The Sports Hero Was Redefined on May 25

Physical greatness alone will never again suffice to anoint a hero. If you have trouble reading this message, view it in a browser.       The Sports Hero Was Redefined on May 25, 2020   Of late, Esquire Contributing Writer Mitchell S. Jackson has been wondering if physical greatness alone will ever again suffice to anoint a hero. As much as it hurts his younger self, the shut-up-and-dribble-jump-shoot-win-smile apolitical ethos of Michael Jordan—Jackson's personal GOAT— would rank him much lower were he playing today. Check it, the sports hero was redefined on May 25, 2020—the day Derek Chauvin neck-kneeled to death George Floyd on camera. Not only did Floyd's death catalyze the Black Lives Matter movement into the biggest global protest in the history of the world, it ushered into being a redefinition of American sports herohood. Bygone—the era where a sports hero is known most for his buzzer-beaters or bottom-of-the-ninth grand slams or Hail Mary miracles. The Floyd era is new in the challenge it presents for athletes to exceed measures of heroics now shifting quick fast alacritous—athletes risking COVID-19 infections to march in the early Floyd protests (shout to Steph Curry in Oakland, Damian Lillard in Portland, Malcolm Jenkins in Philadelphia, Deshaun Watson in Houston). To be vocal and active leaders in new ways. And to do it first. Read More           The New No Time to Die Trailer Hints at the Real Identity of Rami Malek's Villain   he second trailer for No Time to Die clearly marks out the landscape of the film. According to Madeleine (Lea Seydoux), Safin (Rami Malek) is after her—and revenge. The villain himself tells Bond that they "both eradicate people to make the world a better place," while Lashana Lynch's character reveals that someone (Safin?) is "going to kill millions." That, and the underground terrarium situation in his lair, are all in keeping with the theory the character is an eco-terrorist. The trailer also may support the theory that Safin is Dr. No—just check out the blue navy number he's sporting about a minute and 25 seconds in. It definitely looks like a 2020 take on No's famous Nehru jacket look. Read More           Jesse Plemons Is Not the Bad Guy. Jesse Plemons Is Not the Good Guy.   Over the past two decades, Jesse Plemons has become known for capturing the soul of his characters, particularly when they're living in these little pockets of the world. Finding their subtleties is half the battle. People who don't "get" small towns like to label them as simple places, so the other half of his job is selling why these stories are worthwhile. That's ironic considering how big-city culture commentators love to obsessively analyze Plemons's repertoire of roles. Ed Blumquist in Fargo, the dutiful husband ready to sacrifice everything for his wife, Peggy, played by his real-life partner, Kirsten Dunst. Captain Robert Daly, who was the picture of toxic masculinity in Black Mirror. Then there's Breaking Bad's Todd, who…my God, let's just say he's Todd. Esquire's Justin Kirkland hopped on Zoom with Plemons ahead of the premiere of his latest role in I'm Thinking of Ending Things to talk Charlie Kaufmann, Friday Night Lights, and the power of perception. Read More           Long Live the Long-Sleeved T-Shirt   Hot on the heels of New York City's seemingly ill-advised decision to allow select gyms to open once again, we've got a way better solution to your workout-related woes than hopping on a treadmill that reeks of rubbing alcohol and trying not to breathe too hard through your mask. Instead, invest in a bunch of long-sleeve tees, the surest way to hide the sudden disappearance of any and all of your gains, and then lean all the way into the look. Life's too short to be out here risking it all to get your sets in, and right now, the long-sleeve tee is looking like a godsend. Here are 21 to get you started. Read More           William Barr Brought His Reckless Disregard for the Truth to Vote-By-Mail and the Jacob Blake Case   It's one thing for the president to just say anything with no regard to whether it comports with observable reality. It's another entirely for his attorney general, the nation's top law-enforcement officer, to do the same. The consequences for whatever's left of the rule of law in this country when facts become fungible, and the truth is whatever you can get enough to believe, are genuinely terrifying. This has now gone beyond William Barr's obvious personal injury lawyering on behalf of the president, intervening in the criminal cases brought against his allies and working to remove the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York when he insisted on conducting inconvenient investigations. Barr is now bringing this attitude to bear on all manner of issues. Read More           Here's the Latest From the Masks-Are-Jackboots Crowd   Senator Joni Ernst, whose re-election bid is in serious trouble, has checked in from the dark depths of some QAnon rabbit hole. The Washington Post reports: "When a man in the crowd of her Iowa campaign stop told Sen.Joni Ernst (R) on Monday that he believed the number of U.S. coronavirus deaths had been overcounted, Ernst replied that she too was 'so skeptical.'" This is the latest from the Masks-Are-Jackboots crowd: that people who die with COVID and who also have comorbidity factors—someone like, say, Tom Seaver—don't really count as COVID deaths, and that any attempt to include them is a Deep State attack hoax aimed at the president*. Here's Charles P. Pierce on how everything's gone to hell in Iowa since they botched the caucuses. Read More         Read More on Esquire.com       Follow Us     Unsubscribe  Privacy Notice   esquire.com ©2020 Hearst Communications Inc. All Rights Reserved. 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