The best way to get through writers block is to start writing sentences. Ernest Hemingway said it best: “All you have to do is write one true sentence. Write the truest sentence that you know.”

I have many writing projects I want to undertake on Substack. I also have life stressors that have made it really hard to write in the way I know I can (and want to). So, today I will be writing a bunch of true sentences. Or at least ones that are true to me and my thoughts.

What comes next won’t be profound, but it will be my words on a page. Nothing can change that.

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1. Having a sense of community is one of the most important factors in regaining a healthy mind. If you can walk into the coffee shop, greet the barista and strike up a conversation then you will inevitably feel better. Little interactions with the “background characters” who make up life end up fighting off social anxiety, depression and any other feelings that we dislike as humans. Best case scenario, you make a new friend. Worst case, the other person isn’t interested in interacting. Their loss.

2. Lemon flavored pastries are the best. Except lemon bars, I’m not a big fan. But a lemon loaf or muffin or donut or cake or whatever will always excite me. Especially mixed with poppyseed. Hell, lemon is great on seafood, pasta dishes and with cajun spices. It hits every time.

3. If money wasn’t an issue, I would spend every day in a coffee shop (can you tell where I’m writing from?). It centers me. The drinks and food are usually good. The music is nice. It is a great way to spend an afternoon. But you have to buy something and, if you have a job, then you can’t spend your days in one. That is the travesty of capitalism.

4. In my writing, especially on Substack, I have noticed two things. The overuse of the words “I” and “me,” and how most sentences start with a “T” word. Now, when I am writing journalistically (like for the LA Times), it is easier to avoid the first error as I’m not talking about myself. Here, however, I have recently been chronicling my experiences more. I want to find a more creative way to tell my stories and avoid the word that started this sentence. As for the other error, that permeates throughout my writing for any outlet. Obviously, many words start with the letter “T” but it can make a piece look repetitive and it lacks the aesthetic that my writing should have. It takes an effort to notice and stop, plus a good amount of re-writes.

5. Halfway through this, the realization has struck that having ten thoughts is a lot. Of course, my mind has a billion thoughts every minute. However, creating true sentences out of them is never easy. And yet, here we are.

6. Figuring out what people like about my writing is a conundrum. I realize that my pieces can be compelling, but sometimes even I struggle to articulate or understand what makes a piece enjoyable. Just the other day, a friend of mine was reading my piece in the LA Times. He wasn’t just passing over it to appease me. No, he read the whole thing. I heard him chuckle multiple times, and when he was done he told me that it was a great piece of writing. He was compelled. I didn’t press for a further reason why, like I would with a professor or mentor, but it has left me wondering. Is it the story structure? The language use? Is it just being able to put words to a story that otherwise wouldn’t have been told? I’m truly not sure.

7. This has gotten too meta for me. The last three “thoughts” have been related to writing itself. Maybe breaking writer’s block takes both writing true sentences, and making those sentences about the act of writing itself. Well, let’s break the streak. A dog came into this coffee shop earlier. It had a person attached to it via leash. It was a cute, white puppy. Apparently a husky and German mix, if there is such a thing. Either way, the dog was polite and cute and took a nap on the floor. That image was the essence of joy.

8. Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey” is a controversial movie for reasons that frankly don’t matter much to me. It is an anti-war movie, draped in a way that doesn’t allow the red-pilled right-wing grifters to make it their movie as if it was “Wolf of Wall Street.” Maybe casting black and trans actors is the way to go to allow a strong message to not be co-opted. Either way, it takes a simple concept such as the “Golden Rule” and expands upon that in a heartbreaking and beautifully twisted way. Also, it visually rocks. It is a Nolan masterpiece.

9. Job hunting is the pits. Immediate rejections from AI systems. Video interviews that somehow feel even worse to do than getting the rejection email. Real interviews that don’t matter. It never had to be like this.

10. I miss having a kitchen. My apartment has been getting renovations done to the kitchen for a week now. It should be in use tomorrow, and I’m ready to make a good meal. No more air fryer fish and chips or chicken wings. No more takeout. Just some tomatoes, shallots and mushrooms in a pan. Cook them down, smush them up and add some beans. Throw in spices — preferably something with a kick like a sprinkle of cayenne — and also the juice of half a lemon (with some zest). Maybe also some crumbled feta cheese. Grab some chips or bread, dip it in. That is going to be great.

There isn’t such a thing as writer’s block. The inspiration is always there, it just has to be coaxed out with a few true sentences. Real writer’s block comes from the world around us, constantly trying to kill our creativity.

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Peace.

The World Cup has been over for 10 days, and I miss it like hell.

We saw — all across social media for the past month — how the competition can bring people from different cultures together. It showed the world that it’s not normal people we should be fighting, but rather the politicians.

South Koreans and Mexicans partied for weeks on end together. Scotland fans took over Boston and created a lifelong bond with the city. People of all ilk marched through the streets of every city. It made us feel good. We all felt hopeful.

And, for me, seeing nine of the 48 teams live-and-in-person not only gave me access to world class football, it showed me cultures and fans that I would have never interacted with.

About a month ago, I got back from perhaps the greatest trip of my life. My dad, my best friend and his dad (who is like a second dad to me) went to Atlanta to watch five World Cup matches and soak up all the culture we could. It was two weeks of bliss.

Hell, even the FanZones were packed with fans from nations not even playing in Atlanta. The buzz was real. But for this article, I will be focusing on the nine nations I saw: Spain, Cabo Verde, South Africa, Czechia, Saudi Arabia, Haiti, Morocco, Uzbekistan and DR Congo.

For each nation I’ll be writing about something new I learned. Whether it be a tradition or aspect of their culture I didn’t know about or expect, or something about their fans that surprised me, I want to show what the World Cup truly taught me.

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Cabo Verde - The land of genuine and nice people

Before they qualified for the World Cup, I had never heard of Cabo Verde. Or if I had, the memory had been discarded. Call that American idiocy or a lack of understanding about the world, but that’s the truth. After they qualified, however, I found myself learning more and more about the archipelagic nation.

For one, I read a few lovely articles by Ali Holsworth on Substack. They told of a tiny nation waiting for its moment in the sun. And then, I learned that I’d be seeing their first ever World Cup game. Even though I was more excited to see Spain and some of the Barcelona players play, Cabo intrigued me. And as they completed a beautiful defensive performance to grab a 0-0 draw, I was hooked.

Later that day, when we went down to the FanFest in Atlanta, we ran into a “parade” of Cabo Verdeans celebrating what was essentially a victory for the nation. They sang and chanted. Everybody wore the biggest smile on their face. My friend had a Cabo Verde jersey on and got stopped by so many people. High fives were all coming around and people kept being shocked that a red-haired white boy from West Virginia was wearing their kit. My dad traded scarves with a Cabo Verdean who said “that’s love” and dapped him up and gave him a hug. My friend’s dad was getting his shirt signed by all their fans. I was doing the chants and taking videos of everything. It was a lovely, special moment with lovely, special people.

For the rest of the two weeks there, any interaction with Cabo Verde fans was positive. We watched their two other draws at the FanFest. After the 2-2 match against Uruguay, we met two Cabo Verde moms. They called us “baby” and signed our shirts, took pictures and introduced us to their sons. There was truly never a bad moment with the Cabo Verdeans. I knew nothing of them, then a little bit and now that I know so much about their culture I feel the need to make a trip out there. You won’t find kinder, more fun people on this planet. And I would have never known if not for the World Cup.

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Spain - One man with a trumpet and all the power

I have known and admired Spanish football culture for some time. Weekly watches of FC Barcelona — and a 2021 trip to Catalunya — have exposed me to the country and its approach to the sport for some time now. I didn’t expect to learn anything new, but rather was looking forward to more deeply experiencing their vibes. However, I picked up on something that I absolutely loved.

The man with the trumpet is perhaps more powerful than all world leaders combined. He moves a crowd of thousands to become a collective with a few blows into his instrument. He dictates what songs are sung and when. He makes people shut up and listen before they can belt their hearts out. I want to be the man with the trumpet.

The most clear example I saw was when he told the thousands of Spain fans marching to Mercedes-Benz Stadium to all quiet down, and squat towards the ground. A hush came over us all, and then he did what he does best. That trumpet started to sing. The first three notes were uninterrupted, and then everybody else joined in the melody. It set off one of the most exhilarating moments I’ve been a part of.

Just watch.

South Africa - Thapelo Maseko is a baller

This feels a bit like cheating at my own game, but I genuinely did not learn anything new about South African culture by going to their game. Unfortunately, the match against Czechia was probably the most neutral match we went to. It was mostly fans from the US, with pockets of South Africans and Czechians.

