The Fate of Ophelia
Certified banger. Keeps her literary references (Ophelia, but make it a bop), flips them into something upbeat and happy. Feels like the thesis of the whole album: she used to be sad, reflective, drowning in metaphorical rivers, but she’s been saved from her tragic fate. Now we get a pop album to celebrate. Honestly? Shakespeare could never.

Elizabeth Taylor
Solid follow-up. Continues the themes from the opener, production is fun, and the drums are BACK. 

Opalite
So much fun! About creating man-made happiness, just like opalite is man-made (and shoutout to our favorite Kansas Citian, Travis Kelce, whose birthstone this is). 

Father Figure
Taylor sings about buying her masters back like a boss. She doesn’t just own her work — she is the music industry. Scooter Braun is crying somewhere.

Eldest Daughter
Switches up the vibe (maybe necessary after the strut of the last track). Looks at why Swift became who she is. Some say the lyrics are shallow and expected more depth. Personally, my issue isn’t the words — it’s the production which feels kind of boring.

Ruin The Friendship
Meh. Not terrible, not memorable. A filler track you skip after the second listen.

Actually Romantic
Iconic. Should honestly be sung by Reneé Rapp.  People think it’s a diss track aimed at Charli XCX (a response to “Sympathy is a Knife”), which… fair. But Taylor has a long line of haters, from pop girls to the literal President Donald Trump. So this could be about anyone! Either way, it’s deliciously petty.

Wi$h Li$t
I support her dreams, but in this political climate, do I want to listen to Taylor sing about wanting to be a tradwife? Not really. Still, she’s allowed to put “wife and mom” on her vision board. (We all had embarrassing Pinterest boards in 2014, let’s not judge too hard.)

Wood
My favorite track on the album. It’s stuffed with double entendres, and while some people have called lines like “new heights of manhood” cringe, I think it’s hilarious. Let her be goofy! Let her flirt! If we survived “Me!” we can survive her being horny.

CANCELLED!
This one stirred the pot. Critics called it tone-deaf and privileged. And yeah, she is a billionaire. But here’s the thing: she owns it. The song balances her acknowledging unfair criticism while also flexing that her life is actually great. She’s not pretending to be a struggling underdog anymore, she’s saying, “Yup, I’m rich, famous, and thriving, and you still hate me.” 

Honey
Sweet but not a standout. The lyrics are solid though, about how pet names used to feel condescending, but now that she’s in love, they’re actually… well, honeyed. Cute, but not the one I’ll be replaying.

The Life of a Showgirl (Ft. Sabrina Carpenter)
My least favorite. It may be the title track, but it doesn’t capture the themes or energy of the album at all. Sabrina kills the bridge, but the rest? It feels like they cut a Midnights B-side and just slapped it here for marketing.

Key Takeaways

• Taylor Swift is a millennial, which means some lyrics are destined to be “cringe.” (Sorry, Gen Z, she’s not writing exclusively for TikTok captions.)
• She is in love. Like, nauseatingly, hopelessly, Disney-princess-in-the-last-ten-minutes-of-the-movie in love.
• She knows she’s on top, and at this point nothing can stop her (Father Figure, CANCELLED!, Actually Romantic).
• Despite the album’s title, this isn’t really about the gritty behind-the-scenes life of a showgirl. It’s about Taylor winning. In love, in fame, in life. It’s her victory lap, moving from sad-girl reflections to upbeat, sparkly triumph.

Everyone’s favorite Disney Channel icon turned pop star has released a new album, and it is blowing up the Billboard 200 charts. Sabrina Carpenter’s new album “Man’s Best Friend” has continued her pattern of irony and innuendos in songs, while mixing in her impressive vocal range. Carpenter is a world renowned pop sensation that took over the world by storm in 2022 with her first album emails i can’t send. Her song Manchild was released prior to the album as a single and fans went wild. Atwood Magazine’s writer Danielle Holian stated that the song was, “bold, theatrical, and playfully pissed off. More importantly, it feels fun.” The song is about how Carpenter tends to fall for men that act like “manchildren,” —something that almost all women can relate to.

