With a quick “accio” (and realistically a whole lot of discussions, deal-making, and, you know, boring muggle stuff), the Harry Potter films are making their way back on to HBO Max. According to Variety’s report, the return comes following the series’ 11-month stay over on NBCUniversal’s streaming service, Peacock, and is sure to make an HBO Max look a whole lot more appealing to a pretty massive audience. The Harry Potter series is set to hit the streaming service on September 1, where it will reside indefinitely alongside a large number of Warner Bros. other films, such as the DC Cinematic Universe collection.
Included in the series are all eight mainline Harry Potter films: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 and 2. As of now, there’s no news on whether or not the Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them series will be joining the rest of the films in a move to HBO as well.
For those wondering why the iconic Warner Bros. series weren’t already on HBO Max — especially considering Warner Bros. owns the streaming service — if was for a pretty good reason. Prior to the establishment of HBO Max, the studio had sold the streaming right to the series to NBC for their service Peacock. Therefore, when HBO Max first launched in May of 2020, it only had access to the movies for three months before the deal went into effect and all eight films were transferred over to Peacock.
However, Warner Bros. has since reclaimed the rights and is bringing the enchanted series back to its own service in a massive move for the company. You see, as of right now, the Harry Potter films rank as the third highest-grossing movie franchise of all time, with a worldwide value of $7.7 billion. This puts the series behind only Star War and the Marvel Cinematic Universe franchises, both of which reside on competitor streaming service Disney+.
Another silver lining of this deal? Fans of the series who have been seriously let down or hurt by J.K. Rowling’s continuous and increasingly more disturbing comments on the Transgender community will no longer have to buy the series and support the author to give it watch. All in all, it seems a pretty big win for all parties and is just in time for a Holiday marathon.
The Daily Show isn’t currently airing new episodes, but that doesn’t mean Trevor Noah can’t troll the far right while he’s enjoying his time away from the at-home studio. The host of Comedy Central’s political programming put a real ad in real newspapers for a very fake law firm hoping hapless insurrectionists give him a call.
Billed as an ad for “Trevor Noah & Associates & Sons” the full-page ad ran in Thursday’s edition of both the Los Angeles Times and New York Times and encouraged those who “did an insurrection” to “storm our offices today” for help getting off on charges.
Kudos to Trevor Noah & Associates & Sons for today’s NY Times full page ad for Insurrection Protection! pic.twitter.com/4kieLpq53Q
The ad, which went viral in a “post a picture of the newspaper to social media” kind of way, wants those who did some crimes on January 6 at Donald Trump’s behest to “seek legal counsel for the myriad of alleged crimes that may or may not have been committed that fateful day.”
The ad includes a real phone number that’s a bit cheeky as well: 1-85-OOPS-JAN6 (1-856-677-5266).
It’s unclear if anyone will actually call the number and seek legal help at this point, as not many MAGA rioters read the New York Times or LA Times these days. But it’s certainly a cheeky way to keep buzz going for a show that’s been off the air for the summer.
Right now the hottest travel destinations in America are US National Parks, and it’s easy to see why. With the Delta variant postponing international travel plans and making the idea of going overseas feel like more trouble than it’s worth, people are turning their sights to the ease of domestic travel. And what greater escape is there than hopping in your car with a few essentials, taking a scenic drive, and trekking deep into your favorite national park?
The problem is that because national parks are so alluring right now, everyone is taking a trip to them. This means the most popular national parks are often swamped with other people — something our own US National Parks expert, Emily Hart, has covered extensively.
In hopes of helping you find some more off-the-beaten-path options, we reached out to J.P. Boneyard and the rest of the team at the Fifty-Nine Parks project. Boneyard and his crew know our national parks intimately, the Fifty-Nine Parks project is an ongoing screen-printed poster series that produces unique and beautiful artworks inspired by vintage WPA posters meant to showcase each of the US’s 59 national parks. They also just dropped a hardcover book, The Art Of The National Parks, through Insight Editions that features artwork from over 50 artists from around the world who have attempted to capture the visual wonders of The Great Smoky Mountains, The Grand Tetons, Olympic Glacier, Zion, and other wild spaces.
All this to say that their credentials for recommending parks are impeccable. Just like their design sense.
