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Why it matters: Ever wonder what happened to the SS United States after it left Philly last year? Yep, us too.

Driving the news: The plan to sink the historic 990-foot ocean liner off the Gulf Coast and turn it into the world's largest artificial reef is temporarily on hold while Okaloosa County awaits final approval from the Army Corps of Engineers, county spokesperson Nick Tomecek tells Axios.

The ship has been stripped of potentially harmful materials and pollutants as part of an environmental remediation process to make it safe for marine wildlife.

Catch up quick: Okaloosa County paid $1 million to purchase the ship from its longtime steward, the SS United States Conservancy, following a lengthy court battle with its former landlord, Penn Warehousing, over a disputed rent hike at its South Philly berth.

A group of New York preservationists made an unsuccessful last-ditch pitch to President Trump to save the ship from being sunk.

After several delays, the ship finally left Philly in February 2025 after being docked in South Philly for nearly three decades.

Fun fact: The 990-foot-long ship carried four presidents across the Atlantic after setting sail on its maiden voyage in the early 1950s.

What we're watching: Once the Army Corps signs off, Okaloosa County will set a date to sink the liner off Florida's Gulf Coast, Tomecek says.

Remember the SS United States? Here's where it is now

Okaloosa County is awaiting final approval from the Army Corps of Engineers to sink the ship.

When one <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="ship sails" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/philadelphia/2026/08/27/cruise-norwegian-new-terminal-port-opens" data-vars-content-id="12124b52-8a32-4672-9ae6-e8ffea4a61a1" data-vars-headline="Remember the SS United States? Here&#x27;s where it is now" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/philadelphia/2026/08/27/cruise-norwegian-new-terminal-port-opens" target="_self">ship sails</a>, another docks.Why it matters: Ever wonder what happened to the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="SS United States" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/philadelphia/2024/08/16/ss-united-states-philly-sale" data-vars-content-id="12124b52-8a32-4672-9ae6-e8ffea4a61a1" data-vars-headline="Remember the SS United States? Here&#x27;s where it is now" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/philadelphia/2024/08/16/ss-united-states-philly-sale" target="_self">SS United States</a> after it <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="left Philly last year" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/philadelphia/2025/02/19/ss-united-states-departs-philadelphia" data-vars-content-id="12124b52-8a32-4672-9ae6-e8ffea4a61a1" data-vars-headline="Remember the SS United States? Here&#x27;s where it is now" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/philadelphia/2025/02/19/ss-united-states-departs-philadelphia" target="_self">left Philly last year</a>? Yep, us too.

Culture

We're talking about practice, but Eagles fans are still excited.

Why it matters: Philly might be the only sports city in America where a public training camp practice is treated with the same intensity as a playoff game.

Driving the news: Fans get their only chance to watch the Eagles go head-to-head at Lincoln Financial Field during Tuesday's public practice.

You can still score tickets to the practice, which starts at 6pm, but you should hurry. Last year's sold out.

Catch up quick: The Birds won the NFC East crown last year but were eliminated by San Francisco in the first round of the playoffs.

They're two seasons removed from winning the franchise's second Super Bowl and traded their top receiver, A.J. Brown, to Super Bowl runner-up New England this offseason for draft picks.

Yes, but: Brown's frustrations with the offense bubble over last season and were a constant source of chatter.

The former teammates appear to have buried the hatchet.

There was no tension between them during the teams' joint practices last week — the only time they'll see each other this season since the Eagles and Patriots aren't scheduled to play.

Reality check: Cue the 2Pac track — it's a lot of big changes for the Birds this year.

Jalen Hurts is learning a new playbook under first-year offensive coordinator Sean Mannion.

And he's going to have to figure out who he can count on to become his security blanket. 

DeVonta Smith could face tougher matchups and more coverage tilted his way now that the Eagles have lost Brown, Hurts' go-to receiver.

Zoom in: The Birds will likely replace Brown's production by committee.

New additions Makai Lemon and Dontayvion Wicks should get ample opportunities in Mannion's equal-opportunity offense, per ESPN.

The bottom line: It's just a tune-up before the Eagles' season opener against Washington. 

