe that means we’ll get another video of Jalen Brunson on the dance floor.

While we haven’t gotten official photos from the wedding (I’m guessing it’s gonna be shot by Jose Villa, even though I would’ve loved to see them work with someone like John Dolan), we have been given an invasive gift from Page Six of drone photos of the ceremony and a PR-approved gift from Vogue of Woods’ final dress fitting.

When I saw the story from Vogue, I gasped: Woods worked with New York City’s favorite cool-girl designer, Danielle Frankel, on three custom looks for her big day.

As an Athlete Wedding Expert, the only other instance I have seen of a WAG wearing Danielle Frankel was MLB WAG and trial attorney Eve Levin’s wedding, also featured in Vogue back in 2023.

No shade to Ms. Levin, but we haven’t seen a WAG of Woods’ stature wear Danielle Frankel before and let me just say: Thank god.

The! Curse! Has! Been! Lifted! Once! More!

There is nothing wrong with WAGs choosing to wear more dresses from more “traditional” designers, but there is something so refreshing about seeing Woods pick an interesting designer for her big day.

I am manifesting a day in the near future when we get a WAG working with and I cannot wait for that time to come.

For those asking about a flower analysis, from what I can tell, they don’t look very compressed (again, thank god), but I’ll wait to give my full take on once we get the official photos.

Presumably, from Vogue, of course.

Other Pointless Sports Gossip

• Speaking of weddings, soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez finally got married. The photos were shot by Juergen Teller and were not what I expected from the pair—nor what I expected from wedding photos. I’m sorry to that man but…let me know what you think in the comments. (via Vogue)

• That viral moment of Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert kissing his fiancée Madison Beer at training camp was allegedly part of a coordinated content rollout by the NFL. (via Front Office Sports)

• Soccer legend David Beckham really is just Victoria Beckham’s Instagram husband. (via Page Six)

• Philadelphia 76ers star LeBron James launched a golf YouTube channel. I watched the first vlog from his trip to Scotland with former 2016 Cleveland Cavaliers teammates in its entirety. The bulk of it is them literally playing golf, but the most interesting moment comes about halfway through when James’ former teammate, J. R. Smith, talks about how he can’t really watch basketball now that he’s retired. The episode already has 1.4MM views and James is almost at half a million subscribers in two days. (via YouTube)

Just Something I’m Into

Not sponsored, just something I’m really into!

Being tall with big boobs does not make finding swimsuits (especially one-pieces) the easiest. I was tipped off by a friend to Left On Friday and I can’t say enough good things about them.

I got this one-piece that has a tall length and this two-piece set that works on my big boobs. Their swim is currently 30% off (I think today is the last day FYI) and who doesn’t love a deal?!

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The last time I remember Tom Brady posting a photo of nature with three heart emojis and a song over it on his Instagram Story, reports surfaced that his ex-wife, Gisele Bündchen, was having a baby with her jiu-jitsu instructor boyfriend (now husband).

Last weekend, Brady posted another photo of nature. With three heart emojis. And a song playing in the background.

The first time Brady used The Chicks’ cover of ‘Landslide’ and this time he used Black Coffee’s song, ‘Ready For You’.

As an expert on Brady’s Instagram (which I have discussed many times here and on ), we know from his historical posting record that he uses his public social media account to process things going on in his life, in real time.

Whether that’s reminiscing about football, posting about being a father, or posting thirst traps to get the attention of someone who may or may not be starring in a new Netflix reality show this fall, Brady uses Instagram as a way to communicate what he is feeling in a way you rarely see from public figures on their public social media accounts.

When Brady posted this latest Instagram Story slide, I immediately clocked that he may be #goingthroughit again—and perhaps hinting that he’s dating someone new?

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Ever since LeBron James was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers, there’s been a noticeable shift in the way he’s been posting on Instagram.

James has always been a very chronically online professional athlete, posting iconic memes like “Smiling through it all can’t believe this my life” and those selfie videos of him being driven to games in the back of expensive cars.