I will say, it was cool to see that “Mama Joy” was there in the flesh. Still, though, I knew about the South African superfan well before this game. Big respect to the fans who showed up, but I didn’t get to experience the culture like I had hoped.

However, I got a lot of joy from watching Thapelo Maseko. The South African winger was truly the only player on the pitch making things happen. I had never heard of him before, and he didn’t play in the opening match against Mexico.

Every time he got the ball, the stadium’s energy picked up. Czechia scored an early goal and kind of set up shop for the rest of the game, daring South African to do anything creative. As the first half went on, Maseko was turning the screws a bit more. He would get the ball close to midfield, turn and drive at the defense. It was so good that all of us kept turning to each other and saying something to the effect of “wow #12 for South Africa is great!”

He capped off a great performance by winning a penalty, which South Africa scored to tie the match 1-1. We were rewarded furthermore for our support of Maseko when he scored the winner against South Korea the next week, sending his side through to the knockout round for the first time ever. I will be following his career with great interest from here on out, because he was a true joy to watch live.

On a side note, South Africa still has the streets because everybody cheered their goal way more than Czechia’s.

Czechia - I’m still searching for something

I’m sorry to say, but Czechia was the true “disappointment” of this trip. They had a small yet energetic fan section, which I appreciated, but they didn’t bring the kind of vibes to Atlanta that the other nations did.

What hurts is that Denmark, the nation of my grandfather, could have been there instead. I certainly would have been able to engage with their fans way more. Or even the Irish, who Czechia also beat to qualify. That would’ve been cool.

Now, I’m not bitter. It was still fun to see their game, and get even a glimpse into their fan culture. However, eastern European nations are known for being wild and passionate. I do blame the travel costs and rules around flares at the stadiums for the lack of a true Czech presence, but we could have gotten more.

Also, their team plays boring and defensive football so there wasn’t a lot for them to cheer on. Still, though, I’d be down to go to Czechia and truly experience their fans firsthand.

Saudi Arabia - Flags are waving for 90 minutes even in a 4-0 loss

Spain gave Saudi Arabia a true smacking in their game. It was over after 20 minutes, and Saudi never looked like making a comeback. Despite all of that, their fans never stopped waving flags and chanting for the entire 90 minutes. They could have packed it up and called it a day by the time the first hydration break rolled around, but they wanted to create an atmosphere.

The World Cup only comes around every four years, and there is no guarantee for those fans that Saudi Arabia will be playing in 2030. So why not go all out?

It was impressive to see, because although they made up 10% of the fans they were making 75% of the noise. Sure, the Spanish fans were loud but they kind of got complacent since their team was running away with it. They settled into the match and just enjoyed watching the spectacle. For the Saudi Arabians, chanting and waving flags was all they had. Props to them, I didn’t expect that much fervent support for such a poor showing.

Haïti - They show out in NUMBERS

Despite the fact that their team didn’t play in Haïti over the qualification cycle, their fans are impassioned. This may have been a massive oversight from me, but I thought their match versus Morocco would be filled with a majority of Moroccan fans. I figured it would be 90/10, but instead it was probably 75/25 in favor of the Haitians. Being in Atlanta helped, but I genuinely didn’t expect that level of turnout.

There is nothing like seeing an entire stadium erupt, brought on by years of pain. The release of so much emotion because of a single symbolic goal. Seeing tens of thousands of Haitian fans go crazy in that moment brought a tear to my eye.

There were two Haitian couples on either side of us at the game. The husband closer to my friend said before the game, simply, “All I want is a goal.” The wife of the couple next to my dad and I grabbed onto my dad’s arm because it was the closest thing to her when that first goal went in.

So not only did they surprise me with the volume of their numbers, but the Haitian fans also filled my soul with joy. Their expression of pride transcended any barriers between us and I felt a part of it. As they left the stadium, after losing 4-2, the fans were still chanting and singing. Their culture of resilience showed through, as multiple fans said they’d be back and better in the 2030 World Cup.

As chants rang around the Mercedes-Benz Stadium, one fan said to us: “Imagine if we won.”

Morocco - Loudest version of the “Viking Clap” maybe ever

For me, seeing Morocco play was less about learning something new and more about experiencing something I had wanted to be a part of for four years. In Qatar, they took over stadiums and turned them into a cavern of noise.

While their numbers weren’t as full as I had perhaps expected, the noise made inside the stadium was deafening. No chant made more noise than the Moroccan version of the “Viking Clap.” Popularized by Iceland in the 2016 Euro tournament, pretty much every nation has hopped onto the bandwagon. But I swear, nobody does it as intensely as the Moroccans. Just watch and listen (the video doesn’t do it full justice, but man it was loud).

Nothing beats going to live matches because of things like this. In between each clap they say “Sir!” which just means “go” in Moroccan Arabic. They also chant that word relentlessly when their team is on the attack.

I knew that the fans would be great and generate a lot of noise. I heard it on my TV all of 2022. However, there is no replacement for the real thing. Calling myself stunned would be an understatement.

Uzbekistan - They have… rhythm?

In the span of two days I learned more about Uzbekistan than I ever knew about them before. My only introduction to their culture came via an episode of Anthony Bourdain’s “No Reservations” that I watched when the Uzbeks were announced as a team playing in Atlanta.

While that episode displayed a wedding ceremony, full of dancing and singing, I didn’t truly understand or appreciate the level of rhythm that their culture possesses. For one, the Atlanta FanFest featured traditional dancers and music. They had a unique flow and it was cool to see, but what came next was a lot more unexpected.

Uzbek rap. Yes, you read that right. Uzbek. Rap.

This guy came on stage after the traditional cultural performance, and just immediately attempted to get everybody hyped up. And then he started rapping in Uzbek, and the flow was kind of fire.

The next day, before their match versus DR Congo, the Uzbekistan fans held a meet up. And they were dancing to Uzbek EDM/house music. It was an entire whirlwind couple of days to learn about all of the musical proclivities of their culture. In the stadium, they kept the energy rolling. They were drumming, jumping up and down, chanting. It created a vibe like they were heading off to war, and trust me you don’t want to face their army.

Uzbekistan was everything I love about the World Cup. As a double landlocked nation — one of only two in the world alongside Liechtenstein — they have a culture of resilience that is truly their own. They can party in a multitude of ways, and all of those are full of rhythm and vibes.

DR Congo - Their celebration game is above all others

You don’t need much in life to experience true jubilation. Just party with DR Congo fans after their first ever World Cup win. That’s all it takes. Enjoy their celebrations after they qualify for the knockout rounds. Simple enough.

Not only, though, did DR Congo fans bring the best vibes to Atlanta. Their team also delivered the best goal celebration of the competition. Yoane Wissa wheeled away after scoring a brilliant, game sealing third goal against Uzbekistan. The entire squad hit the “fimbu” celebration. Only a video can do it justice.

I wasn’t introduced to their fans at the game, however. Earlier in the trip, we watched Congo’s first game at the FanFest. Probably 20ish fans packed the area near us, purely by accident, and we got to see them go through all of the emotions in a 1-1 draw with Portugal. The hype for their first goal. The taunting of Ronaldo — who couldn’t hear them — with “Messi” chants. The pure elation after the final whistle. It was amazing.

The match was that same experience, but ten-fold the excitement. Leaving the match, seeing all the celebrations through the stadium, it was beautiful. I didn’t know if Congo fans would show out this tournament, but they did. I am forever grateful for being able to take part in those celebrations.

I could talk for hours about my World Cup experience. We got to experience the vibes from countries who weren’t even playing in Atlanta, and we got to interact with such a diverse group of people over those two weeks (I’m looking at you, Ivory Coast couple we watched a game with at the bar). Seeing the different ways people support their nations was awesome.

Now, I just need a plane ticket to Cabo Verde and my cultural studies will be complete.

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Peace out.

During and post-COVID, my life was clouded by a ton of social anxiety. Just being in public and having the potential of being perceived killed me — that was even more heightened if I was alone and had no support system.

Even after defeating a lot of that anxiety in college, and learning to feel comfortable around more and more people, I still didn’t like the idea of doing something alone. A trip to the grocery store or a quick walk around town, sure that’s fine. But going to a bar or watch party or the movies alone still spooked me. This past week or so, I’ve done all of those things.

After attending games and watch parties with my friends for two weeks in Atlanta, I thought watching a game out and about alone would suck and I’d feel awkward. It was nothing like that.

Although I didn’t talk much to strangers, I still made a few connections. But mostly, I felt comfortable in my skin around a bunch of others. That is major progress from 3ish years ago for me. Plus, much fun was had and memories were made.

But watching sports is such an easy shared experience. You can cheer or cry with others that you barely know. Thus is their power. However, something that has scared me much more is going to the movies alone.