But this is Philly — if the Birds stink up the Linc, fans will let them know about it.

winning the franchise's second Super Bowl

Practice? Eagles fans get their first look at the new-look Birds

Practice, regular season, postseason. In Philly, it doesn't matter. Expect a packed Linc.

QB Jalen Hurts  throws during a joint practice with the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium.

We&#x27;re talking about practice, but <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Eagles fans" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/philadelphia/2026/05/15/eagles-schedule-season-cowboys" data-vars-content-id="1941ef12-307e-4dd5-81ff-c5006e3c0804" data-vars-headline="Practice? Eagles fans get their first look at the new-look Birds" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/philadelphia/2026/05/15/eagles-schedule-season-cowboys" target="_self">Eagles fans</a> are still excited.Why it matters: Philly might be the only sports city in America where a public training camp practice is treated with the same intensity as a playoff game.

Sports

Philly is already in race mode, and began shutting down major roadways ahead of this weekend's Philadelphia Cycling Classic.

Why it matters: The major race returns to the city for the first time following a 10-year hiatus.

🚧 Driving the news: The race will shut down major roads from 3am-10pm Sunday, along the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Kelly Drive and Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, plus several streets in Manayunk and Roxborough.

Officials are warning residents to move their vehicles from the race course before 3am Sunday or risk being towed.

Most race-day closures are expected to remain in effect through 10pm Sunday.

🚌 Zoom in: The entire stretch of Kelly Drive will be closed to automobiles and parking.

At least 17 SEPTA routes will be detoured, starting at 4am Sunday. 

Catch up quick: Officials began shutting down the inner lanes of the Parkway between 20th Street and Binswanger Triangle on Thursday.

MLK Jr. Drive between Eakins Oval and Falls Bridge will close at 8am Saturday and remain closed to vehicle traffic until Monday.

Sedgley Drive between Girard Avenue and Poplar Drive will close at noon Saturday and remain closed through the conclusion of the event.

Spectators are encouraged to take public transportation, bike or walk to the event.

What else: Amateurs can take part in an 8-mile time trial on Saturday at 9am along MLK Drive.

Cyclists can also ride a loop of the pro course during the American Association for Cancer Research's charity ride on Sunday at 6:30am.

On the Parkway at the start/finish line (near Eakins Oval).

Manayunk's Main Street and "The Wall" along Levering Street and Lyceum Avenue in Manayunk and Roxborough.

Manayunk Avenue (the "Fall from the Wall") where riders will reach some of their highest speeds.

Philly road closures begin for Cycling Classic 

And get deets on the spots are to view the race.

Riders blazing through the race course during the 2015 Philadelphia International Cycling Classic.

Photo: Bastiaan Slabbers/NurPhoto via Getty Images


Philly is already in race mode, and began shutting down major roadways ahead of this weekend&#x27;s Philadelphia Cycling Classic.Why it matters: The major race returns to the city for the first time following a 10-year hiatus.

Things to Do

Carla Brandoff has spent much of her career making deals. At the height of her gambling addiction, she was especially good at making them with herself.

She could explain away almost every warning sign on the Gamblers Anonymous checklist — until she reached question No. 13.

"Did gambling make you careless of the welfare of yourself or your family?"

Why it matters: As online gambling has exploded in popularity, some experts fear the U.S. is flirting with another addiction epidemic rivaling those fueled by tobacco and opioids.

One group getting lost in the conversation: women.

And the financial toll can be severe. A recent Bloomberg Law analysis found that women accounted for about a quarter of last year's bankruptcy filings, which listed some of the country's biggest online sportsbooks as creditors.

The big picture: Brandoff — a Philadelphia resident and former Wall Street trader now working in real estate — underwent gambling treatment four years ago.

She now spends one day a week listening to people calling into Pennsylvania's problem gambling hotline.

Men call most often, but every once in a while, a woman is on the other end of the line.

Brandoff knows many women suffer silently, hoping to have the same realization she did about the toll gambling was taking on her family.

"When they call me and they're, like, at the very bottom and, like, no, you don't know, then I'll share that," she tells Axios.

