Welcome back to Town Hall! Matt and Craig answer a slew of listener questions about why Hasan Minhaj lost the Daily Show job, stories from inside the strike negotiation rooms, whether Hollywood would ramp up during the holidays if SAG-AFTRA reaches a deal in the next few weeks, consolidation in the entertainment industry, and Taylor Swift’s Argylle rumor. Later, they give a prediction for Five Nights at Freddy’s.
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Battlefield 2042 is enjoying a small resurgence as it nears its two-year anniversary, thanks to a recent free weekend, a sale, and multiple updates from the developer. The game’s new season will hopefully maintain players’ renewed interest in DICE’s futuristic military shooter — particularly the new mode that lets you deploy and fight against hordes of 3D-printed synthetic soldiers who run around naked and smash enemies’ heads in with hammers.
Season 6’s of Battlefield 2042 will introduce a new limited time mode called Killswitch, a 12v12 game type that lets players print out waves of Geists — the aforementioned buck-naked ’bots — that can be deployed in combat. They’re effectively (fast) zombies who sprint at the opposing team and try to bludgeon them to death, as seen in the trailer above.
Geists are printed at Forges in Killswitch’s maps (Redacted, Manifest, Hourglass and Spearhead), and teams will battle for control of those Forges while they simultaneously attempt to capture locations called AOS nodes.
How did these synthetic soldiers, who are not canonically zombies, find their way into Battlefield fiction? According to DICE and publisher Electronic Arts, a secret R&D lab off the coast of Scotland is the victim of an AI run amok. That artificial intelligence has taken over and created the Geist, glowing-eyed bad guys who are programmed to kill. Sure, I buy that.
Killswitch is playable as part of Battlefield 2042’s Dark Protocol event, which runs Oct. 31 to Nov. 14. Players who take part in Killswitch matches can earn Ribbons that can be cashed in for free cosmetic rewards, like weapon and vehicle skins.
60 Songs That Explain the ’90s is back for its final stretch run. (And a brand-new book!) Join TheRinger’s Rob Harvilla as he treks through the soundtrack of his youth, one song (and embarrassing anecdote) at a time. Follow and listen for free on Spotify. In Episode 107 of 60 Songs That Explain the ’90s—yep, you read that right—we’re covering the Cardigans’ “Lovefool.” Read an excerpt below. And if you’re in Los Angeles on November 16, check out the 60 Songs and Bandsplaincrossover event celebrating Rob’s new book.
The Cardigans form in Jönköping, Sweden, in 1992. The Cardigans consist of guitarist Peter Svensson, bassist Magnus Sveningsson, drummer Bengt Lagerberg, keyboardist Lars-Olof Johansson, and lead singer Nina Persson. Nina had never sung before, but Peter and Magnus were like, Trust us on this. Peter and Magnus both started out as metal dudes. They played in heavy metal bands—as did Max Martin, come to think of it—but they got sick of metal, and now they’d like to play in the poppiest pop band ever born. And the Cardigans will devote their lives to proving that pop and metal are quite tonally similar, at least the way they do it. They do that in a song called “Rise and Shine,” and this one’s called “Black Letter Day.”
And here’s the whole ball game, really, with Nina Persson, lead singer of the Cardigans: She sings beautifully and exquisitely and elegantly and delicately even when she’s singing what could totally be Metallica lyrics. James Hetfield totally would’ve written and barked out a song called “Black Letter Day” if he’d thought of that title first. James Hetfield got so mad when he heard this song. The first Cardigans album, called Emmerdale, comes out in 1994; the album cover is a blurry photo of a dog. It’s an extremely 1994 album cover, I have to say. A blurry photo of a dog perfectly sums up the dominant vibe of alternative rock in 1994. Time for a piano ballad.
This song is called “After All,” and it sounds like Nina is singing directly into your ear, which means that the t in the word insanity is really going to pop when she sings the word insanity. Is she singing, “I’m scaring close to insanity”? Because if she is, James Hetfield is so pissed he didn’t think of that first. James Hetfield is pissed regardless, obviously. You want the chorus? Do you think you can handle the chorus? Well, let’s find out!
And this, too, is an extremely 1994-type vibe, yes? Tremendous darkness in a tremendously bright package. This bait-and-switch approach is not exclusive to the Cardigans, or exclusive to Sweden for that matter, but it feels exclusive, it feels fresh and freshly unsettling when the Cardigans do it. Talking in early 2023 with a newspaper called The New European, Nina says, “Isn’t it a universal thing, really? If you made stats, there are few pop or rock songs that are only bright—that’s very rare. The rest of them are dark! I’ve always had a hard time talking about the Scandinavian mentality, but I think it’s art in general. I think what we are drawn to—which might be a Scandinavian thing—is to sort of ‘Trojan Horse’ your product; put it in a costume of something that’s light and upbeat.” All right, so time for something light and upbeat. Name that tune!
And then the Trojan horse opens up and oh, shit, it’s the Cardigans’ cover of “Sabbath Bloody Sabbath” by Black Sabbath. Told ya pop and metal were quite tonally similar! Take it, Ozzy!
I feel as though Ozzy and Nina would really get along. I don’t think Nina Persson would bite the head off a bat or snort a line of ants or befoul the Alamo, but she sings as though she’s considering doing all of those things. All right, we got ourselves an intriguing and sweetly confrontational Swedish alt-rock band with sophisticated pop overtones; time for the second Cardigans album. You know the greatest feeling in the world? You wanna know my favorite thing? I’ve said this before, but I’m saying it again: It’s when you love a song, but you totally forget about that song, and then you hear that song again years and years later, and you fall in love with it for the first time but also simultaneously realize that you’d already fallen in love with it.
The second Cardigans album is called Life, it comes out in 1995, and we have leveled up in terms of brightness, cheeriness, catchiness, and also, possibly, subversion. There’s an exclamation point in this song title.
That song’s called “Hey! Get Out of My Way.” There’s Nina, on the cover of the Life album, smiling extra brightly, lying on her stomach in a powder-blue dress with furry sleeves, propped up on her elbows with a little sunflower pinkie ring, her feet crossed and dangling in the air, and she’s wearing ice skates, and it occurs to you, pretty immediately, that ice skates are just blades for your feet. Hey! Hey! Get out of her way. This song’s called “Tomorrow,” and it’s as close as Jönköping, Sweden, has ever gotten to Motown.
Is morning a sugar kiss, though, really? The Cardigans are not setting the world or the pop charts on fire at this point. But they are building toward something, and this precise three-year span, 1994 to 1996—post-grunge, pre–nü metal, post–alternative explosion, pre-Napster—this is a great time to be building toward something, pop subversion–wise. The third Cardigans record, released in 1996, is called First Band on the Moon. Nina, in a 2014 interview, says, “Every record we have made with the Cardigans has been a counter-reaction to the previous one. And by then we were really tired of everybody calling us cute, after having done sort of cute and ethereal—we felt like we weren’t easy listening. We weren’t taken serious. So we wanted to be taken seriously. We wanted to be sort of more gritty and rocking.”
As an added bonus, this song has the most Black Sabbath–esque guitar riff on this whole record. Get a load of how rad this guitar riff is:
Y’know how Black Sabbath–esque that guitar riff is? It’s the most Black Sabbath–esque guitar riff on an album where, just for emphasis, the Cardigans cover Black Sabbath again.
Yes, the Cardigans do “Iron Man,” and I used to play the Cardigans cover of “Iron Man” all the time on college radio, and I’d be just tremendously pleased with myself. As an added bonus, this record, First Band on the Moon,has another track that went semi-arbitrarily viral on TikTok in the spring of 2023, and I love it when semi-arbitrary ’90s songs go viral on TikTok; that doesn’t make me feel weird or old at all. It’s called “Step on Me,” and Nina means it literally.
That’s the sped-up TikTok version of “Step on Me.” I feel great. This phenomenon of speeding up songs for TikTok, I understand that perfectly. I don’t feel like my bones are grinding themselves to dust and blowing away in the wind at all. That quote of Nina’s, about wanting to be taken seriously and be more respected and gritty and rocking on this record, there’s one last part to that quote, actually. She says, “So we wanted to be taken seriously. We wanted to be sort of more gritty and rocking. But then we made ‘Lovefool’ on that record, so we like totally dug our grave.”
And maybe there is nothing that I could do. The mass appeal of “Lovefool” was immediately, painfully obvious to everyone, and that includes the band—this song’s mass appeal was painfully obvious while they were still writing it, before they sped it up. Talking to Billboard in 2016, Nina says, “We definitely were aware that it was a single and a catchy song when we wrote it, but the direction it took is not something we could have predicted. It wasn’t necessarily our character; it felt like a bit of a freak on the record—which, objectively, it still is. Before we recorded it, it was slower and more of a bossa nova. It’s quite a sad love song; the meaning of it is quite pathetic, really. But then when we were recording, by chance, our drummer started to play that kind of disco beat, and there was no way to get away from it after that.”
To hear the full episode, click here. Subscribe here and check back every Wednesday for new episodes. And to preorder Rob’s new book, Songs That Explain the ’90s, visit the Hachette Book Group website.
Kingdom opens ominously, with two attendants walking across a Joseon-era Korean palace’s courtyard to bring the king his meal. Once inside, the older attendant warns his young companion not to look into the king’s bedchambers while passing the food underneath the curtain. The young attendant can’t resist, and when he opens his eyes he’s dragged under the curtain by a snarling beast. It’s a dread-filled scene that grabs your attention, but Kingdom also uses that moment to set itself apart. Most zombie shows are centered around characters thrust into survival mode without knowing what caused the outbreak in the first place. In Kingdom, the original zombie is not just a known entity, he’s also being tended to by a royal staff.
The rest of the intro reveals a lot of information in a short amount of time. A group of scholars has been posting flyers that the king is dead and it’s time for Crown Prince Lee Chang to ascend to the throne. But there’s an issue: Prince Chang’s mother was a concubine, and his current stepmother, Queen Consort Cho, is very pregnant. Her family has seized power with their new royal status, and they’ve rounded up and tortured these scholars to find out who’s behind their support of the prince. Meanwhile, Prince Chang has grown suspicious, and decides to find out the truth about his father’s mysterious recovery from smallpox.