I used to have a weird social anxiety connection to the movies that I won’t get into here, but suffice it to say that even going with family or friends was a bit stressful for a while. Recently, I’ve gotten over that and started to enjoy the theater again.

For some reason, though, going alone to the movies has still felt sad to me. Like “Wow, look at that lame person with no friends and no lover and no family.” But, first off, who gives a fuck? And, second, I do have all those things!

I wanted to see the Odyssey, and all of the people I love are unavailable currently. So, I bought a ticket and went. It was fucking awesome. There was no pressure to get to the theater at a certain time and I didn’t have to wait for anybody else or worry that they might miss a portion of the movie for a bathroom break. I sat in my seat and just enjoyed the hell out of it. Plus, I still shared the experience with a bunch of strangers (which I’m learning really fills the heart with joy).

Yes, doing these things with others is so much better. There’s no denying it. Yet, there’s a different kind of joy in experiencing things on your own. And, you can relay your experiences to your loved ones. That way, you got to enjoy it and you have a story to tell.

The last thing to cross off my list is to have an actual meal at a restaurant by myself. I went to a bar last week to watch Spain vs France — and I ate — but I was surrounded by football fans focused on the game so it wasn’t a full “dinner-alone” experience.

I need to go to a semi-nice place, not fast food because that’s way too easy, and eat alone. Bring a book, order my food and enjoy my solitude. Or just sit there and enjoy the meal in thought. Either way, I can’t be on my phone if I truly want to break that final barrier.

But for now, so many other barriers have been broken.

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P.S.

Moe, don’t let anybody make you feel bad for ogling the girls in the Sears catalog all by yourself. But, next time, at least go and have dinner alone.

Religion has not been a part of my life for about a decade. I like it that way. The rituals and the belief systems are too rigid for me. I’m mostly agnostic at this point because, well, who am I to have the answers of the universe? Religion just doesn’t fit into my life as of now.

However, I am probably one of the most superstitious people you will ever meet. Most of that is channeled into sports.

For instance, this entire World Cup I have been so focused on what I wear for specific games. For USA games, I wore a jersey that I got for Christmas and a hat I’ve had for a few years. We won the first match with that combo so I kept it for the second. When I ditched the hat and washed the jersey before the third, the USMNT lost. Coincidence? Probably, but still.

I also have a Lamine Yamal Spain jersey that I’ve worn for every single Spain game, and a Lionel Messi shirt that I’ve worn for every Argentina game (except when they played Jordan and the group was locked up). Shit, I didn’t have the jersey on for the first 60 minutes of the Argentina vs Egypt game. When they went down 2-0, the jersey came on. Argentina won 3-2. Coincidence? Probably, but both teams made the World Cup Final. And now I can be neutral, not wear either shirt/jersey, and let the game play out.

Back in the NHL Playoffs, I set up a shrine at my house of little trinkets I owned for the Anaheim Ducks. When they lost their first game, I took down the shrine and then they won the series.

Now I’m no idiot. I know that my choices have no effect on the games. Where I choose to watch, what I eat, what I wear. None of that matters in the slightest. But I do it for the same reasons that I knock on wood whenever jinxes need to be avoided. The same reason that I had a specific handshake with my dad before soccer matches back in high school.

These rituals are in large part due to my undiagnosed OCD. The obsessive compulsion to always do the same thing every time when it seemingly leads to a positive outcome (despite it having nothing to actually do with that outcome), and to stop doing stuff when it seemingly fails.

I had this realization after Argentina’s win over England. Driving back from the watch party in Huntington Beach, I thought to myself “I guess it doesn’t matter where I watch from, because Argentina has won every game regardless of where my ass is enjoying it from.”

And, well, duh. I have no tangible impact on the game. However, since I was a little kid I have always wanted the opportunity to go back in time and alter just a few things when I was watching a sporting event. I would undo a few of my superstitious behaviors, and see if that actually had an impact on the game.

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All of this may sound dumb to many readers. How could I reject religion when I do so many things on a blind belief that they work based on weak circumstantial evidence? That’s just the power of OCD.

It’s a feeling in your legs. An annoying itch on the top of your head. Pressure on your brain. Only when you satisfy a specific urge — like knocking on wood or wearing a jersey — you feel so much better. And when an idea pops into your head — like “hey you should touch in between every finger on both hands or bad things may happen” — then you simply listen to it.

Other times, you have to avoid intrusive thoughts. If you have OCD, and you need to go to the bathroom in front of the plane, I am sure you have thought to yourself, “oh my god, I’m going to run into the cockpit and I can’t stop myself”. Of course, you can stop yourself. But these weird urges and feelings are constant.

Sport superstitions are less intense than some of the other intrusive or obsessive or compulsive thoughts, but when you are a mostly secular person like me they have to occur because of OCD. I have no other answer.

So when I wear the same Anaheim Ducks shirt for every game this next season, or I decide a specific pub is where I have to watch Barcelona play, I will know it’s my OCD. That doesn’t bother me, but it is cool to understand on a deeper level.

And yes, I will be bringing my Lamine jersey and Messi shirt in the car with me to the World Cup Final watch party. But I can’t bring myself to choose between either, especially because it will make my OCD act up and I won’t enjoy the game.

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Peace, and enjoy the World Cup Final. You deserve it.

At the Old World Biergarten in Huntington Beach yesterday, hundreds of fans gathered to watch Argentina and England face off in the World Cup semifinal. The place was probably 75-80% full of Three Lions fans, so I definitely felt out of place with my Messi shirt. I DEFINITELY felt out of place when the GOAT came on screen, and boos rang around the venue.

Don’t get me wrong, I reveled in being part of the minority of those supporting Argentina in the crowd; however, I wasn’t going to strike up a conversation with anybody around me or try to make friends. That was especially true when England went 1-0 up.

I’ll be honest. I hate England. I hate Harry Kane. I want to see them fail every single time I watch them play. And I’m usually against “hatewatching” in sports. It’s lame and against the entire reason we all fell in love with football in the first place. But I can’t help myself when it comes to England. Also, I love Lionel Messi. He is a magician who inspired me from the first moment I saw him kick a ball. So when the clock struck 84 minutes into the match, and the Brits were up 1-0, I felt like shit.

Enter Messi and Enzo Fernandez. The Chelsea midfielder had unleashed a shot that Pickford had to tip over the bar just mere moments ago. Messi drags two defenders over to the corner of the box and plays it over to Fernandez, who is in the perfect shooting spot. The first shot was a calibration. The second was a detonation. And I lost my mind.

It wasn’t just me, however. The 25% of the crowd who had been essentially silent up to that point erupted. Everybody was running around in a fashion befitting a headless chicken. I left my stuff at the table, and the elation of the moment took over my body. I had to find somebody to high five or hug or something. Another guy standing close to me was of the same mindset, and so we dapped up into a bro hug and kept acting like insane people for a few more seconds.

That moment alone made leaving the house worth it. But, of course, Messi had a tiny bit more magic up his sleeve. When he chipped that ball to the backpost, it was as if time stopped. But when it resumed, and Lautaro Martinez had scored the winner for Argentina, similar scenes to seven minutes prior ensued. I found my new friend, and we did the same ritual. Nothing was said, but everything was understood. We were just fucking excited.

After the game ended, and the dust settled, he came over to me and offered up a fist bump. We exchanged our first words of the day. “Let’s go!” he said. “Yea, let’s go!” I offered back. And then he went on his merry way.

That is the power of the World Cup. I know that I talked about this at length in my newsletter yesterday, but this competition always offers moments for connection.

Down in Atlanta I had plenty of those. Let me run through some.

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Three times we partied with the Cabo Verdeans. First, we joined their parade. We had some of them sign our shirts and take pictures, and my dad even traded for a scarf. The guy said “that’s love” and dapped him up afterwards. Then, the second time, we met two awesome moms who were the sweetest women on the planet. It was a connection with people I would’ve never met without the World Cup.

Another time, when trying to get fans of every country to sign our shirts, my best friend and I had the best interactions. We saw a guy with a Tunisian flag and asked for his signature. His friend happened to be Jordanian so we also got his. Then we walked back to our little spot at the FanFest. Mere moments later, they brought over their other friend. She was Egyptian. And then these two older women — one from Germany and one from Argentina — asked if they could sign the shirts as well. We got five signatures in just a couple of minutes and got to have little conversations with people whose origins span pretty much the entire globe.

Another time, after watching Curaçao get their first ever WC point down at the FanFest, we celebrated with their fans. I got some signatures for my shirt and some pictures. I took pictures for some of their fans and shared some videos I had taken of their celebration. You could feel how much it meant to them.

We also partied with Congo fans multiple times. We learned their chants. We danced and sang with them. After the win, we chatted with a fan and gave our congratulations.

