Men's Journal's Blog, page 58

Dallas Cowboys Make Statement After Death of Former Player

Former Dallas Cowboys player Pettis Norman has died.

The tight end played a dozen seasons in the NFL, splitting time with both the Cowboys and San Diego Chargers. He died peacefully in his sleep, his family shared.

The Cowboys made a statement on Norman's death posted Monday.

"We mourn the passing of former tight end and civil rights advocate Pettis Norman," the statement read. "Known for his selfless leadership, commitment to community, and dedication to creating equal opportunity, we were incredibly proud and grateful to share his remarkable story recently."

Per NBC Sports, the Charlotte native was selected by the Dallas Texans in the 1962 AFL draft but never played for them but instead signed with the Cowboys as an undrafted free agent in the same year. Norman started off as a special teams player before becoming the Cowboys' full-time starting tight end in 1964 and holding onto that role until 1970.

We mourn the passing of former tight end and civil rights advocate Pettis Norman. Known for his selfless leadership, commitment to community, and dedication to creating equal opportunity, we were incredibly proud and grateful to share his remarkable story recently. For more on… pic.twitter.com/brks4HoLq5

— Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) July 8, 2025

Norman was sent to the Chargers before the 1971 season in the trade that brought Hall of Famer Lance Alworth to Dallas.

Through 12 NFL seasons, Norman tallied 2,492 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns across 162 career games.

But Norman arguably made a bigger impact off the field. He was a known civil rights activist who fought against segregation both within the Cowboys organization and the city of Dallas as a whole. 

He organized several marches alongside some of his teammates to put their support behind the civil rights movement.

After his retirement following the 1973 season, Norman thrived in his various business ventures. He built up five companies under PNI Industries, operating in fast food, real estate and housing.

Related: NFL Player Marries Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader

Coca-Cola Lawsuit Could Impact the Entire Wellness Industry

Coca-Cola is under fire for allegedly misleading consumers with health claims on one of its best-known sports drinks, and the fallout could ripple across the entire wellness industry.

A newly filed class-action lawsuit targets Powerade’s Mountain Berry Blast, accusing Coca-Cola of using exaggerated marketing to sell the product. At the center of the dispute is the bold claim printed on the bottle: “50% more electrolytes than the leading sports drink.”

The Cool Down reported that, according to the lawsuit, filed in New York by consumer Natasha Lekwa, the claim suggests a meaningful performance advantage, but the numbers don’t back it up. 

Lekwa’s legal team argues the differences in actual sodium and potassium content between Powerade and its competitors are “negligible” and don’t meet the bar for the type of claim being made. “Such claims should be reflected in the sodium and potassium content in the labeling as required for food products, which is not the case,” the suit states.

If successful, the case could force a change in how functional drinks advertise ingredients and benefits, especially in the performance, hydration, and recovery space, where terms like “more electrolytes” often go unquestioned.

It’s not the first time Coca-Cola has faced criticism for its health messaging. But this suit signals a new wave of consumer pushback—not just about what’s in the bottle, but how it’s sold. 

The performance drink market is increasingly intertwined with wellness branding, where labels tout everything from antioxidants to adaptogens. This case could set a precedent for how far companies can push those claims.

Beyond the courtroom, the implications could shake up how beverage giants approach packaging, influencer partnerships, and marketing strategies. “Health halo” language has long given functional drinks a competitive edge, but regulators and consumers are starting to demand clarity.

While the lawsuit is still in early stages, it reflects a broader consumer reckoning with wellness branding. From supplements to hydration aids, buyers want claims backed by science, not just marketing buzzwords.

If Coca-Cola is forced to change its labeling or pay out damages, expect other companies to follow suit. The days of loosely regulated wellness claims may be numbered, and that could reshape how we shop for everything from sports drinks to protein powders.

Related: Coca-Cola Investigation Could Shake Up the Beverage Industry

Karen Khachanov’s Wife Veronika Has Family Tie to Another Pro Tennis Player

Karen Khachanov has known his wife Veronika since they were children. She has a family link to another professional tennis player.