If that sounds more like a Game of Thrones plot than a zombie show, well, you’re right. Kingdom is really, at its core, a political thriller set in medieval times. The zombie stuff, well, that’s just part of the politics — until, you know, it isn’t.
Photo: Juhan Noh/Netflix
The brilliance of Kingdom is that it doesn’t rely on twists and aggressive plot machinations to drive the show forward. The core conflict is laid out in 15 minutes flat: The king is a zombie, the queen is pregnant with his baby, and the queen’s family has seized power that would be threatened if the crown prince were anointed as the new king.
It doesn’t take much to realize who’s behind the zombification of the region’s ruler — but knowing the truth isn’t the same as proving it. Kingdom follows Prince Chang as he tries to collect evidence that he’s the rightful heir while avoiding the Cho clan’s guards, who are actively pursuing him. That alone would make for an exciting show. And then, of course, there are the zombies. As Prince Chang leaves the palace to find the doctor who treated his father, he discovers something even more terrifying: The king bit one of the doctor’s young assistants. We all know how that goes.
With a tight two-season story written and directed by Kim Eun-hee, Kingdom plays out its political games in conjunction with a growing zombie threat. It’s gripping, smart, and subtle, pacing its story in snippets of dialogue for viewers to stitch together. It’s also full of incredible action, painful suspense (characters in the daytime walking over dormant nocturnal zombies under floorboards, etc.), and truly terrifying horror: Victim by victim falls to brutal isolated zombie attacks, until a proper horde grows big enough to assault the entire royal city. Kingdom is truly an equal mashup of two different genres, and the fact that it’s done so well feels like a miracle. Just be prepared for things to get gnarly — two guards are beheaded in the opening sequence for being traitors, and if that’s the sort of violence that’s unleashed in a human-to-human conflict, just wait until the undead come into the picture.
The prerequisites to serve as Spider-Man include a long list of superhuman traits: outsized strength, speed, and durability; powerful precognition; extreme stickiness, and so on. But just as essential as the qualities that come from bites by special spiders is a more mundane knack: Spider-Man must be an amazing multitasker. And no on-screen Spider-story has captured that quality more viscerally than Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, Insomniac’s latest, greatest, fastest-selling PlayStation superhero opus. Graphically, mechanically, and most of all tonally, it’s an unsurpassed Spider-Man simulator, a game that represents how it feels to be Spidey in civvies with as much care as it conveys how it feels to be Spidey inside the suit.
Both in print and in his many movie and video game incarnations, Spider-Man always struggles to juggle his job, his schooling, his friendships, and his love life while moonlighting as a crime fighter. It’s what makes him so relatable: He’s the youthful, harried hero who has trouble making rent and racks up massive sleep deficits. Saving the city pays poorly, and the hours are awful. Those are the biggest drawbacks to being Spider-Man, aside from the unceasing exposure to supervillains and the way one’s aunts and uncles tend to die in one’s arms.
Spider-Man 2 gets that.The first scene featuring Peter Parker and Miles Morales opens on a clock: Time ticks away as Miles tries to focus on composing a college essay, and Peter, a newly hired teacher at Miles’s school, arrives late for class. Flustered, Peter tries to teach physics, starting with a lecture on surface tension. Soon, tension surfaces in Spider-Man 2, as a crisis forces student and teacher to play hooky. Together, they defuse the threat, and Peter gets fired for his trouble, without completing a single lesson. There’s a lesson in that, though: Good luck holding down a day job while being constantly on call.
Insomniac’s follow-up to Marvel’s Spider-Man and Spider-Man: Miles Morales embraces the “bigger and better” approach to sequels. Compared to its predecessors, the game features more boroughs of New York City, more combat mechanics, more traversal systems, more enemies, and more upgrade options. And, most importantly, more Spider-Men: Both Miles and Peter are playable this time. The newly expanded city isn’t just big enough for both of them; it’s too big for both of them.
Spider-Man 2 rarely lets you forget that you’re falling down on at least one of your jobs. As you sprint, swing, and glide across the city as Peter or Miles, you’re bombarded by requests and notifications. Texts and calls come in, podcasts pop up, and an app alerts you to active crimes in your vicinity. Everyone wants to know who and where you are. Everyone asks for your help. Everyone tries to steal some of your time. The need to maintain some semblance of work-life balance becomes a common refrain.
“Don’t push yourself too hard, Parker,” MJ urges Peter.
“When you get caught up in one part of your life, it’s easy for the rest to fall away,” Martin Li cautions Miles.
Even the Spider-Men—who, adorably, address each other as “Spider-Man,” their formality suiting the Sisyphean task they tag team—express their uncertainty aloud. “It’s just a lot right now,” Miles laments to his mom. “So much to take care of in the city. Super stressed about my college essay. Pete’s busy doing other stuff.” In one side activity, Peter confides, “It’s hard to balance your own personal life with other responsibilities. Believe me, I know.” In another, he muses to himself, “I should keep an eye on her. And the other on these cultists. I need more eyes.” Most spiders have eight, but Peter and Miles have four put together. It’s not enough.
Miles suffers from impostor syndrome with a side of grief and writer’s block. Peter, the more seasoned Spidey, takes on too much responsibility and frequently comes up short. One can see why Peter might be seduced by a symbiote, which can’t help him pay the late Aunt May’s mortgage but can make him feel like he’s “finally everything everyone needs me to be.” The real Peter would never sound so sanguine about satisfying a city full of dependents—with no assists from fellow superheroes, including the conspicuously absent Avengers. (Additional Marvel licenses must be pretty pricey.)
It’s not as if the movies give short shrift to Spider-Man’s overstuffed calendar, but it’s even easier to empathize when you’re steering the Spideys yourself as they’re pulled in conflicting directions. At some of the game’s quieter moments, the stunning set pieces and colossal brawls take a backseat to more intimate moments befitting a friendly neighborhood Spider-Man: revisiting Peter’s high school, or taking in Coney Island, or reuniting a woman with her loving but fading grandfather, or exploring Harlem’s musical legacy. But Peter and Miles have a whole city to safeguard, and pressing demands always interrupt these reveries. The pressure is enough to compress a Spider-person into a tiny white cube.
Yet as stressful as Spider-Man 2 makes it seem to be Spider-Man, the game is a great hang (pun partly intended). Yes, it’s sometimes overwhelming, as when the game’s wide array of sidequests and collectibles compete for your attention, or you suffer from decision fatigue while trying to decipher several skill trees, or wave after wave of tough-to-target goons surround you (“How are there thismany?” Peter asks in one encounter), or a boss has health bars galore, or you dodge when you’re supposed to parry, or yet another supervillain emerges from the woodwork. At one point, a glimpse inside Peter’s psyche reveals one of his deepest, darkest fears: that the bad guys he keeps putting away will keep escaping from custody. I would worry about that, too, if I fought Vulture, Lizard, and Doc Ock and Co. as often as Spidey does.
Plus, one would think Spider-Man fans would be as subject to superhero fatigue as those of any masked, spandexed character, what with 10 movies and many more games saturating the Spidey market over the past two decades. (Calling this game Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 helps distinguish it from Spider-Man 2, and the other Spider-Man 2, and The Amazing Spider-Man 2, and the other Amazing Spider-Man 2.) Yet all three on-screen Spidey universes and multiverses—the animated Spider-Verse, the MCU (which now links to the live-action Sony Spider-Man Universe), and the Insomniac Spider-Man timeline—are firing on most cylinders, which makes the repetition tolerable. Yeah, you kinda know where things are going when Otto or the Osbornes or the symbiotes show up, but to varying degrees, each panel of this Spidey-IP triptych leans into the sense that we’ve seen stories like these before.
On that score, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 benefits from featuring Kraven the Hunter as one of its Big Bads. Kraven comes to NYC in search of quarry that can put up a fight. (It’s so hard to find good prey these days.) Naturally, he assembles a selection of the most dangerous game: supervillains. Kraven, a character created in 1964, feels fresher than the rest of the roster because, unlike the other five members of the original Sinister Six—or Venom, for that matter—he hasn’t yet appeared in a movie (notwithstanding a couple of closecalls in Spidey flicks and an extended delay for the 2024 solo film that was previously scheduled to be released this month). There’s no competing portrayal to spoil his first impression.
Nor can the previous Insomniac Spider-Man games, deservedly celebrated as they are, steal the sequel’s thunder. For one thing, they lack web wings. Spider-Man 2’s tweak to the franchise’s winning formula for traversal sounds gimmicky: suit extensions that let Spidey soar across the city? He’s a spider, not a bird or a plane! In practice, though, they’re exquisite, adding a dose of depth and strategy to what were already joyous journeys. Crossing the city is an exercise in stringing together a combo of swings, glides, and point launches, a gameplay loop so fulfilling it’s sometimes deflating to reach your destination. Spider-Man may be a street-level hero, but in Marvel’s Spider-Man, you’re usually better off airborne.
That’s especially true in the latest game, because on a clear day in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, you can see for miles. Three years into the PS5’s lifespan, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is one of the first releases for the system to feel fully next-gen, after years of cross-generation releases that straddled the divide between past and present PlayStations and Xboxes amid chip shortages that made shiny new consoles difficult to find. Built by an accomplished first-party studio to take advantage of the PS5’s power, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is a gorgeous game whose use of spatial audio, adaptive-trigger integration, and nearly unnoticeable loading combine to provide a distinctly PlayStation experience. There’s no time to stare at loading screens when Peter and Miles are forever running late.