Since James announced in a series of tweets with spelling errors and weird spacing that he was leaving the Los Angeles Lakers and taking his talents to Philly, he has started posting on his Instagram Stories like a person going through a divorce.

In the same way that Tom Brady began crashing out on Instagram after his divorce from Gisele Bündchen, James appears to be processing the fact that he is going to have to retire from the sport he loves via…sharing inspirational quotes and AI-generated illustrations on his Instagram Story to his 154 million followers.

I’ve been monitoring this over the past few weeks and it has only increased in frequency.

At first, James was sharing one or two quotes you would find on Pinterest. Now, he’s sharing more slides than any social media manager would recommend you publish if you want to maintain a high Story completion rate (iykyk).

There have been a few main categories of content he’s been sharing:

1. Highlighted inspirational quotes:

   

2. Quotes about famous (and macho) men in history:

   

3. His wife’s skincare line:

As I am typing this, James just posted seven more quotes to his Story. Seven!

Listen: Posting quotes that motivate you to strive for greatness in what will likely be James’ last season as a professional basketball player isn’t harming anyone, but I do fear we may be watching in real-time one of the greatest athletes of all time coming to terms with the fact that he can no longer play the sport that he loves at the level he wants to for much longer.

In the same way Brady has continued to crash out on Instagram (albeit posting less inspirational quotes), maybe James is using his public Instagram account as a way to cope with the fact that a chapter in his life is closing.

Does the strategy make a whole lot of sense? No, but neither did his wordy and spelling error-riddled 76ers announcement.

Given James appears to be increasing the cadence of his Stories, I don’t think he’ll be slowing down anytime soon.

Other Pointless Sports Gossip

• Los Angeles Chargers star Justin Herbert seems to be having the time of his life at training camp with his fiancée, Madison Beer. (via X)

• Well, it looks like FIFA president Gianni Infantino isn’t getting fired (as of now). (via BBC)

• Inside The NBA host Kenny Smith got married at Pelican Hill and the flowers (and bride’s dress) are certainly compressed! (via New York Post)

• Pittsburgh Steelers star Aaron Rodgers went on The Pat McAfee Show and said…some things. (via YouTube)

• Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton got married and 50 Cent performed. Congrats! Can’t wait for the upcoming Vogue exclusive. (via X)

Just Something I’m Into

Not sponsored, just something I’m really into!

Maybe I’m scarred from forgetting to wear sunscreen and being ghostly pale, but I have been searching for UPF clothing that isn’t ugly.

I stumbled upon Claudent after posted about them on her Instagram Story and I am obsessed.

Some of my favorites include their button up, this dress, and this top that almost feels like an elevated going out top.

It’s not the cheapest, but imo investing in clothing that actually protects your skin is worth it (and cheaper than lasers)!

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I can’t believe the World Cup is almost over.

On Sunday, Spain will play Argentina (in front of Donald Trump, apparently) at MetLife and you really couldn’t write this ending if you tried.

I’m manifesting a last-minute ticket to the match (and to the Noah Kahan concert this weekend at Citi Field), so if anyone has any leads on either, reach out to me.

I will give you some good sports gossip in return! 🫶🏼

Anyways!

From Spain star Lamine Yamal being bathed by Argentina star Lionel Messi as a baby (yes, that photo is real) to this likely being Messi’s final World Cup, you couldn’t script this matchup.

I’ve been thinking a lot about Messi and his overall brand leading up to and during this World Cup.

Last year, I wrote a piece about how he is the best soccer player in the world, but has the worst Instagram strategy.

For part of my master’s thesis at Oxford, I analyzed every in-feed post Messi shared over a year and found that nearly half were paid partnerships. Many of them were blurry. Sometimes multiple posts in a row!

While I may be a Sports Gossip Expert, I am still a sociologist and former social media manager for public figures at heart and have been keeping tabs on Messi’s Instagram strategy.

What I found was…curious.