State of play: Last year, women made up 35% of online sports gamblers, up from 26% in 2022, per the American Gaming Association.

Gambling rates among men and women are virtually the same. Some studies show women who start gambling later in life tend to progress more quickly toward problem gambling than men — a pattern known as a "telescoping effect."

Yet, problem gambling research has focused more heavily on men, leaving researchers with less understanding of how to best help and reach women.

Case in point: Women are mentioned only a handful of times in a Joint State Government Commission's 106-page report on sports betting.

A Pennsylvania Lottery sign that says, "Benefits older Pennsylvanians," outside a Cumberland Farms convenience store .

Zoom in: Among women dialing Pennsylvania's problem gambling hotline, calls were highest among those ages 45 to 54, according to data from the Council on Compulsive Gambling of Pennsylvania shared with Axios.

More women now report struggling with online slots rather than casino slots, part of a broader shift toward online gambling, the council's executive director, Josh Ercole, tells Axios.

Between the lines: Therapists who treat gambling addiction say the profile of women seeking their help is changing.

The longstanding stereotype of a female gambler is an older woman playing slots or bingo at a casino or buying lottery tickets.

Jennifer Levitt, a Philly-area therapist specializing in gambling addiction, tells Axios she's increasingly treating career women, new moms and younger women who don't fit that mold.

Women now constitute a third of her clients, up sharply from just a few years ago. Some are CEOs, lawyers or therapists.

Levitt says some women also gravitate toward strategy-driven games such as poker and blackjack, counter to another stereotype: that women primarily prefer more "passive" forms of gambling.

"One thing I am seeing: late-night gambling, because that's the only 'me time' [they're] getting," Levitt says.

"Once you pick up the phone, you dissociate, and all of a sudden at 1 or 2 o'clock in the morning ... you don't realize how much time" you've spent playing.

Zoom out: Gambling companies are also finding new ways to reach potential customers.

Prediction markets, for example, let users wager on everything from words that'll appear in President Trump's speeches to when Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift would tie the knot.

Ercole says prediction markets can draw in people by letting them wager on subjects they're already interested in.

Meanwhile: A recent lawsuit filed in Philadelphia against FanDuel and DraftKings alleges the sportsbooks encourage addicted gamblers to keep playing through microbets, promotions, push notifications and VIP perks.

Among those perks was a personal video message from Phillies star Bryce Harper, who has said he wasn't aware how the video was used.

Lawmakers have since called on baseball to ban players from having marketing deals with sportsbooks that they say are engaged in "predatory promotion."

FanDuel and DraftKings have asked a judge to dismiss the lawsuit, arguing they have "no duty of care to protect customers from their own lawful wagering," per the Inquirer.

A photo illustration showing the Kalshi online betting app logo alongside a smartphone screen.

Photo Illustration: Davide Bonaldo/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

Online gambling "is not something that's going away," Ercole says. "It's not something that's getting better without intervention."

Flashback: Brandoff says treatment helped her recognize how her Wall Street career may have paved the way for her gambling addiction.

She thrived in a high-pressure environment of big transactions and big money. One year in her late 20s, she earned $850,000.

Brandoff believes the appetite for risk and action that served her professionally also made gambling appealing.

Yes, but: Brandoff didn't develop what she describes as a gambling addiction until her 30s.

Shortly after the pandemic lockdowns, Brandoff left her job on Wall Street and says she spiraled, estimating she lost about $1 million over four years.

Some weeks, she says, she stayed in her bedroom — unshowered and wearing the same clothes from the day before — trading stocks on one computer screen while playing blackjack on another.

When casinos reopened, she sometimes returned home at sunrise, hoping not to disturb her sleeping children, only to return to the blackjack table hours later.

"The dealers would be like, 'Oh, you're back?' And I'd be like, 'Yeah, I'm back.'"

Flash forward: Sitting outside a West Philadelphia cafe, Brandoff goes through the same yellow Gamblers Anonymous pamphlet she once used to rationalize her behavior.

Her demeanor changes as she reaches question No. 13.

Even today, she says, that question hits harder than the $17,000 she once lost in a half-hour playing blackjack.

