How Naomi Osaka Unwinds, and WNBA Legend Sue Bird on Standing Out

Isabella Rossellini and Muhammad Ali have crossed paths a few times —first, while she was assisting a sports journalist as a young woman, and later, when a tragedy led the boxer to knock on her door.

Hear this story and more in the final episode of season 2, which is all about sports and the ways in which beauty enhances the performance of athletes around the world.

Have you ever seen the haka being performed? The war dance consists of slapping the knees, passionate chants and eyes bulging. It is a ceremonial dance originating from the Māori, New Zealand’s native population, but it has since been taken up by New Zealand’s rugby team, the All Blacks, named for their black uniform. To discuss how Polynesian culture unites the rugby team, as well as how Polynesian tattoos demonstrate cultural pride, producer Gigi sits down with rugby legend Joe Rokocoko.

In our second story, we speak to WNBA legend Sue Bird about the importance of individuality within the team sport of basketball, as well as how NIL — a recent ruling by the NCAA — reveals how beauty is changing the sports landscape.

Finally, we speak to tennis legend Naomi Osaka about mental health, self-care and how she wants to bring fun back into the game of tennis.

Links below:

• A video of the haka being performed [Youtube] youtube.com/watch?v=yiKFYTFJ_kw
• “The history of New Zealand’s haka, its cultural significance and how it is viewed” from The Athletic https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/4691873/2023/07/19/new-zealand-world-cup-haka/
• “The Best Joe Rokocoko Tries Ever Scored for the All Blacks” on Youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNZgJRhomok
• A picture of Isabella Rossellini and Muhammad Ali [Instagram] https://www.instagram.com/p/BtwkKcUlKhO/
• “Sue Bird Is One of Basketball’s Greatest Players. Why Doesn’t Everyone Know Her Name?” from Vanity Fair https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/sue-bird-sundance-documentary-first-look-awards-insider?srsltid=AfmBOor1j4CRgZfWjo8IRvG6iBaBe7ee_yfljNI-hDii4C4roehWSq_D
• “Name, image and likeness: (NIL): What it means, why it matters and how it’s impacting the NCAA and college sports” from The Athletic https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/2580642/2021/07/01/name-image-and-likeness-nil-what-it-means-why-it-matters-and-how-it-will-impact-college-sports/
• Naomi Osaka green US Open 2024 outfit [Elle] https://www.elle.com/fashion/celebrity-style/a61987090/naomi-osaka-us-open-nike-green-bows-outfit/
• Maybelline’s Brave Together campaign [Instagram] https://www.instagram.com/reel/DPjfRwUDPpu/
• Learn more about our upcoming episodes here: https://www.nytimes.com/paidpost/loreal-groupe/this-is-not-a-beauty-podcast-season-2.html

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