For this guide, Boneyard and his team made sure to highlight the national parks they love with low visitation numbers, making sure to cover each region of the United States.
Great Sand Dunes is such a surreal experience. You can hike, swim, and get some of the best views of the stars at night! This park contains over thirty square miles of mysterious and surreal sand dunes, some soaring as high as 750 feet before plummeting back to earth. The juxtaposition of the tundra with rich forests and warm wetlands creates a profusion of flora and fauna in the park. Yucca and prickly pear cactus grow right beside pine trees and myriad wildflowers. Bighorn sheep, pronghorns, and marmots prance alongside salamanders, toads, and frogs.
Designated an International Dark Sky Park, the Milky Way is visible from Great Sand Dunes National Park, particularly during moonless nights from midsummer to late fall. Just like the soaring heights and swooping lows of the dunes, Great Sand Dunes National Park is a place where the earth can change right before your eyes!
With over 200 lakes and ponds, Lassen is the perfect park to hike all day and cool off with a swim. Home to over 216 bird species, it’s also a bird lover’s paradise! We haven’t even mentioned all of the volcanoes and sulfur pools! This was once the most active volcanic region in America; today, only Lassen Peak, the world’s largest plug dome volcano, is still active. With elevations ranging from 5,300 feet to 10,000 feet, the park offers visitors many different landscapes, including lakes, meadows, mountain peaks, volcanoes, and waterfalls.
Elsewhere, the park includes over 27,000 acres of old-growth forests. Grassy meadows teeming with wildlife surround the beautiful, deep-blue Manzanita Lake. Lassen Volcanic National Park is a living example of how creation and destruction exist side by side in nature.
One of the coolest parks is also one of the most overlooked. Over the course of millions of years, the Rio Grande’s mighty waters carved their way through the limestone walls of these towering canyons deep in the beating heart of Texas. Hike the valleys of Big Bend with the Chisos Mountain Range looming in the background and take in rock formations so varied in size, shape, and appearance that they rival the clouds. Canoe along the Rio Grande and its tributaries and see red-eared slider turtles tottering along in the shadow of the Santa Elena Canyon.
At night, the wildlife comes alive with black-tailed jackrabbits, roadrunners, and mountain lions roaming the desert. Whether you are interested in dinosaur bones or the stars, Big Bend National Park offers a gateway to the wonders of the American desert.
It takes a certain kind of adventurer to explore a place as remote as Isle Royale National Park, but those who make the trip always come back for another visit. In fact, Isle Royale might have the most return visitors of any national park. This forty-five-mile-long island of glacier-scarred volcanic rock is the most remote national park in the contiguous United States, located deep in Michigan’s Lake Superior. Seventy-three miles north of the Houghton area of Michigan, the island can only be accessed by boat or plane. Moose weighing as much as a thousand pounds wander with carefree abandon, the true leaseholders of this remote wilderness. They can often be seen feeding in the lakes and ponds of the island or roaming through the shady forests.
The moose are no longer alone here, either. These days, gray wolves stalk them for food. Though the island may be remote, it is full of life. Isle Royale has long been considered the best-kept secret of the national park system!
Stunning yet understated. New River Gorge is perfect for rafting, rock climbing, and hiking! Though millions of years old, the ferocious New River continues to carve out the longest and deepest river gorge in the Appalachian Mountains. The West Virginia stretch of the New River is a whitewater rafting mecca. The fifty-three miles of free-flowing river beginning at Bluestone Dam and ending at Hawk’s Nest Lake features an array of possibilities for rafting enthusiasts.
The southern section of the river offers smoother jaunts and long pools, while the lower gorge offers some of the most challenging Class V rapids in the country. Towering 876 feet above the river stands one of the longest and highest single-span bridges in the world. The soulful spirit of Appalachia echoes throughout this deep river gorge.
Another park that features amazing camping, swimming, and plenty of space for yourself! It’s also an awesome park for fishing. A mere five-hour drive from the Twin Cities brings you to the northern border of Minnesota where more than 900 islands surrounded by glinting sapphire lakes make up Voyageurs National Park. The main island is accessible only by boat. Boating is the appropriate way to experience Voyageurs, as kayaking is integral to the history of the park.