In the month leading up to the World Cup, nearly 70% of his in-feed posts were paid partnerships. That’s 16 of 23 in-feed posts and, once again, many were published back to back.

These partnerships included ones that make sense, like Adidas, and others that were….odd, like a paid partnership with his own fragrance line, Messi Fragrances.

Of course, I looked into the fragrance line.

Messi currently has five fragrance lines, ranging from $9.99 for an AXE body spray dupe to $95 for a Dior Sauvage dupe.

The website’s copy looks like it is almost entirely written by AI. My favorite word salad paragraph is this one:

Wearing the Leo Messi Fragrance is more than an experience; it’s an invitation to discover and celebrate the greatness within yourself. It’s a reminder that, like Messi, you have layers of strength, depth, and authenticity that define who you are. Let this scent be your silent yet powerful statement to the world—a testament to the extraordinary qualities that lie beneath your daily exterior.

I ran some of the copy through an AI detector and…well the results speak for themselves:

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At the beginning of last year, I wrote one of my most popular newsletters to date about how all athlete weddings look the same.

While we still don’t know what Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s Madison Square Garden looked like on the inside, I am working on something on the subject, so sit tight.

I’m probably due to send a part two soon, because the trend of compressed flowers (as and I coined on ) has extended beyond over-the-top ceremonies and receptions to the actual proposals themselves.

The proposals have all the elements that make up the Athlete Wedding Aesthetic: White or pink flowers shoved close together, some sort of arch behind them, and more hurricanes than necessary to get the romantic point across.

However, I think we may have discovered a new subgenre of the Athlete Proposal Aesthetic that we’ve never seen before: The Weeping Compressed Chandelier.

Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Drake London proposed to his girlfriend Sofia Rose Gabay under what I’ve just described above.

I said this on today’s episode, but it really does remind me of some set piece that would’ve been featured in the live-action adaption of Beauty and the Beast.

The ChandaFlowerPost could also be something that a host on Magnolia Network tries to teach viewers how to DIY themselves that ends in tears at your local Michaels.

There’s something fantastical, whimsical, and just wacky in a way that still feels like it falls within the Athlete Proposal Aesthetic, but with a new interpretation of the Pinterest rulebook.

The elements are still there. The white and pink flowers! A little bit of compression! A touch of greenery!

I haven’t been able to find the florist who did this installation, but if you know who did it please send me an email.

Congrats to the happy couple!

Other Pointless Sports Gossip

• San Antonio Spurs announcer Jacob Tobey is out of a job after he reportedly had an affair with the sister of a player on the team. (via Front Office Sports)

• The FBI is investigating the Argentine Football Association for possible fraud and money laundering as the team plays in the World Cup. (via Yahoo Sports)

• Speaking of Argentina, I am still not over this reaction to Lionel Messi’s equalizing goal in their comeback against Egypt. (via X)

• Sadly, Coco Gauff won’t be playing in her first Wimbledon final after she lost in three sets to Karolína Muchová, but she is currently starring in an incredible Miu Miu x New Balance collab for the second year in a row. (via Miu Miu)

• Jack Antonoff was spotted wearing a New York Knicks championship t-shirt amid rumors he and his wife, Margaret Qualley, are getting divorced. (via The New York Post)

Just Something I’m Into

If you’ve been a longtime reader, then you’ll know that I’ve dealt with adult acne for years. I’ve tried a lot of treatments and a lot of different aestheticians to find what works.

Managing acne really is a sport and I am a professional at this point.

I’m working on an Adult Acne Black Book for paying subscribers since many of you have asked, but in the meantime I wanted to highlight someone who has truly transformed my skin.

Since moving back to New York, I started seeing Sarah Jacqueline who opened up her own space after working at Sofie Pavitt (another acne expert GOAT).

She is truly so knowledgeable and has made the world of difference with her recommendations and treatments.

Book With SJ

Once again, not sponsored I just think she is great!