“We are tired, anxious, stressed, numb,” MJ says. “But we have never lost hope.” If you’re tired, anxious, stressed, and numb while playing Spider-Man 2, you may need to put down the controller, or at least turn down the difficulty level (which can be customized extensively). The game is too fun to feel numb about. But a good deal of its magic comes from illustrating why Spidey’s existence is so taxing, despite the quips and suits and swinging. Spider-Man is never really off duty, and being constantly on would wear anyone down. To paraphrase something often said about Spidey’s hometown: It’s a nice life to visit, but I wouldn’t want to live it. For part of this all-time-great gaming year, though, I was happy to walk in multiple Spider-Men’s shoes—and, better yet, glide in their web wings.
Our season-long dissection of Radiohead’s In Rainbows continues with its fourth track, “Weird Fishes / Arpeggi”—an incredibly intricate musical arrangement that’s considered among the band’s best. We dissect the layered, multi-pattern guitar parts that create the song’s immersive, oceanic soundscape as well as the potential symbolism of Thom Yorke’s lyrics about being stuck at the bottom of the sea.
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Host/Writer/EP: Cole Cuchna Additional Analysis: Dr. Brad Osborn Song Recreations: Andrew Atwood Audio Editing: Kevin Pooler Theme Music: Birocratic
Season 2 of HBO’s pirate comedy/romance Our Flag Means Death takes some big turns by episode 7 — maybe not as big as the season 1 turn, when inept pirate captain Stede Bonnet (Rhys Darby) and Ed “Blackbeard” Teach (Taika Waititi) realized they had romantic feelings for each other, but still… a whole lot of things happen that we figured viewers would want to talk about, once they’d seen it for themselves. So when Polygon sat down with creator and showrunner David Jenkins to talk about season 2, we split the conversation into two parts: an overview of the season’s biggest ideas, and this spoiler-focused conversation about all the surprises in episode 7, including its explosive ending.
[Ed. note: Read on at your own risk; spoilers abound ahead.]
Photo: Nicola Dove/Max
To recap: In episode 7 of Our Flag Means Death season 2, Stede and Blackbeard have just had sex for the first time, and they seem all set for their happily-ever-after together — until Blackbeard abruptly leaves Stede to pursue a job as a fisherman. The crew visits the Republic of Pirates, where Oluwande (Samson Kayo) expresses feelings for Zhang Yi Sao (Ruibo Qian), even though he was previously uncomfortable with her expressing feelings for him when she took over his ship, and even though he and his friend Jim (Vico Ortiz) had a romantic liaison in season 1. They also learn that The Swede (Nat Faxon) has happily settled in as one of 20 husbands to Spanish Jackie (Leslie Jones), even though he was forced into that relationship to save the rest of the crew.
Yes, that summary does sound like something out of a soap opera, now that you mention it. But this doesn’t: At the end of the episode, a trap set by Prince Ricky (Erroll Shand) obliterates Zhang’s fleet, and the pirates’ haven is destroyed when the English fleet sweeps in to kill or capture the whole cast. Jenkins talks us through it all below.
This conversation has been edited for concision and clarity.
Polygon: One thing that really surprised me in season 2 is that you have two different coercive relationships where a man is being uncomfortably forced into an intimate relationship with a woman, and then he later decides he likes it. What kind of conversations went into those relationships and the gender tropes you’re reversing there?
David Jenkins: With The Swede and Spanish Jackie — she owns [her husbands]. They live in her basement, and she owns them, basically. So already, you’re [ick noise]. But then I love that The Swede really likes her. She’s a gangster, she’s a mob boss. There is a gender aspect to having her in that role. But then he says, “I’ve found parts of myself that I never knew existed, and other parts I thought were long gone.”
I just liked the idea of Leslie [Jones]’s character and Nat Faxon’s character being together and happy, balancing each other. She’s already got a wild thing going — she’s got 20 husbands. To me, to see that relationship start as kind of a joke, Oh, Leslie’s character’s scary and his character’s timid, and it turns into No, actually, they balance each other pretty well — that’s kind of sweet. It’s less about the fact that she essentially owns him, it’s about the fact that they do care about each other. It’s kind of nice.
Photo: Nicola Dove/Max
But you have very much the same dynamic with Zhang and Olu. When they start out, she’s got all the power in the relationship, and she’s kind of predatory about claiming Olu. He’s intimidated and forced into it, and he comes around on deciding he likes her. It just feels like an odd beat to repeat.
Well, she has all the power in the relationship until she doesn’t. And then she realizes that she’s in love with this guy — he is soft and kind and sweet. And that’s powerful. I think they’re mirrored in Blackbeard and Stede’s relationship — they’re each each other’s manic pixie dream girl.
I think there is something in the show about how piracy is a brutal way of life. It’s essentially Mad Max, this world. There’s no law, there’s just strong and weak. And in stories like Game of Thrones, we see how that plays out. It’s a lot of women getting raped in stories and you’re like, [resigned ick noise]. In Our Flag, a lot of these relationships aren’t consenting relationships — they’re power-dynamic relationships, because it’s Mad Max. So a thing I like to see in this show is, Well, why is the more powerful person interested in this weaker person? What are they trying to balance?
In a world where might makes right, and some people just need to align themselves with someone strong, it’s interesting to be like, Well, what does Blackbeard need? What does Spanish Jackie need? What does Zhang Yi Sao need, the most powerful pirate in the world? What happens when she gets into a relationship? What is she looking for? She’s a modern person, what does she need? So you’re always gonna get those weird power dynamics to start with, I think, and then you just try to get to: What’s underneath that? Why are they doing what they’re doing? What are they looking for?
Photo: Nicola Dove/Max
Speaking of what Blackbeard needs, I think some fans will think that him leaving Stede in episode 7 is a form of revenge. It so closely parallels what Stede did to him. You can read it as them being very much alike, running from commitment, or as him trying to hurt Stede. What do you want to say to people freaking out after episode 7?
Well, there’s a thing I talk about a lot — I really, really liked the Bradley Cooper/Lady Gaga version of A Star Is Born. I like how the dynamic changes between them. Everything we do is collapsed on this show — we talk about these lofty things, but we don’t have the time to execute everything we might like to do. Like, episode 4 is a mini Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, just a very small version of it.
In this case, we liked the idea that Blackbeard found this guy and made him a legitimate pirate, but now that he’s a star, Blackbeard’s questioning what he wants to do now that he’s lost his appetite for piracy. And Stede’s turned into Lady Gaga’s character. He’s famous now, because he killed the scariest pirate, so that power is inverted. It’s interesting to look at how a relationship changes now that Blackbird isn’t the star anymore and Stede isn’t a hanger-on. Stede got what he wanted; he’s a real boy. Is Blackbeard jealous? Is he uncomfortable with it? When power dynamics shift in a relationship, that leads to trouble. And then it really is just like, What are they going to do? Are they going to make it through it? Can they rebalance? Because that is a sign of a healthy relationship.
That episode is also a big turning point for Zhang and Olu, and for Olu and Jim. What went into the decisions around them moving in different directions after their connection in season 1?
I think that relationship was always seen in the room as a friend relationship that got romantic. That tension was interesting to us — it’s like, Well, what if we don’t play them as jealous? What if we play it as, when you love a friend and it becomes romantic, and then you see someone who makes them happy and you know you’re not it, you feel jealous? But also, they’re your friend. You want to see them happy. I think a lot of times, particularly in straight relationships, it’s traumatizing, and could be more about the jealousy. But here, I think it’s nice to see it this way: They truly care about each other enough to just want to see their friend with someone good, someone who takes care of them. In my life, those are the best relationships [with exes]. I do see those among my friends, but I don’t see it dramatized a lot, I just see the negative component dramatized. I like it this way — they’re friends, and they just want to see each other do well.
Photo: Nicola Dove/Max
This has never really been a show about villains, but the end of episode 7 feels like a shift in that regard.
I think a lot of the internal forces in Our Flag are the villains. It’s like, Can you let yourself be loved? Do you know what you want in love? If you know what you want, are you healthy enough to get it? When you start going into the tropes of [Blackbeard impression] Oh, should I be gay or not? or Oh, my friends did me dirty — we’ve seen that a lot. It’s good dramatic fuel, but I don’t think those are the things that drive the show.
I think the things that drive this show are a bunch of people who care about each other and are trying to figure out how to have relationships. And relationships are hard. Usually, you’re your own bad guy or gal or person in a relationship. It’s rarely [someone] doing something terrible to you — it’s you just trying to figure out your own shit. Hopefully, your friends help.
The big ending of episode 7 does suggest, though, that there might be more outside pressure coming to the cast, even if it’s just a short-term blip.
I think this is a story about the age of piracy coming to an end. This way of life is coming to an end. And every Western that’s good is that story: This way of life we made is coming to an end, and it can’t last. […] I think every story about outlaws is about trying to preserve a way of life against normative forces that are kind of fascistic.
All of which is a big historical moment, as far as the history of piracy, and it’s part of Stede and Blackbeard’s real-life story. Was that element coming in from history, the way you took little parts of Stede and Blackbeard’s relationship from history?
Using historical beats are good, because they give the story some shape — until they’re not useful, and then you just ignore them. When you feel like you’d rather eat a sandwich, just ignore the history. And then when you feel like, OK, we’re in emotional soup here, we need some downward pressure, then you bring history back in. The balance of the show is 90% ignoring history, and then 10%, bring it in, whenever we’re like, Ah, gotta move the story forward! Remember, the English are out there, and they’re really bad!
The season 2 finale of Our Flag Means Death airs on Max on Oct. 26.
Ubisoft and Netflix’s new animated series Captain Laserhawk: A Blood Dragon Remix has very little to do with the Far Cry game series, from which it draws part of its title. Viewers of the mixed-media show don’t need to know anything at all about Far Cry, or its strange, neon-infused spinoff from a decade ago. But series creator Adi Shankar said it would be “disingenuous” to not referenceFar Cry 3: Blood Dragon, the 2013 video game that was a shocking aesthetic swerve in Ubisoft’s open-world survival adventure game.
Shankar said that calling his new mashup show, in which the worlds of Assassin’s Creed, Beyond Good & Evil, and the Tom Clancyverse collide, is him “paying homage, paying credit” to Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon.