"I like seeing gray in everything," she admits. But when it comes to her family's suffering, she sees it black and white.

Catch up quick: A friend eventually booked Brandoff a flight to Prescott, Arizona, where she entered Algamus Recovery Services, which specializes in treating gambling addiction.

Women make up about 20% of the center's clients, founder Rich Benson tells Axios.

Benson believes family responsibilities can make it harder for some women to leave home for a five-week program.

Brandoff says she hasn't gambled since leaving the program in October 2022.

She no longer trades stocks, doesn't buy raffle tickets and has someone manage her money.

"The whole cost was, like, plane tickets and all, $6,000," Brandoff says. "I would blow that in two nights. It was the best money I ever spent in my life."

The bottom line: Researchers and treatment providers say more study and outreach are needed to understand and address gambling addiction among women.

"I know what it's like to look in the mirror and be like, 'I hope I get hit by a bus,'" says Brandoff, who will begin leading a Gamblers Anonymous meeting in West Philly in October. "Those were real thoughts that I had. And I don't have them anymore."

words that'll appear in President Trump's speeches

She lost $1 million gambling. More Pennsylvania women are seeking help

Experts fear online gambling could be the country's next great addiction epidemic.

A woman uses an internet gambling website to play online roulette. 

Photo: Joel Ryan/PA Images via Getty Images

Carla Brandoff has spent much of her career making deals. At the height of her gambling addiction, she was especially good at making them with herself.<ul><li>She could explain away almost every warning sign on the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Gamblers Anonymous checklist" data-vars-click-url="https://gamblersanonymous.org/20-questions/" data-vars-content-id="e4f012ec-a3b4-4103-8b65-038a21446f14" data-vars-headline="She lost $1 million gambling. More Pennsylvania women are seeking help" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://gamblersanonymous.org/20-questions/" target="_blank">Gamblers Anonymous checklist</a> — until she reached question No. 13.</li></ul>&quot;Did gambling make you careless of the welfare of yourself or your family?&quot;Why it matters: As online gambling has exploded in popularity, some experts fear the U.S. is flirting with another addiction epidemic rivaling those fueled by tobacco and opioids.

Health

Stephen A. Smith is committed to having the first take and the last take.

Why it matters: Smith is feuding with the National Association of Black Journalists — a group he credits with helping shape him into the journalist he's become — over its claim that he has a "recurring public pattern" of disrespecting "prominent Black women across politics, sports and media."

The big picture: The former Philadelphia Inquirer Sixers beat writer and columnist turned ESPN megastar — and possible presidential contender — is mad that NABJ gave him a Thumbs Down Award.

Smith spent 44 minutes on his podcast arguing the organization ignored his lifetime of supporting Black women and denied him basic journalistic fairness by publicly condemning him without calling him first.

As any good journalist will tell you, the truth is more complicated.

Smith's friend and former colleague Michael Wilbon says Smith is no longer just a journalist but a "show". NABJ believes that doesn't absolve him from being held accountable for the things he says on air.

What they're saying: Smith's former ESPN colleague Jemele Hill says the issue isn't that Smith criticizes Black women, but that his “tone is very different” when he does.

Smith says he's simply, as the name of his podcast suggests, a "straight shooter," telling hard truths about athletes and politicians.

Zoom in: It has led to past public feuds with everyone from new Sixer LeBron James to Texas Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett, whom Smith said was an "educated, brilliant Black woman" but also claimed was "engaging in verbiage and rhetoric for the streets."

He criticized tennis legend Serena Williams after her appearance in Kendrick Lamar's Super Bowl performance; former Vice President Kamala Harris during her presidential run; and had a public falling out with journalist Joy-Ann Reid.

Zoom out: Journalists have also criticized Smith for stretching the definition of journalism into a bankable brand of debate-style punditry that captures eyeballs but isn't always fair to the people being covered — or on the receiving end of his criticism.

Sandra Long Weaver, an NABJ founding member and former Inquirer editor who helped hire Smith three decades ago, tells Axios she always respected his smarts and hustle.

He was one of the first reporters in the newsroom to use a BlackBerry to quickly file stories, once helping the Inquirer beat competitors on a major breaking story.

