ANY sincere fan will at times display what may seem like an inordinate amount of emotional attachment and angst over their favorite sports celebrities. But that’s the point — sports celebrity involvement sparks interest and excitement, which boosts viewership and ticket sales. From megastars of music, film or television spotted in the stands to athlete-designed fashion collaborations to yelling at the ref and mourning Brangelina, these celebrity connections bring sports to the masses by tapping into the pop culture landscape. But there’s a fine line between entertainment and responsibly consuming the churn of sports celebrity gossip by prioritizing more substantial issues and fostering a critical mindset.
This week, we’ve got the latest on a former WWE superstar and her Coldplay cheating drama, WNBA star Suni Lee and NBA player boyfriend OG Anunoby make their relationship official and a teen powerlifter obliterates a world record that has the athletics community losing its mind. Plus, Patrick Mahomes opens up about his father’s 2024 DWI arrest, Taylor Swift takes extreme measures to protect her 12th album from leaks and a community football coach is sacked for making a crude comment about Tammy Hembrow.
As if the soccer world doesn’t already feel like it’s a little too American, the best player of all time rolls up to America’s finest grocery store in Miami wearing slides with his family and buys some cereal. And TMZ Sports has the photos.