Veronika Khachanov's twin sister is married to the professional tennis player, Ilya Ivashka.

However, their rankings are vastly different. Khachanov is ranked #20 in the world and is playing at Wimbledon. Ivashka is ranked #858. Still, Ivashka, of Belarus, who was once ranked #40 in the world, has earned more than $3 million in prize money, according to the ATP Tour.

Karen Khachanov has earned more than $19 million in prize money and achieved the #8 ranking in 2019.

The Russian professional tennis player, who is competing at Wimbledon, has explained how he met his wife Veronicka Shkliaeva and what she means to him.

"Me and Veronika have been knowing each other since we were eight years old. She was also playing tennis. We met there," he said, according to Tennis World USA.

"From age of 14 I understood I wanted to see her as my lifetime mate. Our relationship inspired me and helped me to go forward. She supported me, gave me confidence. At home, thank to her, I can disconnect from everything and re-find strengths before the next competition."

They started dating in 2011 and married in 2016. They met at an airport while he was playing with a baggage cart, according to Essentially Sports. 

In May, Khachanov posted a series of photos showing him with his wife and their two kids in Rome. "Rome is always a good idea ❤️ Until next time! Grazie 🙌🏻," he wrote.

The photos showed Khachanov and his wife and kids taking in historical sites in Rome and eating pasta.

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A post shared by Karen Khachanov |Карен Хачанов (@karenkhachanov)

Another photo he posted shows him reading to his two boys. In November, he posed with his kids on a beach.

"Short break with family 🙌🏻❤️🙏🏻," he wrote. 

Related: Carlos Alcaraz Opened Up About Girlfriend Challenges

Southwest Sent a Message Loud and Clear With Its Ad, Literally

Southwest Airlines is changing one of the quirkiest things about how it operates, and it knows passengers have thoughts. A lot of them. So the airline decided to face the backlash head-on—with a loud, chaotic new ad that throws subtlety out the window.

Titled “Are You Sitting Down?”, the commercial leans into the uproar surrounding Southwest’s plan to roll out assigned seating in 2026. 

For the first time in its history, the airline is abandoning its open-seating model on select flights. That means no more picking your seat on the spot. And no more arguing about who “saved” the exit row.

In typical Southwest fashion, the announcement is served with a wink and a scream—literally. The ad opens with a woman shouting into her phone, a man leaping over a desk, and a watermelon exploding in slow motion. It plays like a parody of passenger panic, and that's by design.

Since the 1970s, Southwest has used a board-in-order, sit-where-you-want system that set it apart from other carriers. Some loyal flyers loved the flexibility. Others found it stressful and unpredictable. 

Now, with the shift to assigned seats, Southwest is clearly aware it’s stepping into controversy, and it’s owning it.

Online reactions to the ad mirror the split. 

“This is the best way they could have announced something so controversial,” one YouTube commenter wrote. 

Others lamented the end of what made Southwest unique. 

“I loathe assigned seating,” another said. “But I guess it’s about to be my only option.”

Eventually, the airline turned off comments on the ad announcing the controversial issue.

Related: Southwest Airlines' CEO Doubles Down on Checked Bag, Seating Changes

By framing the rollout as a self-aware meltdown, the airline is signaling that it gets the emotional stakes. The ad doesn’t try to spin the change as universally loved. Instead, it invites viewers to laugh—maybe yell—and ultimately accept that, like it or not, change is coming.

Whether the move calms chaos or creates more of it remains to be seen. But one thing’s clear: Southwest isn’t afraid to shout over the noise. It just joined in.

Related: What Airport Agents Found in This Traveler’s Bag Could Wreck U.S. Farms

Hollywood Has a New Highest-Grossing Lead Actor

Scarlett Johansson has a pair of Oscar nominations—and one hell of a box office total.

