Pop Plays: The Intersection of Sports and Culture in 2025
Issue 6: Absolute May&June Mayhem
What if I told you I’m back? Hi friends, did y’all miss me?! We had a good run of March with double features, and then when mid-April came things got a little wild. And that has everything to do with my personal life and not so much the pop culture and sports world. Although I guess the NBA and NHL playoffs were exciting then too. Anyways, my new job(s) really ramped up in mid-April and throughout May/June so the newsletter sadly fell to the wayside. But now, I am back on my multitasking and am feeling good heading back into biweekly issues. So here’s the plan: This newsletter is going to be a quicker rundown of everything exciting that happened in the world of sports and pop culture in the months of May and June. The discussion may be more stream-lined, but I’ll include some links if you want to read further about anything that interests you. And OF COURSE we need to talk about the Taylor Swift news to end all Taylor Swift news. And Tight End University too; whew a lot to cover!
Pop Culture
MET Gala Monday
We’re rewinding things all the way back to MET Gala Monday! I know feels like a lifetime ago right? While I am the furthest thing from a fashion expert, I enjoy observing all the looks from the comfort of my bed and sweatpants just like the masses. Some of my favs from the night included Zendaya, Sabrina Carpenter, Laura Harrier (my top of the night), and Diana Ross. Here’s a complete recap of all the looks if you want to revisit it.
And because we’re all about the pop-culture and sports intersection, check out below for some recognizable faces from the NFL who were in attendance. This includes my own quarterback, still not used saying it, Russell Wilson and the beautiful Ciara. Newlyweds Jalen Hurts and Bry Burrows did look amazing too.
Concert Chaos: Cowboy Carter, Gaga
Summer concerts are so back! While it definitely does not feel the same without our precious Eras Tour, there have been some awesome shows that have already taken place in the summer of 2025.
Lady Gaga Makes History In Brazil
Rewinding back to May 3rd, Lady Gaga set the record for the largest audience ever for a female solo artist with 2-2.5 MILLION people in attendance. This took place at Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro. And all the videos and pictures from this night were something else. Needless to say, The Mayhem Ball is going to be a treat when it officially kicks off July 16th.
Cowboy Carter Takeover
Beyonce is on the road again! That’s right, the Cowboy Carter tour has been traveling around select cities since the beginning of the summer and it is full of cute moments, impressive sets, and beautiful costumes. It has been really intriguing to see Beyonce’s approach to handling these dates kind of like mini residencies, doing several shows in a set number of cities. I do wonder if it’s the touring style of the future for bigger artists.
I can truly go on and on about this tour, but I’ll shout out my favorite moments being Beyonce’s older daughter Blue continuing to rock the stage with her mom and Beyonce’s youngest daughter Rumi making her stage debut on this tour. The Carter women all on stage together during the “Protector” performance gets me every time.
Beyonce also had some fun surprises lined up during her Paris stops. Bringing both Miley Cyrus and her hubby Jay-Z on stage, it is clear Beyonce had a favorite city. I guess Houston kind of sabotaged itself by someone royally screwing up and having Beyonce’s flying car go completely lopsided when she was performing. Just look at how terrifying this is; my fear of heights could NEVER and she handled it like a pro!
NFL Wedding Season: Josh Allen&Hailee Steinfeld, The Loves, And More
Wedding season is in full swing for the masses, but especially for NFL players and their significant others before their off-season training kicks into high-drive. So let’s do a quick rundown of notable faces who got married in May and June. The beautiful California wedding between Josh Allen and Hailee Steinfeld probably being the one that made the most waves, with the Daily Mail unfortunately crashing the event for pap pictures. I’m happy though that Josh and Hailee got to share some of their own pictures through her newsletter the Beau Society along with some details.
Some other recognizable names who tied the knot include 2nd overall draft pick Travis Hunter and his fiance along with Jordan Love and his fiance. The incredible puns that probably went down at that Love celebration (lol see the vision?). Oh and apparently, Aaron Rodgers got married but we have yet to see his wife accompany him on his beach strolls.
And yes, putting this under pop culture instead of sports because well there’s already like 8 topics to cover.
