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This past summer, Houston rapper Maxo Kream celebrated the second anniversary of his sophomore album, Brandon Banks, which marked his first release with Roc Nation and RCA and a step upward in the rapper’s artistry. Now the Houston native has announced his third album, Weight Of The World, which will arrive on October 18, giving his fans just five days to prepare for its release.

The big announcement was paired with a new video for the latest single off the album, “Greener Knots,” which features production from Hit-Boy. The song finds Maxo discussing the harrowing things he saw during his childhood, while the video reenacts a crime Maxo and his friends committed.

“Greener Knots” is the third single from Weight Of The World. Maxo began the rollout for the project with “Local Joker” and its sentimental video. He followed that with “Persona,” which features a strong verse from Tyler The Creator and a braggadocious video. As for his upcoming new album, Maxo has yet to share the full tracklist and cast of guest features, but he did reveal that it checks in at 16 songs.

You can watch the video for “Greener Knots” above.

Weight Of The World is out 10/18 via RCA. Pre-order it here.

Chicago may have beaten Phoenix decisively in Game 1 of the WNBA Finals over the weekend, but they hardly shocked the Mercury — both teams have seen it all.

They are, after all, two of the more experienced teams in the league, and core players from each roster faced off all the way back in the 2014 Finals as well. Add in longtime Mercury foe Candace Parker, who is in her first season with the Sky, and it quickly becomes clear this series won’t be won by surprising the other team with major chess moves or adjustments. These are veteran teams know what they are and what they do best, and this series figures to be about who can execute and impose their will on the other.

“I don’t think anything’s going to change, and we’re going to come back and give a better effort and hopefully Game 2 can turn out a different way,” star guard Diana Taurasi said postgame on Sunday after calling her own performance “pathetic” and “bad basketball.”

Still, after two days rest and time to break down what happened in Sunday’s opening skirmish, there are some changes we can expect to see from the Mercury if they are going to even the series on Wednesday night.

Absences On The Wing

It’s impossible to talk about Phoenix’s 91-77 loss without addressing the team’s injuries. Starting wing Kia Nurse, an integral shooter, defender and ball-mover for Phoenix all year, tore her ACL in last Friday’s Game 5 against the Aces and will miss many months. That only exacerbated the Mercury’s wing depth issues with backup Sophie Cunningham nursing a left calf strain.

“Our starters have carried us all season long,” said head coach Sandy Brondello before admitting the lack of depth hurt Phoenix.

That will need to be especially true the rest of this Finals series, but after playing two single-elimination games and a five-game semifinal series against Las Vegas, the Mercury are also just flat-out tired.

“The most important thing for us is we’ve got to freshen up these next few days,” Brondello said.

Their freshness will be tested in Game 2 as Cunningham is slated to return.

Using Size Effectively

The presence of MVP runner-up Brittney Griner in the paint hardly mattered for Phoenix on Sunday. Chicago mashed the Mercury post players in Game 1, out-rebounding Phoenix 35-24 and out-scoring them in the paint, 48-32.

Chicago’s offense was able to get easy baskets inside. Parker was her typical efficient self with 16 points, eight rebounds and three assists while backup Stefanie Dolson had a strong 14 points off the bench. Even spark plug wing Kahleah Copper got in on the action down low with several putbacks off of her five offensive boards.

Maybe more importantly, the Sky defense held steady, holding Griner to 7-15 shooting and Phoenix to 43.5 percent from the field. They did so by mixing up coverages and playing their characteristic aggressive brand of defense.

All postseason, Parker’s timing and mobility have brought Chicago’s defense together, and Game 1 was no exception. The Sky hedge when defending the pick and roll, with all their bigs able to move on the perimeter and also rotate on the back line to protect the rim, and Phoenix did not have enough answers for it.

When the Mercury did move the ball, Chicago swarmed. Here you can see how the Sky go over the screen at the top of the key, trap Taurasi on the perimeter to get the ball out of her hands, then rotate and contain. Phoenix finally gets the ball to Griner in the post, and the Sky are right there to double her as well.

