Welcome to the very first edition of this newsletter where you can find my musings about all things royals and sports. (If you’re receiving this, it’s because I most likely manually subscribed you.) I promise that you don't need to care about either, and that they’re more similar than you think.
I’m interested in using these topics as a way to explore how the games we watch and the rules we play by tell us about the world we live in. We can see ourselves, our behavior, and our choices — both good & bad — reflected in them.
I made this as a place to get my thoughts out of my head and off of my Instagram stories. And perhaps provide you a few minutes of amusement with my incredibly niche thoughts and bad photoshops. I promise to keep it light, short & weird.
So, jump on board, and let’s go!
IN SPORTING NEWS
ESPN Tea Continues to Spill
The Maria Taylor - Rachel Nichols kerfuffle about made me lose it.
To summarize: Last summer, Rachel Nichols, while venting about being replaced by Maria Taylor on ESPN’S NBA coverage and citing diversity efforts, accidentally recorded herself and the footage was leaked. Now there’s team Maria & team Rachel.
There’s so many problematic layers to this, and I am not going to try to dissect it. But no one should be surprised by any of this. Responsibility flows upwards.
But as it was suspiciously timed with behind-the-scenes salary negotiation drama, this is where I had to draw the line.
The only correct take is that on-air talent continue to be incredibly overpaid and the people behind-the-camera are severely unpaid and underappreciated.
Furthermore, please don't tell me anyone deserves Stephen A. Smith money, because Stephen A. Smith doesn't deserve Stephen A. Smith money. And I, for one, cannot and will not sympathize with celebrities over their money woes. (Does a certain Oprah interview bite comes to mind?)
Whichever way you look at it, this happened a year ago. ESPN only took Nichols off the air because the public was upset — not because they were. Again, responsibility flows upwards.
And if there’s only room for one female at the table — guess who always loses? Hint: It’s not the guys!
PS - Remind you of another female v. female narrative that exists because the world couldn’t make space for both of them?
PPS - Maybe eventually we’ll see a day where the lone female at the table gets to answer the questions, not just ask them.
If you’re interested in this, I suggest checking out:
Dan Le Batard Podcast Show: Local Hour Jemele Hill - 25 min in - (7/6/21)
The Press Box Podcast (7/8/21, The Ringer)
A Disparaging Video Prompts Explosive Fallout Within ESPN (7/6/21, NY Times)
ESPN Employees Say Racism Endures Behind the Camera (7/13/20, NY Times)
At ESPN, the Problems for Women Run Deep (12/14/17, Boston Globe)
IN ROYAL NEWS
The Cathedral of Tennis
“[It] is where I learned to bow, to bend my knee, to do something I didn’t want to do, wear what I didn’t want to wear, and survive.”
-Andre Agassi on Wimbledon (or Megan Markle on ‘The Firm’…?!)
Is there anything more Royal than Wimbledon? There is not.
In fact, the modern game tennis owes much of its popularity to the Royals — originating from the racquet game known as “the sport of kings.” Although the game didn’t always treat them kindly in return. Anne Boleyn was arrested while “doing what she always used to do: She had been to the tennis courts, where she placed bets on the outcome of the matches.” And as Boleyn was being beheaded, her husband, King Henry VIII was busy playing a leisurely game ... of tennis.
But I digress!
Kate is an athletic queen, and Wimbledon is where she shines. William looked sharp (much needed), and they got a casual laughing photo. All is good in the hood.
Along with everyone else in the world, I was rooting against Djokovic if only because he reminds me of how much I love Nadal and Federer, and how much I already miss them. One of my favorite details from Nadal’s prep before their epic 2008 Wimbledon showdown:
“I went out to Wimbledon to do some grocery? Is that the word for shopping food? I guess so. I cooked . . . pasta with mushrooms, gambas, some onion at the beginning and these crab sticks. Not bad, believe me. Anyway I am going to bed now and finish the Godfather.”
May we all embody one ounce of that energy.
Tweet Tweet
Prince William is at his most relatable when he’s rooting for his beloved football (or as you crummy Americans say - soccer) team. And the Euro Final gave us one of their cutest “they’re just like us” family bonding moments to date.
But alas, we cannot have nice things. William then tweeted:
On a surface level, I am BEGGING Kensington Palace to get a better comms team. To comment about this, while ignoring the allegations within your own family and business? Of course that is going to be everyone’s first thought! On a deeper level, I am BEGGING the Royal Family to attempt to start to fix, or even address, their long history of problematic behavior, and the precedent it continues to set.
But hey, you heard it from him! In response to the ridiculously-loaded, yet amazing, question: “Can you just let me know is the Royal Family is a racist family, sir?” (This journalist is shooting his shot), William responded, “We’re very much not a racist family.” So that settles it, I guess.
PS - She said it - not me! But I don’t not agree with her.
GRINDING MY GEARS
I almost forgot, until I didn’t, that Meghan & Harry have a $25 million dollar deal with Spotify and, so far, have produced one extremely mediocre 30-minute podcast episode.
I’ll save you thirty minutes — it’s a round-up of their celebrity friends (humblebrag!) commiserating about how hard COVID was for them. (See my past Instagram story rants HERE.)
The detail that GRINDS MY GEARS is that at the end of the episode, their executive producer credit is “Duke and Duchess of Sussex” but when they introduce themselves at the top they say, “We’re Meghan and Harry.” So which one is it, your Royal Highnesses? Please, for my sanity, pick one.
POST GAME
Reflecting on the past year and a half, I think Andy Roddick speaks for all of us — from his post-match interview after losing to Federer in the 2007 Australian Open:
“It was frustrating. It was miserable. It sucked. It was terrible.
Besides that, it was fine.”
Next time: Osaka, Meghan Markle, Nikole Hannah-Jones, and the power of “nope.”
Thank you for reading and spread the word!
Brilliant!