With this weekend’s release of Jurassic World Rebirth, which has already earned a whopping $318 million in global box office receipts since opening last week, Johansson just conquered another major Hollywood milestone: She is now officially Hollywood’s highest-grossing star.

Related: Scarlett Johansson’s ‘Jurassic World Rebirth’ Co-Star Defends Kissing the Actress on Red Carpet

As The Wrap reports, the newest film in the Jurassic Park franchise catapulted the 40-year-old from the number three spot to the top of the list of highest-grossing actors, surpassing two of her longtime co-stars: Robert Downey Jr., whose films have grossed a total of $14.2 billion, and Samuel L. Jackson, the longtime record-holder with $14.6 billion. The success of Johansson’s dino adventure puts her total box office earnings at $14.8 billion.

Nearly 60 percent of that total comes from Johansson’s association with the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Seven of her 10 highest-grossing films are MCU movies, led by 2019’s Avengers: Endgame ($2.7 billion worldwide), 2018’s Avengers: Infinity War ($2 billion), and 2012’s The Avengers ($1.5 billion).

Related: Scarlett Johansson Details 'Hard' Experience Working With Bill Murray

Though Jurassic World Rebirth only arrived in U.S. theaters on July 2, it’s already Johansson’s 13th highest grossing movie in which she has a lead role—so can only go up from here (it’s currently stalled just below 2021’s Black Widow, but only needs about $61 million to catch up, which seems like a foregone conclusion.

Johansson is currently in production on three new projects: James Gray’s Paper Tiger with Miles Teller and her Marriage Story (2019) co-star Adam Driver; Christopher McQuarrie’s The Gauntlet with Tom Cruise; and Andrea Arnold’s Featherwood, in which Johansson will play Carol Blevins, an FBI informant who helped authorities secure at least 13 convictions among members of the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas, and whose intel helped in at least 16 other cases.

'Jurassic World Rebirth' Turns Heads With Massive Box Office

If you were to only read the reviews of Jurassic World Rebirth, you might assume that the Scarlett Johansson-led dinosaur flick was a flop. But, despite having a Rotten Tomatoes score of only 52 percent, Jurassic World Rebirth is a huge hit. The film has grossed $318 million at the global box office, $147 million of which came from domestic ticket sales over the Fourth of July holiday weekend.

And, although the movie has only been out for a week, this means it's already the ninth most successful movie of 2025 overall. Whether or not Jurassic World Rebirth will continue to hold onto the box office in July remains to be seen. But one thing is notable about its success: Jurassic World Rebirth managed to perform very well despite not actually playing on any IMAX screens in the U.S. This is because F1: The Movie is still taking up all of the domestic IMAX screens, and, starting on July 11, the new Superman will be in IMAX.

This result is also more than what the movie was projected to make. Initial predictions suggested Jurassic World Rebirth would hit somewhere closer to $260 million worldwide, not the $318 million it actually made

Related: 'Jurassic World Rebirth' Refreshingly Ditches an Annoying Blockbuster Trend

"The word of mouth on it is stellar," said Jim Orr, domestic distributor for Universal Pictures, according to AP.

Orr has a point. Jurassic World Rebirth is a fantastically paced summer blockbuster, and seems comfortable and breezy in a way many, many big franchise films have not in recent years. Although its reviews have been hit or miss, if you zoom out, it feels like the third-best Jurassic movie overall, and certainly the second-best since the 2015 reboot, Jurassic World, restarted the franchise a decade ago.

Jurassic World Rebirth's success comes from several secret weapons: director Gareth Edwards knows a thing or two about how to do a big monster movie; he's the guy who helmed the 2014 Godzilla reboot. On top of that, Rebirth's script was penned by David Koepp, the man behind the screenplay on the first 1993 classic.

So, if you've got one friend telling you that Jurassic World Rebirth is crap, and another telling you its fun, we're going to recommend you go with the second option. This many people are never totally wrong about dinosaurs.