“We didn’t quite exploit that as well as we should have, but that’s areas we know we can work on when we’re a little bit fresher mentally,” Brondello said. “It’s a coverage we’ve seen multiple times this year. It’s not a new thing for us. Things we wanted to do, we couldn’t quite get through. Like I said, when you’re tired, it’s like the brain goes a bit dead, and you’re just trying to survive out there.”

This didn’t just happen when Chicago’s starting unit with all its size and length was on the court. Dolson was a huge part of the defensive execution in her 17 minutes as well, as she also was able to hedge and recover like Parker and fellow starter Azura Stevens to close off the middle of the floor and force the Mercury into tough shots.

“Each team has a way of doing their defense, and we got to see that look tonight,” Griner said. “It wasn’t nothing that I’ve never seen before honestly, but just didn’t really — ball didn’t really roll the way I wanted it to roll.”

When the buzzer sounded, Chicago had created 10 turnovers, including six from Taurasi, in addition to a fairly quiet scoring night from Griner.

As the Mercury all noted, Phoenix has seen all this before. Griner, who is averaging 3.6 assists per game in these playoffs, has handled just about every coverage thrown at her. In the semifinals, Las Vegas doubled her constantly and she was able to move the ball while players like Cunningham and Taurasi smartly moved in space and the Mercury offense generated great looks in the halfcourt consistently. Phoenix knows how to play off its stars and create high-level offense, but now they have to execute it.

Three-Point Math

Phoenix wins because they have an inside-out attack that seesaws defenses and go-to isolation bucket getters who come through in the clutch. If they lose interior scoring because of the challenges of a matchup with Chicago, the Mercury need to compensate by making shots.

That didn’t happen in Game 1. The Sky were 8-of-23 from three-point rnge compared with just 7-of-15 from Phoenix. The Mercury must get more attempts up to keep pace with Chicago, an area where Cunningham will help and a more effective Taurasi will be vital.

Phoenix will also need more from its third star, Skylar Diggins-Smith. She is averaging 5.5 three-point attempts per game and making an impressive 34 percent so far, but took just three triples in Game 1 and just nine shots overall. Throughout her career, Diggins-Smith has gotten motivation from being tougher and more determined than her competition. In her first Finals, the five-time All-Star has to be consistently great as a driver, shooter, defender and play-maker for Phoenix to overcome the Sky’s depth and win the franchise’s fourth title.

Welcome to SNX DLX, our weekly roundup of the best sneakers to hit the market. After a couple of sluggish weeks, things look like they’re finally starting to pick up as we make our way towards the end of the year. We still don’t have any worthwhile entries outside of the two big brands, but when Nike and Adidas start dropping the sort of big releases we’re seeing this week, it’s only a matter of time before the other brands respond with their own dope drops.

Next week finally brings the release of Salehe Bembury’s highly anticipated New Balance collaboration, so that is definitely set to steal some of Nike’s shine. This week though, the ball is squarely in Nike’s court as the Swoosh dropped a new Supreme collaboration, the final piece of the Social Status Free Lunch collection, and a winterized version of the Jordan 14. Adidas is struggling to keep up, but thanks to some high-profile collaborations of their own (Palace, Yeezy) they’re still putting up a strong fight.

Let’s dive into this week’s best sneaker drops!

Adidas Yeezy 500 High Mist Stone

Like the best Air Jordans, Yeezy silhouettes can look like entirely different shoes depending on whether they have a low or high profile. The Yeezy 500 Low features a bubbly next-level alien-esque shape, while the high-top version looks like a standard chunky snow boot. That variety is the sign of a good design, it doesn’t look wrong or awkward with or without a collar, both versions are dope like the Jordan 1.

This week brought the 500 High in a winter indebted Mist Stone colorway. Is it a few months early? Absolutely, but it’s going to slot into your winter wardrobe perfectly thanks to its grey and off-white tones. Be advised that if you’re picking up this pair you need to order 1/2 a size up. See what I mean? It’s a damn snow boot!

Don’t actually wear it in the snow though.

The Adidas Yeezy 500 High Mist Stone is out now (and sold out) for a retail price of $220. Pick up a pair at aftermarket sites like StockX.

