Midlife, Messi, and a man who invented a sport

Jul 15, 2026

Some wonderbringers for me this week:

Why we care so much about the World Cup: UBC psychologists on why fandom sticks. Once a team becomes part of your identity, it stays there even when the sport doesn’t — which is why a tournament landing in your own city can pull a former version of yourself back to the surface.
Why midlife might actually be awesome: The “downhill from here” story about your 40s and 50s turns out to be mostly wrong. New research on generativity, crystallised intelligence and deepening relationships suggests midlife is often when people feel most capable, not least.
Five psychology tricks players use at the World Cup: Messi’s eyes are often off the ball, not on it. A sport psychologist explains how elite strikers deliberately let their attention drift, so they can snap into total focus the instant it counts.
Wondermaker of the Week: Brad Parks, inventor of wheelchair tennis. In 1976, an 18 year old skier named Brad Parks broke his spine in a freestyle accident. From his hospital bed he began wondering what tennis might look like played in a wheelchair. Fifty years on, that imagined sport has reached Grand Slam status, filling Wimbledon’s 12,345 seat Court One.

Hope everyone is enjoying this summer of great sport!

With wonder,