Sports

Shortly after presenting his debut collection for BALLY, Rhuigi Villaseñor has announced that he is partnering with the NHL‘s Arizona Coyotes as the team’s new Creative Strategist. The move follows similar appointments in the NBA as of late with Don C and Daniel Arsham assuming creative roles at the Chicago Bulls and Cleveland Cavaliers respectively. Football teams such as PSG have been ahead of the curve in connecting the dots between other communities evident through their partnership with Jordan Brand and recent collaborations with VERDY and Stüssy while the MLB is a cultural treasure trove that’s recently tapped the likes of Off-White™ and BTS. While the partnership is certainly unexpected, considering Villaseñor hails from Los Angeles, Coyotes Chief Brand Officer, Alex Meruelo ...

Over the weekend, it was revealed that the Denver Nuggets mascot, Rocky the Mountain Lion, is the NBA‘s highest-paid mascot, taking home $625,000 USD a year, almost ten times that of the average $60,000 USD salary for a league mascot. Mascots are tasked with keeping the crowd entertained during the game, often making their way through the crowd and taking the stage during the halftime show with high-flying stunts. Rocky first debuted in 1990 when the Nuggets were at an all-time low and were struggling to sell tickets at home games. Ken Soloman is the only known person to portray the character. Other top five highest-paid mascots include Harry the Hawk at $600,000 USD and Benny The Bull at $400,000 USD. The top performer recognized for the 2021-2022 season is Los Angeles Clippers‘ Chuck the...

The legendary Japanese wrestler and politician Antonio Inoki has died at the age of 79. Inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2010, Inoki was known early on for his work in promoting the Japan Pro-Wrestling Alliance where he studied under the late Rikidōzan. Known for his flamboyant style which included his signature red scarf, Inoki was at the forefront of what we know today as mixed martial arts and super fight promotions with his match against Muhammad Ali in 1976. Pitting his grappling against the world champion boxer, the world tuned in to see how a striker would fare against a diverging discipline. Later in his career, Inoki moved into politics where he worked on bettering relations with North Korea, and he even secured the release of Japanese hostages in Iraq. In 2020, the celebrate...

Building on their 2019 collaboration, In4mation is celebrating its 20th anniversary by teaming up with Albino & Preto once again. The collaboration sees the duo celebrate their shared Honolulu upbringing marked by iconic backdrops and local spots like Mililani High School, “The Ditch,” and other stomping grounds. The 808 area code focus highlights the laid-back culture communicating the narrative of skateboarding, “grabbing chow” and of course training jiu-jitsu. The second In4mation x Albino & Preto collection is comprised of full training kits in nogi and gi variations, along with casual wares and a collapsible bin for storage. Marked by In4mation’s “hi” logo, the gis come in two color renditions with co-branded patches on the 450gsm pearl weave cotton top and novo pants. The nog...

LeBron James is committing to his love for pickleball with the acquisition of an official Major League Pickleball (MLP) team. Signing on with his business partner Maverick Carter and their company LRMR Ventures, the two look to capitalize on America’s fastest-growing sport which currently has 4.8 million enthusiasts nationwide. MLP is will be expanding the number of teams from 12 to 16 for to 2023 season as well as increasing its six-tournament prize pool to two million USD. On top of LRMR Ventures, SC Holdings, Gary Vee, Drew Brees, James Blake, Draymond Green, and Kevin Love are all putting money into the sport. There’s no news yet on which team they’ve staked, but for those looking to follow the developments of the sport, the 2022 season will wrap up in Columbus, Ohio from October 14 to...

Do you remember the first time you had Gatorade? I do. How could I forget? It was at football practice during a hot summer day. My team was toiling away, and our coach busted out a massive orange jug filled with yellow liquid that wasn’t quite water … and certainly not urine. Little did we know that we would never have the same appreciation for hose water again, as that magical yellow-orange liquid, gave us a jolt of energy to power through that sweltering afternoon. If you’re outside of the United States, Gatorade may just be a funny American sports drink. But within, the drink just goes hand-in-hand with sports, like peanut butter and jelly. Is that the reason for our success in every Olympic Games? Probably not, but it most definitely has helped many American athletes along the way. On ...

The news of Rihanna performing at the 2023 Super Bowl Halftime Show shook the world earlier this week. The show will mark the artist’s first live performance in five years. The announcement drummed up much excitement and anticipation from fans as they have long been waiting for Rihanna to drop her new album. Rihanna’s last album Anti came out in 2016 and was her eighth studio album. Last Sunday, Rihanna posted to Instagram a photo of her tattooed arm holding an official NFL American football. According to a new study from AceOdds and data collected from Google Trends, demand for the Super Bowl tickets have skyrocketed by 9900% just overnight following Rihanna’s announcement. Next year’s Super Bowl tickets have been on sale since February and the correlation of the high demand is most likel...

The NFL has officially announced that it will be transforming and renaming the Pro Bowl to “The Pro Bowl Games.” The 2023 games will be held in Las Vegas and are expected to be a week-long event celebrating the players’ skills. AFC and NFC players will showcase their non-football and football skills in a series of challenges, as well as join in on a game of flag football. 14-time Pro Bowl pick, Peyton Manning and his Omaha Productions company will be shapping the program and promoting the event throughout the week. He will also be part of the coaching staff for the flag football game. In a statement, NFL’s executive vice president, Peter O’Reilly said, “We’ve received invaluable feedback from players, teams and fans about reimagining the Pro Bowl, and as a result, we’re thrilled to use The...

During the NBA offseason, Kevin Durant was at the top of the conversation when it came to his trade request from the Brooklyn Nets. After much anticipation and back and forth between himself and management, KD decided to stay with the Nets after all. At the most recent NBA media day, the press asked KD to explain his decision to stay with the Nets. Durant was able to settle the rumors once and for all and finally addressed the real reason why he initially made the trade request and how his current decision came about. He admitted that he did not feel he would achieve success in a team riddled with injuries, which later led to major uncertainty within the organization. KD acknowledges that he knows there is a clock on his time with the NBA and he hopes to be with a championship-caliber team...

Tennis GOAT Roger Federer said a heart wrenching goodbye to the sport earlier this week when he played his final match at the Laver Cup. Federer ended his career playing alongside his friend a longtime rival, Rafael Nadal. This season, Federer made the return back to the courts after a year and a half of injuries that have sidelined the legendary player. Though that is the case, Federer’s star power still drew in major crowds as they watched the duo lose 4-6, 7-6, 11-9 in a double match against Frances Tiafoe and Jack Sock. Despite the loss, the match was bigger than just the game itself, as it signified the official retirement of the forever tennis icon. Just last week, Federer made the announcement on his social media that he would retire following the Laver Cup. The Swiss legend left th...