Sports, Entertainment & Culture — July 17, 2026

Pelé's 1958 World Cup jersey sells for $4.9 million. The shirt Pelé wore in Brazil's first World Cup final triumph sold at a Sotheby's auction in New York, with bidding buoyed by this summer's World Cup fever.

Bleacher Report · Read more →

'The Odyssey' sets sail with $15 million. Christopher Nolan's epic earned roughly $15 million in Thursday previews, the best of 2026 so far, as the summer box office hits its midpoint.

Deadline · Read more →

Silver defends Caitlin Clark. NBA commissioner Adam Silver said it's unfair that Clark has become a 'political football' as debates flare over officiating and physical play in the WNBA.

ESPN · Read more →

Lorde pushes back on Spotify's AI. The singer called Spotify's AI-generated 'About the Song' summaries inaccurate and limiting to listeners' free interpretation, escalating artist pushback against the platform's AI features.

Pitchfork · Read more →

Spain and Argentina set for Sunday's final. Argentina arrived in New Jersey as both finalists finalized preparations for Sunday's World Cup final in New York, the first hosted on U.S. soil since 1994.

According to Al Jazeera, the matchup carries added storylines beyond the trophy, including a widely shared photo of Lionel Messi holding Lamine Yamal as a baby, a moment now bookending the two stars' careers. President Trump is expected to attend, and organizers have planned an NFL-style halftime show, underscoring how the tournament's American staging has borrowed from U.S. sports traditions. The match caps the first World Cup held in the country in a generation.

Al Jazeera · Read more →