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Arnold Schwarzenegger is a badass in the movies, but he’s increasingly building a reputation as a heroic “action star” in real life. Only, instead of dropping ungodly amounts of fake bullets into his enemies, Schwarzenegger has been dropping rhetorical bombs against his political opponents while building intellectual and emotional bridges to those who disagree with him but still have open hearts and minds.

The most recent example found Arnold responding to a comment someone made on Facebook. On the surface, that may sound like just about the least unique or original jumping off point for a story.

But so far as Arnold’s “critic” goes, I challenge you to find a better example of someone lashing out behind the safety of a keyboard. The anonymous commenter apparently doesn’t like Schwarzenegger chiming in on world events like the coronavirus or the president of Donald Trump, telling the former California governor: “Stick to lifting and making movies … Snowflake is a title you do not want.”

Now, there are all kinds of ways an 8-time Mr. Universe could respond to being called a “snowflake.” Simply put, Arnold’s response is brilliant, taking an attempt to go negative and reminding everyone of the power of positive, constructive political dialogue:

“I never mind picking up new titles. Mr. Universe, Mr. Olympia, Terminator, Governor… If you want to call me Snowflake, that’s fine – it would have been a fantastic Mr. Freeze line. But let me give you some advice. If you’re going to call someone a snowflake because they believe in a different policy than you, you might want to look in the mirror. When you see an idea you disagree with, you can get angry, or you can learn. I’d recommend you research and learn and grow. You can still disagree – that’s the best part about being American! But at least you can disagree with evidence and analysis. We can all be better if we don’t simply react. Pause, reflect, learn, and then decide if you still want to call someone a Snowflake. Good luck with everything.”

Oftentimes, the most powerful statements are simple, emotionally evocative and built around an airtight argument Honestly, it doesn’t matter what your politics, religion, values or agenda is, Arnold’s thinking applies to them all. When we believe in our ideas and have truly examined them, including our own motivations for latching on to them, we should be willing to engage in dialogue with those who have different points of view After all, our beliefs are not contingent on their support. And each party might just learn something along the way by talking it out … and listening.

Of course, this isn’t Arnold’s first rodeo in the “doing good” space of social media.

He has been trying to make a difference on social media like talking about the importance of wearing a mask since March when the coronavirus lockdown went into effect across most parts of the country.

He also responded to a fan who contacted him about being depressed, and had some wise words about why mental health trumps any flexing from time at the gym.

What Arnold is proving is that it is vital to think before we speak. Try to be informed about your opinions. When someone disagrees, try to see if they might have a point. Don’t try and be right. Try and get it right. That requires having an open mind. Whether you have believed something for five minutes or 40 years, it is important to be open to all ideas. This is how we grow.

He is also showing how to bring an errant and cavalier comment back down to earth rather than getting swept up in some frivolous emotional exchange. Arnold was the bigger person (I am assuming in more ways than one). And while he might not have changed the mind of the person he was responding to, if you read the comments, his words made an impact on others.

Walking the walk is contagious. It is much like that moment when you are behind a disadvantaged person in the checkout line at the grocery store, and they either forgot their wallet or can’t afford what they’re trying to buy but then someone steps up and offers to pay for them. You feel a little ashamed that you didn’t think of doing it first. The good news is that the next time that happens, you could be the one who steps forward and makes everyone in the line wish they had thought of it.

Another key lesson here is patience. Arnold didn’t take the bait. He didn’t give Mr. Keyboard Tough Guy the response he was hoping for, unless typing an insult to Arnold Schwarzenegger just made him feel empowered. And that would be sad, but I digress. Arnold is showing us the way we need to be communicating. It’s not rocket science but the basic tenets of civil discourse seem pretty rare these days, especially on social media.

The Internet is the ultimate marketplace of ideas. Instead of cancelling those we disagree with, maybe the best way forward is through open dialogue and transparency. The best ideas will win, the worst ideas will lose and everything in between can be discussed back and forth to find the best ideas from both sides. If that’s the role of Arnold’s third act in the public eye, we can’t wait for him to “be back” next time.

For the past few weeks, Tekashi 69 has been anticipating his freedom from house arrest. The Brooklyn rapper was released from jail back in April after a judge granted his request for an early release citing after Tekashi’s team expressed concerns over the rapper’s asthma and the coronavirus outbreak. After he was granted another request to begin shooting music videos in his backyard, Tekashi quickly got back to his troll ways with his first single, “Gooba.” The antics would continue with “Trollz,” which gave him first Billboard chart-topping single, and “Yaya.” Continuing to celebrate his newfound freedom, Tekashi returns once again with his new single, “Punani.”