Nike Air Max 90 Off Noir

Something about the Nike Air Max 90 Off Noir looks throwback to me. Maybe it’s the shades of grey over the black upper with the white swoosh and matching midsole, but something about this colorway screams 1990’s in a way few Air Max 90s have recently.

The Off Noir features a waffle outsole, with stitched overlays, TPU accents, and an upper of mixed leather and canvas and sits atop Max Air cushioning. Not a whole lot of bells and whistles here, it’s just a sold colorway on an always dope silhouette.

The Nike Air Max 90 Off Noir is set to drop on October 13th for a retail price of $140. Pick up a pair via the Nike SNKRS app or hit your favorite aftermarket site when it inevitably sells out.

Women’s Lahar Low Fossil Stone

The Women’s Lahar Low Fossil Stone would’ve been a hit had it dropped a few years back when the ‘90s had a stranglehold on streetwear. Now as Y2K-inspired aesthetics slowly take over, this release isn’t going to resonate with as large a group of people but it still offers something pretty unique from Nike with its chunky shape and platform design.

Featuring details indebted to Nike’s 1989 Lahar Escape Boot, the Fossil Stone features a full-grain nubuck upper with tread laces and sits atop a split midsole.

The Women’s Lahar Low Fossil Stone is set to drop on October 14th for a retail price of $130. Pick up a pair via the Nike SNKRS app.

Supreme x Nike Cross Trainer Low

It’s been a minute since we’ve seen a Supreme Nike collaboration but with this week’s release of the Cross Trainer Low pack, it has definitely been worth the wait. The two sneaker collection utilizes Nike’s often under-appreciated Cross Trainer Low silhouette with a heavily dual-branded design and bold three-color colorways over a premium leather base with a DURAPLUSH tongue. Supreme branding accents the heel counter and the sneaker sits atop a thick tread rubber outsole.

The Supreme Nike Cross Trainer Low is set to drop on October 14th for an unannounced price. Pick up a pair exclusively at Supreme.

Palace Skateboards x Adidas UltraBOOST 21

This week Adidas is linking up with the London-based streetwear label Palace for a dual pair knit collection of Adidas UltraBOOST 21s. I would’ve preferred the OG UltraBOOST silhouette, but I have to admit I’m a little biased when it comes to this design as it looks like it was inspired by traditional Guatemalan woven fabric, and wearing them would do my paternal grandmother proud. Yup, that’s who you want to impress with your footwear game right, my grandma?

Whatever, I can’t be the only one who recognizes how dope these are. Featuring a knitted plaid pattern and made from recycled yarn made from Parley Ocean Plastic, the Palace UltraBOOST 21s offer a stylish and sustainable iteration of one of Adidas best selling silhouettes.

The Palace Adidas UltraBOOST 21 is set to drop on October 15th for a retail price of $180. Pick up a pair exclusively at the Palace webstore.

Social Status x Nike Dunk Free Lunch Strawberry Milk

In late summer Charlotte North Carolina-based label Social Status dropped the first sneaker in its school cafeteria-inspired collection, Free Lunch. That sneaker was inspired by chocolate milk, and since its drop, we’ve been heavily anticipating the final piece in this two sneaker collection — strawberry milk.

Last year we were treated with Dunk after Dunk of dopeness, from the Chunky Dunkys to the fuzzy Grateful Dead Dunks, this year we haven’t seen the silhouette get the same level of love but the Strawberry Milk makes up for it.

Featuring milky shades of pink and white with matching laces, a chunky swoosh, and an upper of velvet and leather, the Strawberry Milk combines beautiful colors with one of Nike’s most beloved silhouettes of all time. It’s a winner and our most hyped release of the week.

The Social Status x Nike Dunk Free Lunch Strawberry Milk is set to drop on October 15th for a retail price of $130. Pick up a pair exclusively at Social Status or hit Flight Club to pick them up on the aftermarket.

Adidas Yeezy Boost 700 Wash Orange

It is easy to both love and hate the new Wash Orange colorway of the Adidas Yeezy Boost 700. On one hand, it’s the 700, one of Ye’s finest silhouettes if not the best. It features an eye-catching upper of grey almost blue tones with reflective accents and black and forest green paneling.