The park consists mainly of four lakes: Rainy Lake, Kabetogama Lake, Namakan Lake, and Sand Point Lake. The smell of fresh pine trees permeates the air in this unspoiled landscape of pristine lakes and islands. It’s enough to make you sing while you take in the sights!
Swim with sea turtles and take in a 175-year-old fort? Yes, please! Accessible via a two-hour boat trip off Key West, this collection of tiny islands is located in the Straits of Florida. This national park is 99 percent water, save for a few tiny ultra-remote islands. The island known as Liberty Key has a rich history; it hosts a Civil War–era fort that was later turned into a prison. Fort Jefferson remains the largest brick masonry structure in the United States.
In 1908, President Theodore Roosevelt designated the area a federal bird sanctuary. During low tide, when the sandbar is not submerged, visitors can walk along the thin strip between the bush and the Garden Key and watch for the more than 300 species of birds residing there. The water surrounding Garden Key hosts some of the most vibrant and colorful coral reefs in the United States and houses myriad species of fish and turtles, including the leatherback, loggerhead, and hawksbill sea turtles.
The variety of marine life rewards anyone who is up for this adventure!
With epic Mountains, tons of great hiking, and plenty of lakes for swimming—North Cascades National Park is just a three-hour drive from Seattle. Nowhere else can you find such vast, desolate wilderness so close to civilization. Here, mountains and glaciers surround over 500,000 acres of preserved wilderness. Peaks tower to over 9,000 feet. It’s no wonder that famed Beat author Jack Kerouac escaped to this wilderness on his quest for a Zen state of mind.
At one end of the park, you’ll find yourself in the snowiest place in the United States, where mountain tops wear a shawl of powder year-round. Elsewhere, visitors can marvel at a menagerie of waterfalls, from roaring waves of whitewater to trickling ribbons of turquoise. The sound of chirping birds and babbling rivers and streams creates a feeling of deep tranquility, even if the surrounding mountains have names like Mount Terror, Poltergeist Pinnacle, and Ghost Peak.
You come here to hike, bike, and climb. You come here for peace… and peace of mind.
Arches National Park often gets most of the shine in this region of Utah. However, Canyonlands is just as awe-inspiring and is only thirty minutes away. Southern Utah is rich with natural canyons preserved within national parks, but the sheer variety of geological formations at Canyonlands National Park makes it especially crucial to see for any aficionado. The Colorado River, the Green River, and their respective tributaries eroded the canyons, mesas, and buttes that make up this gigantic 337,598-acre park.
The park offers casual and backcountry hikes alike. You’ll be able to discover prehistoric rock paintings, amazing vistas, and technicolor spires. Canyonlands is a choose-your-own-adventure that offers something to astound every type of explorer.
White Sands is such a magical spot! It’s even excellent for sledding in the summer! Located in central New Mexico, the park features the world’s largest gypsum dune field. These blinding white dunes are a marvel of nature so foreign to the human eye that visitors regularly get lost while exploring them. These dunes are otherworldly. They look more like snow than sand and feel like powdered sugar.
Despite a desert climate that averages ninety-seven degrees Fahrenheit in the summer, the sand remains cool due to its reflective hue. Visitors often treat the dunes like mountains of snow and use plastic sleds to slide down the winding slopes. The park encompasses more than 275 square miles of powdery dunes that stretch up to fifty feet tall. There are few places you’ll encounter in the world quite like White Sands National Park!
Critics called out “Modern Family” actor Eric Stonestreet for being a Hollywood stereotype on Sunday and he cleverly proved they had him all wrong.
Stonestreet celebrated his engagement with his longtime girlfriend, Lindsay Schweitzer, on Sunday by sharing a series of photos of the two posing with her engagement ring on Instagram.
“She said, ‘She’d have her people call my people,'” Stonestreet joked in the caption.
Stonestreet and Schweitzer, a pediatric nurse, met at the Big Slick charity weekend in Kansas City in 2016. In 2017, Stonestreet told Ellen Degeneres that his new fiancée is a calming force in his life.
“Your girlfriend is lovely — I met her backstage,” said DeGeneres. “She’s a nurse. That’s a good thing for you, because you’re a hypochondriac.”
“I’m a big baby, too. She calms me — she calms my nerves. I’m a very high-strung person,” confessed Stonestreet.
