#5SmartReads - June 15, 2023
Hitha on the battle of e-commerce giants, sportswashing, and reconciling one's relationship with ambition
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Walmart nears tipping point in e-commerce battle with Amazon (Axios)
I’ve been watching the rise of Walmart+ from the influencer perspective (seeing the rise of activations and partnerships they’ve increasingly signed over the past few years), and learning about the backend supply chain they’ve built makes it make sense.
And while e-commerce isn’t Amazon’s largest revenue generator (Amazon Web Services is), it is their highest visibility part of their business, and a huge jobs creator in many suburban and exurban areas.
Walmart has one significant advantage over Amazon - a massive real estate footprint and the trust in their customers. It’ll be interesting to see who wins this particular commerce battle.
I also would like to encourage everyone to support the local and independently owned businesses in your area, as much as you can.
Who Am I Without My Ambition? (Downtime)
Digital media has really changed since Alisha first launched Girls’ Night In (a brand I was an early fan and investor in). I continue to be her biggest fan and supporter as she pivots the brand from a scaling media company to Downtime, thoughtful content that captivated so many that’s supported by those readers.
I was incredibly moved by her honesty and exploration of her relationship with ambition through her entrepreneurial journey. This quote, in particular, beautifully sums up how I’m feeling right now:
“That we can be ambitious outside of our jobs has been by far the most beautiful and hopeful realization of all. The pandemic has disillusioned most of us about the point of all this work ambition, its stability, and the blurry supposed economic rewards at the end of it. “There’s no such thing as job security anymore,” a colleague wisely told me over coffee last year as I wondered whether getting a 9-5 job would feel “safer” than freelancing. This shift — knowing that even work ambition can’t guarantee rewards or security — while dreary, can feel liberating as we aim to find meaning outside work.”
Ownership in professional sports has often proffered a sense of legitimacy and seriousness to those who are able to buy into it. The kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s backing of LIV caused quite a bit of backlash, but the lucrative guaranteed salaries and splashier approach to golf drew plenty of golfers to the league.
PGA was resolute in preserving the 100+ year old brand in denying LIV golfers from participating in their tournaments and continuing to run their tour as usual - until they weren’t.
This is so much more than a merger of two golf tours. It has geopolitical implications as well, given the documented human rights abuses committed by the kingdom of Saudi Arabia and how their position in LIV is viewed as an attempt to sanitize their reputation.
It’s also consistent with their other moves in professional sports, from luring Ronaldo to the country’s own league, hosting a F1 Grand Prix, and their ownership of Newcastle United.
This article does an excellent job of catching you up on this whole issue, and I would also encourage you watch the first season of Full Swing on Netflix to see the launch of LIV and battle between the two tours in real-time.
Two Lesbians Make a Baby (Ashley Louise)
It’s high time we expand the image and stories of a couple deciding to start a family in today’s day and age. And I’m grateful to learn from my friend Ashley on how two moms make a family.
Everything from donor selection (and the COST of donated sperm - damn!) to the details of IUI
It’s extremely expensive, time-intensive, and frustrating. Ashley and Claire have underwent several rounds of IUI and are bravely sharing their story in real-time on Instagram. This read is the first post detailing their journey of growing their family, and I’m sending them all my love and fertile wishes for them to welcome a little pizza bagel (their words, not mine!).
On Flag Day, Remembering The Red, Black And Green (NPR)
Most Americans know about the provenance of the national flag - the stars and stripes, and the original supposedly stitched by Betsy Ross.
But what about the Pan-African flag, which too sings America?
“The banner, with its horizontal red, black and green stripes, was adopted by the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) at a conference in New York City in 1920. For several years leading up to that point, Marcus Garvey, the UNIA's leader, talked about the need for a black liberation flag. Robert Hill, a historian and Marcus Garvey scholar, says that Garvey thought of a flag as necessary symbol of political maturity…
…The Pan-African flag's colors each had symbolic meaning. Red stood for blood — both the blood shed by Africans who died in their fight for liberation, and the shared blood of the African people. Black represented, well, black people. And green was a symbol of growth and the natural fertility of Africa.”
In honor of Flag Day (which was yesterday) and Juneteenth (which is on Monday, June 19th), it’s worth learning about the significance and history of the flag that we’re seeing flown more and more.
Looking forward to watching Swing. An interesting 3 part series on a lesbian couple’s fight for custody for their 2 daughter. On HBO last fall, called Nuclear Family. Some heartbreaking moments.