Bold music can be seen throughout the rest of “Man’s Best Friend” as well. One of the leading songs of the album is called “Tears,” and it is one of Carpenter’s many double-meaning songs. The song centers around the idea that all a man has to do to earn a woman’s love is be responsible. She mentions examples such as doing the dishes or assembling a piece of IKEA furniture. Her words hint at a very real critique in society where women don’t always want grand gestures but would rather choose a man who listens to them.   Another song that is receiving love on this album is “When Did You Get Hot?” This song is centered around a scenario where Carpenter runs into an old friend that she didn’t find  attractive as a young girl. However, when she runs into him  later she realizes that he has “become hot all of a sudden.” This cheeky song is meant to highlight the emotions a person can feel when it comes to running into an old acquaintance with a new look. Whether it be after you have had a glow-up or the other person has, there is always some level of surprise and satisfaction for either party.

Despite the album’s success and songs landing spots in the top 3 of the Billboard 100, Carpenter has repeatedly faced criticism for the album’s cover photo. The picture is of her on all fours as a man holds her hair as a leash. Sara Delgado, a writer for Teen Vogue, stated in an article that, “Many have pointed out the image bears a strong resemblance to ‘misogynistic ads from the ’60s.’” and “others claim that the photograph is intended for the male gaze.” However, even with this criticism brought forth by fans, the album is continuing to earn a top spot on the Billboard 100, and in the hearts of listeners everywhere. This new wave of testing boundaries in music is continuing to grow in popularity, and it looks like the singing powerhouse Sabrina Carpenter is just getting started.

On Monday, Sept. 22, the Ballon d’Or award ceremony, which awards this year’s most accomplished soccer player (men and women being judged separately), took place in Paris. This year’s men’s award went to Ousmane Dembélé, Paris Saint-Germain (PSG)’s most accomplished forward.

The 28-year-old Frenchman produced a season that was as decisive as it was spectacular. In 2024–25, Dembélé powered PSG to a historic campaign, winning nearly everything, including the club’s first-ever UEFA Champions League title, the most significant club trophy in world football. Individually, he posted a remarkable 35 goals and 16 assists in 53 games, making him one of Europe’s most productive players. In comparison, in 2022 Messi was awarded the Ballon d’Or despite scoring only 21 goals and delivering 16 assists. On paper, his Ballon d’Or seems beyond dispute. Yet, as always, the award ignited debate in the football community. Was Dembélé’s season truly the best? Did someone else deserve it more? These are familiar questions, as the Ballon d’Or has always been both a barometer of excellence and a lightning rod for controversy.

A Legendary Award with Subjective Edges

Part of the Ballon d’Or’s mystique lies in its subjectivity. Like the Oscars for cinema, the award claims to recognize the “best,” but who and what defines “the best” is constantly contested. France Football, the magazine that created and still administers the Ballon d’Or, tries to guide voters with three clear criteria:

1. Individual performances: decisiveness and overall impact
2. Team performances and achievements: collective success matters
3. Class and fair play: professionalism, attitude, and sportsmanship

These criteria deliberately blend quantitative and qualitative factors. Goals and assists matter, but so do intangible traits — leadership, consistency and composure under pressure. This mix is precisely why the Ballon d’Or retains its intrigue. A player can excel statistically yet still be edged out by someone whose trophies carry more weight.

Do Individual or Collective Stats Win a Ballon d’Or?

The assumption that “most goals + most trophies = Ballon d’Or” oversimplifies the picture. Certainly, scoring records and silverware have historically boosted a candidate’s odds. But the award often prioritizes the type of trophy over sheer quantity. Since 2005, 15 of the 20 Ballon d’Or winners have captured a major title (Champions League, European Championship, or World Cup) in the same year they lifted the award. In other words, winning the biggest competitions at the highest level often tips the scales.

Dembélé checks both boxes. Not only did he lead his team in decisive personal contributions (goals and assists) he also helped PSG to the sport’s ultimate club prize: the UEFA Champions League. It is this blend of individual decisiveness and historic collective success that made his 2024–25 campaign irresistible to voters.

Is the Award Reserved for Forwards?

A frequent criticism of the Ballon d’Or is that it overwhelmingly favors attacking positions. Over the past two decades, forwards and attacking midfielders have dominated the award, winning 15 out of the last 20 years. Yet this hasn’t always been the case. Prior to 2000, defenders like Franz Beckenbauer and Fabio Cannavaro won the trophy, proving that elite defending can be as decisive as goalscoring in the eyes of voters.

Nevertheless, the shift reflects football’s evolution. Modern voters favor players who produce direct goal contributions because these are easy to quantify. Players like Achraf Hakimi — who excel as fullbacks but also deliver phenomenal offensive stats — embody a hybrid player that could eventually break the forward monopoly again. But for now, the award’s bias toward attackers remains pronounced.