Most of the responses to his engagement were extremely positive.
“Congrats you beautiful couple you,” singer Michael Buble wrote. “Yes!!!!” responded sportscaster Rich Eisen.
One fan was confused by his post. “Wait…..so you’re not gay?” Stonestreet is best known for his “Modern Family” role as Cam, a gay man with a husband named Mitchell.
However, there were some who accused Stonestreet of being just another Hollywood guy who can’t seem to marry someone his own age.
More than a few fans thought that Schweizter was his daughter or called her that to criticize him for not marrying someone his own age. “I don’t get it? Is his daughter getting married? What is the event?” one wrote.
via Eric Stonestreet / Instagram
via Eric Stonestreet / Instagram
via Eric Stonestreet / Instagram
via Eric Stonestreet / Instagram
Stonestreet responded to the critics on Wednesday night with a set of heavily-edited pics that made Schweitzer appear to be older than her husband-to-be. He also made note that he is only seven years older than her. He just appears to be a lot older.
“Apparently a lot of people think I look too old, as a 49 year old man, to be engaged to my almost 42 year old fiancé,” he wrote in the caption. “Look, she can’t help that she looks so great at 42 and I can’t help that I apparently look like her grandad so, I fixed it for everyone.”
He then referenced his show which features a May-December romance between Ed O’Neill, 75, and Sophia Vergara, 49. “I assume these are the same people who love Jay & Gloria’s relationship,” he wrote.
Stonestreet had two options for his humorous response. He could have either made himself look younger or make his fiancée appear to be older. By showing her as older it appears as though he was making a bold point about his relationship: It doesn’t matter how old she appears, he loves her all the same.
If that’s the case then they are going to have a long and happy marriage, because that’s what true love is all about.
While the first ten minutes of Pixar’s 2009 animated film Up might have left most of us a blubbering mess, the rest of the film left many folks simply wanting more. Now, 12 years later, Pixar and Disney are teaming up to deliver just that in the new Disney+ spinoff series Dug Days. Set to launch this fall, the upcoming series consists of a collection of shorts following “the humorous misadventures of Dug, the lovable dog from Disney and Pixar’s Up.” According to the trailer’s accompanying description, each short features Dug, Carl, and Russell — an unlikely but endearing family — getting caught up in “everyday events that occur in and around Dug’s backyard.” Of course, all of these stories will be told through the “exciting (and delightfully distorted) eyes of our favorite talking dog.”
Emmy award-winning Pixar veteran and Up writer/co-director Bob Peterson is back on board as the project’s writer and director, while long-time Pixar producer Kim Collins is set to produce. In addition, Edward Asner (Elf, American Dad) is also returning to the series to reprise his role as the crotchety-but-sweet Carl Fredrickson. However, Russell’s original voice actor, Jordan Nagai, will not be returning to voice his character. As of right now, it has not been confirmed who will be taking over as the role of Russell.
In addition to Dug Days, two other Pixar series are also coming to Disney+: Cars and Win or Lose. Whereas Cars, much like Dug Days, follows an existing property (and its iconic characters, Lightning McQueen and Mater), Win or Lose is Pixar’s first long-form animated series, and tells the story of “a co-ed middle school softball team in the week leading up their championship game.” As of now, the Cars series is scheduled to release next year, while Win or Lose is not slated to hit the streaming service until Fall 2023. Fortunately, you won’t be waiting too much longer to catch Dug Days, as the series is set to premiere later this year exclusively on Disney+.
Following Thursday’s attack on the Kabul airport, conservative commentator Tomi Lahren latched on to the chance to criticize the Democratic Party and President Joe Biden for the deteriorating conditions in Afghanistan. However, in an on-brand move, Lahren attempted to equate the situation in Afghanistan with Benghazi while also taking random jabs at “kneeling” and “wokeness.”
“This is Benghazi on steroids and EXACTLY what happens when you put a party in power that would rather sh*t on America than protect and defend it,” Lahren tweeted. “No amount of kneeling and wokeness will save American lives. This is an abomination!!!!”
This is Benghazi on steroids and EXACTLY what happens when you put a party in power that would rather sh*t on America than protect and defend it. No amount of kneeling and wokeness will save American lives. This is an abomination!!!!