When we saw Haiti play Morocco, we met two different Haitian couples sitting either side of our group. They wanted nothing more than to see a goal for their nation, and the outpouring of emotion when it happened was beautiful.

My point is that, as it has always been, we are not so different as people. Of course, everybody has their own unique culture, and there is a lot of beauty in that. But the divisions that are sowed by the powers that be are all manufactured. Everybody can and should be together and party together.

Hug that stranger. Strike up a conversation with the person next to you. I know that the World Cup offers the perfect opportunity to connect with others, but we should be enjoying each other’s company and building community on the regular. Hopefully the energy from this summer carries over, because it has been a joy to see us all come together united by our love for football.

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For the next two weeks after that, I have been watching the World Cup alone on a couch in Orange County, California. Instead of being with my best buds, I’m texting them and engaging with other soccer fans via social media (which totally doesn’t make me wanna punch myself repeatedly in the esophagus). The knockout rounds have been enjoyed — almost exclusively — by myself.

I’ve had it both ways. There is no doubt that the former is much, much, much, much, much (did I say much?) better. But if I needed any proof, I ventured beyond the home TV screen and into the wild yesterday to watch Spain and France face off in the first World Cup semifinal. Doing things like this alone is not my forte, and I almost skipped on it. I’m glad I didn’t.

Mickey’s Irish Pub in Downtown Fullerton was packed out. It was probably 60/40 in favor of Spain, and when the Spaniards scored it got loud. Oh how I missed those roars. The clapping hands of strangers. The hugs and high fives. The energy had me juiced up. I finally wasn’t just cheering in front of cats and dogs! I was joining in the chorus of other fans again! It wasn’t exactly the same, but it felt good. I felt like I was in the right spot.

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With three more matches remaining — a semifinal, 3rd place match and the World Cup final — I feel as though I must be out and about to enjoy them. I didn’t mind watching games on my couch, texting my dad and friends during the games. And nothing will top going out with them to watch 4 or 5 games a day in Atlanta amongst thousands of others. But it just felt right to at least be in a social setting again.

Afterwards, when I went to a coffee shop to get some work done, a man wearing a USA jersey congratulated me on Spain’s win. I was wearing my Lamine Yamal jersey, but I have no Spanish blood in me. I am just a big fan of Yamal, and I enjoy the way Spain play football. But I thanked him, and we had a short chat about the match. I told him that I hope Argentina ends up facing Spain, and how Spain’s dominant win over France was one of the best performances I’ve ever seen. Then he told me to have a good day, I returned the favor, and he went on his way.

Interactions like that sometimes only come around because of an event like the World Cup. And for all the chatter and conversations you can have via social media, nothing feels better than connecting with somebody in real life.

I’ll miss this World Cup with all my heart when it’s gone next week. But for now, I’m going to do my best to soak it in. And I’ll do it with the people.

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“Almost heaven, West Virginia…”

Those are words I never thought I’d hear blasted through the PA system and sung by a crowd of 68,000 strong at a World Cup match. Nor did I ever imagine — not in my wildest dreams — that I would sway arm-in-arm with my dad, my best friend, and my best friend’s dad (who is like another dad to me) belting out the lyrics to a tune I hold so near and dear to my heart.

Me and my family always say that, even though we get so frustrated with the politicians and the people and the empty hole devoid of life that encompasses West Virginia, hearing “Country Roads” makes us the most prideful members of the Mountain State there ever were or will be.

The words have been engrained in my brain since I was born in the state, and there is nothing that could take them away. I’ll be 95 years old, dementia-ridden and on my deathbed still quietly singing “misty taste of moonshine, teardrop in my eye” to myself. That song means the world to me. The first time I brought my girlfriend to West Virginia, we were taking the backroads after we got off the highway. I had her start the song and immediately remembered why I still harbor love for that damn state.

All of that is to say, that when “Country Roads” came on in Atlanta during the second-half hydration break (hate these hydration breaks, which is a topic I’m saving for another time) of South Africa vs Czechia, I felt so much pride. I don’t cry in public but I was certainly on the verge of doing so.

My best friend noticed it first, hopping up from his seat. My dad said, “no way,” and the rest of our quartet all stood up to join in.

I have always loved hearing fans sing their national anthems during the World Cup, pulling emotion from deep in their souls and experiencing a deep connection to a place. This is even better in the stadium. Haiti and DR Congo specifically wowed me with their renditions.

Hearing and singing “Country Roads” is probably the closest I’ll ever get to experiencing that level of emotional connection to a place via song. I think I got some insight into how those Haitians felt for example. I’ve heard the “Star Spangled Banner” at basically every outing of my entire life. We love to play it (so much so that they play it in all the US stadiums half an hour before the match, regardless of who is actually competing on the pitch). It does not drum up that much emotion inside of me. I used to love the song, now I just find it a representation of a nation that has put so much hurt on countries such as Haiti or DR Congo to use the same countries as an example.

But “Country Roads,” man, that will always make me happy to hear.

And what is even better than the fact we got to do that during our second game of our trip to Atlanta, is that we got to do it three more times. For the fourth match of the trip, I even brought my West Virginia scarf so we could hold it up and belt out the song. I mean c’mon, that is the exact experience of so many of these small nations. West Virginia might not be able to qualify for the World Cup, but we were as much a part of it as many nations.

The icing on the cake is that “Country Roads” hasn’t just been used as a singalong in stadiums to distract fans from booing the water break a la “Mr. Brightside” and “Livin’ On A Prayer”. No, it has become the anthem of the US men’s national team’s run throughout this World Cup. It was played after the team beat Australia in Seattle, and we even saw Mauricio Pochettino singing it after the team’s 2-0 win over Bosnia in Santa Clara. I even heard it on TV during a water break in a match in Mexico.

My two weeks in Atlanta for the World Cup were life changing. It was a trip that I had looked forward to for essentially eight years. Not once, however, did I think that the anthem that brings all West Virginians together would also bring the world together. And that is something I will never stop loving.

Today the 2026 FIFA World Cup begins. Don’t pinch yourself, we are really here. This past week I’ve felt like a kid, staring at my Christmas presents under the tree but unable to yet open them. I know what awaits me and I have no patience left. We are here, finally.

This year’s edition is full of controversy, as World Cup’s often are. And while there are many issues worth addressing, I also wanted to bring positive aspects to light about this gorgeous game we call football (or soccer, nobody should really care what you call it).

I have been waiting for the World Cup to be in the US my entire life. I am so ready to experience all the joys. But I am wary of the many cons, and wanted to break down all that has been on my mind before Mexico and South Africa kick off the 2026 World Cup in mere hours.

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Pro #1 — It’s the World Cup

This is the most entertaining sporting event in the world. While the World Cup as always had ties to the politics of the host nation, the players on the pitch and the fans off it usually deliver a spectacle that etches itself into the collective conscious forever. I don’t have to sell anybody on the idea of this competition.

Think of 2010 in South Africa. “Wavin’ Flag” by K’naan and “Waka Waka” by Shakira were playing. The vuvuzelas were humming. The jabulani ball was floating wildly through the air. For me, that summer contained some of my clearest early memories.

James Rodriguez’s goal in 2014. Brazil’s 7-1 loss to Germany. The South American football culture that permeated every household across the world. Even 2018 and 2022, which were tournaments not without legitimate controversy and valid strong criticism against the host nations, brought images of rival fans dancing together and bicycle kicks and people enjoying the greatest moments of their lives.

I always think of when Cameroon beat Brazil, with Vincent Aboubakar scoring a 92nd minute winner, as a prevailing beautiful image from the last World Cup. Aboubakar had a great tournament, but when he scored he took his shirt off resulting in a second yellow card. The ref was apologetic but had to send him off. They shook hands, Aboubakar left, and ultimately Cameroon had knocked off giants Brazil. It ultimately didn’t matter to the standings as Brazil moved on and Cameroon went home in the group stage, but it was amazing for every Cameroonian watching at home or in the stands. It was a day they, nor I, will soon forget.

That is what the World Cup can bring. Memorable moments. I have so many personal ones, too many to share really, that have shaped many years of my life. I doubt we’ll be short on memories this summer.

Con #1 — This is Trump’s USA

I’ve lost track of the amount of just horrific stories that have come out in the months and days leading up to this competition. We’ve all heard about the Somali referee who was so unjustly denied entry to the US. Omar Abdulkadir Artan, the best ref in Africa, will not be able to referee in this World Cup. A lifelong dream, chopped away at the border.

The same happened to Iraq’s photographer (Talal Salah). Iraq striker Aymen Hussein was also detained for nearly seven hours by border patrol. It’s stupid. They have diplomatic passports and visas and all the other b.s. needed to simply play or work at the World Cup. How can you want to bring the world’s game to your soil, but deny people who have earned the right to be here? Iraq is based in West Virginia. I am also currently in West Virginia. I can tell you this, none of those people pose a threat to me and my family. There is no need for any of this, but in Donald Trump’s USA being foreign and darker-skinned is enough to make you suspicious.