“When you look at how important Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon was, it’s a seminal fucking piece of art,” Shankar said in an interview with Polygon. “At some point people are going to look back and say there were seminal things [in that game] that seeded this online art movement, which continues to grow. Blood Dragon was one of them. So this is me wanting to acknowledge that.”
Captain Laserhawk is more like a reverential cousin to Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon. Both pieces of media are set in dystopian futures, and steal liberally from ’80s-era influences: synthpop music, VHS tapes, video games, and effortlessly cool action stars. Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon’s hero was a mishmash of the T-800 Terminator and Kyle Reese wearing an NES Power Glove holding RoboCop’s hand cannon. Captain Laserhawk’s Dolph Laserhawk is similarly cybernetic, with a gun arm that evokes Mega Man’s Mega Buster or Samus Aran’s arm cannon.
Far Cry bad guy Pagan Min does make an appearance.Image: Netflix
There are clear similarities and distinct differences between the two Blood Dragons. Shankar described his show as “more of a vibe” as opposed to “adapting the ‘tome’ of Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon.” In fact, when Shankar’s show was first announced back in 2019, it was called Captain Laserhawk: A Blood Dragon Vibe.
Captain Laserhawk is “part of the same lineage” that the CRT-filtered, laser beam-slathered Far Cry game spinoff was, an aesthetic that has permeated through other works of art over the past decade. Shankar specifically namechecked Destiny 2, The Weeknd’s music videos, and the Duffer brothers’ Stranger Things as examples of contemporary works existing on the same creative lineage.
“It all just kind of organically happened via the internet and Blood Dragon was a seminal moment in that,” Shankar said.
And while the Far Cry 3 and Blood Dragon influences may be a small part of Shankar’s animated series, especially compared to how much Beyond Good & Evil influence it contains, there is some Far Cry at the show’s heart — and at its periphery.
“Well, you know [Far Cry 4’s] Pagan Min is in this, reinterpreted through a JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure lens,” Shankar said. And, he teased, “the universe is populated with other Far Cry characters. They exist, and you may not see them here, but they’re out there in the universe.”
SEATTLE (AP) — Ronald Acuña Jr. topped off a Barbiecore ’fit with a jeweled chain of his own likeness. Adley Rutschman leaned more “Kenergy” in a leafy gold ensemble. Though there were some flashy standouts, many of the suits were safe and serious at Major League Baseball’s red carpet show on Tuesday.
The event came hours before the All-Star Game and featured baseball’s top players strutting through Seattle’s famous Pike Place Market with their spouses, kids and moms in tow, and giving their best looks to the hundreds of adoring fans gathered.
Yet what was really on display was MLB’s quest for the crown of cool.
Baseball’s All-Star Game drew a record low in viewers for the second straight year. The National League’s 3-2 win over the American League in Seattle on Tuesday night was seen by 7,006,000 viewers on Fox, down from 7.51 million last year.
Elias Díaz may be the most unlikely All-Star MVP. Just 3 1/2 years after Pittsburgh failed to offer a contract and allowed him to become a free agent, his go-ahead, two-run homer off Félix Bautista in the eighth inning lifted the National League over the American 3-2.
Across baseball, players are embracing practices like barefoot walking and breathing sessions to keep their minds as healthy as their bodies for the long haul of a pressure-packed baseball season.
Shohei Ohtani was the biggest star of the All-Star Game even if his appearance was rather uneventful.
The fan-friendly event is as much an homage to baseball’s iconic place in street style — from the game’s signature caps and jerseys to the classic tees — as it is an indication that MLB is increasingly staking its claim on fashion as an entry to new audiences and pop culture reverence.
“MLB gave me a stylist for this game,” said Corbin Carroll, a 22-year-old Seattle native turned Arizona Diamondbacks’ breakout rookie. “The outfit’s kind of cool. Definitely, it’s not something I would pick out for myself, but I’m kind of excited to show that off.”
Like a good many Gen Zer — which includes those born in the late 1990s and early 2000s — Carroll described his off-duty style as more casual than high fashion: “Athleisure, not too many logos, plain, a nice good fit.”
On the red carpet — which was actually a hot magenta pink — Carroll stuck with neutral colors, wearing a white blazer, black shirt and tan pants, styled with Nikes, sunglasses and a mullet.
But it’s no coincidence that MLB is tapping the young, mixed-race player as a style ambassador for its All-Star Red Carpet Show.
The league has for years suffered from the same audience problem. There is a perception that baseball is so steeped in American tradition that it may be a stodgy game targeted to old-timers — namely, white fans — who still track scores by hand in the stands.
“Sometimes perception becomes reality, but it’s just never been accurate. Look at the young people — they’ve always been here,” said Noah Garden, MLB’s chief revenue officer. “We always want to attract younger fans. It’s the foundation of any business.”
So MLB has been trying to liven up its image for years, watching with wonder as the NBA’s cultural dominance grew alongside the basketball stars who have been cemented as style kings among celebrity athletes, along with their sneakers, suits and streetwear.
The NBA is the No. 1 brand preference for Gen Z across sports institutions, said Brandon Brown, a sports management professor at New York University, in part because the game and its savvy players are so heavily tied to urban hip-hop culture and self-representation — things this generation so identifies with.
Not since the Seattle Mariners’ own Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr. — with his signature and very ‘90s backwards baseball cap — has there truly been an MLB player seen as a cross-cultural superstar who could make a splash with just his outfits, Brown said.
“He (was in) a bunch of different mediums to speak to a multitude of audiences,” Brown said. “MLB is probably still looking for their next superstar in modern culture.”
Today, baseball officials are keen to encourage their players to shine in the same way, too, knowing the ticket to loyal fans can be found off the field — perhaps at a much-hyped red carpet show built to pop on social media.
“It’s a really important event. The players really embrace it, too,” Garden said. “It’s to highlight our best players and bringing them closer to the fans.”
Among the league’s most fashion-forward players: Mariners star Julio Rodríguez, 22, whose red carpet outfit for Tuesday was handmade in Italy and paid tribute to Seattle. The reigning American League Rookie of the Year works with a personal shopper.
“What do you think about when you think about Seattle? You think a little bit about the trees, the lakes and all those things — the beautiful summer. So, it’s going to go towards that,” Rodríguez said.
The look, complete with a pair of exclusive Alexander McQueen sneakers, was crafted by Ethan Weisman, the founder of Pantheon Limited Custom Clothiers. Sports fans have certainly seen Weisman’s looks before. He’s the man behind Ezekiel Elliott’s head-turning crop-top tuxedo at the 2016 NFL draft.
Garden said MLB’s forays into fashion are not really about merchandising revenue, as its high-end collaborations with the likes of Gucci don’t sell for volume.
“There’s very limited quantities. It allows us to reach out to a very specific part of the fan base,” Garden said. “It’s a closer association with non-traditional brands.”
It’s such a coveted supply that some players have even called the front office asking for a piece of MLB’s limited edition Gucci collection, Garden said.
So lest you believe the unstylish rumors, there actually has been many short stops in baseball’s history with fashion.
There’s been official collaborations with brands ranging from preppy Ralph Lauren to niche streetwear label Supreme. Baseball’s long-established role as fashion inspiration is thanks in part to the league’s pioneering sale of replica jerseys. It was a socially-conscious decision to celebrate the league-wide No. 42 jersey on Jackie Robinson Day.
And the strategic licensing of the famous New York Yankees logo globally has arguably, to borrow the words of iconic rapper Jay-Z, “made the Yankee hat more famous than a Yankee can.” In fact, MLB’s fashion efforts are a major part of their international marketing plan, lately leaning into France’s affinity for fashion to break into the wider European market.
“What they’re tapping into is a kind of a cultural capital that’s not financial. It’s about the fans. It’s about nostalgia,” said Erin Corrales-Diaz, a Toledo Museum of Art curator who wrote a book about the baseball jersey and the sport’s influence on fashion. “Fashion has always been a part of the sport, even if it hasn’t always been articulated.”
Even so, MLB may still have its work cut out for it as several All-Star players acknowledged they were less than fluent in fashion ahead of Tuesday’s show. Houston Astros’ Kyle Tucker and Los Angeles Dodger Clayton Kershaw were among the many ballplayers sporting the safest of suits and who said they weren’t big into fashion.
“It’s not my forte,” Kershaw said.
Carroll of the Diamondbacks also flashed a shy smile describing his first time working with a stylist and first time doing any red carpet event.
“I might be more nervous for that than the game,” Carroll said.
BOSTON (AP) — The pickleball craze is hitting the big leagues.
Courts for the tennis/badminton/ping pong hybrid were being laid out in Fenway Park on Tuesday in preparation for a weekend that will give fans of the sport a chance to watch the pros play or even give it a try themselves in the outfield of the Red Sox historic home.
“Not only is it pickleball, the fastest growing sport in the U.S., but also it’s pickleball inside of Fenway,” Pickle4 America President Ben Weinberger said in an interview while standing where the Red Sox right fielder would usually play. “We’ll be welcoming hundreds of amateur athletes in the next four days. To give them an opportunity to step on the field, as we are right now, is pretty special to us.”
Scott Dixon loves racing in Toronto with good reason. The IndyCar driver has won four times on the street course, including last year.
Ravichandran Ashwin has feasted on West Indies wickets on a generous turning pitch and propelled India to victory by an innings and 141 runs inside three days of the first test in Dominica.
Daniil Medvedev had to skip the Wimbledon tournament last year but not because he wanted to. The 2021 U.S.
Brittney Griner didn’t know what to expect when the WNBA season began and how she would respond after the trauma she experienced of being incarcerated in Russia that also forced her off the court for many months.
The Pickle4 Ballpark Series running from Wednesday to Sunday will include an exhibition with top-ranked players from the Professional Pickleball Association Tour; tickets for spectators go for as little as $10. But amateurs of all levels can also reserve time on one of a dozen courts for $200 per person, which also gets them a racket.
Weinberger said pre-registration for the spots over what was originally four days filled up so quickly that they added a fifth; that sold out, too. When they’re done in Boston, they’ll do the same thing at the San Francisco Giants’ Oracle Park.