Best Player vs. Best Season

One final major tension surrounds the Ballon d’Or: should it reward the “best player” overall or the “best season”? Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo won the Ballon d’Or even in years when another player arguably had a stronger single campaign, simply because their sustained brilliance redefined the sport.

Dembélé’s 2025 victory aligns both sides of that debate. He wasn’t merely a good player having a great year or an all-time great winning on sheer reputation; he was a world-class talent whose season reached a historic peak. His contributions weren’t empty numbers but decisive interventions in the most important games. In that sense, he represents the rare case where the award honors both an elite player and a truly unmatched season.

Why Dembélé’s 2025 Ballon d’Or Was Undeniable

In combining elite statistics, the sport’s biggest club trophy, and match-winning moments, Ousmane Dembélé embodied the very criteria France Football laid out decades ago. His campaign stood at the intersection of individual mastery and collective achievement, the precise sweet spot Ballon d’Or voters are supposed to reward.

For once, the conversation about who “deserved” the Ballon d’Or may be shorter than usual. Dembélé’s 2024–25 season wasn’t just a personal triumph; it was the fulfillment of his immense promise and a historic milestone for PSG.

On Sep. 23, Major League Baseball (MLB) announced that it will be bringing Automated Balls and Strikes (ABS) technology to all its ballparks and games beginning with the 2026 season. But what is this technology? Is it new? In this article, we’ll break down MLB’s new ABS system, explaining what it is, how it works and how we got here.

What is ABS?

ABS uses twelve cameras placed around the ballpark to triangulate the position of every pitch as it travels from the pitcher to the catcher. Once the human umpire calls the pitch a “Ball” or a “Strike,” the pitcher, batter or catcher can challenge the call. They must do so by tapping their helmet and must do so immediately (untimely challenges are rejected).

Once that happens, the stadium waits in anticipation as a computer graphic shows where the pitch was located in the strike zone. If the original call was correct, the challenging team loses one of the two challenges they get throughout the course of the game. If the original call was incorrect, the call is reversed and the team retains its challenge (similar to the challenge process in most other sports).

Since teams only get two unsuccessful challenges per game, players are incentivized to use them on obviously incorrect calls where there is a high chance the challenge will be returned. This introduces a new element of strategy to the game: it’s probably not worth it to challenge borderline pitches unless the game situation demands it.

To make ABS possible, MLB had to change the way the strike zone worked. Pre-ABS, the strike zone was the width of the plate and extended vertically from the batter’s knees to the midpoint between their shoulders and the top of their pants. (Umpires, especially at lower levels, commonly use the bottom of the letters on a team’s uniform as an approximation). Now, the zone is determined by a batter’s height. If any part of the ball crosses the plate between 27-53.5% of a batter’s height (before they settle into their batting stance), the pitch will be called a strike. 

How did we get here?

Originally, ABS was tested in the independent Atlantic League in 2019, where it encountered mixed success. Issues with the technology meant that pitches that bounced before crossing the plate registered as strikes, though human umpires would (and did) overrule the system. Then-Atlantic League president Rick White said that he was “relatively confident that [robot umpiring was] going to spread through organized baseball,” which it did several years later.

The challenge system we see today was first proposed in October 2019 by Lindsay Imber and Tim McCaffrey of Close Call Sports. In their article, Imber and McCaffrey proposed the system MLB would eventually adopt, advocating for a compromise between the traditionalist no-computers-allowed approach and the Atlantic League’s replace-humans approach. They note that “technology can assist in the ball/strike call mission,” while also acknowledging “that the very system baseball presently uses… is prone to error.”

Since their article, MLB’s HawkEye technology has improved from a two-inch margin of error to a half-inch margin of error.

This reduced margin of error has enabled ABS to find practical use in high-level baseball. In 2023, Minor League Baseball (MiLB) and Triple-A teams tested both the no-humans-allowed approach and the challenge system (though teams were permitted three challenges each instead of the present two). By the end of 2024, MiLB had determined that the challenge system was better and adopted it. In 2025, MLB adopted the technology for Spring Training games and the All-Star Game. In 2026, the technology will be adopted for the full MLB season. 

ABS and broader ball-tracking technology represents an exciting development for baseball. As an umpire, I’m excited for the future of ABS (even though there’s a chance it takes my job). While technology’s uncertainty means the human aspect of officiating is still necessary, technology can help us correct for human error on close calls. The ABS challenge system seems like a great way to do this for baseball.