I love reading about artists’ processes and routines. Toni Morrison wrote before dawn, before her children awoke and she had to go to her publishing job. In the evenings, Maya Angelou cleaned and put away all her dishes before she sat with what she had written that morning. Louise Bourgeois only worked in complete silence. These rules and routines are reminders that art takes work — and immense amounts of energy.

I grew up with parents who are also artists and had to find time for their projects between life and daily obligations. My father wrote in the early mornings; my mother painted in the hours after lunch and before we were done with school. It normalized for me the intentional carving out of time needed for writing, reading and creating. This has meant that I’m almost always busy doing something, and sometimes tired, but when I don’t carve that time, I’m guaranteed to be in a bad mood, like the hanger that comes from skipping a meal.

In Viv Chen’s interview with Tory Burch, the designer compares her workdays to being “like an athlete where it’s about discipline and grit and endurance.” It’s a sentiment that sums up much of the spirit of this issue, which looks at art as a sport and sport as an art. Whether you’re playing fútbol, sewing clothes or staging a performance, it’s a physical as well as mental game.

Above all, the artist-athletes in these pages show us the rewards of their commitments. We witness this in the sizzling images of Tory Burch shoes pounding the hot Los Angeles pavement and in the sportswear designs that Otis students worked on for months, the results literally glowing and electric. We witness this in the portraits of Betye Saar, regally dressed in a Gucci kaftan for what will likely be the last exhibition she’s involved in during her lifetime. We witness this in the image of our fútbol queen on the cover, strong, reverent and at peace. These stories are all reminders that dedication to one’s craft is not just life-giving, it’s what makes life worth living.

This week’s show was recorded in Chicago with host Peter Sagal, judge and scorekeeper Bill Kurtis, Not My Job guest Ken Jennings and panelists Tom Bodett, Joyelle Nicole Johnson, and Faith Salie. Click the audio link above to hear the whole show.

Who’s Bill This Time

ou Cruise, You Lose; Renovations on the Mall; A New Game Show For Word Nerds

Panel Questions

No Justice For Plumbers

Bluff The Listener

Our panelists tell three stories about an unusual situation on the beach, only one of which is true.

Not My Job: Jeopardy‘s Ken Jennings lives down his demons and answers our three questions about H&R Block

Peter talks to Jeopardy legend and host Ken Jennings. Ken plays our game called, “What is H&R Block?” Three questions about H&R Block, the subject of the Jeopardy question Ken got wrong and it ended his 74 game win streak.

Panel Questions

Open Your Heart and Lock Up Your Assets; Restaurants Get Clingy

Limericks

Bill Kurtis reads three news-related limericks: Uranus Overshadowed; Running From Romance; Double Date Danger

Lightning Fill In The Blank

All the news we couldn’t fit anywhere else

Predictions

Our panelists predict, what will be the next show made out something we do to kill time?

F.C.Real Bristol x Carhartt WIP, Game shorts, $188

Carhartt WIP and Tokyo-based F.C.Real Bristol have collaborated on a real capsule collection … for a fictional soccer club. The pieces, like these breathable nylon satin Game shorts, are designed for style and function both on and off the pitch, whether you’re wearing them to a real scrimmage or just one you’re dreaming of. Available at carhartt-wip.com.

Prada Re-Nylon for Sea Beyond, backpack, $1,990

For the third year in a row, 1% of the proceeds from the Prada Re-Nylon for Sea Beyond collection support ocean preservation and sustainability in partnership with the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO. This year’s five-piece capsule collection includes Prada’s iconic backpack, available in the brand’s core black but also a vibrant tropical palette. Made from recycled nylon material, the entire collection is also 100% recyclable if you decide to skip the archive. Available at select Prada boutiques and prada.com.

Snow Goose by Canada Goose, Celestia jacket, $1,275

Haider Ackermann’s spring/summer 2026 collection for Snow Goose by Canada Goose captures the lightness of spring in both design and feeling. Case in point: the featherweight quilted Celestia jacket with a highly reflective shell that, according to the designer, “comes alive with motion.” Available at canadagoose.com.

Byredo, “sister dreamer” perfume, $350

If you bottled the hundreds of aromatic native plants, fruit trees and wildflowers in artist Lauren Halsey’s architectural park, “sister dreamer lauren halsey’s architectural ode to tha surge n splurge of south central los angeles” — not to mention its energy and radical joy — you’d get “sister dreamer,” the limited edition perfume in collaboration with Byredo. Even better: that bottle features a sleeve and label designed by Halsey herself, who declares the scent to be an ode to “smelling good n feeling good.” Available at byredo.com.

Miista, Andie socks, $160

Hear us out: socks with sandals. More specifically, the Andie socks from Miista’s spring/summer 2026 collection with their Samia sandals. Miista’s Andie make this usually verboten combination not only doable but downright sensual, with their silky cupro fabric, knee-high cut and thong toe. Available at miista.com.

Dries Van Noten, Hand and Body liquid soap, $90

The introduction of Dries Van Noten’s Hand and Body line offers a new way to wear the brand. The liquid soap arrives with the unexpected scent combinations of Basil and Hinoki, Pepper and Rose and Soie and Amber that echo the emblematic Crazy Basil, Raving Rose and Soie Malaquais Eau de Parfums from the house. You can layer the soap with its corresponding perfume, body lotion and hand cream to build intensity, or, like the other Dries items in your collection, let it stand alone in its sublimity. Available at driesvannoten.com.

ERL’s new Made in California collection embodies the brand’s ethos to capture the contradictions that make California what it is. To that end, these cargos are as intentional and well-lived as a perfectly executed skate trick: they’re hand-dyed, but also arrive bearing natural bleach, oil and scuff marks. Available at erl.com.

Patagonia, Long-Sleeved RØ Surf Top in blue sage, $65

No more lost keys, annoying top riding up on your pop up or rubbed-raw belly with the Long-Sleeved RØ Surf Top from Patagonia’s spring/summer 2026 collection. This rashguard is made for the surf with its connector at the front hem to link it to board shorts and a clutch pocket with key loop. And if those last two sentences sound like surf bro speak, the top’s UPF 40+ sun protection is equally functional for a volleyball game — or elicit paper bag beverage, if that’s your definition of beach sports — on the sand. Available at Patagonia stores and patagonia.com.