Jurassic World Rebirth is in theaters now.

Related: Nobody Is Talking About the Secret Weapon of 'Jurassic World Rebirth'

James Gunn Sends Message to 'Jerks' Ahead of 'Superman' Movie Release

As the highly anticipated premiere of the James Gunn-directed Superman movie is nearly here, the plethora of trailers, teasers and clips from the film has built an impressive amount of excitement.

The newest addition to the Superman franchise officially hits theaters on July 11, and in the build-up to its release date, Gunn has been the face of many noteworthy interviews. He has rightfully been a driving force in the ever-growing hype surrounding the movie.

However, less than one week before David Corenswet's debut as the Man of Steel, Gunn made his most candid and honest statement about the film, while calling out some of the "jerks" he's expecting to hear from as well.

(L-R) James Gunn, David Corenswet, Rachel Brosnahan and Nicholas Hoult promote the upcoming film 'Superman' at the Warner Bros. Pictures presentation during CinemaCon.

Mindy Small/WireImage

During an interview with The Times of London, the DC Studios co-CEO detailed more of the new Superman movie's background, before admitting that some fans ("jerks," as he puts it) will find it offensive, and making it known that he doesn't care if they do.

“I mean, Superman is the story of America,” Gunn says. “An immigrant that came from other places and populated the country, but for me it is mostly a story that says basic human kindness is a value and is something we have lost.”

“But it’s about human kindness and obviously there will be jerks out there who are just not kind and will take it as offensive just because it is about kindness. But screw them."

To the director's credit, he's remained open and honest about not only his feelings regarding the upcoming Superman movie, but also about the film industry in general. Gunn has spoken frequently about his desire to ensure everything about the movie process is crafted in the right way, and continuously hammers home his focus on top-quality storylines.

Considering the immense amount of detail that appears to be put into all aspects of Superman, it's easy to see why there's such a high level of excitement surrounding the film's release.

Related: 'Superman' Star Nicholas Hoult Floats Lex Luthor Villain Team-up He’d Love to See

Chevy’s Cheapest EV Is Getting a Big Upgrade and a Longer Range

Chevrolet is rolling out a new version of the Bolt, its entry-level electric vehicle, with production expected to begin later this year. While it's being positioned as a 2027 model, early availability in 2026 seems likely, according to The Cool Down.

The updated Bolt is set to include a number of significant changes, including the use of GM’s new lithium-iron phosphate battery pack. This marks the first time the automaker will implement the technology, which could lower costs while improving battery durability. 

The battery upgrade is expected to increase the Bolt’s range to about 315 miles—up from 250 miles in the current model—and reduce charging time, addressing two of the most common EV buyer concerns.

Beyond the powertrain, the new Bolt is getting a design refresh. It’s reportedly a bit larger, more aerodynamic, and still smaller than Chevy’s Equinox SUV. The interior will feature Google-based digital displays, pushing the model closer to the tech experience drivers expect from newer EVs.

Pricing is expected to stay around $30,000, which would keep the Bolt in the lower-cost tier of the EV market. That price point matters, especially as other automakers, including Nissan and Tesla, prepare their own budget-friendly offerings.

Related: The EV That’s Winning Over Drivers Tired of Tesla Prices

EV adoption is climbing, driven in part by rising gas prices and available tax incentives. According to the Department of Energy, EV drivers can save up to $2,200 in fuel and maintenance costs over time. 

Still, affordability and range remain two of the biggest hurdles for mainstream buyers. If Chevy can deliver both, the updated Bolt could find a solid audience.

Environmental factors may also play into purchasing decisions. While EVs aren’t zero-impact, especially depending on how they’re charged, they do eliminate tailpipe emissions. Pairing home charging with solar can further reduce the carbon footprint and cost.

Whether the refreshed Bolt lives up to its promises remains to be seen, but for now, it’s one of several models aiming to make EVs more accessible to everyday drivers.

