Peyton

[New York Magazine @NYMag]

‘Travel sports,’ a term that has come to encompass all sorts of private teams, leagues, and clubs, used to be for the truly exceptional young athlete. Now, they’re for anyone willing to pay — an expensive, exhausting commitment that has become popular not necessarily because millions of parents want them for their children but because it can feel like there’s no other choice. Rec programs are underfunded and struggle to compete with for-profit leagues for prime field, rink, and court times. And the level of play is diluted, often very early, as travel teams are incentivized to enroll children at young ages.

Around 5 million children in the U.S. now compete on travel teams. Parents find themselves trapped. They know the benefits of sports and want that for their children, yet giving it to them often means buying into a sports ecosystem that’s inherently flawed. As the pay-to-play model increasingly takes hold, so does the idea that kids should start competing at younger and younger ages, risking their sense of self along with their shoulders and ACLs.

“I never want my kids to look back and say I didn’t do everything I could to help them live their dreams,” a mother of three soccer players said. She’s hired professional photographers to take action shots for her 12- and 13-year-olds’ Instagram accounts — the platform has become a recruiting tool — and they’ve both asked her to pay for personal trainers.

“I think the word isn’t ‘specialize’; you are ‘professionalizing’ your kid early. You are exposing them to everything professionals have to deal with — I’m talking injury, time, schedule, everything,” said John Van Benschoten, a former MLB player and travel-baseball coach.

It makes one ask: All this for what? And for whom? Read Caitlin Moscatello’s cover story on how travel leagues have made youth sports more expensive, hypercompetitive, and all-consuming — and the investors who are making a killing: https://t.co/zHcKsPYfeC

[Pope Leo XIV @Pontifex]

When simulation becomes the norm, it weakens the human capacity for discernment. As a result, our social bonds close in upon themselves, forming self-referential circuits that no longer expose us to reality. We thus come to live within bubbles, impermeable to one another. Feeling threatened by anyone who is different, we grow unaccustomed to encounter and dialogue. In this way, polarization, conflict, fear and violence spread. What is at stake is not merely the risk of error, but a transformation in our very relationship with truth.

[Nick shirley @nickshirleyy]

California is trying to pass a bill that would criminalize investigative journalism with misdemeanors, $10,000 fines, imprisonment, and content takedown.

The proposed bill is titled AB 2624 and was made after I exposed mass fraud by immigrant groups in America.

Under AB 2624, government-funded entities like the Somali “Learing” Daycare centers would be protected from being exposed if they operated inside California.

The enemy truly is within. When our politicians would rather protect fraudsters and illegal migrants, it’s time for us to stand up or face mass oppression from the traitors who “rule” over us.

[Anna B 🇺🇸 @pnwmom91]

‘No Kings’ but let’s tax people for leaving because we refuse to admit our own failures as lawmakers. The irony is palpable.

[NBA Memes @NBAMemes]

*SGA-Wemby MVP debate*

Nikola Jokic:

[Peyton @RNOOPINION]

@LegionHoops Disappointing. Jokic is by far the best and most valuable player in the league. I find myself watching less games each year as the NBA continues to award the players ruining the integrity of the game and not the ones upholding it.

[Julian Dorey @juliandorey]

Edward Snowden has had to live in exile for 13 years because he exposed blatantly anti-constitutional breaches.

Lindsey Graham is prancing around washington dc today after committing TEXTBOOK treason to force a war.

cruel world.

[MP Arizona☀️🏳️‍🌈💙🌵🐕🐕‍🦺🫂💦🏜🐟🌴🎙🌎🌻♍️🌊 @AzPetrich]

Trump abandoning all Americans in every U.S. embassy is what Republicans called Benghazi....times 100.

[Dan Carlin @dccommonsense]

My stepfather always said "The elephant doesn't have to tell anyone he's big".

This guy needs therapy. Its embarrassing. Eisenhower's generation would laugh at him. This is like dialog from a terrible B movie script. Or a Roy Cohn tutorial.

[Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump]

Now that Obama’s poll numbers are in tailspin – watch for him to launch a strike in Libya or Iran. He is desperate.

[Peyton @RNOOPINION]

Awesome to see at least 1 tech company do the right thing over the most profitable. However, I do think this will be a home run for Anthropic as they are now the undisputed champion of American rights in the AI space.

[Anthropic @AnthropicAI]

A statement from Anthropic CEO, Dario Amodei, on our discussions with the Department of War.

https://t.co/rM77LJejuk

[Anthropic @AnthropicAI]

A statement from Anthropic CEO, Dario Amodei, on our discussions with the Department of War.

https://t.co/rM77LJejuk

[Peyton @RNOOPINION]

@unusual_whales Downloading & supportingAnthropic immediately. It’s great to see that at least 1 tech company has the wherewithal to stand up for our rights even when our own federal government is pressuring said company to grant them the ability for overreach and abuse of it’s own citizens.

[Peyton @RNOOPINION]

@NBAPR @NBA @okcthunder @nyknicks 🤡

[Peyton @RNOOPINION]

@BarstoolBigCat 🐐

[Scott Agness @ScottAgness]

These two next to the Pacers’ bench

[Peyton @RNOOPINION]

@NuggetsLead No. Trade MPJ… don’t know why we consider Braun. He can guard 1-3, shows up in big moments, tough player, unselfish and young.

[Peyton @RNOOPINION]

@SkyedOKC Agreed - Jokic is a clear MVP! Seeing how Jokic put up a regular season never seen before.

[Peyton @RNOOPINION]

@NBA Embarrassing… “Mr. whistle” strikes again. Seeing how last series they were legitimately hacking Jokic with no foul and now he runs into someone, clear push off and gets the call. Really makes the game hard to watch.