As Lahren no doubt doesn’t know, the repeated Benghazi investigations cleared Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, and ended up blowing back on the Republican Party. Fortunately, there were several people on Twitter who were ready to school Lahren.
What would the host of celebrity apprentice have done differently? You guys are just using these servicemen deaths for your own pathetic political agenda. https://t.co/SYcDBzChS7
Of course, Lahren wouldn’t have had such a wide opening to criticize the American withdrawal from Afghanistan if the media hadn’t botched its coverage of the evacuation. On Wednesday night, political strategist James Carville took the media and Democrats to task for the way it’s criticized Biden for a no-win situation.
“[Biden] would greatly benefit if the press would cover this accurately,” Carville said. “And yes, you always have mealy-mouthed Democrats. And I can’t tell you the number of phone calls I’ve gotten… where people say, ‘You know, he did the right thing, but he’s going about it the wrong way.’ And I’ve said: Do they teach a course at West Point or Annapolis or Johns Hopkins on how to lose a war? No. There’s no good way to lose a war!”
The Other Two: Season 1 (HBO Max series) — Lorne Michaels of SNL fame executive produces this series that’s created, written, and also executive produced by Chris Kelly and Sarah Schneider (formerly co-head writers of SNL). The cast includes Drew Tarver, Heléne Yorke, Case Walker, Ken Marino, and Molly Shannon, and the plot follows a showbiz family, in which a 14-year-old pop star decides that it’s time to officially retire. Meanwhile, the family’s 53-year-old matriarch (Shannon) is enjoying ubiquity of her own, so “The Other Two” will do everything they can to shine as well.
Brooklyn Nine-Nine (NBC, 8:00 & 8:30pm) — Season 8 begins for the law-enforcement comedy that must confront several new realities while still attempting to stay, you know, funny. The ongoing pandemic and the recent round of protests against police brutality will stay fresh in everyone’s mind as the Andy Samberg-starring show takes a final lap. This week, a double dose of episodes sees Jake touching base with an old friend and then digging after the FBI takes over a case. Meanwhile, O’Sullivan and the police union keep negotiating.
Open Your Eyes: (Netflix series) — An amnesia patient begins to recover after her family’s killed in an accident, and she bonds with those who have similarly traumatic experiences. Soon enough, things get mysterious with visions and odd dreams, and she wonders exactly where she’s receiving the treatment and whether all is really as it seems. These leads to an attempted escape, and plenty of suspense while mysteries continue to unfold.
Sweet Life: Los Angeles: Season 1 (HBO Max series) — The WarnerMedia streaming service is keeping up with its summer of unscripted content that also includes The Hype and FBoy Island. In particular, this show follows a group of young, Black, and ambitious mid-20 somethings while they pursue dreams. Of course, those dreams not only happen to be professional but also involve loyalty and love. The quarter-life mark is a milestone unlike any other, and in South Los Angeles, it carries a unique spin.
Star Trek: Lower Decks: Season 2 (Paramount+ series) — This animated series from Rick and Morty writer (and Solar Opposites creator) Mike McMahan takes things to the year 2380 (after the original Star Trek beginning in 2265), where the U.S.S. Cerritos aren’t the heroes that you’re expecting. These are junior officers who are not pleased at their lack of power while confronting bizarre alien anomalies like enormous bugs and other such comedic-slanted creatures. This violent show’s got a PG-13-like feel.
The Late Late Show With James Corden — Terry Crews, Lorde
Late Night With Seth Meyers — Michael Shannon, Hanna Einbinder, Jerome Flood II
The United States men’s national team has laid quite the foundation since it failed to make the World Cup in 2018. Now, on the heels of a pair of trophies this summer in the Nation’s League and Gold Cup, the team will set its sights on righting that wrong and punching its ticket to Qatar in 2022.
Things will begin next month in World Cup Qualifying, with the team having three matches in the upcoming window: a trip to El Salvador on Sept. 2, a showdown with Canada on Sept. 5, and a test against a tricky Honduras side on Sept. 8. Here is the roster Gregg Berhalter selected to make the trip:
The squad that will open the 2022 @FIFAWorldCup Qualifying campaign.
