Fanbase: Sharks In The Street
On media myths, Ina Garten, and Taylor Swift's return to football
Welcome to Fanbase! A weekly newsletter covering sports, pop culture, and the internet, written by a professional with nearly a decade of experience working across all the above, who also happens to be a lifelong fan.
I’m Erin, and this is my newsletter!
The Sports Section
Quick hits since it is the busiest time of the year in the world of sports!
After blowing an 18 point lead in Game 1 and staving off yet another miraculous Minnesota comeback, the New York Liberty have tied up the series, beating the Lynx 80-66. For all that’s been said about this moment for women’s sports and the WNBA, the finals are absolutely delivering on the drama and excitement.
The New York Jets fired head coach Robert Saleh - a shocking move that the team had never made before (firing a coach midseason) - and while questions remain about how all of this went down and why, personally, I am hoping the Jets do not benefit from a new coach bump.
Seattle Kraken assistant coach Jessica Campbell made history on Tuesday and became the first female assistant coach in the National Hockey League. Someday, this will not be a newsmaking event, but until then, we will celebrate, because young girls everywhere who didn’t know this was an option for them until they saw Jessica behind the bench drawing up plays can now see a path for themselves - or imagine something greater.
Bye Week (Taylor’s Version)
We’re doing a supersized Taylor check in since last week’s edition of Fanbase did not include the Taylor Swift Sports Pain Index (SPI), as the Chiefs played on Monday night. But Taylor did indeed return to sports spectatorship in a decidedly Reputation coded plaid outfit:
More significant were Taylor’s face sparkles:
Not only did the face sparkles protect from any amount of sports pain - the Chiefs won 26-13 - they also gave folks yet another option for an Eras tour outfit and/or Halloween costume for 2024. So thank you, Taylor.
Taylor Swift Sports Pain Index Rating: -10,000 (all pain deflected by face glitter)
I don’t know if Taylor will ever experience sports pain. The Chiefs are going to win the AFC again despite not actually being the best team in the conference (that’s the Ravens!) and there’s simply nothing we can do about it.
It’s now the Chiefs’ bye week, meaning they don’t have a game, and Taylor was spotted out with Trav in New York this weekend:
Next week is one of the biggest tests for Kansas City: a Super Bowl rematch with the 49ers. Will this finally be a dose of sports pain for Taylor? As you can probably guess, I’m rooting for the Niners. (fun fact: the Niners have an emotional therapy French bulldog.)
Pop of Culture
You can’t spell inspiration without Ina!
On Wednesday night, I met my mom and sister (and one time proofreader/Fanbase content strategist) Shannon in Philadelphia for a delicious dinner at Laser Wolf followed by a talk given by Ina Garten (moderated by the great Laura Linney) about Ina’s memoir: Be Ready When the Luck Happens.
My mom is an Ina stan: she has a bunch of her cookbooks and has been a longtime and loyal Barefoot Contessa viewer. Shannon and I are also fans, but not in her target demographic.
Ina answered all of Laura Linney’s questions gamely, discussing everything from her purchasing the Barefoot Contessa store when she was 30 despite having no experience in food or business, to learning how to fly a plane just because she wanted to, to how to find your own Jeffrey (“Live a great life, and he’ll show up!”).
I’ve started listening to the audiobook version of the memoir and I’m having a great time. Ina’s voice is so soothing, and I find her life so interesting! She’s had so many chapters and twists and turns, and so much of her success came after she turned 30. She also just does things the way she wants to do them, and referred to going through life as “jumping off a cliff and teaching myself how to fly.” I’ve long held a life motto of sorts - I’ll regret not doing something more than I’ll regret doing something - and I admire Ina’s bravery and “do, then think” mentality (as a lifelong overthinker). I also made homemade stock this weekend in her honor.
Because although we know store bought is fine - there’s nothing quite like homemade.
I’m Too Online
Media literacy and hurricane myths
Hurricane Milton made landfall in Florida earlier this week, just days after Hurricane Helene ravaged North Carolina and much of the American South. As we’ve been seeing and experiencing, climate disasters (read: there’s no such thing as a natural disaster) are getting worse, and very likely to continue to get worse. Here’s how you can help those who need it in affected areas.
Something that struck me as Milton approached was the presence of social media and how we documented the storm. Folks were broadcasting on TikTok, influencer and scammer Caroline Calloway was tweeting and posting on Instagram and doing interviews with New York Magazine, and information was getting out any way it could. I read this piece in Wired about how dystopian this feels - watching the storm play out on social media in real time. As we’ve seen on social media, following events as they happen can lead to misinformation, but it can also provide moments of shocking truth.
Social media was still in its infancy during Hurricane Katrina in 2005, and we relied on the reporting apparatuses of traditional media, which also purported a number of myths surrounding the devastation. I took in class in college about media myths, a hotly contested issue these days, but I was reminded of some of the same old stories that circulate in moments of crisis, especially hurricanes: There are sharks swimming down the street. There’s widespread violent crime. There are scammers pretending to be charities or aid workers. Then, there were the myths unique to Katrina: an active shooter and gang rapes in the Superdome, bodies piling up in the convention center, the city is actually better now than it was before Katrina.
As stories continue to surface about Milton and its impact, I implore everyone to be wary of what you read on the internet, double check your sources, and think critically about what exactly you’re consuming when it comes to news and information. This is a plea I’m making now, but it’s relevant always, and not limited to moments around tragedy. Media literacy is dying thanks to our ever splintering echo chambers, and it’s moments like these where we all need to be a little more vigilant. And, maybe we should be implementing media literacy classes in American high schools, like, ASAP.
That’s it from Fanbase this week! If you enjoyed reading this newsletter, why not share this with a friend?