Then on the other hand you’ve got that big pumpkin orange midsole. That midsole is definitely going to be a deal-breaker for some people but my instinct tells me this is likely going to go down as one of the 700’s greatest colorways. Or I’m totally wrong! Just kidding, I’m never wrong, check out my best sneakers of 2020 list and see how beautifully it has aged.

The Adidas Yeezy BOOST 700 Wash Orange is set to drop on October 16th for a retail price of $240. Pick up a pair via the Adidas confirmed app, via Yeezy Supply or at aftermarket sites like GOAT and Flight Club.

Nike Air Jordan 14 Winterized

We’re not even halfway through the spring season and Nike is already trying to unload their winter collections on us. Slow down fam, we haven’t even got to the gimmicky Halloween releases yet!

This week’s Jordan 14 Winterized features a water-resistant Archaeo Brown nubuck upper, which means it’s the only pair of new Jordans currently on the market you could rock in the rain, with a vacuum-sealed molded base and those iconic AJ 14 grooves.

The Nike Air Jordan 14 Winterized is set to drop on October 16th for a retail price of $210. Pick up a pair via the Nike SNKRS app.

Disclaimer: While all of the products recommended here were chosen independently by our editorial staff, Uproxx may receive payment to direct readers to certain retail vendors who are offering these products for purchase.

While most of the country is layering up and settling into the fall season, summertime is still in full effect in Los Angeles. Just peep these photos we’ve collected from photographer Jonny Rios of the sights and festival fashion at the one-day outdoor hard house and techno festival One Project. Festival goers rocked crop tops, shorts, and kept layers to a minimum to match with the sunny, cloudless skies of LA in October.

Presented by the avant-garde, electronic-obsessed Secret Project, the outdoor one-day event featured body rattling performances from artists that included Ash Lauryn, Ben Böhmer, DJ Tennis, Nina Kraviz, Maceo Plex, and Carlita, to name a very few, and was held at a new location in the heart of Los Angeles’ gritty and industrial Arts and Warehouse district. The backdrop provided a nice visual reminder of how far the underground electronic scene has come, as well as a 360-degree dance floor environment.

Check out the festival fashion and vibes below and watch Secret Project closely for future events.

Jonny Rios

Jonny Rios

Jonny Rios

Jonny Rios

Jonny Rios

It’s been almost a year since Donald Trump lost re-election and he still hasn’t gotten over it. Instead, he’s continued to simply claim that he really won while letting minions, like Mike Lindell and Sidney Powell, hatch incoherent and baseless conspiracy theories (that land themselves in legal and financial trouble). Though Bill Maher recently laid out a bleak forecast for how he could win his old job back in 2024, Trump himself had another prediction: Maybe Republicans simply won’t vote in 2022 and 2024. Unless he meant something else.

The president-turned-resort dweller released one of his un-copy edited press releases, in which he threw down the hammer about the election he didn’t win. “If we don’t solve the Presidential Election Fraud of 2020 (which we have thoroughly and conclusively documented), Republicans will not be voting in ’22 or ’24,” he wrote. “It is the single most important thing for Republicans to do.”

Was Trump…advocating for Republicans to simply not vote in the elections that could put them back in power? Are they supposed to show the libs who’s boss by…letting the libs clean up? This coming from a guy who can’t even spell “junkie,” it’s honestly a mystery.

But some argued that that’s not what Trump meant. “President Trump is not suggesting R’s should not vote; he is suggesting that R’s themselves feel dudded and disillusioned and will abstain from voting,” wrote one person, who also chastised those who interpreted otherwise for bad “reading comprehension.”

But it’s hard to imagine how Republicans abstaining from voting, especially over unproven and highly unlikely claims of voter fraud, will solve anything for them. Still, don’t listen to us. Listen to the former president.

Kyrie Irving, as of now, won’t be playing for the Nets this season. That could change if Irving decides to get the COVID-19 vaccine or New York City lifts its vaccine mandate, but neither of those, at the moment, appear likely to happen.