Sports
NFL
Football Schedule Reveal
In what is very old news by now, the NFL schedule has been released!! The season will be kicking off with the Eagles vs the Cowboys on Thursday Night Football on September 4th. Other notable week 1 matchups include the Chiefs opening the season against the Chargers in Brazil and Aaron Rodgers taking on his former team while Justin Fields does the same (spoiler alert for below). There also will be games taking place in Dublin and Madrid this season expanding the international schedule. And yes there will be more holidays game too, with the Chiefs playing on both Thanksgiving and Christmas which is so rude. Here’s the entire schedule if you want to check it out yourself.
Trade/Free Agency News
While free agency has certainly been less frenzied than that initial March period, some big moves have certainly occurred in these past 2 months. The biggest moves being George Pickens heading to the Cowboys and Aaron Rodgers finally ending the hold-up of announcing his return to the NFL with the Pittsburgh Steelers. So yeah, two teams who will continue to remain mid. The Miami Dolphins also made the questionable decision to send CB Jalen Ramsey, TE Jonnu Smith, and a 2027 seventh-round pick to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Here’s the highlights by team if you want to check out what little moves I did not touch on.
Tush Push Verdict/Rule Changes
In some more old news, the tush push isn’t going anywhere. That’s right, the Eagles will continue to bore us on 4th and 1. Just kidding. The proposal to ban the tush push did not get enough votes to pass at the annual spring league meetings, much to the chagrin of the Packers who led this push in 2024 (see what I did there). Jason Kelce likely played a role in this when he showed up to speak to the tush push’s safety. And I will say when the man who was on the brunt of the play for years sticks up for it, yeah the decision to keep it was probably the right one.
Some other rule changes did pass however. The touchback spot will be the 35-yard line going forward and, to the satisfaction of everyone, both teams will get possession in all overtime. This is huge news being it was just in place for the postseason previously. Hopefully teams know these new overtime rules like they’re supposed to…I’m looking at you 49ers.
Tight End University
The star of the show…and sorry not sorry I’m saying this with the NHL and NBA finals also being a part of this newsletter. Tight End University 2025 really was one for the books. The summit is one that was founded by Travis Kelce, George Kittle, and Greg Olsen who are all tight ends respected in their own right. It brings together the top tight ends in professional football for a few days of training, networking, mentorship, and skill development in Nashville, Tennessee.
This year’s Tight End University had its own happiness and magic (IYKYK) thanks in large part to Taylor Swift’s unexpected appearance alongside Travis. While it’s not unusual to see significant others at TEU (Claire Kittle, George Kittle’s wife, even helps organize special events just for them), Taylor’s presence felt refreshingly down-to-earth. She blended in seamlessly, taking selfies with the fellow wives and girlfriends attending the summit. She hit Broadway singing and dancing to her own songs — just like so many of us have done — and it made her even more relatable. She even walked the TEU "red carpet" with Dude Wipes as a sponsor (like what timeline are we in?) and gave us some of the sweetest pictures ever. And of course, even gave us an epic surprise performance you can read more about below. It will just never get old seeing Taylor in her WAG/supportive girlfriend mode, doing all down-to-earth things with Travis by her side.
NBA
Playoffs
The NBA season from hell is officially over, and yes I say this as a very biased party who previously rooted for the Mavericks. While this season was full of a lot of disappointment for a lot of teams, it was truly magical to see the Indiana Pacers make their finals run. Sorry not sorry to my Knicks fans reading this, even though I think y’all would even agree.
Unfortunately, the Pacers did not get their Cinderella ending but they did get very damn close. The NBA Finals went all the way to Game 7, but ultimately ended with the Oklahoma City Thunder being crowned the champions. NBA Season MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was also crowned the Finals MVP. And wishing a very speedy recovery to emerging Pacers superstar Tyrese Haliburton, who unfortunately tore his Achilles in Game 7 giving it his all.
NHL
Playoffs
In contrast to the NBA Finals, the 2025 Stanley Cup was not nearly as fun. In a 2024 Stanley Cup rematch, the Florida Panthers faced the Edmonton Oilers. The difference was last year we got a fun 7 games where Edmonton marched all the way back from a 3-0 deficit even though Florida wound up getting the trophy.
This year, the Panthers secured back to back Cups in 6 games. I can say personally it was bittersweet seeing the Panthers pull off the victory, as a Bruins fan who does root for Brad Marchand’s happiness after he was traded there. Although it did feel kind of weird seeing the internet loving on him due to his parade antics, but whatever I am not gate-keeping.