The issues with this World Cup are strictly coming from the US government. It is not enough to terrorize Latin communities via ICE. No, they must terrorize players, staffers and fans from these World Cup countries. I mean c’mon, if you can’t weed out actual terrorists from people coming to enjoy and be a part of the competition then you are not an effective government.

Thankfully, Mexico and Canada are doing their part to make this tournament a success. Iran — who, of course, the US has waged war with making it the first time a host nation is at war with another competing nation in World Cup history — has been allowed to train and stay in Mexico even though all their games are in LA and Seattle for the group stages. Some of their staff have been denied visas in the USA, though, so that still sucks.

Multiple nations at this World Cup have had a travel ban placed on them, meaning their fans cannot travel to the US to watch their team. The only positive I see in that aspect is that there are diasporas all across the country for pretty much every nation in attendance. That side of the US — the people and not the government — will hopefully provide some much needed heart to this tournament.

Much more could, and should, be said and reported about Trump’s USA and it’s World Cup. And in the years to come, much more will be said and reported about his regime as a whole. Books could be written about the shitty aspects of this cup, and I have only scratched the surface to how Trump’s policies are affecting it. But for now, just know that the biggest con is the fact our own government is making it as hard as possible for the culture that shines through at the World Cup to be as bright as possible.

Pro #2 — So. Much. Talent.

Every four years, the amount of skill and talent on display at the World Cup seems to grow. Many people favor nostalgia and say the game was more entertaining back in the day (whether that be the 70s, 80s, 90s, 00s, or even 10s). That may or may not be true, but dammit the talent level cannot be up for debate.

Each nation has ballers. Even the lowest rated sides — New Zealand, Haiti and Curaçao — all have star players worth the watch. The internet has been lapping up Tim Payne this month (read here), but the Kiwi’s actual star is Chris Wood. If you have watched any Premier League mid table side in the past 5-10 years then you’ll have seen Wood. He is a commanding presence in the box and knows how to find the back of the net.

For Haiti, Sunderland’s Wilson Isidor has a chance to write his name into the nation’s lore. The 25-year-old will probably never play for one of Europe’s elite, but he has an eye for goal and has a chance to get Haiti out of the group of death. And for Curaçao, their star is the only player on the roster actually born in the island country. Tahith Chong, once an up and coming star at Manchester United, will be rocking a Carlos Valderrama hair-style. If he plays half as good as the Colombian, we’ll be in for a treat.

Of course, beyond the smaller countries, there are global superstars. Lionel Messi, Lamine Yamal, Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele, Michael Olise (man the French are stacked), Harry Kane, Bruno Fernandes. We have played like Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Kevin De Bruyne, and many other stars potentially at their last hoorah. I could simply list the rosters for all the top nations and you’d see the talent.

Each match will be an opportunity to witness a great player pulling off something miraculous. But even beyond the players, these are nations with distincy styles ready to show them off. Whether it’s South Africa’s Brazil impersonation, or Brazil themselves, we will see flair. Argentina and France offer up controlled and commanding football, which when you blink you are down 4-0. Spain has two of the most exciting young wingers in the world and a midfield that may rival the Xavi and Iniesta days. I mean there’s just so much good stuff out there.

Simply said: If you are bored, then you aren’t watching.

Con #2 — Too many teams?

This is a much smaller con in comparison to the first one. Hell, it may even be a pro by the end of things. However, FIFA has been insistent (as many sporting groups are, see March Madness) to have as many nations as possible in the World Cup. We started out with 13 — meant to be 16 — back in 1930, and now we have 48.

In one way, I love it. That means more teams and more cultures we get to enjoy here in the US. But in another way, I hate it. This is a FIFA money grab. Bring the number of teams up 16, and in that way we can have 104 games to get profit from and not just 64. Most fans would agree that 32 teams was the perfect format. It flowed so well for so long.

It was actually the 1994 cup in the USA that had the final World Cup with 24 teams. That was too few. 32 was perfect because it means two teams from every group advanced. There were a rational 16 teams remaining, and then it was easy to dwindle down from there.

Now, however, eight third placed teams from 12 groups will advance. I’m worried that the Round of 32 will be a bloodbath with very few close games. I’m also worried for that same thing in the groups. I love that some of these smaller nations made it, and I hope they hold their own, but teams like Cabo Verde may struggle against Spain and Uruguay for example. While I hope I’m wrong, the 48-team format has been an issue long before we knew what teams would be in the cup.

Thankfully, FIFA went away from a dumb format which would’ve had 16 groups comprised of 3 teams each. But still, it feels like we are sacrificing 64 great games fior 104 games that could have a lot of shitters in the mix. I hope I’m wrong, but usually when entities do something strictly for money it ends up sucking. Although, I won’t complain about getting to experience so many rich and vibrant cultures I will say that.

Pro 3 - The blending of cultures

As I’ve mentioned throughout this post, the World Cup is great because of the cultures that are on display. Remember the Morocco fan who went viral for dancing with Senegalese fans? Or what about Morocco in general at the last World Cup, their fans were stunning. Argentina always shows up, as does Brazil. We’ve even seen Bosnian fans in St. Louis give their team a heroes welcome on arrival in the US. And that’s why I’m not worried about this being a sad cultural event, devoid of the usual joy it brings. Because of those diasporas.

Sure, I’d love if tickets weren’t so high and visas weren’t an issue. But those who make it to the US will be well received and their energy will be top-shelf, and people from those nations already living in this country will finally have a chance to watch their team live. It’s beautiful.

Although I’ve focused on the US, the Mexico and Canadian side of this World Cup will only enhance that blending of cultures. We will see very distinct displays of national pride, starting with the opening ceremonies in Mexico tonight. People going to the games will have a chance to experience all types of different communities across North America.

Take the German guy for example. I think we’ve all seen him by now. He’s taking to the American south in the lead up to the start of the World Cup. He went to Argentina’s warm up game in Auburn’s stadium, and he has just loved every second of his trip.

The US greenery, the Walmarts, the Waffle Houses. He loved Atlanta’s stadium and also the game in Auburn. He has loved the gorgeous houses in the south. His name is Freddy and I absolutely love how much he’s loving this experience.

That’s what I hope everybody can have, and the World Cup can rise above the hatred and negativity. That it can be the beautiful cultural melting pot it’s meant to be.

Con 3 - High prices

The prices of tickets to these World Cup games has been a topic since back in the fall when FIFA was first releasing tickets. There is no getting past it. To see the US play their first game — to even see Mexico as well — costs over $1,000 for the cheapest seats.

It isn’t a new phenomenon that World Cup tickets are expensive, especially for host nations or big games later in the tournament. But wow, these are a new level. And of course many games haven’t come close to being sold out because the average fan has been absolutely screwed over.

FIFA started by doing a lottery system, and then people grabbed all the cheap tickets (of which there were few), and then they resold them at an insane price. Nobody attempted to stop or curb this, which FIFA almost certainly could have done. And what pisses me off is that there were $60 tickets to games. But they were bad seats and there weren’t enough of those to go around.

I hope that prices drop during the tournament and more people pack the stands. I certainly hope Atlanta’s amazing stadium is bouncing for the games I’m seeing there. But if the games don’t have enough energy from the stands, then you know who to blame.

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Enjoy the World Cup. We only get so many. Peace.

Sports have been a vessel for political soft power since their rise in popularity. None have had more of an impact than the World Cup, which dictatorial regimes have used to display their strength since the inception of the competition in 1930.

The modern term for this is called sportswashing. It essentially means that powerful political leaders use sports to portray their nations or their parties in whatever light is the most beneficial to maintaining power. More poignantly, it means sports are used to literally wash away the valid negative backlash that comes with inflicting atrocities on everyday people.

I am here to say that Donald Trump is failing at his attempt to do this.

I wrote an article last summer chronicling Trump’s sportswashing efforts — one of which will come to fruition this next weekend when the UFC has a fight on the White House Lawn (which isn’t tacky and won’t be looked upon as a blip in our history years down the line). And now, with the NBA Finals coming to New York and the World Cup beginning this week, his efforts are resurfacing.

Trump is being viewed negatively for pretty much anything he does now. And I’ll tell you, the way to rebuild your image is NOT to attend game 3 of the NBA Finals at MSG and force fans to arrive four hours early while having secret service and NYPD block off all surrounding streets1. It just doesn’t work. And it also doesn’t work to accept a “peace prize” from FIFA and subsequently deny the visas2 of players and officials who are a part of the World Cup games. That only reinforces the US as a place that nobody wants to visit or do any type of business with.

