Latest news with #Arison
Miami Herald
19-05-2025
- Business
- Miami Herald
Two qualities the Heat must display, and one the franchise must abandon, this summer
As the Heat tries to pull itself out of this play-in malaise, we're hoping the organization displays two qualities it has exhibited, at times, during an immensely successful 30 years under the Pat Riley/Arison family stewardship and now must demonstrate again more than ever: 1). An urgency and maniacal aggressiveness when opportunities arise, something Heat president Pat Riley displayed in acquiring Alonzo Mourning two months after he took the job in 1995 and Shaquille O'Neal a decade later. 2). Outside-the-box thinking, including prioritizing collecting draft assets (in certain circumstances) and a willingness to pay a tax for a third year in a row (but remain below both aprons) even though Riley has suggested the Heat is trying to avoid that this season because Miami would be required to pay the onerous repeater tax if it's a tax team the next two years. With regard to No. 1, if Giannnis Antetokoumpo asks for a trade when he reportedly meets with the Bucks this week, Miami needs to immediately call Milwaukee to see if the Bucks like any of Miami's assets (nothing should be off limits) and his agent to discreetly determine if he wants to be in Miami. The Heat immediately must call Memphis to determine if the Grizzlies are willing to sell a bit low on Ja Morant; and New Orleans, to ascertain if the Pelicans are willing to sell very low on Zion Williamson. (The Pelicans are inclined to keep him, NBA writer Marc Stein reported). The Heat must call Boston to see who's available as the Celtics prepare for the possibility of slashing payroll. The Heat should be calling Charlotte to see what it would take to remove the protections on the single first-round pick owed the Hornets in the regrettable Terry Rozier deal and gauge the Hornets' receptiveness to moving it to an unprotected 2032 pick, with a carrot thrown in (cash? Second-rounder? Jaime Jaquez Jr.)? That information is critical for Miami so that the Heat could quickly execute that deal with the Hornets if a team with a disgruntled All-Star asks Miami for a fourth first-round pick and puts a deadline on it. (The Heat can offer four first-rounders in a trade agreed to by draft night only if Charlotte agrees to push the Heat pick back to 2032, which can be done officially after next month's draft and unofficially before. Otherwise, Miami can offer only three first-rounders by draft night or two after the draft.) ▪ With regard to thinking outside the box, Miami shouldn't simply try to acquire Kevin Durant, or just one good player, and call it a day. (This team is more than one move away.) The Heat should be calling teams interested in Miami's draft pick at No. 20, because trading that pick and another carrot for a 2027 first-round pick — and simultaneously removing the protections on the 2027 pick owed Charlotte — would allow Miami to trade four first-round picks (2026, 2028, 2030 and 2032) as early as the day after the draft. Serious thought must be given to every player whose name is swirling in trade rumors, even if it requires adding salary and paying a tax again next season after paying one the past two. Boston reportedly might trade Jrue Holiday or Kristaps Porzingis because of a desire to trim payroll, per ESPN. Sacramento, meanwhile, will explore moving DeMar DeRozan, who drew some Heat interest last July. If the assets required in return are inconsequential, DeRozan would make some sense, at least to consider, despite his lack of a three-point game. He averaged 22.2 points and shot 47.7% this season and has started at least 74 games each of the past four years. His contract has two years left at $24.5 million and $25.7 million. The Celtics, with their current roster, face a combined salary and luxury tax bill of more than $500 million for next season. Taking on the final three years of Holiday's contract seems foolish, considering the numbers ($32.4 million, $34.8 million and a $37.2 million player option) and his age (34). But Porzingis, due $29.2 million and $30.7 million the next two seasons, would be worth considering, even more so if Miami trades Kel'el Ware (say, in a hypothetical package for Morant) or less likely, Adebayo, in a bid for Antetokounmpo. Miami had interest in Porzingis two years ago but didn't make an offer because it thought it had a good chance to acquire Damian Lillard instead. An energy-sapping illness limited