Related: This Electric NASCAR Prototype Just Hit the Streets of Chicago

Eiffel Tower Closure Threw A Wrench in Summer Travel Plans

If Paris is on your summer travel list, you might want to double-check your itinerary. The Eiffel Tower’s summit, the highest and most iconic viewing platform in the city, was closed through July 2 due to an extreme heatwave that gripped the French capital.

In a surprise move, operators announced the closure last week, citing safety concerns for visitors and staff. Lower levels of the tower remained open, but access to the top was suspended, leaving many tourists scrambling to rearrange plans.

“Due to the current heatwave, the Eiffel Tower is taking measures to ensure the comfort and safety of our visitors and staff,” read a statement posted to the landmark’s official Instagram account. 

Ticket holders will receive automatic refunds for summit access or guided tours. Ultimately, the iconic landmark was able to reopen when things cooled down.

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A post shared by La tour Eiffel (@toureiffelofficielle)

Paris was one of 16 French regions under a red alert, the highest level of heat warning issued by the national weather service, Yahoo reported. Temperatures soared across the country, part of a broader European heatwave that was driven by a dangerous combo of atmospheric extremes. However, it finally broke, allowing for cooler weather to give relief to citizens and tourists alike.

The marine heatwave in the Mediterranean pushed water temperatures nearly 9 degrees Fahrenheit above normal. Combined with a heat dome pulling scorching air up from North Africa, the result was brutal and unrelenting.

Related: Multiple Countries Just Issued Travel Warnings for the U.S.

Across Europe, countries faced a similar story. Spain and Portugal both broke national heat records, with highs topping 114°F. In the U.K., where most homes lack air conditioning, Wimbledon spectators sweat it out alongside the players. In France, wildfires burned hundreds of acres, and dozens of schools shut down early for safety.

The Eiffel Tower’s summit closure was just one highly visible example of how climate extremes are now impacting even the most well-worn travel routes. European cities are bracing for more weather-driven disruptions.

For travelers heading abroad this summer, flexibility might be just as important as a passport. Iconic destinations like Paris may look picture-perfect online, but the new reality on the ground is more complicated. 

If you have travel plans this summer, be sure to check the weather and the Eiffel Tower before you go, and have a plan B in case of extreme weather.

Related: Deadly Virus Infects Thousands Across Europe, Prompting Urgent Travel Warning

Mahershala Ali’s Blunt Response About 'Blade:’ ‘Leave Me out of It’

While Mahershala Ali may still be fully prepared to take on the role of Blade, it doesn’t seem as though Marvel has made much headway from the last time fans heard from the actor.

In late June, Ali addressed his future in Blade by essentially putting the ball in Marvel's court, as he candidly discussed his feelings on the matter during an interview with Variety at the Jurassic World Rebirth premiere.

"Call Marvel. I'm ready," Ali said. "Let [Marvel] know I'm ready."

Ali's comments at that point indicated his interest in getting the ball rolling on the film. Although that may very well still be the case, it sounds as though the 51-year-old actor may be a bit tired of the lack of movement.

Scarlett Johansson and Mahershala Ali attend the Berlin premiere of the movie 'Jurassic World Rebirth.'

Gerald Matzka/Getty Images

Ali joined Vogue's 'Off the Cuff' alongside Jurassic World co-stars Scarlett Johansson and Jonathan Bailey. However, as Variety detailed, when Bailey asked how many Marvel movies the two have starred in, Ali's response was short and to the point.

“Leave me out of it,” Ali joked. “That’s a Scarlett question.”

Although Bailey stated that there's "one we're really excited about," referencing Blade, it doesn't appear that Ali's previous statement on the movie, directed at Marvel, resulted in the type of possible outcome fans had hoped for.

Unfortunately, the future of Ali's Blade remains very much up in the air, and all fans can do now is wait and see as Marvel continues its planning for film releases over the coming years.

Related: 'F1' Actor Damson Idris Has 1-Word Answer to 'Black Panther' Casting Speculation