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It’s very hot in New York City this week. That’s partially due to global warming and the fact that the tea is piping surrounding Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s rumored nuptials at Madison Square Garden later this week.

Crews were spotted loading in equipment into the Garden labeled…“Garden Party 1 (scenic)”.

The deliveries were covered in black tarp, presumably so someone doesn’t reverse Google image search a chair and call every party rental company in the northeast corridor to see what they’re for.

I’m guessing Swift is getting married at The Garden, but that she already held a private ceremony elsewhere that we will never know about.

Given that there was a permit request around MSG from July 2nd-4th, one would assume this is a party for Swift and Kelce’s famous friends. And that party is a wedding.

There’s been speculation about who might be planning an event of this scale.

For some reason, Swifties began speculating online that it was event designer Rishi Patel.

Patel had worked on big-budget weddings in the past, like this one below, so he definitely has the experience to take on Swift’s wedding.

And yesterday more fuel was added to the fire when Patel posted an Instagram Story slide (left) and reposted a slide from Samantha Roberts (right), a wedding content creator:

While I would love for chronically online sleuths to have successfully predicted who is planning the nuptials, I hate to break it to you, but the event he’s talking about is a party for the New York Knicks that he designed alongside fellow planner to the stars, Marcy Blum.

I came to this realization via a strange hostage-esque video of Knicks stars Jalen Brunson and OG Anunoby holding the Larry O’Brien Trophy as they say in unison, “It’s not a Marcy Blum party until we walk in.”

It’s deadpan. No smiles. And perhaps someone behind the camera said, “If you don’t film this, the trophy will be taken away for good.”

Listen: There’s obviously a chance that Patel is still working on Swift’s wedding and perhaps this was an easter egg, but I don’t think someone who is publicly posting about how planning the Knicks party was a career highlight is the person Swift and Kelce are working with.

Or maybe it is?

Whoever that person may be, they are under a Tree Paine-approved NDA that is probably so ironclad that we will never know whether they think it’s the best event they’ve worked.

And given how the flowers looked at the proposal, I’m hoping that they are, once again, not compressed.

Other Pointless Sports Gossip

• Larsa Pippen’s ex-boyfriend and NBA player Malik Beasley was indicted on federal gambling charges. (via NBC News)

• I’m obsessed with tennis player Naomi Osaka’s outfit for Wimbledon. (via The Athletic)

• Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant was just traded to the Portland Trail Blazers. (via Yahoo Sports)

• Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James is leaving the team to play elsewhere. My money is still on a Cleveland reunion… (via ESPN)

• Tennis star and Trinity Rodman’s boyfriend, Ben Shelton, was just upset at Wimbledon in the first round. (via ATP)

Just Something I’m Into

Not sponsored, just really something I’m into!

If you went to college in the mid-2010s then you may be familiar with this item: The Nike Tempo shorts. I wore them practically every day at Georgia with an oversized sorority t-shirt and I love them dearly.

And they’re $34!

I love my Relax Lacrosse and HORSE shorts as much as the next person, but there is something so nostalgic about these Tempo shorts.

I wore them to workout this morning with Claire Prince and I forgot just how good they are…

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The first time a video from belly dancer and choreographer Jez Shuvani came across my FYP, it was of a group of five women dancing in a circle to Janet Jackson’s ‘Miss You Much’ in honor of Galentine’s Day.

Shuvani writes in the caption that the dance was “…inspired by a scene in Hustlers” and the video has 2MM views.

@jezshuvaniInspired by a scene in Hustlers. We decided to do a dance circle for every holiday. This one is Galentine’s Day!!❤️ #JezFever #ShuvaniDanceCompany #bellydance #FunTinyDances #MangledHandOnTheMend #HolidayDancing #Hustlers

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I began getting served more and more videos of Shuvani and her friends dancing to different songs.

Usually, it’s the same (or similar) group of women and it’s always in the same place: Shuvani’s basement, which doubles as a studio, as she told me.