Porzingis' effectiveness and playing time in recent weeks, including during the playoffs, but he had a very good season: 19.5 points, 6.8 rebounds and 41.2% on threes. As explained here, Miami has an attractive chip in Duncan Robinson's nonguaranteed contract, which makes trades a bit more complicated but would lower a team's payroll (and tax bill) by at least $10 million if the acquiring team releases him before July 8 and would likely lower a team's tax bill significantly even if the acquiring team kept him. That could come into play in a potential Heat pursuit of Durant. It also could potentially help Miami if Porzingis or Holiday is shopped, because the Robinson contract would reduce Boston's tax bill substantially. But the Heat must decide if it's willing to go into the tax to make this type of move. There's a difference between paying the tax, which is costly only for ownership, and crossing the first apron, which makes trades more difficult and comes with other onerous restrictions, including in the buyout market. The Heat has finished as a luxury tax team in each of the past two seasons. The onerous repeater tax is triggered when a team crosses the luxury tax threshold in four straight seasons or four times during a five-season period. The Heat has always found a way to avoid the repeater tax, which carries much higher tax rates. Riley suggested the Heat might exit the tax for a year and go back in later in the decade. But a willingness to pay the repeater tax might open up opportunities, as long as Miami falls in that $8 million window between luxury tax threshold and the first apron. Here's where Miami stands: The Heat has $176.2 million committed to 12 players, not counting Davion Mitchell (restricted free agent if he gets an $8.6 million qualifying offer from Miami), Keshad Johnson ($1.9 million team option) and Alec Burks (unrestricted free agent). Adding Tyler Herro's incentive bonuses, that brings the total to $178.7 million. Keeping Johnson raises it to $179.6 million. If Miami keeps its pick at No. 20, that brings the payroll for 14 players to $183.6 million. That $183.6 million leaves Heat about $4 million below the projected $187.9 million tax line and about $12 million below the $195.6 million first apron and $24 million below the $207.8 million second apron. If there's a move to be made that significantly improves Miami that results in the Heat paying a tax but not crossing the first apron, the Heat needs to do that. Keep in mind that a team would become hard-capped at the first apron if it makes a trade where it takes back more than 110% of the salary it sends out. If Miami trades Robinson before July 8, all of his salary counts on Miami's books and but only half counts on the books of the team acquiring him, which complicates matters but wouldn't prevent a Durant trade. But the Heat couldn't surpass the first apron, even if it wanted, in such a transaction. Once hard-capped, teams cannot use exception money and cannot take back any more money than it sends out in trades. ▪ The Heat also needs to curtail a quality that has been damaging in the past decade: Trust in players who flashed over a half season, a full season or two seasons, resulting in financial outlays that proved somewhat regrettable (James Johnson, Dion Waiters, Hassan Whiteside, Justise Winslow, Robinson) or, in Erik Spoelstra's case, sticking too long with players who didn't deserve the playing time (Rozier). It's good to have faith in people, to appreciate the admirable qualities of players. But the Heat has done that to a fault in recent years, resulting in overvaluing of assets. Should the Heat be shopping Adebayo or Herro? No. But if a perennial All-Star becomes available — a player any reasonable person would say is a cut above Adebayo or Herro — don't allow loyalty or fondness for either player, or the Heat's love of stability, or its appreciation for Adebayo as the standard-bearer of 'Heat culture,' to torpedo the right basketball move. Should the Heat actively look to move Ware or Nikola Jovic? No. But if they stand in the way of acquiring an in-his-prime All-Star, don't let the dream of what they might become dash the opportunity to acquire a proven in- his-prime star. Quinn in play Heat assistant coach Chris Quinn and former Heat lead assistant David Fizdale are reportedly among eight people who made the second round of finalists for the Suns' head coaching job. Quinn, Spoelstra's lead assistant, has been considered for several head coaching jobs in the past.
