Morning! This is Kristen Wong from Sports Illustrated. My city, a.k.a. the greatest city in the world, is hosting the World Cup final between Spain and Argentina on Sunday. Barca fans can’t lose, and no matter what happens I’ll be happy. I’m choosing to focus on that instead of the shitshow dumpster fire raging in NYC: Legionnaires’ disease caused by cooling towers, a parasitic diarrhea outbreak linked to Taco Bell, Canadian wildfire smoke destroying our lungs, sold-out Odyssey IMAX tickets at Lincoln Square (O.K. less important, but still). Forget about a hot girl summer. It’s a hot mess of a summer. And we wouldn’t have it any other way.
Forward this to your friend who briefly thought about buying a one-way ticket to Spain for the vibes (my hand is up).
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IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
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SIT DOWN/STAND UP: Sit down, Joe Flacco. Flacco’s son Frank revealed in Season 3 of the Netflix series Quarterback that he benched his dad in fantasy football last season. “If Dad goes off, I’m gonna crash out,” Frank told his mom before the Browns’ Week 2 game against the Ravens. … Stand up, Caitlin Clark. The Fever superstar went off on a WNBA ref over a no-call during her team’s loss to the Valkyries and nearly got herself another tech. Clark told reporters postgame that she got kneed in the quad on the play in question, and that the officiating has to be better. … Sit down, Travis Kelce. You’re not the best tight end in the NFL anymore. Here’s where Taylor Swift’s husband ranks heading into the 2026-27 season. … Stand up, Lionel Messi. The GOAT led Argentina to yet another furious comeback win in a 2-1 thriller over England in the World Cup semifinal, and Sports Illustrated snapped plenty of photos during the instantly iconic match. Messi also became a viral meme for nodding at England’s Jude Bellingham. … Sit down, Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro. You’re not in any trouble for fighting. Just figure it out amongst yourselves.
GOLF GALORE: This controversial new hole at Royal Birkdale could become the British Open’s biggest story. … Will golfers be penalized for throwing clubs at the British Open? Here’s what to know about the new conduct policy. … Charlie Woods and Miles Russell are looking to win the Tiger Woods Trophy at the U.S. Junior Amateur. … Here are SI’s golf expert’s predictions and picks to win the British Open. … Bryson DeChambeau made one golf legend look really silly in the first round of the British Open on Thursday. … Meet Dan Brown, a surprise contender who just wants to rip cigarettes on the course (he says he averages seven or eight cigs per round—holy smokes!) … Here’s the full list of tee times for Friday’s second round, plus how to make the cut. … And last but not least, these are the winners and losers from the first round of the British Open, with a petty DeChambeau stealing the show.
BRON WATCH: Two NBA teams are wild cards in the LeBron sweepstakes, but they’re not backing down. … Here’s everything notable The King said about his free agency decision during a live taping of the Mind the Game podcast. … Elsewhere in the league, the NBA is investigating a four-year, $64 million deal between Gary Trent Jr. and the Bucks for potential salary cap circumvention. This time, no trees involved.
SI EXCLUSIVES: Tom Dierberger spoke with Dodgers star Mookie Betts about one change he would make to baseball that would end MLB games early. … Brigid Kennedy sat down with two-time Olympian Ilona Maher to chat about her return to rugby, her pop culture podcast and more. … Brigid also talked to Canadian hockey player Luke Prokop, the first openly gay player on an NHL contract. Prokop stars in a new documentary, The Hockey Player, which is available to stream now on Apple TV and Prime Video.
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Trying to limit your screen time? We’ve got you covered. Check out these viral online moments and then put your phone away…
YEE HAW HAALAND: Erling Haaland may have been knocked out of the World Cup, but his Snapchats—and stateside shenanigans—live on. The new owner of a taxidermized raccoon shared a video of himself hitting golf balls into the ocean while country singer Ella Langley blasted in the background. A man of the (American) people. And eco-friendly, too: The Norwegian clarified that the golf balls he was using were biodegradable and would dissolve in the water into fish food.
SHOHEI’S A GUY?: A hot mic caught Mike Tyson finding out during the ESPY Awards that Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani was a man. As opposed to God, of course.
OG TIPS, THEN SPLITS: OG Anunoby is a man of few words. He prefers to let his actions do the talking instead, as when he tipped in the game-winner in the Knicks’ unbelievable NBA Finals Game 4 comeback over the Spurs. The humble and soft-spoken New York icon won an ESPY for “Best Play” and accidentally did a funny on-stage bit as he accepted the award. “Uh, it’s truly such an honor to win an ESPY to cap off an amazing year and special moment for our team,” OG said. He then paused, spread out his legs to form an awkwardly wide stance and hunched over the mic, which was clearly too short for him. “To the best fans in the world—” He tried to continue but was interrupted by friendly laughter from the audience. We <3 you, OG.
Mr JOEL EMBIID: If you read this Thread, you’ll never listen to “Mr. Jones” by the Counting Crows the same ever again. You have been warned.
THE PROPHECY: The Chosen One (Harry Potter, Anakin Skywalker). A very sad Taylor Swift song. And, in the soccer world: A baby boy named Lamine Yamal being bathed by Lionel Messi. A photo so unreal that UNICEF had to confirm it. For those who don’t know the lore, over 18 years ago a baby, future Spain wunderkind Lamine Yamal, and his mom met Messi at a UNICEF fundraising photoshoot. “The objective was to give visibility to a series of social problems faced by kids and their families,” photographer Joan Monfort told ESPN. “It was coming up to Christmas, and we wanted to transmit humanity, both through the kids and the players. We tried to find a way of them interacting, laughing, as relaxed as possible.” At the time, Lamine was less than a year old and Messi was 20. Unsure of how to photograph the pair in a natural way, Monfort thought of the idea to have Messi bathe Lamine while Lamine’s mom was present. The result? An all-time iconic image. Need to know what other children Messi has bathed and whether or not they also turned into soccer phenoms. Kudos to IKEA Spain for this genius marketing ploy.
TRASH PANDA LOVER: We’re not going to lie. This has absolutely nothing to do with sports. This is a video of a raccoon on a paddleboard in Austin, Texas during a flood. That is all.
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📺 What we’re watching this weekend ... |
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WNBA:
Saturday, July 18
Liberty @ Fever—8 p.m. ET; CBS/Paramount+
Liberty’s Aubrey Plaza will probably sit this one out, but it should still be a great game.
World Cup:
Sunday, July 19
Spain @ Argentina—3 p.m. ET; FOX/Telemundo
No matter the result, Messi has already cemented himself as the GOAT. But Lamine Yamal, baptized by bathwater, eyes the World Cup throne and could spoil Argentina’s second straight coronation. Will the air in New York City be breathable by the time the final rolls around? Let’s hope so.
That’s a wrap for today. See ya Monday!
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