The single arrives as the rapper is no longer on house arrest. Wasting no time in returning to the streets, “Punani” comes attached with a video that finds him happily and boldly walking the streets of Brooklyn supported by a huge entourage. Aiming to give off the look that they are untouchable, even more so thanks to Tekashi’s freedom, the video also presents Tekashi and his crew driving through the streets in Lamborghinis, sometimes with Tekashi sitting or standing on them as they speed through the city.

The new single arrives after Tekashi was reportedly seeking a court-ordered option that would allow him to see his 4-year-old daughter after it was reported back in January that his ex-girlfriend barred him from seeing his daughter due to safety concerns.

New York Mets outfielder Yoenis Céspedes gave baseball fans cause for concern on Sunday when it was reported the Mets didn’t know where he was. The result is the outfielder abruptly opting out of the 2020 season as Major League Baseball’s abbreviated 2020 campaign grew further in doubt on Sunday.

Reports circulated early Sunday that Céspedes didn’t report to the Mets and team officials didn’t know where he was. No reason was given for his absense, but many were worried to the extent that a Ken Rosenthal report made later in the day attempted first and foremost to clear the air and say that Céspedes was not in danger.

Later, Mets general manager Brodie Van Wagenen made it official and said Céspedes would not be back with the Mets in 2020.

It’s unclear why Céspedes had opted out initially, but Major League Baseball got more bad news on Sunday as more positive COVID-19 cases were reported in the St. Louis Cardinals organization. It’s the second major outbreak among MLB teams, as the Miami Marlins saw nearly half its active roster test positive, forcing a slew of postponed games and added measures to attempt to finish the season such as 7-inning doubleheaders later in the year.

As the NBA and WNBA have made their respective returns to the court in recent weeks, players have regularly used their interview and press conference time to continue shining a spotlight on issues of social justice and racism. Many are using their opening statements to continue calling for justice for Breonna Taylor, encourage people to vote, and more.

Coaches have gotten involved as well, and on Sunday one of the league’s most outspoken coaches over the years on issues of politics and social justice, Gregg Popovich, took his first question on Marco Belinelli’s status for their game against the Grizzlies and preceded his answer with a lengthy explanation of the deep-seeded history of voter suppression in the United States that targets the Black community and other minorities.

As Popovich notes, these are the types of history lessons that are rarely taught to Americans, as issues of voter suppression and racism are typically not focal points of American history courses. As such, Popovich feels that spotlighting these things are critical to making people confront how long this country has spent trying to disenfranchise Black and minority voters through things like literacy tests and poll taxes — with the modern day version happening in Florida right now with ex-felons being forced to pay all debts to the state before being allowed to vote.

As we move forward through sports restart, continuing to use these moments to keep the message about the importance of not stopping with the fight for justice at the forefront and using the time to present people with facts like these is a great way to utilize the platform they have and help disseminate information to people that might otherwise be unknown.

To the surprise of no one at all, Wiz Khalifa returned on 4/20 this year with his latest project, The Saga Of Wiz Khalifa. The project served as the follow-up to last year’s Fly Times, Vol.1: The Good Fly Young project. A highly-collaborative effort, The Saga Of Wiz Khalifa has Wiz working with the likes of Megan Thee Stallion, Qauvo, Mustard, Tyga, K Camp, and Logic. Giving his Mustard collaboration the full treatment, Wiz returns with the video for their “Bammer” track.

Posted by his house with his son Sebastian at the video’s start, Wiz Khalifa hits the road with the homies for his “Bammer” video. Dancing with his son and rolling one with his boys, Wiz opts for the good life when letting viewers know that he won’t accept any less than top quality when it comes to his greens. The visual also sees an appearance from fellow Taylor Gang member, Ty Dolla Sign.

In addition to the new music video, Wiz Khalifa also shared a new song in “Top Down.” The track, premiered exclusively by Datpiff, is produced by Harry Fraud and will appear on his upcoming mixtape, Big Pimpin. The song serves as his second release of the weekend, as he also joined Juicy J for “Gah Damn High.”

Wiz Khalifa is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Earlier this year, Young Dolph made the surprising announcement that he was retiring from the music world, opting to spend more time with his family. His time away from the game did not last long, however, as he returned with a new single shortly after the announcement. His return to music was also paired with an album announcement, one that he teased to release in March. The time came and went and the Paper Route rapper’s album was nowhere to be found. Back with another announcement, though, Dolph returns with an update on said album.

Sharing the album’s cover art on Instagram, Young Dolph revealed its title to be Rich Slave and gave it a release date of August 14, promising “something special for my fans.” The upcoming release would be his first since his 2019 joint album with Key Glock, Dum And Dummer. The album is also led by “Blue Diamonds” and his Megan Thee Stallion collaboration “RNB.”