Fast Company
06-05-2025
- Business
- Fast Company
‘Users want it': Grindr is now selling erectile dysfunction drugs
Grindr is expanding its scope in a way that is entirely on brand. On Tuesday, the company unveiled Woodwork, a telehealth service that will help users access medication for erectile dysfunction. Currently available to Grindr users in Illinois and Pennsylvania, Woodwork will expand nationwide throughout the rest of 2025, according to the company. Grindr CEO George Arison says the company performed internal research that found more than a third of its users take erectile dysfunction drugs. 'That gave us a very clear opportunity,' he tells Fast Company in an exclusive, in-depth interview on how he's growing Grindr's scope. 'Users want it, but they're buying these products from companies that in no way speak to who they are.' With Woodwork, Grindr is working with telehealth provider OpenLoop to connect users to clinicians who will prescribe compounded versions of common erectile dysfunction drugs tadalafil (Cialis) or sildenafil (Viagra) that dissolve in the mouth. The company said OpenLoop clinicians have received inclusive care training and Grindr offers educational materials tailored to the LGBTQ community. 'There's a set of warnings [with Woodwork prescriptions] that are actually very specific to our users,' Arison says. 'I don't think most services like this would say, 'Do not take this medication with poppers.' We do.' Woodwork is Grindr's first foray into telemedicine, but it's part of a push from the company to add a host of features—including several powered by AI, like a chatbot for improving messages—to show that it can be more of a social network for LGBTQ users. Arison has called this his effort to make the app into a 'global gayborhood in your pocket.' In the past few months, Grindr has expanded its 'Right Now' feature (which lets users signal to each other that they're looking for a quick hookup) to 15 additional markets, including London, New York, Paris, and Chicago. Arison also told Fast Company he wants to add more standard dating features to the app to satisfy users who are looking for relationships. 'For our users' sake, we need to offer them better dating experiences and better dating features to satisfy their needs,' he says. In March, Grindr reported a 33% year-over-year increase in revenue in 2024. Its share price is up 70% over the past year. That's as companies behind more traditional dating apps—in particular Match Group—struggle, especially among younger users.
Fast Company
06-05-2025
- Business
- Fast Company
Inside the Grindr CEO's ‘hardcore' vision for the LGBTQ dating app's future
Arison, the 47-year-old CEO of the LGBTQ dating app and social network Grindr, recalls an encounter with a man who ranked low in physical chemistry—'it was in my bottom quartile of hookups,' he says, as if reviewing a spreadsheet of them—but high in intellectual compatibility. That bottom-quartile hookup is now a good friend of his. To Arison, the story illustrates how meaningful relationships can grow from the random connections Grindr facilitates. And if Grindr's short time as a public company is any indication, solid financials can too. It's been a rough stretch for dating apps. Match Group, which owns Tinder and Hinge, among others, commands roughly 42% of the dating services industry, according to market research firm IBISWorld. But its earnings—which stood at $551 million in 2024—have been steadily declining since 2022, even amid modest revenue gains. As of February, Match had replaced its CEO twice in the past three years, and activist investors have been pushing it to reverse declines in usage, particularly among Gen Z. Grindr, meanwhile, continues to grow after going public in 2022. The company increased revenue 33% last year, to $345 million, and boosted monthly average users 7% to reach 14.2 million people, with more than 1 million of them paying. Investors have been pleased: At press time, Grindr stock was up 70% over the past year.
Buzz Feed
21-04-2025
- General
- Buzz Feed
I Took My White Husband's Last Name. I Didn't Realize How It Would Affect The Rest Of My Life.