“We tried to make this so that everybody can come if they want to play,” Weinberger said, adding that there will be a free kids clinic with the pros. “We really want to give the pickleball ecosystem this incredible sort of iconic opportunity and all of the experiences that go along with it.”
The oldest ballpark in the major leagues, Fenway has hosted the Red Sox as its primary tenant since the week the Titanic sank in 1912. But it has long been borrowed by other sports, including the NFL and college football, boxing, soccer and hockey.
Since the team’s current owners took over in 2002, Fenway has expanded its portfolio to include ski jumping and ice skate racing, Top Golf and an obstacle course race, Irish hurling and Shakespeare in the Park, movies and more than 100 concerts in all.
More than 120,000 people passed through the park for offseason events this winter alone – even with the Red Sox missing the postseason – with thousands more taking the tours that make Fenway one of the top tourist attractions in New England.
“We’re always looking to stretch our creative minds and find new things we can do for Fenway,” said Mark Lev, the president of Fenway Sports Management. “Baseball is at the core of everything we do. But to the extent we can use it for other events, it’s a great thing.”
Pickleball is played in singles or doubles, on a court that looks like a shrunken tennis court. Play with the hard paddles and brightly colored, perforated plastic balls is fast but involves less running than tennis.
The sport was originally invented in 1965 by some Washington state vacationers, including a former U.S Congressman who — depending on which origin story you believe — either couldn’t find badminton shuttlecock or was just looking to keep their bored kids entertained. It took off during the pandemic, when it provided cooped-up quarantiners a chance to get outside with minimal equipment, with some big names playing in televised exhibitions to give the sport a spotlight.
Although the courts are often laid out over repurposed tennis courts, which can lead to conflict with tennis players or with neighbors bothered by the loud popping of the plastic ball, the Fenway courts will rest on plywood and a layer of plastic designed to protect the ballpark grass.
Lev said the organization’s priority remains the baseball team, which returns from the All-Star break and a six-game road trip on July 21.
“Our most valuable player is Dave Mellor, our groundskeeper,” Lev said. “We wouldn’t be doing this unless Dave felt confident that the ballpark could be restored to game-ready condition.”
LAS VEGAS (AP) — There’s Kobe, wearing the uniform of a team from Los Angeles. There’s Kobe, the last one on the court at practice and getting yelled at because the buses are waiting for him.
How fitting. Just like old times.
There will never be another Kobe Bryant, of course. And make no mistake — Kobe Brown and Kobe Bufkin would be the first two players at NBA Summer League to insist that there will never be another Bryant. They would never pretend otherwise. But for the first time since the Hall of Famer retired in 2016, the NBA is about to have fans watching guys named Kobe again.
Brown is in Summer League with the Los Angeles Clippers. Bufkin is entering his rookie year with the Atlanta Hawks. Both were named for Bryant, who — for now — is the only player named Kobe to make it to the NBA. In a couple of months, that seems likely to change.
“It means a lot,” Brown said. “There’s definitely a target on my back, I feel like. A lot of guys, when they hear the name Kobe, they think of Kobe Bryant. Obviously, I’m not him, by any means. But I try to keep that edge and play as hard as I can, just like he did.”
It’s impossible to know exactly how many people are named Kobe. It remains relatively unusual.
According to the Social Security Administration, there was a six-year stretch — 1998 through 2003, coinciding with Bryant’s early years in the NBA and first three championship seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers — when the trend of giving babies that name peaked; the most was in 2001, when 1,552 baby boys had Social Security card applications filed for them with that name.
The name still had a small following, maybe a few hundred babies each year, until 2020, the year that Bryant, daughter Gianna and seven others died in a helicopter crash on a foggy Sunday in Southern California. Another 1,500 boys were given that name that year, surely many in tributes to Bryant’s life and career; the most popular name that year for newborn boys, according to the government data, was Liam, which was used about 20,000 times. (There were also variations, such as Kobee and Kobey, and a few dozen American newborn girls were given the name as well in 2020.)
“It’s never affected me too much when it comes to playing ball,” said Bufkin, who was born in 2003. “I try not to think about it as much when I’m actually on the court. But obviously carrying the name comes with a certain work ethic that you’ve got to try to match. And it’s hard as hell to match it. If I get halfway there, I’ll be all right.”
Case in point: The Hawks had a Summer League practice this week that was scheduled to go for 45 minutes, with a bit of shooting afterward. Most players were off the court after about an hour and 15 minutes. Almost all of them had their sneakers off and were ready to head to the bus a few minutes after that, but Bufkin was still on the court, working on drives from half-court against a defender.
“Just trying to follow the blueprint,” Bufkin said.
The popularity of the Los Angeles Lakers great remains overwhelming 3 1/2 years after his death.
Bryant jerseys are still extremely common among Lakers fans. Nike plans to re-relaunch the Kobe brand this summer, and Bryant is the cover athlete for two editions of NBA 2K24 — “NBA 2K24: Kobe Bryant Edition” and “NBA 2K24: Black Mamba Edition,” with the tie-in there being the 24 that was one of Bryant’s two NBA jersey numbers. And there is another tribute of sorts coming at the Basketball World Cup; Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards is set to wear No. 10 for USA Basketball this summer, the number Bryant donned when he played for the national team.
“It just shows how much he inspired generations,” Bufkin said. “I was kind of part of the first generation to come behind him, and it’s crazy that our parents were willing enough to name us after him.”
Brown has never been inside Crypto.com Arena, the building that the Clippers call home, as do the Lakers. It’s the arena — then called Staples Center — where Bryant played half his games in his 20 seasons with the Lakers, scored his career-best 81 points against Toronto in 2006 and called home for five championship runs and 18 All-Star campaigns.
“It’s definitely a blessing,” Brown said. “I’m excited to go inside the building, see it, actually play where he played all those years and did so much for the city of Los Angeles.”
Given that they’re both first-rounders, Bufkin and Brown seem like locks to be in the NBA when the new season opens this fall. Bufkin was drafted No. 15 overall out of Michigan by the Hawks — and also has a brother named for an NBA player in Isaiah Thomas. Brown was selected No. 30 overall out of Missouri by the Clippers.
They’re not Kobe Bryant. But they do represent a new way for the Kobe Bryant legacy to live on.
“It’s an honor, just that so many people have been impacted, like all of us, by Kobe, that people are honoring their children and choosing that name,” said Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka, who was Bryant’s agent. “And we’ll probably see more and more of that, because it’s such a special thing.”
LOS ANGELES (AP) — LeBron James will play another season for the Los Angeles Lakers.
The 38-year-old superstar announced his intentions on stage at The ESPYS on Wednesday night after accepting the record-breaking performance award for becoming the NBA’s career scoring leader.
At the end of last season, in which he surpassed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s mark, James had said he wasn’t sure if he would be back.
Grant Hill started working on the USA Basketball roster for this summer’s World Cup many months ago, long before the first invitations were extended.
The Los Angeles Lakers kept two of their best guards. And the Milwaukee Bucks kept their big man as the early trend in NBA free agency of most players staying put continued.
In terms of opponent seeding, Denver’s run to this NBA championship was unlike any other since the league went to the 16-team playoff format 40 seasons ago.
Kevin Love missed Miami’s team flight to Denver for Game 5 of the NBA Finals. He had the best possible excuse. Love and his wife, Kate Bock, became parents on Saturday.
“In that moment I’m asking myself if I can still play without cheating the game. Can I give everything to the game still? The truth is I’ve been asking myself this question at the end of the season for a couple years now. I just never openly talked about it,” James said.
“I don’t care how many more points I score or what I can and cannot do on the floor. The real question for me is can I play without cheating this game? The day I can’t give the game everything on the floor is the day I’ll be done. Lucky for you guys that day is not today.”
The crowd at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood let out a huge cheer.
“So yeah, I still got something left,” James said. “A lot left.”
He was presented his trophy by wife Savannah, sons Bronny and Bryce and daughter Zhuri. In her introductory remarks, Savannah said, “I think LeBron James is the baddest …”
She began to say an expletive but cut herself off as Zhuri exclaimed, “Mom!”
James later returned and was joined by Chris Paul and Dwyane Wade to honor Carmelo Anthony, who recently retired after a 19-year career.
Earlier, Chicago White Sox reliever Liam Hendriks told the audience that he pitched much of the 2022 season with non-Hodgkin lymphoma before being diagnosed with an advanced stage of the disease.
He accepted the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance. The 34-year-old Australian was declared cancer-free in late April and returned to the mound a month later.
“That was an eye-opener. I didn’t feel too many symptoms but I had some lumps around. It just shows you the power of the mind. When you don’t think anything’s wrong and you believe that you can do anything, you can do anything,” Hendriks said.
“I was throwing 100 miles per hour while going through Stage 4 lymphoma and then coming back after doing eight rounds of chemotherapy and four rounds of immunotherapy and was able to get out there and throw 96 miles per hour. That isn’t physically who I am. That’s all this, that’s all mental.”
The U.S. women’s soccer team was honored with the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage for its fight to receive equal pay. The players sued U.S. Soccer in 2019 and last year reached agreement on a deal that splits men’s and women’s pay equally.
Briana Scurry, goalkeeper for the national team from 1994-2008, saluted the 1985 team.
“They are the foundation of this entire community of giants,” she said.
The Buffalo Bills training staff received the Pat Tillman Award for Service, honored for saving the life of safety Damar Hamlin, who went into cardiac arrest at a game in Cincinnati in January.
The staff was greeted by a standing ovation. They huddled around Hamlin on stage, hugging him and patting his back. With his back to the audience, Hamlin bent his head and appeared to break down. He has since recovered and plans to play this fall.
“Damar, first and foremost, thank you for staying alive, brother,” said Nate Breske, head trainer for the Bills.
“We’re not used to having the spotlight on us. We were just doing our job, but the idea of service is definitely something that is engrained in our profession and that we take great pride in,” he told the audience.