It’s a talented group, the kind of reminder that the talent pool that the men’s program boasts is deeper than ever before. If you’re looking for a few names beyond the obvious worth keeping an eye on, we’ve got your back:
GK: Ethan Horvath/Zack Steffen/Matt Turner
Perhaps no position has been thrown into more tumult this summer than goalkeeper, and this is not a bad thing. Manchester City’s Zack Steffen has long been viewed as the overwhelming favorite to stand in net when the U.S. began qualifying, but a few things have happened over the last handful of months to throw this into some serious doubt.
While Steffen hasn’t for sure lost the job, it is possible one of the other two choices could have taken it. Horvath was the hero of the USMNT’s Nation’s League triumph over Mexico, coming in after Steffen picked up a knock and recording a number of impressive saves, including one on a penalty late in the game that sealed the win for the U.S. He then got his club situation all sorted out, going from Club Brugge in Belgium to Nottingham Forest in England’s second division.
But perhaps the bigger challenger to Steffen’s post is Turner, the New England Revolution’s ace shot stopper who played every minute of the USMNT’s Gold Cup win. Turner did not allow a single open play goal, only being beaten on a penalty kick while the team was still in the midst of group play, and backed up his reputation as being the best pure shot-stopper that MLS has ever produced by being named the tournament’s best goalkeeper. As the Gold Cup went on, the alleged biggest knock against him — his distribution — did not seem to be as big of a question. And unlike Steffen (who is stuck behind Ederson, among the best goalkeepers in the world, and only plays in cup competitions) and Horvath (still getting settled in England), Turner plays every single week.
Basically, Berhalter is incapable of making a bad choice with the options at his disposal. The question now is whether one of these three are able to establish themselves as the clear-cut No. 1 before the next World Cup Qualifying window in October. Even if no one does, there’s plenty of time to get this all sorted out.
Miles Robinson
The man whose extra time goal sealed the Americans’ victory over Mexico in the Gold Cup, Robinson is a name that USMNT fans have been waiting to see for quite some time. There may not be a better 1 v. 1 defender in the entire player pool than the 24 year old Atlanta United standout, whose ability to sense danger and clean up messes was on full display during his first tournament with the national team last month.
We know that Wolfsburg’s John Brooks, should he remain healthy (a gigantic if for the German-American defender), likely has his name written in ink as Berhalter figures out his best XI. The most pressing question is who starts alongside him. There are a handful of interesting options — Bayern Munich’s Chris Richards (not on this roster) is atop that list if he gets his club situation all sorted out and lives up to his considerable potential, while roster inclusions like Mark McKenzie, Tim Ream, James Sands, and Walker Zimmerman all seem to have Berhalter’s trust to some extent.
But in terms of a guy next to Brooks — an elegant center half whose ability to pick a pass is, for my money, second to none among players in the pool right now — Robinson’s ability to respond to fires before they ever begin smoldering and put them out very well might be the best fit. Should Berhalter opt for that pairing at any point in this window, Robinson will have one heck of an opportunity to grab that spot by the horns and run with it.
Kellyn Acosta
Acosta is easily the most established guy on this list, he’s just here for the simple reason that he has been magnificent for the Americans all summer. One of the few inclusions in both tournaments, Acosta did a job in the Nations League final in the midfield and, eventually, at fullback, then was a colossus in the Gold Cup final, dominating the midfield defensively and picking pass after pass to open up the American attack. Only Christian Pulisic has more goodwill with USMNT fans among still-active players who took the pitch on that fateful night in Trinidad and Tobago back in 2017 than the Colorado Rapids’ man does right now, largely because of what Acosta did this summer.
Unless Berhalter opts to play Borussia Dortmund’s Gio Reyna in the midfield (and I doubt it, as he’s listed as a winger on this roster) or rides with LA Galaxy talisman Sebastian Lletget (one of his favorites and someone who has performed well when asked to be a role player and not the straw that stirs the drink for the U.S.), the thought of an Acosta-Tyler Adams-Weston McKennie midfield might be too fun of an opportunity to pass up. All three have some amount of positional versatility — each of them can play as a traditional central midfielder, while McKennie is capable enough of pushing forward and Acosta/Adams are adept at being in a more holding role.
