🏈 Flag football’s touchdown

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👋 Good morning. It’s a new day — hope you’re morningmaxxing. Did we use that right? “Maxxing” is Dictionary.com’s 2026 Word of the Year. Short for maximizing, -maxxing can be tacked onto just about any word to “convey you’re doing something to the fullest or optimizing as much as possible." Looking for someone to blame for all this? Point the finger at Gen Z and Gen Alpha who drove the term to popularity. Now back to Zoommaxxing.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

The most interesting business stories of the week

Teen girls are hitting the flag football field: Flag football is surging in popularity, especially among girls and women — so much so that the NFL is betting $192m on its future. Read more
Meat-eaters are keeping fake meat alive: Ever stared down the plant-based meat aisle and wondered who’s actually buying this stuff? Turns out, the call is coming from inside the house. Meat-eaters are keeping these brands alive, and chances are you’re one of them. Read more
How Biscoff boarded airplanes everywhere: Biscoff cookies, those molasses-y, baking-spiced cookies handed out on flights — making the journey slightly more bearable — grew from a humble Belgian treat to a globe-trotting phenomenon. Read more
How hoop dreams became a $20m reality: Practice makes perfect, but Huupe, a smart basketball system with NBA-level workouts, live coaching, and real-time stats, can change your game quickly. Read more

WORTH A CLICK

👵 An oldie but a goodie: The frightening economics of haunted houses

🔥 One of our most-read stories this week: Meet the guys you call when AI breaks your brain

⚒️ A free resource: Build wealth beyond your paycheck

AROUND THE WEB

🌍 Game: Wordle for international cities.

💡 Get inspired: Leaf through the stories of Mindstream’s Most Interesting Women in AI.

🍷 That’s fun: Try to see the glass half full. Literally.

👀 Groovy: Play tricks on your eyeballs.

👻 Weee: You’re the giant inflatable tube man outside a business.

👨‍🎨 Bored?: Paint with words.

SHOWER THOUGHT

Synthesizer music used to make us think of the future but now it makes us think of the past. SOURCE

Today's email was brought to you by Danny Jensen, Bill Meincke, and Singdhi Sokpo.
Editing by: Sara "Gym class hero" Friedman.

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