Bend It Like Beckham and the Art of Balancing Cultures—Rajpreet Heir looks back on the movie that showed her shaping a hybrid identity could be a beautiful and lonely experience, as part of The Atlantic’s ongoing “Childish Things” series.
Should Acting Prizes Be Gender-Neutral?—David Sims wonders if bigger ceremonies will follow the MTV Movie & TV Awards, which will no longer hand out separate trophies for best male and female performers.
The End Is Nigh for The Leftovers—Sophie Gilbert looks ahead to the third and final season of the HBO show, which is still the most surprising and moving series on TV.
The Trouble With Homeland’s Political Realism—Sophie Gilbert writes that the show’s sixth season revealed a series trying desperately to keep up with the news, and sacrificing coherence as a result.
Was the Art of S-Town Worth the Pain?—Jessica Goudeau considers how a decades-old literary argument adds insight to the debate over the popular nonfiction podcast.
Tony Gutierrez / AP
Sports
Francisco Lindor Is Baseball’s Future—Robert O’Connell argues that the Cleveland Indians shortstop may be the key to attracting younger viewers for the sport.
Marc St. Gil / Environmental Protection Agency
Books
My Brilliant (Doomed) Friend—Sophie Gilbert traces Julie Buntin’s novel Marlena against a string recent books to frame a coming-of-age narrative around an intoxicating teenage girl.