Article on Shaka "Smart likes to preach “Giannis posture” — everyone in the program must have the body language of Giannis ... — so he struck a deal with Ighodaro. For each time he dropped his head, every member of the staff was going to do a 1 minute plank" www.nytimes.com/athletic/680... ($)

From @theathletic.com: For more than a year, Danny Higginbotham tried to cure his fear of flying. He tried medication and acupuncture. He sipped alcohol on the plane. “The worst anxiety ever,” he said. Then his wife asked: “Would you ever consider hypnosis?” nyti.ms/3Lbggyt

Tim Britton is one of our era's foremost baseball nerds. www.nytimes.com/athletic/668...

A case for cleaning your room and making your bed. www.nytimes.com/athletic/667...

On the first pump. www.nytimes.com/athletic/659...

From @theathletic.com: At the 1993 ESPYs, legendary basketball coach Jim Valvano delivered one of the most powerful speeches in sports history. The message remains indelible, an emotional tour de force on life, death and hope. nyti.ms/45pjbLB

My friend Josh Sharpe helped free a man from prison after two decades for a double-murder he didn't commit. The story is chronicled in a new book, The Man No One Believed. It's an important look at the justice system. wwnorton.com/books/978132...

From @theathletic.com: A Little League coach made a dad joke during a tense game. The moment went viral. It was equal parts strange, funny and endearing, our columnist writes. "Sometimes the best coaching has nothing to do with baseball."

I spoke with the Kentucky Little League coach who went viral for his Dad Joke during a bases-loaded jam. www.nytimes.com/athletic/654...

I enjoyed reading this. defector.com/ichiro-saved...

From @theathletic.com: When Ichiro Suzuki is inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame on Sunday, it will culminate one of the most trailblazing and fascinating careers in Major League Baseball. Here are our four favorite lessons from his career. https://trib.al/az0DrfZ

Scottie Scheffler raised questions about happiness and fulfillment. This Harvard professor has some answers. www.nytimes.com/athletic/650...

song of the summer. youtu.be/gR_ihUk6VFk?...

This is a fun story. Those old high school friendships that persist for decades are so special. www.nytimes.com/2025/07/15/a...

Wrote about failure — and why a Harvard Business School professor thinks we should all be aspiring to do more of it: www.nytimes.com/athletic/649...

Sinner is here. Game on.

Wrote about juggling: www.nytimes.com/athletic/648...

On Sunday, we watch tennis.

worth a read. www.nytimes.com/2025/07/08/u...

I’m halfway through @alansiegella.bsky.social’s Simpsons book. it’s enjoyable as a look at artistic collaboration *and* as a nostalgic look at a show that introduced me to so many references/ideas that it basically taught me how to see and understand the world.

I talked to some scientists about why walking makes us more creative. www.nytimes.com/athletic/645...

I voted.

From @theathletic.bsky.social: Everyone deals with some form of criticism in their lives. We asked Dale Scott, who was an MLB umpire for more than 30 years, for his best advice for developing thick skin and handling harsh scrutiny.

“One of the strategies that Federer uses that good leaders use is to crack the door. I always tell people, ‘Don’t feel like you have to swing the door wide open and share your deepest, darkest secrets. "Your goal is to crack the door. To share a little piece." www.nytimes.com/athletic/641...

Over the course of two decades, Roger Federer emerged as one of the greatest tennis players who ever lived. But one day last June, he told a story about failure. And it went viral. We dug into why: http://dlvr.it/TLH33h

Michael Kosta is a rotating host on The Daily Show and ... the former 864th-ranked tennis player in the world. I talked to him about learning how to lose, the lessons we can learn from failure, and where self-belief comes from. (Our parents?) www.nytimes.com/athletic/639...

enjoyed this story. www.nytimes.com/athletic/636...

I wrote about how Joey Votto learned to be happier at work, and the Michigan professor who spent decades researching a simple idea about connection: www.nytimes.com/athletic/636...

“The late famed sociobiologist Edward O. Wilson penned a book called “Biophilia” in 1984, and argued that our connection to nature is the very essence of our humanity. “As part of that theory, humans are drawn to wild animals or even the wild as an entire concept.” www.nytimes.com/athletic/635...

From @theathletic.bsky.social: Our senior writer tried to drink coffee like Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell for a day to learn how caffeine boosts performance. It was an "insane amount of caffeine," he writes. nyti.ms/42LLSRE

“I like people with big, bold personalities. I think I have a big, bold personality and I love it when people match that energy or have their own wild energy. “If you’ve got weird ideas, I want to hear them.“ Interesting interview with Mark Canha about creativity: www.nytimes.com/athletic/634...

The Dan Campbell coffee order: Two 20-ounce coffees from Starbucks with two espresso shots in each one. The assignment: Drink coffee like Campbell for a day and examine the relationship between caffeine and performance: www.nytimes.com/athletic/633...

Some of the world's best athletes swear by a simple tool to improve their performance: Deep breathing. I talked to athletes, scientists, breath coaches and breathing specialists about the quiet mindfulness revolution happening in sports: www.nytimes.com/athletic/632...

happy goose day. www.nytimes.com/2025/04/21/a...

Everyone should read this story. www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...

How Gene Hackman and 'Hoosiers' became a favorite among a specific cohort: Management professors, Army colonels and leadership experts: www.nytimes.com/athletic/625...

Loved this piece. slate.com/life/2025/04...

From @theathletic.bsky.social: What is the secret of elite athletic performance? A professor believes it's the "Quiet Eye." Her ideas have influenced how we think about shooting a basketball and stopping a puck in hockey. They could also improve your putting skills.

Three decades ago, Joan Vickers believed she found a secret to putting. Why don’t more people know it? “(People) keep looking at the physical systems, the biomechanics, the kinematics, the physiology. But very few people say: Well, maybe something else is going on?” www.nytimes.com/athletic/625...

One of the most alarming parts of this story is how many people hear an unsubstantiated rumor and then harass the people involved with phone calls or DMs. www.nytimes.com/athletic/624...

College basketball.

Luka Dončić, Jimmy Butler and the culture question: What so many leaders underestimate: www.nytimes.com/athletic/616...

The last few years, I found myself getting less joy out of live music. I'd seen every kind of show in every kind of venue. But I've now seen Sturgill Simpson three times on his JBS tour and I've totally fallen in love with live shows again. Absolute Hall of Famer. www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zt62...

Committee to Protect Journalists: 2024 was deadliest year for journalists since CPJ starting keeping track: cpj.org/special-repo...

When a cancer surgeon from Milwaukee was diagnosed with testicular cancer, he started running. This year, at age 55, he set out to run seven marathons in seven days on seven continents. He wanted to raise money. He also believed it would change him. www.nytimes.com/athletic/608... 7

When a cancer surgeon from Milwaukee was diagnosed with testicular cancer, he started running. This year, at age 55, he set out to run seven marathons in seven days on seven continents. He wanted to raise money. He also believed it would change him. www.nytimes.com/athletic/608... 7

The scout who integrated the Kansas City Chiefs:

The Scout Who Integrated The Kansas City Chiefs: defector.com/the-scout-wh...

Perceiving yourself as an underdog can lead to higher motivation and better performance at work, studies show. Patrick Mahomes exemplifies the "underdog effect." http://dlvr.it/THrZjz