I didn't want to change my last name. I dragged my feet as a young 21-year-old bride, waging an internal battle between my desire to maintain my identity with the desire to embrace my new husband, which, tradition insisted, included his name. For months after our wedding, I fought the decision, playfully suggesting that my new husband take my surname, Shiozawa. But the idea of a white man taking a Japanese surname when I had three brothers to carry it on — as though that would be the only valid reason to consider it — seemed absurd to everyone else. Never mind that my white mom and sisters-in-law have dutifully taken on a Japanese name without a second thought. But if I didn't adopt my husband's surname, I'd be branded the worst kind of F-word in a conservative community: feminist. So, I eventually, if begrudgingly, complied. What I didn't understand then was the way that decision would affect the rest of my life. Two years earlier, at 19, I had visited Japan for the first time on a university study abroad program. For nine weeks, as expected, I immersed myself in my heritage, connecting with host families, practicing language skills, and absorbing Japanese culture. But as a multiracial person, I found I was considered an outsider just like my white classmates. In Japan, introductions begin with family name first: Shiozawa Arison desu. The look on Japanese faces as they analyzed mine, their wheels turning, was a look that was all too familiar. It's the same one I've seen on countless faces when meeting other Americans: eyes narrowed, brow furrowed, and some iteration of 'What are you?' or 'Where are you from?' If my response includes city and state, I'm met with an eye roll. 'No, but where are you from?' In both situations, the confusion is similar. In both situations, the message is the same: You don't belong here. Perhaps it's human nature. People like to put things in boxes, categorizing them neatly into files and folders. Here, fill in a bubble indicating your race. But how is someone who belongs to more than one race supposed to choose? Lucky for us, universal forms have been updated to include a new option: 'Other.' I always knew I was different. Societal definitions of beauty never matched what I saw in the mirror. At age 5, I told my dad I wished I were blonde. At 8, a boy came to my home and told me I was 'just a stinkin' Chinese girl.' My white mother reminded me not to forget her half of my heritage, but the kids on the playground weren't calling me names because of her Mormon pioneer background. At 14, I visited Hawaii, where for the first time I felt comfortable in my own skin. Never before had I seen so many people who looked like me, who easily pronounced my name, who didn't flinch at the idea of eating raw fish. There, hapa — the Hawaiian term for mixed-race people — wasn't 'exotic' or 'other,' but normal. Growing up with the surname Shiozawa in a predominantly white community, I was 'the Asian girl' wherever I went — sports, church, class, work. But I'll never forget the first day of Algebra 2, when Haley Miyatake sat beside me, and we made eye contact. I felt a rush of relief with someone who, without a single word exchanged, understood my world. White people like to comment on my eye shape, tugging at the corners of their own, critiquing mine as 'not almond,' acting as self-appointed gatekeepers to my claim to Asian-ness. Others accuse me of mounting an attack on white people if I broach the subject of race. That I'm being oversensitive, choosing to be offended, or creating issues out of nothing. Or they ignore my experience altogether because they 'don't see color.' A few years into my marriage, even my husband described me as being 'raised white.' You know, yellow on the outside, white on the inside, like a banana. But he learned firsthand that the so-called American 'melting pot,' is a myth when a man asked him — as I stood at his side — how long I'd been in America and whether I spoke English. Other. Who knew imposter syndrome could apply to race? As attacks on Asians increased across America during the pandemic, I was outraged. And at the same time, I wondered whether my outrage is valid as an Asian, or if I am an outsider. Other. I might be able to write off feeling like an imposter if it weren't confirmed for me. Recently, I wore a sweatshirt reading ' Asian American Girl Club ' to the gym, and an Asian trainer conveyed, in not so many words, that he didn't think I looked the part. Why would someone who looked like me claim Asian status? Asian, but not Asian enough. Other. While I'd always struggled to define my identity, when I changed my last name, it felt as if a tangible part of that identity vanished. All it took was a few minutes at the local Social Security office and a few quick signatures — the last I'd sign as Allison Shiozawa — and the name I'd spent my life spelling, pronouncing and defending was gone. It was not a relief, as some suggested, not having to 'worry' about saying and spelling a foreign name all the time. My Asian-ness was no longer plainly visible on a name badge, on a school roster, on a professional license, or even on a credit card. It wasn't on my tongue when I introduced myself. While I no longer had to hear the countless cringeworthy butcherings of my last name, I also lost the automatic association with a heritage I cherish. I went from being 'the Asian' to 'ethnically ambiguous' and even 'white assumed,' with a presumption that my lived experience is that of a white person. I went from defending my Japanese heritage to needing to prove it. If I could go back in time, I wouldn't change my last name. But three kids and a dog later, what I once saw as just my husband's name has become our family's. It's not just the name I share with my blue-eyed husband, but also our three brown-eyed, brown-haired children — who use chopsticks, adore Totoro, and devour nori. Who each — including the dog — have a Japanese name along with our English family name. We are a multiracial family embracing the many parts of our heritage, even without a Japanese surname. Carving out my place as a multiracial Japanese American woman in this country is an ongoing effort, but one thing becomes clearer each time my identity comes into question: I will always be proud of my Japanese name, and the rich heritages that make me who I am.
