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The Sports Issue

With actors buying teams and athletes becoming studios, the line between sports and entertainment has never been blurrier. THR has partnered with Sportico for a special issue examining the growing overlap — from the new rules of styling sports gods to the turf wars over ownership and influence.  We’re also launching Game Recognize Game, a conversation series uniting the biggest names in Hollywood with the athletic stars they admire most. These worlds are colliding — we’re covering the impact.

With actors buying teams and athletes becoming studios, the line between sports and entertainment has never been blurrier. THR has partnered with Sportico for a special issue examining the growing overlap — from the new rules of styling sports gods to the turf wars over ownership and influence.  We’re also launching Game Recognize Game, a conversation series uniting the biggest names in Hollywood with the athletic stars they admire most. These worlds are colliding — we’re covering the impact.

edited by david katz and tom lowry • art direction by nicholas brawley • digital production by Alex Vasquez
creative director Ada Guerin

Table of Contents

THR’s Game Recognize Game

Athletes Are the New Studio

Padel Spanks Pickleball

WAG Sunday!

Fanatics Comes for Hollywood

Sports Has a Gambling Problem

The Battle to Become the World’s Sports Capital

Styling Giants: Secrets of Athlete Stylists

What Happened to the Esports Boom?

The 10 Greatest Sports TV Shows of All Time

Will AI Replace Your Favorite Announcer?

What happens when Hollywood stars finally come face-to-face with the athletes they admire most? Heavyweights from both worlds get candid about ambition, pressure, ego — and the price of staying on top.

What happens when Hollywood stars finally come face-to-face with the athletes they admire most? Heavyweights from both worlds get candid about ambition, pressure, ego — and the price of staying on top.

Mahershala Ali +
Jaylen Brown

The Oscar winner opens up to an NBA champion

Belmont Cameli +
Macklin Celebrini

The Off Campus sensation meets the NHL phenom

Mahershala Ali +
Jaylen Brown

The Oscar winner opens up to an NBA champion

Belmont Cameli +
Macklin Celebrini

The Off Campus sensation meets the NHL phenom

Watch the videos: Game Recognize Game

  • The Next Flex

    The Athlete Is the Studio

    Forget brand deals. Coco Gauff joins LeBron James, Tom Brady and a generation of athletes building production companies and media empires. But in today’s Hollywood, star power only gets you so far.

    Forget brand deals. Coco Gauff joins LeBron James, Tom Brady and a generation of athletes building production companies and media empires. But in today’s Hollywood, star power only gets you so far.

    By Justin Birnbaum Illustration by LÆMEUR

    → Read More

  • WAGs on the Rise: The Real Housewives of the NFL Build Content Empires

    Beneath the A-list tier of famous football wives and girlfriends — your Taylor Swifts and Simone Bileses — is a class of social-savvy consorts rivaling their partners’ fame and fortune, and fighting the haters.

    Beneath the A-list tier of famous football wives and girlfriends — your Taylor Swifts and Simone Bileses — is a class of social-savvy consorts rivaling their partners’ fame and fortune, and fighting the haters.

    BY Carly Thomas

    → Read More

  • Gaming Gate

    The Bet That Could Break Sports

    If the outcomes of games are called into question, the whole system falls apart: “The nightmare scenario for the leagues is that people see professional sports as professional wrestling.”

    If the outcomes of games are called into question, the whole system falls apart: “The nightmare scenario for the leagues is that people see professional sports as professional wrestling.”

    By Andrew Zucker

    → Read More

  • Data Dive

    The $100 Billion Race to Build the World’s Next Sports Mecca

    Stadiums are only the start. From Vegas to Riyadh, cities are making huge bets on mixed-use developments, mega-events and superstar athletes in a bid to lure tourists, investment and cultural clout.

    Stadiums are only the start. From Vegas to Riyadh, cities are making huge bets on mixed-use developments, mega-events and superstar athletes in a bid to lure tourists, investment and cultural clout.

    By Lev Akabas

    → Read More

  • Geek Squads

    Esports Was Supposed to Be Bigger Than the NBA. What Happened?

    Competitions and live tournaments can still draw huge audiences — and pay out millions in prizes — but the crazy valuations and non-stop media hype now seem more like COVID-induced delusion.

    Competitions and live tournaments can still draw huge audiences — and pay out millions in prizes — but the crazy valuations and non-stop media hype now seem more like COVID-induced delusion.

    By Tony Maglio

    → Read More

  • For the Win

    The 10 Greatest Sports TV Shows of All Time, Ranked

    From a gloriously acted female wrestling comedy to a seminal late-’70s basketball drama to an undeniably “correct” No. 1 choice, THR’s TV critics select their favorites from the genre.

    From a gloriously acted female wrestling comedy to a seminal late-’70s basketball drama to an undeniably “correct” No. 1 choice, THR’s TV critics select their favorites from the genre.

    By Daniel Fienberg and Angie Han

    → Read More

  • Artificial Turf

    AI Is Bringing Broadcasters Back From the Dead — and Creating New Ones

    Sports is hailed as a safe haven from AI, but sportscasting is going all in on the tech, from lightning-fast analytics to broadcasts tailored to your every whim. Are fans ready for Bot Costas?

    Sports is hailed as a safe haven from AI, but sportscasting is going all in on the tech, from lightning-fast analytics to broadcasts tailored to your every whim. Are fans ready for Bot Costas?

    By Jacob Feldman llustration by LÆMEUR

    → Read More

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