And of course, we got a little fun and magic at the Stanley Cup, too– Taylor and Travis showed up for Game 4 in Florida. Just like her surprise appearance at Tight End University, there's something so genuinely sweet about seeing them at sporting events together, simply enjoying the moment like any other couple, even though we all know they’re anything but ordinary. It's just cool, plain and simple.
Taylor Talk
The Taylor News To End All Other Taylor News!!!
And finally the biggest news of all: TAYLOR ALISON SWIFT OFFICIALLY OWNS ALL HER MUSIC!!! This news really does warrant its own newsletter and maybe that special edition will be coming soon (hint, hint).
Taylor officially broke the news to us on May 30th in a personally penned letter uploaded to her website. This was after weeks of headlines which hinted at a deal being done to potentially sell off Taylor’s masters, which I’m sure a lot of swifties like myself just brushed off as total BS. But long story short (IYKYK), Taylor paid around $360 million to own the rights to all of her art. These rights extend far past her brilliant music; the rights include her music videos, her photoshoots, her concert films all shot over the years.
This truly is an emotional time to be a swiftie in the best of ways. While it has been incredible to see the fanbase stand behind Taylor and support all of her Taylor’s versions, this truly feels like the most poetic ending. In a selfish way, of course it feels amazing to now be able to stream every Taylor song knowing it is supporting her. But beyond this, Taylor’s fight to own her work and fight back against the industry paved the way for so many artists that come after her. And I just think it’s so beautiful knowing we are supporting such an incredible light in the industry. And more magical is the fact that we all participated in the success of the Eras tour, which celebrated Taylor’s career and ultimately gave Taylor the funds necessary to buy her art back. So truly long live the magic of swifties and long live Taylor’s music.
TEU Performance
Highlighting the magic of Taylor’s spontaneous TEU performance really does go hand-in-hand with Taylor reclaiming her entire discography. And to rewind back for a second to set the scene, Tight Ends And Friends has become an annual tradition to close out Tight End University in Nashville. It typically includes performances from popular country artists such as Jelly Roll last year and Jordan Davis this year. While it serves as a fun event for NFL tight ends who attend the summit and their significant others, there also are tickets available for purchase for very affordable prices with the money directly going to the charitable mission of TEU.
Of course, those affordable prices will likely cease to exist with the 2025 surprise performance that broke the internet. Taylor Alison Swift graced the stage with an impromptu performance of Shake It Off alongside Kane Brown and the band. Of course, Taylor’s first performance post-Eras was going to make waves but couple that with the fact that she just decided to borrow Chase Rice’s guitar and write down the musical notes for a band who was not hers at a small Nashville venue??? On top of the fact that a small Nashville venue is also where she started her career all those years ago??? It truly was such a beautiful, full-circle moment. And wow the swifties in the crowd truly got the treat of their lives because let me tell you the price I would pay to see Taylor in that intimate setting would FAR exceed the $60 ticket they purchased. And of course self-proclaimed #1 swiftie Travis was right there supporting Taylor as she shocked the world. It is an amazing time to be a swiftie what can ya say?!
Taylor Visits Tampa Children’s Hospital
Taylor continued her June travels with a heartfelt stop in Florida, visiting the Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital just one day after attending the Stanley Cup Final with Travis. With permission from families, touching photos and videos from the visit were shared—moments that are sure to make your heart swell.
While this isn’t the first time Taylor has visited a children’s hospital, each appearance continues to highlight her warmth and authenticity. Families shared that she took time to personally introduce herself to every patient, staff member, and loved one—often even FaceTiming family members who couldn’t be there in person.
Dr. Jill Whitehouse, the hospital’s Chief of Surgery, summed it up beautifully in her Instagram caption:
“Chief of Surgery meets Chief of the World! Undeniably one of the kindest human beings I have ever had the privilege of meeting. Thank you #taylorswift for making dreams come true for all of our patients, families, and staff today!” — @jillywhitehouse
Truly, again, it’s an amazing time to be a swiftie.
Nutrition Nuggets
For this issue’s Nutrition Nugget, I wanted to take a moment to spotlight an incredible company I’ve been working with—one that’s been keeping me joyfully busy (and admittedly caused a slight delay in this newsletter). But for good reason!
Nourish is a fantastic platform that connects you with a registered dietitian—often covered by insurance more than 90% of the time. It’s a game-changer for accessible, personalized nutrition care. You can explore the platform here and browse the amazing team of dietitians available. And who knows—if I’m licensed in your state, we might even get to work together! :)