Breske urged support for funding for automated external defibrillators and CPR training, especially in underserved communities, as well as for athletic trainers in youth sports.
“Learn CPR and how to use an AED because they save lives,” he said.
Patrick Mahomes was honored as best men’s sports athlete, while skier Mikaela Shiffrin received the women’s sports honor.
The Kansas City Chiefs quarterback has won two Super Bowls in his five seasons and was named MVP of the game each time, including this past February. He turns 28 in September.
“It was an incredible season. There was many ups, many downs,” Mahomes said. “I appreciate my teammates, my coaches, the guys that are here. I go back to camp next Tuesday, so this is a great award. But we’re going to do this thing again, we’re going to keep this thing rolling.”
Shiffrin won her 87th World Cup race in March, breaking the mark set by Ingemar Stenmark for the most such wins by any skier. She went on to win an 88th Cup race, as well as the overall season title.
“This season was absolutely incredible and there was a lot of talk about records and it got me thinking, why is a record actually important?” Shiffrin said. “I just feel like it’s not important to break records or re-set records. It’s important to set the tone for the next generation, to inspire them.”
Sports talk host Pat McAfee handled the opening monologue in his first major public appearance since joining ESPN in May.
The show didn’t have its usual celebrity host as a result of the Hollywood writers strike. McAfee offered a series of hints that comedian Kevin Hart had been set for the gig but that Hart instead chose to support the Writers Guild of America.
An ESPN spokeswoman said a production team worked with presenters on their introductory remarks. The usual pre-taped comedy sketches were absent.
WIMBLEDON, England (AP) — Novak Djokovic looked as if he were a bit surprised by the question.
And maybe he should have been.
The query, essentially, was this: Are you the favorite to win the championship at Wimbledon? Now, sure, there is some work to be done to collect that trophy.
Lyudmyla Kichenok hopes her Wimbledon mixed doubles title gives a boost to her fellow Ukrainians. Kichenok and Mate Pavic of Croatia beat Xu Yifan and Joran Vliegen 6-4, 6-7 (9), 6-3 in the final.
The boisterous backing from the normally genteel crowd at Wimbledon was booming. Even raucous at times.
Ons Jabeur has defeated Aryna Sabalenka 6-7 (5), 6-4, 6-3 to reach the Wimbledon final for the second consecutive year.
Former Wimbledon champion Conchita Martínez has been named tournament director for the Billie Jean King Cup finals.
First Djokovic, 36, needs to beat No. 8 seed Jannik Sinner, 21, on Friday in what represents the largest age gap between two men’s semifinalists at the All England Club in the professional era, which began in 1968.
This, then, was Djokovic’s reply: “I mean, I don’t want to sound arrogant, but of course I would consider myself the favorite.”
What Djokovic might have been forgiven for saying, but was too polite to, was: “Come on, my friend. Is that really what you want to ask? Of course I expect to win the title. And you should expect me to win the title. And everybody should expect me to win the title.”
Start by looking at his accomplishments relative to the other three men still around at the grass-court Grand Slam tournament:
—Djokovic has won seven Wimbledon titles. The other three guys have won a total of zero.
—Djokovic has reached his 12th Wimbledon semifinal. The other three guys have never played in one.
—Djokovic has won a men’s-record 23 Grand Slam titles, including both so far this year. The other three guys have won a total of two: Medvedev at the 2021 U.S. Open, Alcaraz at the 2022 U.S. Open.
—Djokovic will be participating in his 46th major semifinal on Friday, equaling Roger Federer’s record for men. The other three guys have raised their combined total to 10: Medvedev is into his sixth, Alcaraz his third, Sinner his first.
And then there’s also this: Djokovic is a combined 12-5 against the other three guys head-to-head. He leads Sinner 2-0, including a win in last year’s Wimbledon quarterfinals. Sinner took the first two sets in that one but blew the huge lead and lost in five.
After eliminating No. 7 Andrey Rublev in the quarterfinals Tuesday, Djokovic was asked during his on-court interview what it feels like to constantly be the player every else is focused on trying to beat.
“I know they want … to win,” he said. “But it ain’t happening. Still.”
One thing working in Djokovic’s favor these days, unlike during most of his time on tour, is he no longer needs to deal with Federer, who announced his retirement last year, and currently does not need to worry about Rafael Nadal, who has been sidelined since January with a bad hip and indicated that, if he is able to return to competition, 2024 will be his final season.
Next to try to solve Djokovic, who has won 26 consecutive Grand Slam matches overall and 33 in a row at Wimbledon, will be Sinner, considered one of the leading members of the sport’s next generation.
Djokovic’s scouting report on Sinner: “He’s so young, so of course it’s expected that he’s going to improve. He is improving, no doubt, I think, with the serve. He’s been serving better. On grass, obviously, (that) makes a difference. He’s a very complete player.”
Sinner’s description of facing Djokovic: “It is also a little bit mental, no? If you play against Novak, it’s always tough to play … especially (at) Grand Slams.”
At 20, Alcaraz is even younger than Sinner, against whom he is already developing a rivalry thanks to some stirring matches between them. And Alcaraz has accomplished more so far. But he wants to do much more in the sport.
He and Medvedev, 27, offer contrasting styles that could produce a scintillating matchup. Still, all eyes on Friday — and, most assume, Sunday, too — will be on Djokovic.
GULLANE, Scotland (AP) — Rory McIlroy laughed off a Saudi-backed idea that he and Tiger Woods own LIV Golf teams, saying Thursday he would retire if playing for LIV was the only option.
The concept came from an April document titled, “The Best of Both Worlds,” provided to Congress ahead of a Senate subcommittee hearing Tuesday on the PGA Tour’s agreement to partner with the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia.
“LIV is proposing that Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods would own teams and play in at least 10 LIV events. This and the participation of other leading players is subject to further discussions,” one item in the proposal said.
Golf’s major championship season comes to a close at the British Open. It’s the last chance of the year for Rory McIlroy to end his nine-year drought in the majors.
Rory McIlroy is going on nine years without winning a major and the questions won’t stop. For most players, the question is when they’ll finally win their first major.
Wyndham Clark is the U.S. Open champion and certainly played the part. All he did was hold his nerve against a world-class collection of contenders.
Rory McIlroy got the sort of break most players need to win a U.S. Open. If only he could’ve made a putt or two to go with it.
That was brought to McIlroy’s attention after his opening round of the Scottish Open, and he looked bemused.
“If LIV Golf was the last place to play golf on earth, I would retire. That’s how I feel about it,” McIlroy said. “I’d play the majors. I’d be pretty comfortable.”
That was part of several pie-in-the-sky proposals in the eight-page presentation geared toward finding a compromise between the golf circuits. It was produced by Amanda Staveley of British-based PCP Capital Partners. She helped broker the Public Investment Fund acquiring Newcastle United of the English Premier League and is advising the Saudis in golf.
Other proposals included LIV players being able to have PGA Tour playing rights restored, world ranking points from LIV events applied retroactively and for Yasir Al-Rumayyan, the governor of PIF, to have an Augusta National membership.
McIlroy has left little doubt how he feels about the rival league, even before LIV Golf was formed. He was the first top player to declare loyalty to the PGA Tour in early 2020. A month ago, after the surprise announcement about the deal, McIlroy said, “I still hate LIV. Like, I hate LIV. Like, I hope it goes away.”
McIlroy said he watched only a little of the Senate hearing because there wasn’t much information he didn’t already know.
“There was going to be some new information for other people,” he said. “As I said, I’ve almost been too close the last year and a bit. So nice to be able to try to distance myself a bit.”
McIlroy had said he learned of the agreement from Jimmy Dunne, a PGA Tour board member involved in the negotiations, about four hours before the June 6 announcement.
One email in the trove of documents released Tuesday indicated McIlroy had met in November with Al-Rumayyan in Dubai for a conversation described as “cordial and constructive.”
He did not indicate how much he knew about the tour talking with the Saudi group. One complaint from PGA Tour players was being left in the dark, particularly because the tour is a member organization. McIlroy is among five players on the PGA Tour board. None was involved, along with three independent board directors.
Xander Schauffele said on Wednesday that PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan had lost some of his trust, while Jordan Spieth said Monahan had “quite a bit” of trust issues to navigate when he returns to work next week.
McIlroy said trust issues with Monahan were not as serious for him.
“Because I sort of knew what was going on, so I wasn’t quite as in the dark as some of the other guys,” McIlroy said. “But yeah, people felt blindsided by it, and I can obviously understand why Jordan and Xander and a lot of other guys would feel that way.”
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AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
ATLANTA (AP) — A woman seriously injured in the January car crash that killed Georgia offensive lineman Devin Willock and an athletics staffer has sued the school’s athletics association and former Bulldogs defensive tackle Jalen Carter for damages.
Victoria S. Bowles was riding in the backseat of the rented Ford Expedition driven by fellow UGA recruiting analyst Chandler LeCroy, who died in the Jan. 15 crash along with Willock while racing Carter at more than 104 mph following the Bulldogs’ College Football Playoff championship celebration.
Bowles’ lawsuit filed Wednesday in Gwinnett County State Court accuses the UGA Athletics Association of negligent entrustment of LeCroy and states that the association was aware that she had at least two “super speeder” violations among four speeding tickets prior to the crash.
The NCAA has fined Tennessee more than $8 million and issued a scathing report outlining more than 200 infractions during the three-year tenure of former football coach Jeremy Pruitt.
Kansas State is the defending Big 12 champion even though it was TCU that went to the national title game last season.
The only new coaches in the Big 12 are the coaches of the conference’s four new teams. Gus Malzahn is back in a Power Five league with UCF getting ready to play in the Big 12.
The Southeastern Conference and Commissioner Greg Sankey have agreed to a contract extension through 2028. Financial terms were not disclosed in the release on Thursday.
Bowles sustained multiple serious injuries in the crash including lumbar and rib fractures, a spinal cord injury and lacerations to the kidney and liver, the lawsuit stated. She also sustained a closed head injury with neurological damage and severe eye pain.