As such, Irving will lose out on half of his season’s salary for the home games he is ineligible to play in, but getting paid for the road games he’ll miss due to the team’s decision not to accommodate him as a part time player. The Nets are looking to move forward, as James Harden said they have “a job to do” and total focus on winning a championship with the roster they have. However, this is a team that was built around the idea that they would have three superstars in Irving, Harden, and Kevin Durant, but suddenly have a significant hole to fill and, for the moment, no real recourse to do so.

Irving isn’t suspended, because they can’t legally do that within the CBA since he isn’t violating any league rules, which takes away any avenue to get that roster spot back. Instead, the Nets will have to go forward with 14 players and a pair of two-ways for this season, one that still carries title or bust expectations. But there is a question as to what this team looks like in the near future, as Kevin Durant inked a 4-year extension this offseason but neither Irving nor Harden have committed beyond this season — both have player options for 2022-23.

The expectation was that both would likewise get and sign max extensions at some point, but a wrench has been thrown in those plans by Irving, who, according to Shams Charania in an appearance on The Glue Guys Podcast, will no longer be receiving a $186 million extension offer from the Nets.

“He was willing to sacrifice, at the end of the day, $16 million in salary for this upcoming year, and $186 million as far as an extension that he will not be offered now,” Charania said of Irving.

Part of the issue for the Nets is that there’s not really an avenue for replacing Irving on the free agency market even if they don’t extend him, as simply adding Harden’s max to their 2022-23 books puts them over the cap. As such, the clock will be ticking on possible trade talks with the Nets involving Kyrie, which Charania goes onto note on the pod are going to have to be considered and, while his value is nowhere near what it was, there are teams that would be at least intrigued by the possibility of dealing for him — even if there are rumors he will retire if dealt.

All of this is to say, Irving refusing to get vaccinated has taken a team that seemed assured to be a title frontrunner for years and suddenly put their future beyond this season far more in question. Harden signing an extension isn’t an absolute lock, although it’d be surprising if he didn’t, and with Kyrie apparently not figuring into the long-term plans at the moment, the Nets have to begin looking at what Plan B looks like for building around Durant.

Kacey Musgraves’ new album, Star Crossed, is one of the best albums of 2021. That’s already been established. And since she made the record with the same folks she collaborated with for its predecessor, Golden Hour, and this new record tells the story of that perfect love going awry, it makes sense that the two be seen as companion records. But while Golden Hour was released when Kacey was a relatively underground country singer, the record won the most prestigious Album Of The Year Grammy, and catapulted her to full-fledged pop stardom.

So, when Musgraves went to submit Star-Crossed to the Grammys for country genre awards, they seem to be punishing her for her success by refusing to let the album be submitted in the country category. Yes, this record pushes sonic boundaries, veering into electronic and pop production at times, but it it’s also decidedly folk and country influenced, perhaps even moreso than Golden Hour was. The decision is a strange shift from the Recording Academy, who happily let hip-hop inflected country by men into the fold on a regular basis.

Kacey decided to respond to the decision with a fitting subtweet today. “You can take the girl out of the country (genre) but you can’t take the country out of the girl,” she wrote to caption the Tweet.

And this is why we love her.

The sneaker just might be culture’s most effective modern-day canvas. These days, names like Hatfield, Abloh, and Bembury hold just about as much cultural weight as Haring, Warhol, and Basquiat. If you’re a sneakerhead, I challenge you to give me the name of the artist who created the last painting that moved you. Having trouble? Now think about the last sneaker collaboration that had you frothing at the mouth. Was it by Aleali May, Sean Wotherspoon, or Kanye West? Did it make you want to dive deep into the designer’s inspirations and reference points? More importantly, did it make you check your bank account?

A fire pair of sneakers will get people lining up around the block. But even the most exclusive colorways can be bought on GOAT or StockX just days after launch for a markup. A true custom kick? A bespoke one-off? Those are wearable pieces of art that straight up can’t be replicated.

To help you find a sneaker customizer that fits your vibe, we’re breaking down eight big names at the top of their respective games. These creative minds are sure to get snatched up by big brands one day. In the meantime, let them help you turn heads and draw the eyes of the most stylish strangers on the street.

