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’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 The Sports Gossip Show. (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)
What I Would Do This Week
📍September 3-5: Apple TV x L’Industrie Pizzeria Little Italy F1 Pop-Up
To celebrate F1 Monza, the streamer collaborated with the always-popular pizza spot on a limited-edition Monza-inspired menu, a capsule collection of t-shirts with
Race Service, and, of course, F1 streams throughout the race weekend.
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 Jessica Schiffer and Daniel-Yaw Miller 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)
US Open Tennis@usopenTrading 🏌️ for 🏹3:18 AM · Sep 3, 2026 · 160K Views23 Replies · 320 Reposts · 2.4K Likes
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.
For partnership inquiries or to just say hello, email madeline@impersonalfoul.com.
New format is great!
My understanding is that the five draft picks from the Clippers just disappear. Someone else suggested this, but I'd love if another team could "win" those five picks, maybe during the mid season NBA Cup.