Former Georgia offensive lineman Warren McClendon was also in the vehicle that crashed. He sustained minor injuries.
The lawsuit, which includes the estate of LeCroy as a defendant, requests at least $171,595 in general damages along with punitive damages. It accuses the athletic association, LeCroy and Carter of varying degrees of negligence.
The athletic association said in a statement that while it has supported Bowles during her recovery, it disputes her lawsuit and will “vigorously” defend itself in court. The statement added that staff members were to use rental vehicles for recruiting purposes only and not authorized for personal use on the night of the crash or any other time.
“Under no circumstances were recruiting staff authorized to use rental cars to drive at excessive speeds while intoxicated,” the statement added.
Rob Buck, one of Bowles’ lawyers, said in a statement that she is “deeply saddened” by the deaths of Willock and LeCroy and expressed appreciation for the support she has received during recovery.
“Tory is disappointed that the Association and its insurers have forced her to resort to litigation to address her life altering injuries,” the statement added.
Carter, who was selected ninth overall by the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFL draft in April, received 12 months’ probation and a $1,000 fine in March after pleading no contest to misdemeanor charges of reckless driving and racing.
Bowles’ lawsuit accuses him and LeCroy of “engaging in a grossly negligent joint enterprise-tandem driving/street racing.”
A representative for Carter wasn’t immediately able to be reached.
The PGA Tour and the Saudi backers of LIV Golf responded to a Justice Department inquiry by dropping a provision in their agreement that would have prohibited the poaching of players, the PGA Tour said Thursday.
The New York Times first reported the development, which stems from the Justice Department’s antitrust review that began last summer and expanded when the PGA Tour and Saudi Arabia’s national wealth fund agreed to become business partners.
The non-solicitation clause was part of the framework agreement announced June 6 and signed by the PGA Tour, European tour and Public Investment Fund.
The U.S. Department of Justice has opened a civil rights investigation into jail conditions in Georgia’s most populous county, with officials citing violence, filthy conditions and the death last year of a man whose body was found covered in insects.
The Justice Department says a new Mississippi law discriminates against residents of the majority-Black capital city of Jackson.
The Republicans who lead three key House committees are joining forces to probe the Justice Department’s handling of charges against Hunter Biden after making sweeping claims about misconduct at the agency.
The Justice Department has disclosed some of the previously blacked-out portions of a warrant application it submitted last year to gain authorization to search former President Donald Trump’s Florida property for classified documents.
The agreement, still being negotiated and requiring PGA Tour board approval, is for the parties to form a for-profit company that would pool commercial businesses and rights. During a Senate hearing on Tuesday, PGA Tour Chief Operating Officer Ron Price said PIF would contribute at least $1 billion.
Key to the agreement was dropping all antitrust litigation, which a federal judge signed off on last month. Below that section was the non-solicitation clause that said PIF, the PGA Tour and European tour would no longer “solicit or recruit any players who are members of the other tours or organizations to become members of their respective organizations.”
The clause was effective May 30, when the agreement was signed.
“Based on discussions with staff at the Department of Justice, we chose to remove specific language from the Framework Agreement,” the PGA Tour said in a statement. “While we believe the language is lawful, we also consider it unnecessary in the spirit of cooperation and because all parties are negotiating in good faith.”
LIV Golf signed deals reported to be $100 million or more last year when the rival league began, marquee names ranging from Brooks Koepka and Dustin Johnson to Phil Mickelson and Bryson DeChambeau. The rival league added more players last August, including British Open champion Cameron Smith, after the PGA Tour season ended.
A new batch of defectors for the second season included Mito Pereira, Thomas Pieters and Brendan Steele.
The Times reported antitrust experts have warned the clause could violate federal law if it threatened the integrity of the labor market and promised to stifle competition for players, who are independent.
The agreement sets a Dec. 31 deadline for finalizing the deal, though both sides can agree to an extension.
LIV Golf has a set 48-man roster for this season — alternates are available for injury — so it was unlikely any player would have left for LIV until the 2024 season.
Still to be determined is the future of LIV.
PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan is to be the CEO of the new company, with assets that include LIV. The agreement said the company would objectively evaluate LIV Golf and its prospects and potential and make a “good faith assessment” of the benefits of team golf.
WIMBLEDON, England (AP) — There was a time — a year ago; six months ago, even — that Ons Jabeur might not have recovered from the deficit she found herself in during the Wimbledon semifinals. Down a set. Down a break in the second set. So close to being just a game from defeat.
She credits a sports psychologist with helping her understand how to deal with those on-court situations, with managing to keep her focus, keep her strokes on-target. Thanks in part to that, and a steadiness down the stretch at Centre Court on Thursday, Jabeur is on her way to a second consecutive final at the All England Club and her third title match in the past five Grand Slam tournaments.
Now she wants to win a trophy. The sixth-seeded Jabeur earned the right to play for one again by beating big-hitting Aryna Sabalenka 6-7 (5), 6-4, 6-3.
Ons Jabeur or Marketa Vondrousova will become a first-time Grand Slam champion when they play each other in the Wimbledon women’s final.
Daniil Medvedev had to skip the Wimbledon tournament last year but not because he wanted to. The 2021 U.S.
There’s no better way to escape the intense heatwave in Tunisia than to head inside and watch Wimbledon on TV when Ons Jabeur is playing.
Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz will meet in the Wimbledon final. Both won their semifinals in straight sets.
“I’m very proud of myself, because maybe old me would have lost the match today and went back home already. But I’m glad that I kept digging very deep and finding the strength,” said Jabeur, a 28-year-old from Tunisia who already was the only Arab woman and only North African woman to reach a major final.
“I’m learning to transform the bad energy into a good one,” Jabeur said, explaining that she was able to get over the anger she felt after the first set. “Some things I have no control over: She can ace any time. She can hit the big serve, even if I have a break point. That’s frustrating a bit. But I’m glad that I’m accepting it and I’m digging deep to just go and win this match — and, hopefully, this tournament.”
To do that, Jabeur will need to get past Marketa Vondrousova, a left-hander from the Czech Republic, on Saturday. Vondrousova became the first unseeded women’s finalist at Wimbledon since Billie Jean King in 1963 by eliminating Elina Svitolina 6-3, 6-3.
Like Jabeur, Vondrousova has been to a major final before. Like Jabeur, she’s never won one, having been the runner-up at the 2019 French Open as a teen.
“We’re both hungry,” Jabeur said.
So far, Jabeur is 0-2 in Slam finals. She lost to Elena Rybakina at the All England Club last July and to Iga Swiatek at the U.S. Open last September.
Jabeur’s win over No. 2 Sabalenka, the Australian Open champion in January, followed victories against three other major title winners: No. 3 Rybakina, No. 9 Petra Kvitova and Bianca Andreescu.
“I want to make my path worth it,” Jabeur said.
Thursday’s triumph, which came by collecting 10 of the last 13 games, prevented Sabalenka from replacing Swiatek at No. 1 in the rankings.
“I had so many opportunities,” said Sabalenka, a 25-year-old from Belarus who was not allowed to compete at Wimbledon last year because all players from her country and from Russia were banned over the war in Ukraine. “Overall, I didn’t play my best tennis today. It was just, like, a combo of everything. A little bit of nerves, a little bit of luck for her at some points.”
Jabeur trailed 4-2 in the second set when she began to turn things around. But not before Sabalenka came within a point from leading 5-3 after Jabeur put a forehand into the net and fell onto her back on the grass of Centre Court.
She dusted herself off and broke to take that game and begin the comeback. When she delivered a backhand return winner to force the match to a third set, Jabeur held her right index finger to her ear, then raised it and wagged it as she strutted to the changeover.
Sabalenka’s shots missed the mark repeatedly. She finished with far more unforced errors than Jabeur: The margins were 14-5 in the last set and 45-15 for the match.
“I was little bit emotionally down, then she was up,” said Sabalenka, who hit 10 aces but also double-faulted five times.
A break put Jabeur up 4-2 in the third, but there was still some work to be done. Sabalenka, as powerful a ball-striker as there is on tour, erased four match points before Jabeur converted her fifth with a 103 mph ace.
In the first semifinal, the 43rd-ranked Vondrousova reeled off seven consecutive games in one stretch against the 76th-ranked Svitolina, who returned from maternity leave just three months ago. After surprisingly beating Swiatek in the quarterfinals, she was trying to become the first woman from Ukraine to make it to the title match at a major tennis tournament.
Svitolina received loud support from thousands in the crowd at the main stadium — Ukraine’s ambassador to Britain was in the Royal Box — as applause and yells echoed off the closed roof.
Svitolina says she plays more calmly nowadays, something she attributed to the dual motivations of playing for her baby daughter, who was born in October, and of playing for her home country, where the ongoing war began in February 2022, when Russia invaded with help from Belarus.
“It’s a lot of responsibility, a lot of tension. I try to balance it as much as I can. Sometimes it gets maybe too much,” Svitolina said. “But I don’t want to (make it) an excuse.”
Vondrousova missed about six months last season because of two operations on her left wrist. She visited England last year with a cast on that arm to enjoy London as a tourist and to watch her best friend and doubles partner, Miriam Kolodziejova, try to qualify for Wimbledon.
“It’s not always easy to come back. You don’t know if you can play at this level and if you can be back at the top and back at these tournaments,” Vondrousova said. “I just feel like I’m just grateful to be on a court again, to play without pain.”
MIAMI (AP) — A hamburger and drink combination called the Lionel Messi. A huge sketch of the soccer star’s smiling face on a restaurant wall beside a viral meme from the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. A beer with a pink label matching the color of the Inter Miami jersey he will wear.
Wherever you turn in Miami these days something reminds you of the arrival of the Argentine soccer legend.
There is no hiding the euphoria generated by Messi in Miami as he begins the new Major League Soccer phase of his career in one of the most Latino cities in the United States. But his arrival is also bringing a note of sadness as fans know that at age 36 he is nearing the end of his career.