Katty Customs

How big sneaker brands like Nike and Adidas haven’t scooped up Nicolle Knight aka Katty Customs yet is a mystery to us. So intricate they’re impossible not to fall in love with yet so seamless that they look factory-made, the work of Katty Customs is consistently top-notcht. It’s no wonder that Knight has attracted the eyes of celebrities like Allen Maldonado of Sneakerheads fame — for whom she made a truly wild pair of Jordan 1s, managing to capture the actor’s multi-faceted career while reflecting his restless spirit.

Whether she’s making shoes for Chris Brown, Saweetie, or Zion Williamson, Katty approaches each design with a level of craft and attention to detail that offers insight into the personality of whoever she is designing for without ever veering toward cheesy “writing on the shoe” maximalism. She understands that your sneakers are a statement and she ensures that each design she undertakes is dope enough to captivate onlookers while also holding secrets and easter eggs for the wearer. It’s a fine tightrope to balance and she aces it every time.

Whether she’s putting a luxurious spin on a high-top AJ1 or dressing a Jordan IV in bold tones that would make even UnionLA envious, Knight’s designs will help you grab eyeballs in a major way. And isn’t that the whole point, at the end of the day?

The Shoe Surgeon

Dominic Ciambrone’s moniker Shoe Surgeon is more than just a name. Ciambrone truly embodies that title, approaching his custom designs with a level of intense care and commitment to breaking sneakers down to the studs. Through his Los Angeles-based Surgeon Studios, Ciambrone and his team of fellow sneaker surgeons do everything from elegant dye work to swapping the sole of one shoe and putting it on another.

Yes, they’re on that Frankenstein shit.

Recently, Ciambrone has been sharing some of the work from fellow designers out of the Surgeon Creators Academy and it’s jaw-dropping to see all of the talent he’s collected under one roof. This is Kanye making My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy-level stuff we’re talking about. With patchwork colorways and designs that rival pros like Tinker Hatfield and Virgil Abloh, Ciambrone and the work coming out of Surgeon Studios is always a thrill to behold.

Jake Danklefs

If I showed you a collection of Danklef original sneakers you wouldn’t be able to differentiate them from Nike’s originals. The level of craft and care displayed in each individual pair of sneakers customized by Danklef is unreal, whether he’s swapping a midsole or repainting a colorway, his work is seamless, expertly integrating his designs into the silhouettes he uses as his canvas.

Danklef’s Instagram feed is full of post after post of sneaker colorways that would otherwise snag top spots in every publication’s best sneaker year-end lists.. if only they were official! The fact that they aren’t — well, that makes them all the cooler.

Jigga

Donnell McFadden Brooks, aka Jigga produces beautiful saturated custom designs that display an intense level of detail. Whether he’s dropping a chaotic street art-inspired pair of AF-1s or a simple five-color remix on an Air Jordan, Brook’s designs have a lot of depth that helps make his designs jump out at you like a 3D painting. Brook’s consistently produces work that is a pleasure to get lost in, which is what you want on your Instagram feed.

Stomping Ground Customs

The work of Stomping Ground Customs (aka SGNY) has been featured on high-profile outlets like Complex, and High Snobiety thanks to the brand’s uniquely vibrant custom designs that look straight out of a stylish high production anime.

SGNY kicks vibrate with movement and energy and look more like something you’d see hanging in the halls of your museum than they do something you’d wear on your feet. This makes them feel all the more otherworldly when you actually do see someone rocking a pair!

Breanna Berry

Breanna Berry aka Colorado’s Queen Of Shoe Art is the go-to pick for professional sports players who want to step out onto the court or field with some custom drip. Her Instagram page is full of special sneakers she’s designed for players like Javonte Williams and Donta Williams and Berry has partnered with organizations like the MLB and the Boys & Girls Club to help bring her hand-painted custom designs to life.

If loud eye-catching graphic designs are your thing, Breanna Berry is the customizer for you.

