Our weekly recap highlighting the best feature stories from around the internet.
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Michael Phelps’ Final Turn – by Wayne Drehs, ESPN
“Eventually, Phelps realized that all the Olympic medals in the world couldn't ease his pain -- and instead made life more complicated. By 2014, he was approaching 30, lost, with no identity beyond that of a champion swimmer. He self-medicated and wondered whether his was a life worth living. “I didn't give a s---,” Phelps says. “I had no self-esteem. No self-worth. I thought the world would just be better off without me. I figured that was the best thing to do -- just end my life.””
Sonny Bill Williams: I was such a bad boy, but I've been saved by Allah – by Nik Simon, Daily Mail
“Muhammad Ali and Malcolm X are two of the men that shaped my life. Muhammad Ali more so, not just because he's a boxer, but because he converted to Islam and stood up for what he believes in.”
Why Trump Makes Me Scared for My Family – by Aziz Ansari, The New York Times
“I myself am not a religious person, but after these attacks, anyone that even looks like they might be Muslim understands the feelings my friend described. There is a strange feeling that you must almost prove yourself worthy of feeling sad and scared like everyone else.”
Navigating the waters of Māori broadcasting - by Mihingarangi Forbes, The Pantograph Punch
“The Māori media industry is often like a minefield and that leaves you two choices: be patient and wait to be blown up or run quickly through the field, sidestepping as you go.”
The Gang That Brought High Fashion to Hip-Hop – by Jon Caramanica, The New York Times
“All of the blueprints for hip-hop’s current obsession with fashion are contained herein: the laserlike focus on brand, the lifestyle aspiration, the subversion. Today, the genre’s stars collaborate with high-fashion houses or create their own clothing lines. None of that would have been possible without the Lo Life blueprint.”
Stoya Said Stop – by Lizzy Goodman, The Cut
“Stoya gets asked a lot of questions about feminism, which displeases her. “I think part of my problem is, don’t put me in the pink corner,” she says. “I am a deeply conflicted feminist person who gets regularly called a feminist pornographer when I see nothing inherently feminist about the pornography I produce. Feminism is not my focus.””