The World Cup is meant to be, well, for the world. That doesn’t align with Trump’s USA, and being the decider on who gets to fulfill their lifelong dream isn’t going to make more people fear or revere the power of the nation and the Trump regime. Those decisions will continue to make it a laughing stock.

I could write so much more, but a lot of these talking points were addressed in my previous sportswashing article (and by tons of other great journalists covering the World Cup). The main point is that, the tides against Trump are turning. He is unable to use sports — which have so often allowed leaders or nations to rebuild or strengthen their image (I mean, nobody talks about the atrocities surrounding Qatar 2022 anymore they just talk about the football) — to his advantage.

We’ll see what the narrative around this World Cup is after the dust settles, but something tells me that Trump won’t come out on top. Especially, especially, if he tries to make the trophy presentation all about him like he did with Chelsea last summer3. That won’t fly, because football fans are ruthless and I can guarantee that will have the opposite effect that he will want. But again, time will tell.

P.S.

The Knicks first loss in over a month and in 13 games came when Trump attended the Finals… do with that what you will.

Okay I’m back, sorry about that. To cut to the chase, there is a game that has taken NBA internet spaces by storm. It is 82-0.com, and I am hooked.

Essentially, you draft a team of five players from NBA history (60s to now) but the game randomizes which team and which era you can select from each round — you can randomize the team and era during a round only once each in the game. So you may get the 90s Bulls and be able to grab prime Jordan or Pippen, or you could get the 2020s Wizards and be shit out of luck.

You create a starting five utilizing all positions (so you can’t have 5 centers, unfortunately), and once you are done the game simulates 82 games and spits out a record. The goal is to create an unbeatable team.

It’s a lot harder than it may seem and requires more strategy than I originally anticipated. What I’ve learned is that you need to utilize your randomization of the era and team in key moments, and also to pick positions in a certain order so that you don’t get boxed into a corner and have to select a crappy PG from the 60s. You want to maximize your chances that you can still pick a great player by the 4th and 5th rounds.

There are two game modes: one where you can see each player’s stats and one where you can’t. Since the formula for success is to max out each statistical category, you can see how much harder the second version is.

I tried it out with the stats first, and these were the best three teams I was able to conjure up.

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Now, do I think a team with 2019 LeBron and 90s MJ would lose 14 games in a season? HELL NO! Especially not with a stretch-5 in Millsap, a great slasher in Ja Morant and a former All-Star in Archie Clark (who I admit to not knowing a lot about, but the stats helped me choose him). I also don’t think that the D-Wade and Durant team is better by 9 wins, if at all. I also think the 73-9 team is clearly the best of the bunch if you put them into a tournament. However, I understand the nature of the game is purely objective. It’s fun to debate, though.

Here are my best attempts without any stats to help me. Just pure ball knowledge (coupled with a deeper understanding of how to be good at this specific game).

Right now my ceiling is 71-11 for no stats, but man these are three great teams. For me, nobody is beating the Lebron-KG-Wilt team. Nobody is scoring on them. AI is the only defensive weak link but LeBron and Moncrief (the winner of the first two ever DPOY awards) are locking down the perimeter, while KG and Wilt are blocking everything inside. And then try defending a team with perhaps the most athletic version of LeBron, AI who can cross anybody out of their shoes, and the size of KG and Wilt. I don’t see a weakness.

The other two teams are insane as well. The CP3-Kawhi-Bird-Bosh-Davis team has stars at every position, and all fill different roles. It’s kind of funny that a team with 2018 era Jamal Murray is on this list, but the combo of Bird and KAT from three is deadly with Kareem down low. I understand that the game doesn’t think this way and only uses stats, but I can’t help myself.

My point is that if you have a shroud of NBA knowledge, then you have to play this game. Just know that you will be so enamored so quickly that you’ll need to write a Substack post about it.

Also, take a vote on which team you think is the best while you are at it (keep in mind the era of each player).

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When was the last time you passed by a proper newsstand when you were walking around town? Because I can’t remember if that’s ever happened to me. I always thought they were a thing of the past, only to be seen in shows like Gilmore Girls, until I was in Beverly Hills this week.

After getting a morning drink, I peered across the street and saw it. A newsstand in between restaurants and coffee shops. There was no doubt in my mind that I had to check it out. But on inspection, I was … disappointed. Or not disappointed necessarily, rather what I saw confirmed my worries about the whole thing.

I was attacked by a swarm of tabloids and Playboys. The only real news sat off to the side. Two local papers: Beverly Hills Courier and Beverly Weekly. When I asked the stand operator how much the papers cost, he simply said that the local ones were free. And to me, that says a lot about our current media atmosphere.

There should be no ill-will harbored towards people like that just making a living selling crappy magazines and the such. It’s more of a demand issue. If people would rather spend money on nude-y mags than classic journalism then what can you do? There’s a reason that the only newspapers being given out at the stand are two smaller — albeit quality — publications.

People don’t read the news beyond the big headlines. The death of the local newspaper has been evident for a while.

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I don’t have a problem with people getting their local news for free. I grabbed a copy of each and saw articles about local theater directors, parks & recreation decisions with direct impact to the Beverly Hills community, the Metro construction in the area and info on city council candidates. Residents deserve easy access to those stories, and even though they exist online people may not seek the information out if it isn’t free at the newsstand. But man, imagine how more informed people could be if half the stand was filled with newspapers and the local entities had more support from the community and other monetary backers. Just imagine.

There is no real fix for this. And it’s not like I’m the first person to point out this problem. But there used to be multiple daily newspapers in each city/town across the country. They would cover literally everything of note in the area.

For example: My dad used to work for The Register-Herald Newspaper in Beckley, WV before I was born. For 10 years he was there, mainly working the sports desk. He would stay late and wait for the next day’s papers to be printed. It was a legit operation. I did freelance work for them in my senior year of high school and the summer after my freshman year of college. The difference — to hear it from my dad at least — of the newsroom was staggering. And even in the past two years since I contributed, the Register has gotten even smaller. It’s sad.

It was a quality paper. And it still produces quality from time to time, but the capacity to do so is limited. For a while the Register was relying on freelancers but now even that well has dried up. In my time there I reported on business closures, high school graduates with big dreams, state soccer championship games and local art festivals. 30 years ago they had reporters for each of those beats, providing Beckley with consistently good news coverage. Now a small staff struggles to do even a fraction of that work.

There may be a newsstand in Beckley that I never stumbled across. And if it exists, I bet that there is a wall full of slop and a small stack of Register-Heralds just off to the side, collecting dust. Because whether in rich Beverly Hills or poor Southern West Virginia, the slow death of journalism comes for us all.

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Here is the link to the article: https://www.thepanthernewspaper.org/sports/the-top-10-most-challenging-positions-in-sports

And here it is again, you should click it and read (this is literal clickbait)

TOUGHEST JOBS IN SPORTS? WE ASKED CHAPMAN ATHLETES

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Peace!

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Link to article here…

And here…

And one more time!

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The not-so hidden biases of AI

Peace!

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These movies tug on my emotional heartstrings, and I think the idea that our humanly feelings stretch lightyears away is beautiful. (Spoiler) Matthew McConaughey returning to finally reunite with his daughter in Interstellar… I cry every time. So when I say “Project Hail Mary” checks all my boxes for a great movie, you should believe me.

Without spoiling too much, I’ll try to explain what makes this movie so amazing. For one, it has a little guy. We need more cute little creatures doing things. But this isn’t just to sell a stuffed animal or an action figure. The relationship between Ryland Grace (Ryan Gosling) and Rocky is beautiful. I think one of the biggest takeaways I had from this movie is that people need to be open to love in their life. Unlikely friendships are the best, but if you don’t allow yourself to connect with others then that beauty won’t occur.

A huge theme is sacrificing for others. Being brave not because it is in your DNA, but rather so you can help those you love despite your fears. Making it known that the people you are close to matter. The idea of selfishness versus selflessness is woven in seamlessly.

Hope springs eternal in this film. I walked away feeling happy and juiced up and in love with life. It has funny moments, heartwarming moments, genuinely sad scenes that at the very least made my eyes swell up (and had me thinking “please don’t do this to me, I can’t handle it if blank happens”). There are super suspenseful moments where I found it hard to breathe because of the stress. It had me hooked.

The movie also finds ways to inject in science. The constant experimenting throughout the film, and seeing the main characters working through the scientific process is a crucial part of what makes “Project” so great.

It is also visually stunning. There is one scene in particular that had me shook in the theater. I was in true awe, which rarely happens. Go watch the movie and you will immediately know what scene I’m talking about. Also, even beyond that one shot, the cinematography works so well. It is chaotic at times. The camera is always moving. You feel as though you are in space. It can be disorienting but I never felt like it took away from the story but rather added to it.