But his approach to journalism shifted when he got on TV, she said.

"It's not the way we did business at the Inquirer," says Weaver, who doesn't always agree with Smith's opinions. "His approach is to get a conversation going."

Author and former Sports Illustrated writer Jeff Pearlman once called Smith a "knower of all, reporter of none, carnival barker to the world."

Hill says Smith sometimes speaks as an expert when he doesn't have all the facts.

Reality check: Now the journalism organization that helped mold Smith is asking whether the show has swallowed the journalist.

What they're saying: "Accountability is not supposed to be comfortable," the group's president, Errin Haines, told fellow NABJ board member Roland Martin on his podcast. 

Smith knows this lesson better than anybody.

For decades, he's preached about calling "balls and strikes," even when it came to someone he regarded as a "little brother": Hall of Famer Allen Iverson.

Flashback: Iverson was a generational talent with a reputation for partying. But on game day, he'd go out there and die for you.

One day, Smith wrote about Iverson's off-court troubles. They had a falling out.

Later, they hashed out their differences.

"Man, I don't care about the article," Iverson told Smith. "It's that it came from you."

Smith says he saw the pain in Iverson's eyes.

Years later, Iverson said Smith did what "needed to be done."

Flash forward: Now Smith is on the other side of accountability.

Haines says NABJ is demanding better from Smith, not turning its back on him.

The bottom line: The group's lesson isn't much different from the one Smith helped teach Iverson: Sometimes criticism hurts most when it comes from those closest to us.

NABJ's message isn't that Smith isn't a straight shooter. It's that one of its favorite straight shooters has gone astray.

National Association of Black Journalists

helping shape him into the journalist he's become

Stephen A. Smith is a straight shooter. NABJ says he's gone astray

The former Inquirer columnist is feuding with a group that helped mold him into the journalist he is.

Stephen A. Smith speaks on stage during Fanatics Fest in New York City.

Photo: Jason Mendez/Getty Images for SiriusXM

Stephen A. Smith is committed to having the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="first take" data-vars-click-url="https://www.espn.com/watch/catalog/59fe7218-3b48-4543-8f24-7bafd3956f03/first-take" data-vars-content-id="fe5ab7e1-5b20-4fdb-a450-3a3fc3cd8154" data-vars-headline="Stephen A. Smith is a straight shooter. NABJ says he&#x27;s gone astray" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.espn.com/watch/catalog/59fe7218-3b48-4543-8f24-7bafd3956f03/first-take" target="_blank">first take</a> and the last take.Why it matters: Smith is feuding with the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="National Association of Black Journalists" data-vars-click-url="https://thehill.com/blogs/in-the-know/6035210-stephen-a-smith-nabj-award/" data-vars-content-id="fe5ab7e1-5b20-4fdb-a450-3a3fc3cd8154" data-vars-headline="Stephen A. Smith is a straight shooter. NABJ says he&#x27;s gone astray" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://thehill.com/blogs/in-the-know/6035210-stephen-a-smith-nabj-award/" target="_blank">National Association of Black Journalists</a> — a group he credits with <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="helping shape him into the journalist he&#x27;s become" data-vars-click-url="https://youtu.be/BITy6WSbniQ?si=Gk_SRVIjU8JXFIa9&amp;t=249" data-vars-content-id="fe5ab7e1-5b20-4fdb-a450-3a3fc3cd8154" data-vars-headline="Stephen A. Smith is a straight shooter. NABJ says he&#x27;s gone astray" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://youtu.be/BITy6WSbniQ?si=Gk_SRVIjU8JXFIa9&amp;t=249" target="_blank">helping shape him into the journalist he&#x27;s become</a> — over its claim that he has a &quot;recurring public pattern&quot; of disrespecting &quot;prominent Black women across politics, sports and media.&quot;

Isaac Avilucea

Featured stories

Philly road closures begin for Cycling Classic

Remember the SS United States? Here's where it is now

Practice? Eagles fans get their first look at the new-look Birds

She lost $1 million gambling. More Pennsylvania women are seeking help

Stephen A. Smith is a straight shooter. NABJ says he's gone astray