Hello! So much in the world of sports recently. Lots to chat about. Here’s the Monday Letter for June 15th, 2026.

The World’s Cup

Summer 2026 has arrived in style. The World Cup is in full swing, and it’s been a treat to watch the world come together in celebration. Folks in San Francisco’s tech scene are generally apathetic to sports, which is (in two words) extremely lame. I’m an avid sports fan. I rep my hometown Edmonton Oilers the most, but I also follow a handful of Bay Area franchises across the major leagues, adopted the Vancouver Whitecaps as my MLS club in college, and keep up with a bit of F1 and UFC as well. For me, elite competition is a steady source of inspiration, both for my own play in soccer and hockey and in life. With the World Cup, it’s been fun to see that energy spread far and wide, so casual fans can get a taste of how great the atmosphere can be. Look no further than the Dutch fans marching through Dallas in a sea of orange on their way to AT&T Stadium. Everyone’s getting involved.

This World Cup already has a bunch of iconic headlines, some positive and some negative. One of my favorites is this guy “Freddy,” a German soccer fan who has been travelling across the American South and soaking it all in with childlike wonder. Between visits to Buc-ee’s and Waffle House, a newfound obsession with Ella Langley, and pit stops at jaw-dropping football stadiums, he’s getting the full experience. I’ve visited the South a couple of times since moving to the States two years ago, so I really resonate. It’s easy to clown on American travel, but you can’t beat a good road trip here.

The ticketing story is a bit ridiculous. I was fortunate enough to grab tickets to a few games via FIFA’s lottery system, but FIFA added a lot of unnecessary stress and headache with the roll-out. I’m glad resale prices have stayed reasonable (they’re close to face value as far as I can tell), but the whole thing has still been disappointing. It’s also wild to think the Iranian players are competing in a country in which they’re at war. I wonder if that’s ever happened before…

All that being said, if you’re not already, tune in. There are so many good storylines forming: America’s surge, underdog nations newly in the tournament (thanks to the expanded format) getting huge results, and more dark horses yet to be unveiled. I’m really grateful it’s on home soil, and excited to see where the tournament goes.

And, what I’ve been up to.

• Unsurprisingly, I’ve been watching a lot of sports. The New York Knicks and Carolina Hurricanes were crowned champions of the NBA and NHL, respectively. It’s been a good year for Good Guy teams: the Knicks hadn’t won in 50+ years, everyone hates Vegas (Carolina’s Stanley Cup Final opponent), and in soccer it was nice to see PSG go back-to-back in the Champions League over Arsenal’s unwatchable style. In particular, it was great to see Jordan Staal win Finals MVP, and to see Bussi ball out (Carolina’s back-up goaltender, who got a shut-out in the cup-clinching game and was working at Chipotle a few years ago). Of course, there’s also the World Cup. Canada looked solid in its home opener, and the group is wide-open after the Swiss drew level with Qatar. Hopefully Canada can grab a crucial 3 points against Qatar on Thursday; I’ll be in Vancouver for the match. All to play for.
• I’ve watched a handful of movies recently. Disclosure Day (2026), the new Steven Spielberg film, is… overrated, I think. The soundtrack is cool and it looks great, but the plot is so nonsensical I got a bit lost mid-film. A skip for me; at best, a good plane movie. Thankfully, the summer looks elite, between The Odyssey and Dune 3.
• UFC “Freedom” 250 was weird. I still can’t believe that happened. I don’t think events at the White House are necessarily bad, but the over-the-top patriotism nationalism felt painfully awkward to watch. It didn’t seem to generate much buzz outside my friends who already watch the UFC, too, I guess because of a loaded sports weekend.
• I went to a few great concerts. I had the chance to see James Blake at The Greek and he was so, so good. It was a much different sound compared to the last time I saw him (in 2023, at The Frost Amphitheatre in Stanford), but I loved the direction. Much darker, more dance music, more bass, but still the same James Blake (i.e., beautiful on the piano and guitar, with an unmatched singing voice). I followed that up with Takuya Nakamura on Saturday night; he’s a jungle DJ that plays the trumpet. The show was electric, and the venue (Great Northern) suited it well.

Until next time!