In addition to the new album, Young Dolph announced he would be giving away his Lamborghini Aventador to a lucky fan in a separate Instagram post. “Last week i walked in the garage to get on my 4wheeler and i looked at my Lambo and said to myself ‘Dolph u should give someone your aventador and let them enjoy it, u not doin nothin wit it,’” the caption read. “So yea, now I’m about to give one of my fans my Lamborghini in the middle of a pandemic/recession.” To enter the giveaway, all fans must do is pre-order his upcoming Rich Slave album.

Rich Slave is out 08/14 via Paper Route / EMPIRE. Pre-order it here.

The NBA, to this point, has been able to successfully get its bubble season started and get consecutive weeks without any positive tests in Orlando. However, they know there is a long way to go and they must continue being diligent to ensure the safety of players, staff, hotel and arena staff, and the season.

As such, with some players allowing themselves to be maybe a bit too comfortable in the bubble and forgetting to abide by protocols, the league issued a memo to teams to remind them to tell players they need to continue following safety protocols, most notably wearing masks or face coverings when in public spaces in the bubble.

This has apparently become enough of an issue that the league also reminded teams of the various punishments players could face for not wearing a mask, and that repeat offenders risk fines, suspensions, or even outright removal from the bubble if they are non-compliant, per Marc Stein of the New York Times.

There has been a growing list of NBA players that have revealed themselves to be conspiracy theorists with regards to the COVID-19 pandemic, and while Adam Silver has deflected and said everyone is entitled to their opinion, he’s also made clear that to be a part of the league’s restart and bubble they must abide by the protocols put in place by health experts. As has been the issue around the country, the issue with being being violently against wearing a mask is that the mask is there to protect others, not one’s self, and by not wearing a mask they are impacting the health and well-being of those in their orbit who are trying to protect themselves and others.

Where states have had issues enforcing mask mandates, the NBA has a greater ability to do so in the bubble, and wants to remind players and teams of that. Hopefully this wakes players up and we see everyone, even those that take issue with masks, wearing them for the good of the league and, maybe more importantly to some, their wallets.

It would not be a stretch to label Big K.R.I.T. as one of hip-hop’s more overlooked and underrated rappers. The Mississippi native has plenty of achievements to be proud of including his 2011 XXL Freshman List inclusion, widely-celebrated albums and mixtapes, and success as an independent artist. Despite this, K.R.I.T. rarely receives his flowers from a mainstream point of view, something Waka Flocka Flame noticed and looked to correct on a recent episode of Drink Champs with DJ EFN and NORE.

“Yo K.R.I.T. is literally — of my generation — the most underrated rapper,” Waka Flocka said when the conversation turned to K.R.I.T. and his work. “And I’ma tell you, if I had to pick one artist to go against any artist, there’s not one n**ga in hip hop today that I can think about — young — that can out-rap Big K.R.I.T.” A bold statement, Waka Flocka would go on to explain his stance by drawing from the overall nature of K.R.I.T.’s catalog.

“With substance, title, understanding, a complete body of an album, K.R.I.T is the illest. Yo, if God asked me, ‘How do you wanna rap?’ I’d be like, ‘Let me rap like Big K.R.I.T. but put some entertainment, how to entertain with it.’ K.R.I.T. that n***a, yo. He one of the most powerful young n**gas, bro.”

Big K.R.I.T.’s last album arrived in 2019 with K.R.I.T. Iz Here, but he recently added his K.R.I.T. Wuz Here mixtape to streaming platforms with four new songs.

Across the country, college sports programs are trying to bring players back for workouts in hopes of finding a way to have a 2020 fall or winter season. Some have been able to successfully bring players back and create something akin to a bubble with no positive COVID-19 tests, but other programs have seen outbreaks that have led to the entirety of their athletics department having to shut things down and have everyone enter a quarantine period.

Conferences have steadily begun announcing plans to play conference-only schedules, recognizing some of the pitfalls of playing non-conference opponents given the NCAA’s lack of overall health and safety protocols leading to some large disparities between conferences — particularly smaller ones without the resources to do testing as regularly. Given the country’s lack of a federal response to the pandemic, it’s hard to see how a fall college football season happens, but everyone involved at a university level is determined to try because of the major financial implications of not playing football this year.

However, an unintended consequence of having to say the quiet part out loud — like Mike Gundy saying they have to play football in order to run money through the state of Oklahoma — is that coaches and administrators have now fully peeled back the facade of college sports and the farcical insistence on the “student first” student-athlete model. The players make millions for the universities and see almost nothing of that, and in this current climate, both with the pandemic and the rise in the fight for racial justice, many players are recognizing their power in the moment.

