Culture

The WNBA’s Most Overlooked Influencers Might Be Opening Packs of Cards

Berry Winn
I wasn't looking for a community. I was looking for WNBA cards. I had been watching the trajectory of women's basketball and believed the growth happening around the WNBA would eventually show up in the hobby. I've collected cards for a long time and love the hobby, so I wanted to see what was happening. I opened Whatnot, searched WNBA and started scrolling through breaks. I probably stopped in six
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WHAT SHOULD WE OWN NEXT?

Berry Winn
How being a girl dad, running a youth basketball program and becoming a sports owner changed the way I look at investing in women’s sports Earlier this week, I saw that Unrivaled had raised more than $100 million at a $650 million valuation. Less than a year earlier, it had been valued at $340 million. I didn’t look at that and think, damn, we missed it. My first thought was almost the
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Stop Building on Land You Don’t Own

Berry Winn
I’ve been doing this long enough to remember when brands were panicking because they didn’t have a MySpace strategy. In fact, we were working on brand strategies for MySpace when Facebook started taking off and suddenly everyone needed a Facebook strategy instead. Then it was Twitter. Then Instagram. Now it’s TikTok, and tomorrow it will be live selling or something we haven’t heard of yet. I’ve spent more than twenty
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There Is a Man Behind the Headlines

Berry Winn
I've always found it fascinating how confidently people judge someone they've never met. We live in a time where a few headlines, a handful of social media clips, and a couple of television segments are enough for people to believe they know someone's character. We don't just evaluate athletes anymore. We assign them an identity. We convince ourselves that a few public moments tell the complete story of a person's
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Why Paris Is Becoming the Center of Basketball’s Global Future

Trey Draper
Catch12, EuroStep, and the Levallois Metropolitans are positioning Paris at the center of basketball’s global future There is a shift happening in basketball, and it is accelerating. The game is no longer defined by borders. It is being shaped by culture, global visibility, and markets that can carry both history and future growth at the same time. Right now, Paris sits at the center of that convergence. Paris brings everything
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Gary Payton’s Legacy Still Sets the Standard for Defensive Guards

Brandon Wagner
Before defense became a stat category, Gary Payton made it an identity. He did not just guard opponents. He disrupted them mentally, physically, and rhythmically. What made Payton special was not only his quick hands or lateral movement. It was his commitment to defense as a craft. He studied tendencies, pressured ball handlers without fouling, and treated every possession like a personal challenge. That mindset still defines elite perimeter defense
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Pressure, Confidence, and the Job Most Sports Parents Miss

Berry Winn
I spend my time around elite youth basketball. High-level AAU. EYBL. College coaches. Real evaluation environments. Here’s the truth most parents do not want to hear: what separates kids is rarely another highlight reel. It is structure. And structure is the one thing parents actually control. Where Pressure Really Comes From Most parents think pressure comes from big moments. Games. Rankings. Camps. Offers. Social media. That is not where it
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Basketball Still Gives Kids Structure When Nothing Else Does

Berry Winn
When everything around a kid feels unstable, basketball still shows up on time. The gym opens. The ball bounces the same way. The lines on the court do not move. That consistency matters more than people realize, especially for kids who do not have much structure anywhere else. I have watched basketball give kids direction when school felt shaky, home felt uncertain, and confidence felt borrowed. The game teaches accountability
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The AAU Calendar Is Longer Than Ever and Families Are Feeling It

Tyrell Reed
The youth basketball calendar has quietly stretched beyond what most families expected. Tournaments stack on weekends. Travel overlaps school schedules. Recovery time disappears. What used to be seasonal now feels constant. From a business standpoint, the expansion makes sense. More events mean more revenue and more exposure. But the cost is shifting toward families. Time, money, and energy are being spent at a pace that forces hard decisions. Not every
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