The scenes of Grace actually in space are some of the best in the movie. They had him on wires when filming and it does look like he’s floating around out there. That authenticity is what breathes extra life into the movie. Rocky isn’t CGI, but rather a puppet. The alien’s voice isn’t AI or anything of the sort.

In an age where human creations are at a premium, “Project” has cornered the market. The film has soul that stretches into the stars.

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The way the story is structured is perfect, but I won’t go into detail because I feel like that could ruin the viewing experience. It is the perfect movie for right now, however, given the recent Artemis II mission. This feels like a cultural moment, and perhaps a period of time that will inspire a new generation of rocket scientists and astronauts.

The growth of popularity of “Project” has not come because of the most robust marketing campaign. We aren’t seeing a Barbenheimer level of advertisement. Rather, people are going to see it because its a good and original movie. I was worried it would be a cheap remake of those space films that I love but, while it has elements of those in it, “Project” is a beautiful standalone and unique movie.

My main takeaways are that we should all love and care for one another, accept friendship from all over, appreciate those different from us, be ambitious and brave, be curious, and attempt to experience a large range of emotions everyday.

Go watch it. Right now it’s a 9/10 for me, but on second watch I’m sure it will move closer to a 9.5 or even a 10. But you should decide for yourself if “Project” is truly worth the hype.

Peace.

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P.S. Here’s a trailer if you need one. I don’t recommend watching it beforehand, but I needed a picture for the cover of this article and so I embedded this. You get it.

For the first time in my life, I picked the correct champion in March Madness. As a kid, I would always pick UK because my dad went there and because they were always good. I don’t know if I chose them in 2012 when they actually won, but I don’t believe so. That was the year I didn’t go all in. Dumb 7 year old.

From there, it was disappointment after disappointment. Michigan State losing to 15 seed Middle Tennessee. Virginia losing to 16 seed UMBC. Hell, these last 3 seasons I chose Houston. And I was on the cusp of winning my bracket pool for the first time ever last year. But they collapsed. Couldn’t even get a damn shot off at the end. It was heartbreaking for my pride and my pocket book. This year I was on a mission.

I did what any smart bracketologist would do. I simply picked the correct champion. Finally. How did I not realize that it was this easy beforehand? Michigan was destroying teams from the first invitational tournaments of the season. I backed them, and they rewarded me. UConn kept it close, but the Wolverines were clearly the best team in basketball. The universe smiled on me because this year was the first time my pool gave money to 2nd and 3rd place brackets. I finished 2nd — one point off first, I blame Santa Clara and Miami (OH) — thanks to a perfect final four.

Beyond my own triumph, I truly enjoyed this March Madness iteration. We had some legendary shots, close games and a few good upsets. I hold out hope that NIL (and potential expansion) won’t ruin this thing I love.

Anyway, next year I’m shooting for first. Improvement every time. For now, I’ll enjoy Michigan’s victory like it was my own. Hail to the Champs!

And don’t worry. Better and more intriguing content is coming soon. Peace.

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Those are words I didn’t expect to hear. Not when I turned off the UConn and Duke Elite 8 game before my flight back to California. The last game of March looked like it would be a blowout for the bad guys — a team I have truly despised since I could understand the concept of hatred — as they were beating the Huskies 40-21.

I didn’t want to spoil the memory of my great spring break with more frustration at this game. I enjoyed time with my family, saw my best friend, went bowling, went mini-golfing, and watched a bunch of basketball. So I didn’t need to watch this game. Not when it was almost my time to board the plane anyway.

As I found my seat, and sat waiting for takeoff, I took a few peeks at the score in the second half. It was still a 17 point game at first. Checked again, now UConn was only down 12. And then 8. But then, back to 10. That’s when I decided to turn on airplane mode, play my downloaded music, and try to get some rest through the first bit of the flight.

When I woke up from my short nap, I didn’t even think to check the score. In my mind, I had accepted the Duke win.

That was until I looked about 4 rows in front of me.

A woman was frantically hitting the man’s arm across the aisle from her, just as a stewardess walked past. For half a second, I thought that something bad was happening to her and she needed somebody’s attention. But that wasn’t the case. I also figured that these two people knew each other — but why was she punching him? And then I saw his phone screen. The clear image of a March Madness basketball game.

For context, I flew out of Charlotte, North Carolina. An area where there is a solid split between UNC and Duke fans. So, were these hits of excitement for Duke’s win or of jubilation at their downfall? Frantically, I pulled out my phone and turned the game on. I felt like those were UConn celebrations on the screen but had to confirm.

Thankfully, I had turned on the airline wifi before taking a nap so I was able to turn the game on quickly. And when it turned on, my cautious excitement became a pure ecstatic reaction (yet subdued because, y’know, planes). There it was, a replay of UConn’s three pointer to give them a 73-72 lead with 0.4 seconds left.

Thanks to a massive Duke error, and Braylon Mullins’ massive balls, the unthinkable happened. From 19 down, they were going to win. Duke heaved the ball down the court, it was knocked down, and that was it. If I was allowed to, I would’ve ran up and down the plane in celebration. When I closed my eyes, Duke was going to win the game. No doubt about it, so why even check? But, thanks to a woman hitting a man across the arm, I was able to soak in the joy.

Of course, I spent the rest of the flight watching highlights on Instagram and watching what I missed from the game more fully on YouTube. I have come to this rather easy conclusion: that is, without a doubt, one of the best March Madness moments ever. Not only because Duke choked, but because of the fact a dude swished a 40-footer when he hadn’t made a three all night after his team had been dead in the water earlier in the game.

Duke erased the embarrassment of UNC, who also forgoed a 19-point lead this tournament, as well as that of Tennessee who was blown out by Michigan earlier in the day. No matter what happens in the Final Four, I have a feeling this tournament will be remembered for the Duke turnover and the Mullins shot.

What a moment. What a month. Onto April we go.

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Peace.

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I understand that the women’s side can definitely be more chalky, and it could stay that way in the era of NIL. Sometimes, especially during the first weekend, it can lack some of that “madness” that makes the men’s side so famous. But there have already been some classic games this year — just as many as the men had in my opinion — and we have heavyweight matchups coming this weekend.

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Here were some of the key moments from the first weekend if you missed it:

1. Clemson and USC played out a game for the ages, which saw the Tigers hit a buzzer beater for the win that was then waved off. But then apparently she was fouled. But actually the foul was after the buzzer as well. And then USC won in OT. Peak drama.

2. Virginia is playing Cinderella. The school is the first ever first-four team in women’s tournament history to make the Sweet 16. They did it by knocking off Iowa on the road. That is one of the toughest environments in the country, they were down by a good chunk at points, but the Cavaliers battled back. They also had to go to OT in their first game, and double OT against the Hawkeyes. Now they face TCU, looking to continue this great run.

3. Iowa almost lost in the biggest upset in women’s history in the first round against FDU. If it weren’t for a good whistle down the stretch, the Hawkeyes could’ve easily lost. FDU would’ve had perhaps the biggest upset on both the men and women’s side. It was a great game nonetheless.

4. Kentucky and West Virginia had a second round classic. Morgantown was rocking for the game, but the Cats were not fazed. It went back and forth throughout, and WV had a chance to win it at the end when Gia Cooke hit a nasty crossover to free up a mid range jumper. It was just inches away from going in, but man that was one hell of a game.

5. TCU vs Washington. Alabama vs Louisville. Michigan State vs Colorado. Minnesota vs Ole Miss. These were all amazing games. Close contests. If we get more of this, the rest of the tournament will be immeasurably fun.

Here’s the thing. Women don’t need or want the pity of male sports fans. You shouldn’t watch these games just so you can say “oh look at me, I support women’s sports.” It isn’t a badge or token to be won.

This article in and of itself is not meant to pity these athletes. They already have a great following, and I truly believe that you will enjoy watching the games this weekend. Don’t do it to look good, do it because you love sports and this is a damn great sporting spectacle.

The three games I’m most excited for are TCU vs Virginia, Louisville vs Michigan, and Vanderbilt vs Notre Dame (even though I hate both schools). Enjoy it!

Peace.

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P.S.

Watch some highlights.

All weekend I see-sawed between doom-and-gloom about college basketball’s premier tournament, and pure elation/heartbreak/running-around-my-room-excitement. One thing is true, however: March Madness is not exactly what it used to be.

This was not the 2023 opening weekend, where Purdue lost to FDU and anything seemed possible in the world. There is no Florida Atlantic or San Diego State University coming to provide a Cinderella for the ages. Hell, no 13+ seeds even won a game this year. 7 of the 8 top seeds survived the weekend. We went 18 games without an upset at one point.