Ultimately, the fascination I have with Acosta comes from whether or not he plays alongside Adams and McKennie — both of whom are pretty close to being locked-on starters in every big match for the next 16 months — or in a role where he backs up one or both of them. If he starts, that might be an indication that this is the first-choice midfield for now. If not, Acosta as a Swiss army knife-type of player is one heck of an option.
Konrad de la Fuente
Let’s get saucy. There might not be a player in the pool with a more fun highlight tape than de la Fuente, a 20-year-old Miami native who came up in Barcelona’s youth academy and moved to French side Marseilles this summer. The sample size couldn’t be much smaller, but de la Fuente looks like a potential nightmare on the wing, the kind of 1 v. 1 dribbler and chance creating monster who can unlock a defense with one moment of magic. Watch this assist:
It’s very, very, very early, but through the gigantic sample of two games, de la Fuente is tied for third in Ligue 1 in Goal Creating Actions. Keeping up that pace would obviously be a gigantic ask, but the good news is his game lends itself to being awfully productive whenever he takes the pitch — his ability with the ball at his feet is real. How he holds up in CONCACAF play will be interesting to watch.
The big thing with de la Fuente is that Pulisic, the team’s obvious first-choice left winger, contracted COVID last week and is in isolation. While he was vaccinated and said he wasn’t exhibiting symptoms, it is unclear when he’ll be able to join the national team. For what it’s worth, he seems confident he’ll be able to join the team in Nashville for the Canada match, but if he’s not fit (Berhalter said he’s day-to-day) and there are minutes to be had, de la Fuente brings the kind of game-breaking dribbling that the team might lack without the Chelsea star. If he plays and plays a ton, he has the potential to be a striker’s best friend, and on that note…
Ricardo Pepi
Meet the biggest inclusion on the roster. Pepi is a Mexican-American dual-national that both El Tri and the USMNT were pushing really, really hard to land. One of the most promising No. 9 prospects in North America for some time, the 18-year-old FC Dallas standout’s nine goals are tied for the seventh-most in MLS this year. No other teenager in the league has more than four. There are plenty of things that a striker can be asked to do — drop into the midfield, link up play, spray passes to wingers, hold up play, press when the other team has possession, etc. — but at the end of the day, the name of the goal is taking your feet or head or whatever else and putting the ball in the back of the net. Pepi is not purely a poacher, but he is very good at finishing chances.
A player who, it has been speculated, could some day smash MLS’ transfer record whenever Dallas receives a suitable offer for his services, Pepi comes into the side at a time when the United States is still looking for a clear-cut answer up top. The two other strikers on this roster are Josh Sargent and Jordan Pefok, both of whom have gotten plenty of run for the national team in recent months and, in Sargent’s case, years. Perhaps Pepi’s in as a result of other options, like Daryl Dike and Gyasi Zardes, being sidelined due to injury, and maybe he only gets run out there as a substitute (if even that). But if he plays, either as a substitute or by getting a start, and the opportunity to open his national team account arises, don’t be surprised if he takes advantage.
He can still theoretically file a one-time switch to play for Mexico due to a recent rule switch from FIFA that gives a little more flexibility to young players to figure out what is best for them. But he seems like he’s made up his mind, telling FCDallas.com, “I said that when I made this decision it would be with the heart. It’s been made with the heart. If I put that jersey on, I am fighting for it until I can’t fight anymore. So yes, I am ready to play.”
Most reboots of old shows and movies are not good. I will not list them all, because there’s so many, but here’s one: Mad About You, NBC’s Emmy-winning 1990s hit sitcom, was resurrected by Spectrum Originals for one forgotten season. The only positive thing to come from it is that Richard Kind got paid. But every so often, a good reboot will slip through cracks — even rarer is the great reboot. Cobra Kai is a great reboot.
Co-creator and showrunner Hayden Schlossberg spoke to the Hollywood Reporter about how the Netflix series inspired by The Karate Kid franchise turned into one of the best shows on TV. “Ever since Cobra Kai premiered in 2018,” he wrote. “I have heard some version of the following: ‘I can’t believe how much I loved your show, because whenever Hollywood attempts to bring back a classic movie franchise, it almost never works out.’ Well, my co-creators Jon Hurwitz, Josh Heald, and I completely understand where that sentiment comes from.” Schlossberg then shared tips on how to make a great reboot:
DO treat the original franchise with reverence
But…
DON’T be afraid to make big changes
He also suggested, “DON’T assume your audience is going to stick around until the end” and, “DON’T argue with the fans,” which is good advice for most situations.