I feel like Shuvani’s videos have reached a new level of viral after she posted a dance circle, where they are dancing to When In Rome’s hit, ‘The Promise’. It currently has 1.4MM views in just a few weeks.

@jezshuvaniThursday night dance circle. I used to listen to this song on repeat. It’s a great song. Anyone else overplay this tune?? #J#JezFeverS#ShuvaniDanceCompanyJ#JezShuvaniJ#JezFeverDanceCircle

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I’ve now been served dozens of TikTok videos of users dancing to Shuvani’s choreography and I can’t stop watching. I love them all!

I’m not the first person to say this, but I’ve definitely noticed a resurgence over the past few years in dance-based workouts, content, and apparel.

There’s adult women taking dance classes. It could be beginner ballet (me) in a Yumiko leotard (also me) from teachers like Angela Trimbur or studios like Moves Pure Joy and Ryan Heffington’s now-closed studio, The Sweat Spot, in Silverlake, Los Angeles.

Maybe it’s a workout class that is either explicitly a dance class or has dance elements, like The Class, Forward Space, or Kara Duval’s online workout studio, Range.

Or you are wearing dance-themed fits from brands like NikeSKIMS and their ballet-inspired collection or Reformation’s collaboration with The New York City Ballet.

Perhaps it’s a combination of all of these things and you’ve just watched GAP’s viral ‘Milkshake’ ad with Katseye on repeat that the internet recreated again and again and again.

The people yearn to move their bodies, so it makes sense that Shuvani’s videos have continued to go viral.

I spoke with Shuvani over Instagram DMs about her background as a belly dancer and choreographer.

Shuvani also shared with me how the viral dance circles started out of “…sheer laziness” (yes, really), answers FAQs about where they film the videos, how she chooses the music, and much more.

@jezshuvaniThursday Night Dance Circle!! Join us for some Cake!! #JezFever #ShuvaniDanceCompany #JezShuvani #JezFeverDanceCircle

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An Interview With JezFever

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. You can follow Jez Shuvani on TikTok here and see her dance circle perform in October at the Masque of the Red Death Party at the Akron Civic Theater.

Can you tell me a little bit more about your dance background? How long have you been a dancer and teaching dance?

I first started belly dancing when I took a beginning class at a cultural center. I thought it would be fun. I got hooked right away and now I’ve been belly dancing for over 20 years.

@jezshuvaniWe danced to this song awhile back but I didn’t love it so I thought it would be fun to do it again and change a few things. #JezFever #ShuvaniDanceCompany #JezShuvani #JezChoreography

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I started teaching in 2004. I taught at Kent State University for six years. I taught at a high school for the survey dance class for about 10 years.

I’ve taught workshop classes at Purdue, Ohio State and Cleveland State, as well.

This was all during the heyday when belly dance was very popular.

I love your viral dance circle videos. Can you share how those started?

The viral dance circle started out of laziness!! I had planned to go to Ontario for November and December in 2024, because that’s where I spent all my holidays when I was a child (I’m Canadian).

A week before I was supposed to leave, I shattered a finger on my right hand. I had to have surgery and go to occupational therapy for months.

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I can guarantee you that New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani does not know his face is being used in an ad for Touchland, the hand sanitizer brand you see when checking out at Sephora.

I was scrolling on TikTok yesterday when I came across this paid ad from the brand:

I immediately recognized a few things about this photo: 1. It’s the mayor! 2. It’s Jordyn Woods’ lucky bag! 3. It’s from the Knicks championship parade!

When you swipe, you are served two more paid ads from the parade, one of which includes Mamdani again:

Woods has a partnership with Touchland.

I would assume part of her contract allows the brand to run paid ads against her content, but I don’t think the mayor has a partnership with a hand sanitizer brand...

I thought surely this was a mistake, but this morning I was served the same series of ads, so clearly they have not paused the campaign.

As a friendly reminder, the mayor of New York City is not allowed to be in paid ads or endorsements of any kind while in office, so I certainly think his team is not aware that this campaign is running with his face as the first thing you see.

