I consume a lot of content so you don’t have to! Except these, you should consume these. This week covers some sports, startup news, and fashion.

1. Read: Aaron Hernandez found to have severe CTE. Every season it becomes harder and harder to watch the NFL. I grew up on Patriots football (the lean Bledsoe years) and some of my fondest childhood memories are playing football with my friends. For a long time, I regretted running cross country instead of playing football - I really was fast! - but I’m pretty sure that that was a good long-term decision. Maybe Hernandez was just a bad kid, and if we’re talking about really early signs of crazy behavior, then he’s just one datapoint. All the evidence suggests, though, that it’s impossible, or at least unconscionable to allow American football to continue in its current form.

2. Read: Afrostream is shutting down. Afrostream was a YC startup that aimed to be “Netflix for the African Diaspora.” I was initially very interested in the company because I felt that content providers serving niche markets could capture a loyal fanbase. It didn’t work - video on demand (VOD) requires large capital investments into infrastructure and delivery, as well as large ongoing licensing payments. The business works at scale, since there are limited variable costs, but this “cold start” problem is really difficult to overcome. AfroStream’s customers didn’t stick around after watching the launch library of content. Listen: Exponent 125: The Super-Aggregators - a lot of good discussion on ‘aggregation theory,’ including why Netflix manages to work at scale.

3. Here’s a random fact I learned this week: The Dude’s sweater is a design from Pendleton Mills known as the Westerley. Should I rock a cardigan or a kimono this fall?

4. Tweet: Today is the day the King became President.

   U bum @StephenCurry30 already said he ain't going! So therefore ain't no invite. Going to White House was a great honor until you showed up!

   — LeBron James (@KingJames) September 23, 2017

5. Read: Inside Patagonia’s Private Archives. This article was just blatant fan service, but I am kind of a Patagonia stan so I’m here for it. Then again, literally everyone in SF tech/finance wears a Patagonia vest or sweater, so that’s not really new. I’m sure you’ve noticed that, but have you noticed that they’re all in the same color combinations - heather gray quarter-zip sweater or black nano-puff jacket? That’s why I really like this parenthetical, attributed to Yvon Chouinard:

“Hey, if I’m going to be stuck somewhere for six days lets have some levity and some color. And also we’re playing outdoors! We’re not trying to stake out and get another group of humans, we’re playing out there, let’s have some irreverence with it, let’s not take ourselves too seriously.” And I think [Yvon] set the tone really well for the organization with that. It’s serious play, but it is about play and enjoying the spaces we have and the people we get to do it with, and that’s carried over through the years.

I can’t think of any better way to sum up my management philosophy. Enjoy the week, the spaces you have, and the people you’re with!