The WNBA, Martha Graham, and the Story Behind Michelin Stars

A beginner's guide to the WNBA

The Women's National Basketball Association is the premier women's professional basketball league in North America and one of two women's pro leagues to be valued at more than $1B. 
 

The league is part of a long history of women's basketball, starting with Senda Berenson Abbott, who revised the rules of basketball to provide women with exercise while still allowing them to comply with societal expectations of the time. The 1972 passage of Title IX increased funding for women's sports and, in turn, led to more girls and women playing basketball. The WNBA formed in 1996 with significant financial backing from the NBA and expanded through the 1990s, but struggled through the 2000s. (Watch a 60-second history of the league.)
 

In recent years, the league has exploded, thanks to young standouts like Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese. In 2024, the league signed an 11-year deal with Disney, Amazon, and NBCUniversal. The 2026 season features two new teams, the Portland Fire and the Toronto Tempo, with plans for franchises in San Francisco, Cleveland, Detroit, and Philadelphia by 2030. (See more about the league's expansion.)

... Explore everything else we learned about the WNBA.

Also, check out ... 

> A timeline of the league's biggest moments. (Read)

> Highlights from the first-ever WNBA game, an epic showdown between Lisa Leslie and Rebecca Lobo. (Watch)

> How the WBL set the stage for the WNBA. (Read)

> How the NBA's David Stern helped build the WNBA. (Read)

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Starting a Business Has Never Made More Sense

New research is in: Since 2018, the number of Shopify founders making their first sale has grown 7x. Meanwhile, e-commerce has grown from 14% to over 20% of global retail in six years. 

Founders aren't just growing—they're confident. Between 78 and 90% of founders across five countries say they'd start their business again in 2026, while twice as many U.S. business owners now say entrepreneurship feels more financially secure than a traditional job.  

What does this look like on the ground? "Everyone is in the jungle," Riccardo Larroudé, co-founder of Larroudé footwear, told Shopify’s In Stock. "You might as well do things you really care about, and try to own your own destiny." Read the interview to learn about how Larroudé bootstrapped their business without any outside investment.

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Martha Graham, 101

Martha Graham is a 20th-century American choreographer and dancer widely considered one of the most significant figures in modern dance and the first dancer to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom. The Martha Graham Technique, her approach to choreography, is a breath-centered system that challenged many of ballet's rules. Today, she is sometimes called "the Picasso of dance." (Watch Graham explain her technique.)

The Martha Graham Dance Company was founded in 1926 and continues to operate today, making it America's oldest dance company. Through her school and company, Graham taught many dancers who would go on to form their own influential companies, including Merce Cunningham, Twyla Tharp, and Alvin Ailey. She also worked with celebrities such as Liza Minnelli, Madonna, and Woody Allen. (Read a history of the company.)

Graham's work—including her 1944 collaboration with Aaron Copland, "Appalachian Spring," considered a masterpiece of American dance—continues to be performed today, over 35 years after her death.

... Explore everything else we learned about Martha Graham.

Also, check out ... 

> Watch Helen Keller visit Martha Graham's studio. (Watch)

> Why Graham turned down an invitation to the 1936 Olympics. (Watch)

> Some say a 1929 piece commented on her place in dance. (Watch)

> Graham's "Lamentation" was an influential piece about grief. (Watch)

A brief introduction to HBO

HBO is a premium cable network and streaming platform known for its highly acclaimed programming that defies simple genre categorization and features production values on par with feature films. In its five decades, the network has produced countless era-defining shows—including “The Sopranos,” “Sex and the City,” and “Succession”—and won more than 200 Emmy Awards. (See a list of its best shows.)
 

HBO launched in 1972, focusing primarily on commercial-free movies and sports events. In 1975, the network began using satellite technology to distribute its programming nationwide and leaned into more original programming, starting with hourlong stand-up comedy specials. By the 1990s, it produced “Oz,” the network's first hour-long drama.
 

By the early 2000s, HBO established a model for viewer-controlled content, foreshadowing the binge-watch era. The network established itself as the home of prestige television, with a focus on cinematic storytelling and complex characters, a model it continues to explore to this day.

... Explore everything else we learned about HBO.

Also, check out ... 

> "The Pitt" has found success with an old-school model. (Listen)

> "The Wire" employed TV outsiders to craft its complex narrative. (Watch)

> How "Game of Thrones" fans grew more critical as the show grew more popular. (Read)

> The channel once had a nightly sign-off before it aired 24/7. (Watch)

Cultural Context

Beyond our weekly deep dives, we love finding great takes on the culture currently shaping our lives. Here are some of the best reactions, profiles, and think pieces we encountered this week.

> The 30 Greatest Living American Songwriters

NY Times | Staff. I think some key figures are missing here, but I like conversation-starting lists like this. So, I'm asking you: Who'd they miss? Drop me a line with your picks, and I'll happily send you the names I think were criminally overlooked. (Read)

> Nelio Biedermann on Writing 'Lázár'

Cold | Lexi Covalsen. Biedermann's novel, a historical saga about a Hungarian family, is being hailed as the international breakthrough of the year. This interview with the 22-year-old writer explores his process and his take on the buzz surrounding his throwback style. (Read | More on The Novel)

> Miranda Priestly Hangs Up Her Own Coat Now

The Atlantic | David Sims. "The Devil Wears Prada" sequel arrived last weekend and dominated the box office. Sims notes that the film's most interesting aspect is how it reflects how much media has changed since the original film's release in 2006. (Read)

> An Internet of Checkpoints

Longreads | Bijan Stephen. Strange things happen in comment sections, but this might be one of the strangest—and the most surprisingly uplifting. Thanks to a quirk in the YouTube algorithm, a video featuring a song from a 1995 video game became a meeting place for anonymous users facing existential crises. (Read | More on YouTube)

> In Defense of Umpires

WSJ | Jonathan Shapiro. Major League Baseball formally installed its Automated Balls and Strikes System this season, something Shapiro believes is a mistake. According to him, baseball is an art, not a science—one that he believes is a stand-in for other crucial aspects of our shared culture. (Read | More on MLB)

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A $15,000 Bet Backed by Conviction

Bar Bruhis didn't have food retail experience, a distribution deal, or a safety net when he ordered $15,000 worth of gluten-free, high-protein couscous. But he had a conviction—and he saw it through. He pitched buyers, built distribution from scratch, and moved 30,000 units. Then he quit his day job.

The behind-the-scenes account of how he did it—the big calls, what he'd do differently, and what it took to go full-time—is on In Stock, Shopify's newsletter about all things entrepreneurship. Subscribe to Shopify's In Stock for more founder stories like Bruhis's.

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Best of the Week

We curate hundreds of resources into 1440 Topics each week. Here are some of our favorites from the world of society and culture.

> What it means to earn a Michelin star.

> Why does the music in science fiction sound like that?

> The best Shakespeare plays, from "A Midsummer Night's Dream" to "The Winter's Tale."

> March Madness weighs a massive expansion.

> A beloved country music tradition: the "last call" song.

> The theory behind one of Salvador Dalí's most famous films.

> Hip-hop scholars argue that framing lyrics as legal evidence misunderstands the genre.

> A 1927 map shows how Hollywood shot international stories on a budget.

> Lorne Michaels claims "Saturday Night Live" has never banned a musical guest.

> An easy way to find the next movie to watch.

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