I’ll be curious whether Touchland takes down the ads or keeps them running and hopes no one (besides me) notices…

Other Pointless Sports Gossip

• Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo was traded to the Miami Heat in the middle of the night. (via ESPN)

• New York Knicks star Jalen Brunson is writing a children’s book. (via Instagram)

• Philadelphia Eagles star DeVonta Smith got married earlier this month and the flowers…are very compressed. I spoke with a florist who estimates the flowers alone could very well be in the six figures… (via PEOPLE)

• Former Wimbledon champion Markéta Vondroušová has been suspended from professional tennis until 2030 after refusing to take a doping test. (via The Athletic)

• Have you been following the 2016 Cleveland Cavaliers reunion vacation to Scotland and St. Tropez? Well, Kevin Love just posted a ‘Hangover’-themed recap. (via Instagram)

Just Something I’m Into

I posted about this on my Instagram Story last night, but this MELT Method foam roller has changed my life. This is not sponsored (I wish!), but my favorite Pilates instructor turned me on to it and I haven’t looked back (pun intended) since.

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No player had more fun during the New York Knicks’ playoff run than Karl-Anthony Towns.

While Finals MVP Jalen Brunson was “…doing something about it”, carrying the weight of the franchise on his shoulders, and OG Anunoby was not smiling, Towns was beaming from ear to ear throughout the Knicks’ historic run.

Towns seemed more relaxed and certainly more at ease in those high-pressure moments during those absurd Knicks comebacks.

He’s attributed some of that to the presence he feels of his late mother, Jackie, who died of COVID-19 complications in 2020.

You could also see how relaxed he is during the Knicks’ championship parade and ceremony yesterday.

I had the honor of attending both and I do not think Towns stopped smiling at any point during the day.

You’re also able to see a different side of Towns through these mini-documentary/reality TV episodes he’s been dropping on Instagram that I can’t stop watching.

While yes, we are getting a Towns-approved behind-the-scenes look at his life during this wild run, I do feel like we are seeing a different side of an athlete that we don’t typically see in the Sports Documentary Industrial Complex.

It’s very smart to capitalize on the increased attention Towns is getting by releasing these now and giving fans access in real time.

He’s not waiting for a streamer to pick it up and it doesn’t look like they got a sponsor for the series. The moment for this series to drop is this very second!

I do feel like he now has a proof of concept for those possibilities in the future and I know people (myself included) would eat it up.

Give! Us! A! Wedding! Episode!

I feel like we’ll be getting a parade day vlog before we know it…

Other Pointless (Championship Parade/Ceremony) Gossip

• Get that championship bag WAG$: Jordyn Woods partnered with Reese’s and Patron. Shannon Hart posted about Crocs and Maker’s Mark. Ali Brunson also collaborated with Crocs. Very smart moves! (via Instagram)

  

• Mikal Bridges brought his dog and a camcorder to the parade. Kinda wish he had gone live again… (via X)

• Curious how Nike ended up going with that bedazzled championship t-shirt? There’s a good behind-the-scenes look into the design process from GQ. I still want one in a size medium please if anyone has leads DM me. (via GQ)

• Timothée Chalamet hugged AOC. (via X)

• NYPD thought Knicks player Tyler Kolek was a fan trying to get on the parade route. (via Bleacher Report)

• I can’t stop watching this clip. (via X)

• You can own a mini version of the Knicks-themed DNSY trash can. (via OnlyNY)

• Some guy brought a snake to the parade. (via X)

Just Something I’m Into

They say the sunscreen you’ll wear is the one you’ll use all the time. As someone with acne-prone skin, a lot of the viral sunscreens don’t jive with me.

The only one I trust with my life is this one from Sofie Pavitt. If the name sounds familiar, it’s because I’ve preached about her holy grail mandelic acid before, as well.

It’s lightweight, doesn’t have a strange smell, and doesn’t break me out!

And! This! Is! Not! Sponsored!

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