Breaking Bear
Dear reader,
When I started this humble newsletter a few months back, the world was a very different place.
Red Lobster was still pumping out Endless Shrimp, we didn’t know how to cut our sandwiches properly, A.I. Jesus had not yet risen. “Sport powder” was just another way to describe Lawrence Taylor’s tackling fuel, and most, if not all, of us were largely unaware of the rich history of lazy rivers and the tale of Pole Assassin and her vengeful monkey.
(The world was also a much safer place for presidential candidates, bears in New York, couches and coconuts, box office records for R-rated movies, and the NBA on TNT, but we’ll get into all of that at another time.)
We have grown a lot in our travels from the arid desert of April 2024 to today’s verdant cultural landscape and I have to say, I’m proud of us. We laughed, we loved, we learned a lot about B2B sales, and along the way clicked on some ads for edibles (I don’t get paid unless you click or tap, so get to it).
Today, as we prepare for the closing ceremonies of the Paris 2024 games (complete with the torch pass to Tom Cruise in a parachute and the Red Hot Chili Peppers—because if you say "LA" three times, Anthony Kiedis, Flea & Co show up like Beetlejuice—to officially start the countdown to LA28), this installment will mark the final edition of Sunday Bunch Volume 1.
I want to give a virtual bear hug (non-lethal) to all of you who have supported me by reading and sending along links and tips and kind words (including the guy who insisted that this is a Wendy’s). This whole endeavor has exceeded all expectations for me as a creative outlet and a way to connect with friends and collaborators new and old. I can’t wait to elevate the proceedings for all of you in Volume 2.
In addition to all of the aforementioned changes in the world and the long strange trip we have shared here, the newsletter platform landscape has evolved since I began these missives earlier this year. I'll save the details for a separate deep dive, but here's the TL;DR: as we start Volume 2 next week, we're moving Sunday Bunch from Beehiiv to Substack.
While the move involves plenty of insider knowledge and technical jargon – not to mention that the double-ii brand name is just awful – the main reason is Substack's thriving community. It reminds me of blogging's golden age, with its interconnectedness and writer collaboration. Unfortunately, such connections are virtually non-existent on this poorly named platform. Beehiiv suits certain publishers, but I'm not one of them.
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR YOU? Not much, honestly. You might not have noticed if I hadn't mentioned it. I'm highlighting it because:
Next week's email will come from bunch@substack.com instead of bunch@sundaybunch.email.
If you don't see next week's edition, please check your spam folder in case the transition doesn’t play nice with Gmail's filters.
Exciting developments are coming in Volume 2. I can't wait to share what I have in store.
🥇 United States top medals table at end of Paris Olympics
As the 2024 Olympics in Paris draw to a close, USA finishes with 126 medals, far out in front of the second place China at 91. However, America was unable to top their Chinese counterparts at the top, with both finishing at 40 total golds.
Too many highlights to revisit, so I’ll just share my favorite: Steph Curry finishing out the US mens’ basketball march to gold with eight threes to knock off Victor Wembanyama and the host French 98-87.
And of course, the world waited was not ready for the B-Boys and B-Girls of the Olympics first Breaking competition.
🐻 RFK Jr. admits to dumping a dead bear in Central Park, solving a decade-old mystery
In the craziest month of what has to be the wildest Presidential election of my lifetime, RFK Jr apparently looked at all of the past few weeks and said hold my barbecued dog by posting a video with Roseanne Barr recounting the time he found a dead bear and put it in his car to pull a prank, before discarding it in Central Park.
He didn’t have to wait to see how The New Yorker spun it, because the meme machine went from 0-100 mph in under 4 seconds, and never looked back:
Quasi-related: HBO’s annual NFL documentary series Hard Knocks kicked off this week with…the Chicago Bears.
For a long-languishing fanbase who has high hopes, with a highly-touted #1 pick (and masculinity-redefining) quarterback and one of the best young teams they’ve had in years, I can’t help but feel like a story about a dead bear dominating the online conversation was not the omen you wanted to start your season.
📉 Warner Bros. Discovery stock falls as it writes down $9.1 billion, misses estimates
You could be a Dave Matthews Band tour bus driver who empties the toilets from the Kinzie Street bridge onto a boat filled with unassuming sightseers, and still not be as bad as your job as David Zaslav.
🩳 How the Bermuda Short Became the Quintessential Island Uniform
While the modern take on male inseams feels uniquely American: skies and thighs were out in Bermuda while USA was still in trousers.
Online discourse would have you believe that the summer of 2024 is when men finally embraced the short-short, as evidenced by the many memes around “inseam length.” But there’s one corner of the world where the very online penchant for micro-shorts has yet to take hold: Bermuda.
Perhaps this shouldn’t surprise, as the British Island territory—where knee-grazing shorts paired with over-the-calf socks pass as business attire—is thought to have originated the truncated trouser alternative in the first place. As Gina Steede, an administrative assistant at the 106-year-old island Institution the English Sports Shop, recounts, the style can be credited to a Bermudian businessman named Nathaniel Coxon.
Bad idea: Eating the new Cotton Candy Burrito at an Arizona Cardinals game at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, AZ.
Worse idea: Attending an Arizona Cardinals game, anywhere.
That’s it for today and that’s all she wrote for Sunday Bunch Volume 1. Let the countdown to Volume 2 begin.
To get us started: ladies and gentlemen, the Red Hot Chili Peppers!
Thank you for continuing on the journey with me.
Have yourself a lobster and pancakes kind of Sunday. I’ll see you on the other side.
Cheers,
BUNCH