Nigeria and South Africa have been drawn in the same World Cup qualifying group in a re-shaped African competition that will lead to at least nine teams at the 2026 showpiece in the U.S., Canada and Mexico.
Manchester City has topped the list of FIFA payments to clubs whose players were selected for the 32 national teams in Qatar.
The Women’s World Cup will be played with new programs in place to help protect players and other participants.
At the behest of players from across the globe, FIFA has agreed that a chunk of the prize money pool at the Women’s World Cup go straight to the players — all 732 of them.
Messi announced on June 7 that he will play for Inter Miami in a move that is expected to energize soccer in the United States and South Florida with one of the sporting world’s best-known figures. More than 100,000 Argentines live in Miami, which will host World Cup matches in 2026.
The seven-time winner of the Ballon d’Or, the soccer world’s most prestigious individual award, is coming off two years with Paris Saint-Germain and is expected to make his Inter Miami debut against Mexican team Cruz Azul on July 21.
Staff at the Fiorito restaurant pose in front of a mural of Lionel Messi to celebrate after the Argentine soccer star announced he is joining the Major League Soccer team Inter Miami, Wednesday, June 7, 2023, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
In a career spanning more than 17 years with his country’s national team, Messi has scored more than 100 goals, including two against France at the 2022 World Cup final, a match Argentina won on penalties.
“I love that he’s in Miami because my children will be able to experience him like I experienced (fellow Argentina soccer star Diego) Maradona,” said Maximiliano Alvarez, one of the owners of the Fiorito restaurant, where a wall has a giant mural of Messi. “It also makes me sad, nostalgic, because it looks like it is the beginning of his retirement.”
“Coming to this league is not the same as playing in the European league,” said the Argentine businessman.
Álvarez and his brother Cristian had the original mural with Messi’s face painted in the restaurant in 2018, when many people criticized the soccer star for his role in the Argentine national team’s poor performance. His idea was to honor him and the resilience he brings, never giving up.
In 2021, they renovated the restaurant in Little Haiti in northeast Miami with another mural of Messi on the same wall, this one by Chilean-American artist Claudio Picasso.
On the walls of another restaurant called Kao Bar & Grill, in the Hallandale Beach area north of Miami Beach, Messi’s meme ”¡Andá pa’ alla bobo!” “Go over there, fool!” is immortalized along with a giant drawing of the soccer star.
Art depicting Argentine soccer player Lionel Messi adorns the wall at Kao Bar & Grill in Hallandale Beach, Fla., Monday, July 10, 2023. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Angry after Argentina’s heated victory over the Netherlands in the quarterfinals of the 2022 World Cup, Messi said those words to a Dutch player who was passing by while he was being interviewed.
Messi, who is known for his calm and cautious way of speaking, repented the comment, which immediately went viral.
“He regretted it, obviously … but it was left as a joke,” said Augusto Falopapas, the artist who drew the meme on the restaurant’s wall.
To the south, in Wynwood district, an area near downtown Miami known for its warehouse-turned-art galleries, other artists have painted murals of Messi. There are two giant images of the player, one with a smiling face, the other with him running as if in a game. And there are plans for more, including a 10-meter-high (32-foot-high) mural of Messi kissing the World Cup in an open parking lot.
Messi’s arrival has also impacted breweries like Prison Pals Brewing Co., which sells a beer bearing Messi’s number 10. The can is painted pink with black lettering, a replica of Inter Miami’s colors.
A bartender pours a beer brewed by the Prison Pals Brewery, labeled GOAT 10 in honor of Argentine soccer star Lionel Messi, at the Prison Pals Taproom, Tuesday, July 11, 2023, in Doral, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
The Argentine grill The Knife offers a Messi mojito and the Hard Rock Cafe is launching a new “Messi Chicken Sandwich” made from the soccer star’s favorite “milanesas.” Messi t-shirts, pants, sweatshirts with a hood and water bottles will also be for sale.
“When we found out that he decided to choose Miami as his South Florida home, it was incredible for us,” said Elena Alvarez, vice president of global sales for Hard Rock International. “We are very, very grateful and we have him as a brand ambassador and we are launching (the new sandwich) at the same time that he is moving here.”
Near Miami Beach, at the Café Ragazzi of Argentine-Venezuelan singer-songwriter Ricardo Montaner, they are welcoming his return.
Messi was there on vacation after he won the America’s Cup with Argentina in 2021. The star caused an uproar in the restaurant as fans came to greet him, forcing staff, including waiters and kitchen workers, to form a wall around him to protect him and allow him to exit to his car.
Now they want to offer the soccer legend more privacy and are thinking of putting up curtains.
Emiliano Valdés, the café’s general manager, said “He is revolutionizing the entire city,” and that Miami is welcoming Messi “with open arms.”
SAO PAULO (AP) — Going into her sixth World Cup, Brazil star Marta said Monday that this will be her last.
The 37-year-old Marta is widely considered one of the best players in the history of women’s soccer but has yet to lift the World Cup trophy in five previous attempts.
“Yes, it will be my last World Cup,” Marta told journalists in Brasilia on Monday, shortly before the squad boarded a plane to the tournament in Australia and New Zealand. “We have to understand that a time comes for us to prioritize other things.”
The brightest talents in women’s soccer will be on show at the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
Alexia Putellas heads to the Women’s World Cup after winning back-to-back Ballon d’Or awards and helping Barcelona win two of the last three Champions League titles.
Sixteen-year-old Iman Beney has been picked in Switzerland’s squad for the Women’s World Cup only three days after making her debut with the national team.
Kyah Simon hasn’t played since October when she tore knee ligaments. Alanna Kennedy has struggled with injuries since her last international appearance in September.
Brazil coach Pia Sundhage said in an interview with The Associated Press last month that Marta, who has been the world player of the year six times, may not be in the starting lineup for Brazil right away while she continues to recover from a left knee injury.
Marta played for a few minutes on Sunday, when Brazil beat Chile 4-0 in its last friendly before the trip.
“I can only be thankful to have lived all those years in the national team,” added Marta, who is Brazil’s all-time leading scorer with 117 goals. “Having the chance of going to another World Cup, my sixth, is surreal to me.”
Marta had surgery to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament last year, leading to an 11-month absence from the national team. Sundhage, who led the United States to two Olympic gold medals, called up Marta for friendlies against England and Germany in April but the forward remained in Florida to recover from a muscle injury in her left leg.
Brazil, one of three South American teams in the tournament, is in Group F along with France — the team that eliminated the Brazilians four years ago in the round of 16 — Jamaica and Panama.
Brazil’s first game is against Panama on July 24 in Adelaide.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Joey Votto hit a two-run home run to end an 0-for-21 slump, Ian Gibaut pitched out of a jam in the sixth inning and the Cincinnati Reds beat the Washington Nationals 3-2 Monday night in the opener of a four-game series.
Votto homered in the fourth off Jake Irvin, depositing the ball just inside the visiting bullpen in left-center field and driving in Elly De La Cruz. It’s his fourth home run in 12 games this season since returning in June.
“He’s just great,” starter Luke Weaver said. “When he’s in the box, you just feel like something could happen at any moment, and it did tonight.”
Pinch-hitter Tyler Stephenson broke an eighth-inning tie with a two-run homer that sent the Cincinnati Reds to their latest dramatic victory, 4-3 over the San Diego Padres.
Juan Soto hit a tiebreaking, three-run homer in the sixth inning, Manny Machado followed three pitches later with the first of his two home runs and the San Diego Padres stopped a six-game losing streak with a 12-5 win over the Cincinnati Reds.
Spencer Steer hit a game-winning two-run home run in the 11th inning and the Cincinnati Reds overcame Alexis Díaz’s first blown save of the season in a wild 7-5 win over the stumbling San Diego Padres.
The AL Central-leading Cleveland Guardians have been below .500 since late April. The Cincinnati Reds top the NL Central standings while on an 86-win pace.
The 2010 NL MVP missed the previous 10 months recovering from surgery to repair his left biceps and rotator cuff. The 39-year-old entered the game hitting .143.
“I have felt good,” Votto said. “It’s been frustrating. Any time you go through a cold spell, especially early, it can be a bit irritating because you want to be chill at the plate and you want to feel good about yourself.”
Weaver (2-2) picked up the win by allowing two earned runs on six hits in five-plus innings. He was spared a 10th consecutive no-decision — or worse — when Gibaut got through the sixth, allowing just one hit, striking out Corey Dickerson and inducing a flyout from Derek Hill.
“A win’s a win,” Weaver said. “Just happy to help contribute on the day I’m pitching. It seems that we don’t lose when I’m pitching, regardless of my results, but it’s a great place to be.”
Catcher Tyler Stephenson drove in the Reds’ other run with an RBI single in the second. Fresh off being named an All-Star for the first time, closer Alexis Díaz picked up his 24th save.
Cincinnati is getting hot again. The Reds have won five of six since a three-game losing streak to keep pace with Milwaukee atop the NL Central, and Votto was happy to contribute.
“When the momentum of the team is moving in a certain direction, you want to continue to be the wind behind the sails,” he said. “You want to continue to push the team in that direction.”
Last-place Washington fell to 13-28 at home, this one in front of 36,290, the biggest crowd at Nationals Park this season. Manager Dave Martinez pointed to his team going 1 for 9 with runners in scoring position as the difference.
“That hurt us, from the first inning on,” he said.
Jeimer Candelario hit his 12th home run of the season, a solo shot in the fourth inning. Irvin (1-4) struck out three and allowed six hits.
“A couple pitches that I’d want back, but just another time out trying to earn the trust and respect of my teammates,” Irvin said. “I think it went pretty well.”
TRAINER’S ROOM
The Nationals put right-handed reliever Thaddeus Ward on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to Sunday, with right shoulder inflammation. Martinez said Ward may have been taxed by his 30 1/3 innings of work in 22 appearances.
UP NEXT
RHP Brett Kennedy could start his first major league game since 2018 for the Reds, facing the Nationals and LHP Patrick Corbin (5-9, 4.82).
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