We’ve seen Iowa players get the highest paid strength coach in the country ousted for verbal abuse and racist language, Chuba Hubbard of Oklahoma State threaten to leave the program after Gundy wore an OAN shirt, and Marvin Wilson of Florida State demand some changes after Mike Norvell lied about having in depth conversations with all of his players. Players have long known and discussed these issues internally, but there seems to be a movement happening in which they are recognizing how to enact change — in part thanks to the platforms they have with social media now.

On Sunday, the latest example of this came from athletes in the Pac-12, who offered a list of demands before they are willing to return to the field or court this fall, calling for a more robust health plan, health insurance coverage for all athletes, compensation, and the Pac-12 to dedicate resources to combating racial injustice both within college sports programs and society as a whole, as laid out in a Players Tribune piece.

Their first demand is health and safety protocols, calling for the conference to, “Allow option not to play during the pandemic without losing athletics eligibility or spot on our team’s roster, and prohibit/void COVID-19 agreements that waive liability.” They also call for health and safety standards to be enforced by a “third party selected by the players.”

The second demand is to protect all sports, most notably pointing to Stanford shutting the door on 11 varsity sports due to the pandemic and calling on officials to use the university’s endowment to protect those sports. They also call on commissioner Larry Scott and school administrators to take voluntary reductions in pay that are “drastic” in order to help keep sports from being shuttered while they collect significant salaries, as well as an end to performance and academic bonuses for coaching contracts and ending “lavish facility expenditures,” which are used by athletic departments to spend profits and make balance sheets look lean.

The third demand is to “End racial injustice in college sports and society,” with calls to direct two percent of conference revenue to “support financial aid for low-income Black students, community initiatives, and development programs for college athletes on each campus.” They also demand a “civic engagement task force” to be created with the players input on members of the task force who will look to take on issues of racial injustice in college sports.

The final demand calls for compensation and medical protection for players, starting with a demand for medical insurance selected by players to cover athletes for sports-related medical condition (including COVID-19) for their careers and six years after their eligibility ends. They also call for the ability to sign with representation and seek opportunities with their name, image, and likeness, as well as distributing “50 percent of conference revenue evenly among athletes in their respective sports.” They also call for open transfer rules, ridding programs of any policies that impact their rights to free speech, and more.

Washington football linebacker Joe Tryon (last year’s team leader in sacks and tackles for loss) and receiver Ty Jones are among those players attached to the Players Tribune piece, and they both issued statements on Sunday.

Oregon star left tackle — and, potentially, the top pick in next year’s NFL Draft — likewise tweeted support of the call for change.

As did Cal’s leading returning rusher Kuony Deng.

We will learn fairly soon both how the Pac-12 responds to this and also how many players are attached to this letter — and how many in key revenue sports like football and basketball. Hopefully the united front is indeed just that and is strong, because given everything we’ve known about college sports for the last hundred-plus years is that they will do everything possible to shut down most all of these requests. What the Pac-12 is willing to budge on will be interesting, as will what players are willing or not willing to compromise on to return to their programs.

In total, this is just the latest in what feels like a movement towards players asserting their voices more and more in college sports, and, hopefully, signals the beginning of the end of college athletics incredibly exploitative history.

Beloved actor and TV pitch man Wilford Brimley died at age 85, leaving behind a career full of interesting roles and unforgettable commercials. Brimley, who for some will be remembered more as a spokesperson than an actor, died according to a report in Variety that noted he had a kidney issue over the last few months.

Brimley had a series of roles in a wide range of movies, from the manager of the Knights baseball team in The Natural to a notable role in Cocoon.

Pauline Kael ably summed up his appeal in a few words. Reviewing “Cocoon” for the New Yorker in 1985, she said, “Wilford Brimley, with his walrus mustache and friendly belly, brings an ornery impudence to his role.”

Brimley, who seemed to enter old age several decades ago, appeared perfectly at home in the Ron Howard-directed movie about senior citizens unintentionally rejuvenated by an alien life force in the pool where they do water aerobics even though he was only 51 at the time. Brimley’s Ben Luckett doing cannonballs in the pool is one of the most memorable moments in the film. Brimley returned for the 1988 sequel.

For a younger audience, however, Brimley was notorious as a spokesperson. He had a lengthy campaign with Quaker Oats, but also a diabetes-themed campaign for Liberty Medical Supplies, which often featured Brimley on a horse or in some kind of western wear talking about his diagnosis and testing supply needs.

The commercials that aired on daytime television made him synonymous with The Price Is Right and other game shows. John Goodman even played Brimley on a Saturday Night Live parody of his Liberty Medical Supplies commercials. He would later inspire this very weird Vine as well.

Brimley was also active on social media, right up until the end of his life. His last tweet was soliciting people to give him a wrestling name.