The WNBA has increasingly become known for its players organizing and advocating for social issues they believe in. That work would not exist if not for a powerful and united union that stands behind the players when they take a stand. The league has gained notoriety in recent years for its ability to sway political races or set the standard for athlete activism, but its focus has long been at the community level.
Around the league, players are attuned to the needs and struggles of the cities where they reside. As the players’ association, led by president Nneka Ogwumike and executive director Terri Jackson, built a reputation as a group that could negotiate better working conditions and compensation for its athletes in addition to providing them support in their off-court work, it did so by going local.
This is not something sports unions typically do. The word “community” is only found once on the NFLPA website. It is not found until the last paragraph of the NBPA’s “About” page. The MLBPA page makes no mention of local initiatives in its mission. Even in an era in which athlete activism is common and players are increasingly empowered to stand for something outside of sports, the WNBPA is unique in the way it seeks out ways to identify and invest in issues and movements that its players care about.
One of the early moments that put the WNBPA on the map as a force for social change alongside its players was in 2016, when the players of the Minnesota Lynx staged a protest at their home arena following the death of Philando Castile in the Twin Cities area and others around the country. The team’s four stars donned matching shirts with the phrases “Change Starts With US” and “Black Lives Matter.” In response, four off-duty officers providing security for the game left the premises and quit working Lynx games.
Other teams around the league followed Minnesota’s lead and all were eventually fined by the WNBA league office. That’s when the union got involved. They negotiated behind the scenes with the league and then-president Lisa Borders to protect the players and get the fines rescinded.
“The players’ desire to express themselves will continue to be supported,” Jackson said at the time.
Just like that, the local became national and led to change for all WNBA players. The same process played out last year as Atlanta Dream players waged a behind-the-scenes battle with former owner Kelly Loeffler, who also was in the middle of a re-election campaign for the U.S. Senate. While the country spun during a summer of social uprising, Loeffler turned the efforts of the team she owned into a political wedge issue, publicly decrying their support of the Black Lives Matter movement.
When it came time for organizing and strategizing how to take the fight to Loeffler more publicly, the WNBPA again helped its players be successful in its local community. As the league was gathered in its south Florida Bubble last summer, Dream center and WNBPA secretary Elizabeth Williams, along with WNBPA vice president Sue Bird, helped vet Loeffler’s opponent, Rev. Rafael Warnock, and made plans to support him. Then, union leadership presented their thoughts to Dream players and formulated a plan to have the league wear “Vote Warnock” shirts on nationally televised games and throw their support behind Warnock in the Georgia Senate race. It worked, big time.
Last year proved the might of the WNBPA and what is possible when the union meets its players where they are. It was a condition of the players that the league support their social justice efforts if the 2020 season were to happen, and by negotiating hard on those details, the union was able to affirm that any demonstrations, statements, or actions would not be punished by the league. No other union has ever negotiated such parameters with its league.
As the 2021 season enters the stretch run, the WNBPA is doing even more. The union recently partnered with Amalgamated Bank, making it the players’ Official Social Responsibility Partner. As part of the agreement, Bird, Williams, and Natasha Cloud created a video series called “Shoutouts” in which each player is able to highlight the local organizations they partner with for social change. The deal also included the formation of the WNBA Social Impact Fund, and the initial slate of donation recipients featured a nod to the role Georgia — and the Dream — played in the league’s achievements in 2020 with a donation to the New Georgia Project.
Throughout the year, the union has done community outreach on vaccination, seeking out Black communities in team cities to inform and educate people about the COVID-19 vaccine. The union proudly announced earlier this summer that 99 percent of players have been vaccinated, proving that what the players do, they do together.
Last year, Ogwumike told SI “our movement has found its moment, and we’ve capitalized on that moment.” Seemingly small gestures of support to teams’ and players’ work in their smaller communities is a quieter part of what the WNBPA does, but it is integral to generating support around the union’s efforts and getting the players to move as one.
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squad that will open the 2022 