Vandy

If you’re looking for a sneaker customizer with a robust line of customized products that drop at a rate that rivals your favorite sneaker brands, look no further than Vandy. Armed with a retro website that recalls the days of Web 1.0, Vandy customizes sneakers and apparel in a way that makes each piece feel like a brand new brand.

Vandy isn’t a customizer to follow if you’re looking for designs that hold the source material in high regard, instead, Vandy takes a more punk rock approach, smashing classic designs together with his own unique aesthetic to create something entirely new.

Vijz Bespokes

Sneaker customizers can’t really be described as subtle. Even when customizers aren’t plastering loud cartoon graphics and wild fonts on their designs, they still tend to utilize super saturated paint and bright combinations intended to catch your eye. Vijz Bespokes (pronounced “Vice”) takes a different approach.

Based in the Netherlands, Sam Van IJzendoorn, aka Vijz will go to great lengths to elevate each of his designs beyond the boundaries of the surface material he’s working with, whether that means cutting up and re-arranging a sneaker’s mudguard, readjusting a silhouette’s shape, or treating each panel on a single sneaker as a brand new canvas to execute a different idea.

It sounds like a radical approach, but Vijz is able to make big changes while still presenting an end result that looks elegant and undisturbed. He’s truly a master cobbler in the SNX game.

Jon Gruden recently resigned from the Las Vegas Raiders, but it had nothing to do with the Raiders’ performance on the football field. A series of emails Gruden had sent revealed homophobic, racist, and disturbing comments about members of the NFL, NFLPA, and others. As a result, anyone associated with Gruden is quickly removing him.

Among those is EA Sports Madden series. The most recent game, Madden 22, currently has Jon Gruden as the head coach of the Raiders. Today, EA Sports released a statement that Gruden would not only be removed as the Raiders head coach but would be removed from the game entirely. A generic likeness will replace him.

This isn’t the first time EA has responded quickly in a situation like this. When the Washington Football Team announced their plans to change their nickname from a name offensive to Native Americans, EA was quick to announce plans to do the same in Madden 21.

The change will likely come in the form of an upcoming patch that will provide the update to the game and remove Gruden from the Las Vegas sidelines, and it seems unlikely that Gruden will ever appear in the Madden games, on an NFL sideline, or in an NFL TV booth ever again.

Matt Amodio’s Jeopardy! streak came to a sudden and shocking end on Monday, but that’s nothing to sneeze at: With 38 consecutive wins, he has the second longest run in the game show’s history, ahead of James Holzhauer’s 33 wins but way behind Ken Jennings’ 74. In that time — only nine days of shooting, by the way, in which he banged out five episodes a day — he amassed a whopping $1.5 million in winnings. What’s he going to do with it? The answer: probably not much.

The 30-year-old grad student was on CNN doing a kind of exit interview, during which he was inevitably asked about how his life will change with a new bounty of cash. But his answer wasn’t as interesting as one of his Jeopardy! questions. “Boring answer, but I’m going to say my goal is to not touch a penny any time soon,” Amodio replied.

Of course, he’ll probably have to earmark a good chunk of that to pay for Yale University, where he’s a PhD student in computer sciences. Grad school ain’t cheap! But he should still have enough left over to live semi-comfortably. And he’ll always have those Jeopardy! GOAT competitions to line his pockets.

Amodio was also asked about experiencing a record Jeopardy! run in the midst of the Mike Richards mishegoss, which saw him having burning through a number of hosts, including the show’s now-infamous former executive producer-turned-almost-permanent emcee. But his answer about that was kind of boring, too.

“I was surprised by how little that affected me, because there’s a whole crew. Jeopardy ism’t just one person, it’s a team,” Amodio said. “And sure, one host was changing all the time, but there was so much that was the same. It felt pretty consistent throughout this whole thing.”

As for who should be the late Alex Trebek’s permanent replacement, Amodio doesn’t have an answer for that either. He said Mayim Bialik, who’s been filling in while the producers find a new one, was “fantastic.” And he says Jennings, who he hasn’t worked with (yet), would also be “fantastic.” But, you know, sometimes, in this wackadoodle world we live in, boring is good.

(Via CNN)