And yet, this was still an enthralling weekend of basketball.

We saw buzzer beaters and game-winners — and some brutally close but failed attempts at glory. There were near upsets + many back-and-forth clashes that had me on the edge of my bed while watching them (at one point, during Vanderbilt-Nebraska, I was standing (more like crouching) 3 feet from my TV with my hands clasping my shorts).

Yes, the NCAA at large has problems that have been evident in the basketball space. Too much talent is being concentrated at the top. This is the second year without a classic Cinderella — 9-seed Iowa and 11-seed Texas are from power conferences. There is a lack of parity as 9 out of the 16 teams in the Sweet 16 also made it last year, although last year’s champion Florida got upset. But if you didn’t enjoy what you just watched, then you don’t like basketball.

Each day there was at least one game or moment that made the tournament worth watching. Even the First Four had 3 amazing games. And, on day one, we started out with a TCU 66-64 victory over Ohio State which saw each team hit clutch threes down the stretch. There was also High Point’s crazy upset against Wisconsin which saw Chase Johnston hit his first two-pointer of the year to win the game.

VCU also had the largest comeback in first-round history, defeating UNC after going down 19 at one point. Day two started off with maybe the best game of the weekend between UK and Santa Clara, where Otega Oweh hit a half-court bank shot to send the game to OT just seconds after Santa Clara thought they had won it.

The second round was filled with close games. High Point almost upset Arkansas. Nebraska beat Vanderbilt in an instant classic. St. John’s let Kansas come back before crushing their dreams. Iowa upset Florida. It was not a bad weekend of ball by any stretch of the imagination. Where last years first two rounds were a relative snoozefest, this was fun.

The first weekend was also filled with “almosts”. Siena almost upset Duke in what would’ve been the greatest victory in March Madness history. They had the Blue Devils on the ropes but just couldn’t finish it after their starting 5 played basically the entire time. As I said, High Point almost became a true Cinderella story. Vanderbilt almost had a half-court heave of their own to win it, before Tyler Tanner’s shot rimmed in and out.

And, we had a buzzer beater winner in the St. John’s game + a late and great winner in the Iowa game. We saw some extremely memorable stuff.

But here’s my issue: the mid-major March stories are dying. Where we had big upsets in years prior, we have those almost moments. These past two years we are starting to see how NIL money can create a big talent gap between the big schools and others. Texas should not be the “Cinderella”. I’m sorry, but that is an SEC program with money. We need our George Mason or St. Peters or FAU or VCU to really give us that “anything is possible” sense that March normally gives out.

The tournament has been entertaining this year and it will continue to be. But if this trend of power conferences completely dominating continues for years to come, the NCAA will need to have a long hard look at itself. Because with no Madness, its just March.

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Peace.

I don’t have to give you the hard sell on March Madness. We all know that it’s awesome. And after a super chalky year in 2025 — with a truly great Final Four — we might be in store for a lot more madness this year.

The first four was already really fun. The energy was great. And today we get going. There are four stories that I’m paying special attention to. If you want to be entertained, you should pay attention as well.

Miami’s improbably impeccable season

Miami — the original one, the Ohio one — went undefeated in the regular season this year. And despite weird levels of hatred from the online college basketball community for… checks notes… winning games, they are here in the tournament.

They didn’t need an auto-bid, but because they didn’t have a super strong schedule people were skeptical. That skepticism was put to bed after they beat SMU in the First Four. And now they have a shot at a real big team in Tennessee.

Here’s my thing: whether they win or lose, this season is a success. They became part of a select group of teams who completed an undefeated regular season. I don’t care who their opponents were. Plenty of teams have played similar schedules and not done nearly as well.

Also, Miami won a tournament game. But they want more. They could get blown out against UT. The three could go cold. They could simply be outmatched. But man, if they win that would be the biggest “fuck you” to their haters ever (their haters already deserve that).

And if they get one big win, watch out. This is a team with high Cinderella potential and high bust potential. It could be beautiful or Miami could flame out. Either way, I’m excited to see this historic team have a chance to continue an unforgettable year.

Nebraska and Troy battle it out for first tournament win

Four-seed Nebraska and 13-seed Troy both have ZERO tournament wins in their history. Nada. Zilch. None. But fate has brought them together in the first round. And it should seriously be a great game.

Nebraska is having perhaps its best season ever. Troy is battle tested, and while they aren’t a great shooting team they have guys who can get hot. It could be ripe for the upset.

This will be the second game to start today — in just a few hours — and I urge you to watch. No matter what, it’ll be historic.

Darius Acuff Jr. and Arkansas

If you want to watch really fun basketball, then follow Arkansas this tournament. Winners of the SEC tournament, there may not be a hotter team right now. There may also not be a better player than Darius Acuff Jr. The high scoring guard is just cooking teams left and right. Watch these highlights and enjoy.

They were soft doubling him the whole game and he still had 30! Acuff has gotten Kyrie Irving comparisons from guys like Bill Simmons and it’s easy to see why. He plays so smooth and defenses simply can’t guard him. Arkansas in general has a lot of bucket getters, and after a successful run last year Calipari has a team even more equipped of going far.

The potential Sweet 16 matchup between Arizona and Arkansas could well decide the champion of the country and I’m not kidding. But even if we only get two or three games of Acuff and Arkansas, they’ll all be worth the watch. You will come away from this tournament remembering Acuff and knowing that you watched a true March Madness star go to work.

Santa Clara delivering gifts from out West

I could jinx my bracket. I could jinx those poor folks up at Santa Clara. But dammit, they are my Cinderella. I love Miami, but SC just seems truly equipped to make a deep run. They looked really good in the West Coast Conference tournament, and overall all season they have been consistently solid.

As a UK fan (my dad went there), I am extremely scared for our first round matchup. Now, Santa Clara definitely didn’t have the perfect season but they can score bucket loads. If they meet a few shaky defenses (although Iowa State in the second round is not that) — and turn games into shootouts — I think they’ll make a run. They played a strong enough SOS and seem battle tested.

Maybe its a vibes thing, but I feel enamored by Santa Clara. It just seems like the type of story that March has in store. I could be an idiot. UK could beat them, and I’d be happy. But keep your eyes pealed. The slipper may be Santa Clara’s.

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Enjoy slouching on the couch and watching every game. Peace.

If you haven’t heard, CAF is disgracefully trying to take Senegal’s AFCON title away from them two months after they beat Morocco 1-0. And, if you didn’t see the drama of the final match, it all boiled down to two referee decisions.

The first took away a goal for Senegal and it was suuuuuper soft. It was at best a 50/50 call and I think most football fans would’ve rather seen the goal stand. And then, just a few minutes later, there was another soft foul on Senegal awarding Morocco a penalty after a VAR check. Watch for yourself here.

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In protest to these calls, Senegal’s team walked off the pitch and stayed off for 15 minutes. It created wild scenes that still will live in football lore for forever.

Ultimately, Sadio Mane got his country back on the field. Brahim Diaz chipped his penalty and missed horribly, and Senegal went on to win in extra time. But now, CAF is asserting that Senegal forfeited the game in those 15 minutes. It’s so terribly stupid.

What bothers me, especially, is the timing. The ref could’ve abandoned the match then and there. CAF could have immediately come out and ruled in favor of Morocco. They could’ve had celebrations in the streets. But none of that happened. You cannot reverse what we saw with our own eyes.

We saw Diaz miss the penalty. We saw Papa Gueye score an absolute worldie of a goal. We saw Senegal lift the trophy and we saw them celebrate. We even saw the Moroccan team also creating drama and behaving poorly, as substitutes and ball boys tried to steal Edouard Mendy’s towel (basically assaulting him in the process).

But none of that matters to CAF.

Despite getting all of the help from the referee in the final — and MISSING their chance to win. Despite having 30 more minutes in front of a roaring home crowd. Despite all the factors in their favor, Morocco lost. They had their chances and they lost. Extra time was a completely new game and they conceded.

And. They. Lost.

I’m going to see Morocco play in the Word Cup this summer and I am damn excited. They have a talented team and wonderfully boisterous fans. It should be a good time. I want success for them, especially after last World Cup run. I truly will be happy to root for Morocco. But man, what a disgraceful way to “win” a trophy.

What is the point in playing games if months later a review board can reverse a decision and send an email and change the history books? The sport is played on the field, not in a conference room or a courthouse. Bad calls happen. Controversy happens. It’s part of the intrigue of sports. And CAF completely missed the mark.

Morocco will likely happily accept their trophy. They’ll make as big a deal about it as possible. But I’m sure, deep down, those players will be far from proud of their “achievement”.

As for the Senegalese? Well, one thing CAF can’t strip from them is their memories. And they have enough of those to outweigh any medal.

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