💖 Taylor Swift's hard launch

Happy Friday! It’s September 29 — people are talking about Taylor Swift’s “hard launch” relationship debut, running up the score in sports, and more.

As always, we’ve summarized and organized the different shades of perspective, so you can see the big picture quickly.

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💖 In the news: Taylor’s hard launch with Travis

Taylor Swift attended a Kansas City Chiefs game to watch Travis Kelce. Was it the “hard launch” of their relationship, or not that serious?

💖 Grazia approved of the casual “hard launch” — hopefully the days of subtle “soft launches” are gone.

💖 @shreyapahwa loved the launch, too: Taylor and Travis timed it well. Toxic late night shows aren't airing, and the couple seems to have dodged bad PR.

💖 But Fashion Magazine said it's not 100% clear that the two are actually an item: Perhaps she just “really likes football”.

💖 And Sarah Haines, the host of The View, isn't buying it. She said that Taylor’s and Travis's relationship is a “PR stunt”.

💖 But maybe it doesn't matter whether the relationship is real. NBC News wrote that Kansas City is head-over-heels about the idea of Taylor and Travis.

🥊 Cultural trend: Is it OK to run up the score?

Running up the score is when you’re already winning the game by a lot, but keep scoring more points. Is it poor form in high school sports?

🥊 NYT: Last year, a Connecticut high school suspended its girls basketball coach after the team won a game by 88 points. The school administration said the score didn't reflect their values.

🥊 The Sports Digest thinks running up the score is never OK in high school sports — it lacks character.

🥊 But The Advocate says it's complicated — for example, what if the winning team needs to hone their skills for a big game?

🥊 Psychology Today thinks the winning team should use the opportunity to improve. There are ways to create a "game within a game" that benefit everyone.

🥊 It's important that the winning team doesn't stop trying, says Wootton Common Sense. That can be even more insulting to the losing team.

Quick hits

⚫ US Senator Dianne Feinstein died at 90 years old. She was the oldest member of the Senate. (NY Post)

💲 The personal consumption expenditures index — a measure the Fed uses to track inflation — cooled in August. (NYT)

⚖️ An appeals court rejected Donald Trump's move to delay his civil fraud trial. (AP News)

📀 After 25 years, Netflix is mailing its last batch of DVDs to customers. The company will now be a streaming-only service. (The Guardian)

That’s it for today. Reply at [email protected] to let me know what you think of our newsletter, or to suggest a topic for next time.

Here at Shades we’re trying something new – quick summaries from different points of view. We think it’s a better way to stay informed and see the big picture. Please reach out if you’re curious to learn more!

- Jeff (co-founder of Shades)