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Miami Herald
05-04-2025
- Business
- Miami Herald
Heat owner Micky Arison, Miami native Sylvia Fowles elected to Basketball Hall of Fame
Miami Heat longtime owner Micky Arison is a Basketball Hall of Famer. Arison has been elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as part of the 2025 class in his first year as a finalist. Arison was named a finalist by the Contributors Committee. The entire 2025 class was unveiled Saturday afternoon in San Antonio, the site of this year's men's NCAA Final Four. It's a class that also includes Carmelo Anthony, Dwight Howard, Sue Bird, Maya Moore, Sylvia Fowles, Danny Crawford, Billy Donovan and the 2008 U.S. Olympic men's team. Former Heat players Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and LeBron James were members of the 2008 U.S. Olympic men's team (known as The Redeem Team) that won gold and now enters the Basketball Hall of Fame. Fowles, a WNBA legend, also has Miami ties. The Miami native enters the Hall of Fame after playing her high school basketball at Miami Edison High and Gulliver Prep and then becoming an eight-time WNBA All-Star and two-time WNBA champion. Enshrinement weekend is Sept. 5-6 at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut, and the Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts. In Arison's 29 years at the helm of the franchise, the Heat has won three NBA championships (2006, 2012, 2013). The Heat has also made seven NBA Finals appearances, made 10 Eastern Conference Finals appearances, won 16 division titles and advanced to the playoffs 23 times. Since Arison's first full season operating the team, the Heat entered this season with a 1,316-995 (.569) record — the best in the Eastern Conference and second-best in the NBA. Among Arison's top accomplishments as Heat owner was helping to bring Pat Riley to the organization prior to the 1995-96 season. Riley spent 11 seasons as the Heat's head coach and has served as the team president since he arrived, becoming one of the most successful figures in South Florida sports. Under Arison's leadership, the Heat earned the NBA's 2021 Sales & Marketing Team of the Year award. In November 2020, Arison was named to the board of the NBA's Social Justice Coalition that focuses on action and change around voting access and criminal justice reform at the national, state and local levels. In 2018, the Heat captured the NBA's inaugural Inclusion Leadership Award for the franchise's commitment to diversity and inclusion. Arison served a three-year term as the Chairman of the NBA Board of Governors beginning in October 2005 and his family has been involved with the organization since his father Ted Arison brought the franchise to the NBA in 1988. Arison's son, Nick Arison, has served as the Heat's Chief Executive Officer since July 2011. The Arison family has supported a variety of arts-related and community service organizations around South Florida. Organizations supported by the Arison family include World Central Kitchen, Wounded Warriors, ICA Miami, Miami Children's Museum, Jackson Memorial Foundation, Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, Project Medishare for Haiti, Direct Relief, Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Miami, United Way of Miami Dade, Chapman Partnership, Lotus House, Overtown Youth Center, Feeding South Florida, among others. Away from basketball, Arison has helped lead Carnival Corporation for more than three decades. He's currently the chairman of Carnival Corporation & plc. Arison will become the 11th person with Heat ties to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, joining Billy Cunningham (1986), Bob McAdoo (2000), Riley (2008), Gary Payton (2013), Alonzo Mourning (2014), Shaquille O'Neal (2016), Ray Allen (2018), Bosh (2021), Tim Hardaway (2022) and Wade (2023).
