The Daily Valet. - 7/1/21, Thursday

✔️ A Lucrative Change

Thursday, July 1st Edition

Cory Ohlendorf, Editor in Chief of Valet.

Suddenly my AirPods don’t seem as cool …

Cory Ohlendorf, Editor ⋯ @coryohlendorf

Today’s Big Story

A Lucrative Change

NCAA changes college sports forever. As one sports agent said, this is ‘an entirely new landscape.’

It’s time to make some money, kids. As of today, all NCAA athletes will be able to profit from their name, image and likeness after the governing bodies from all three NCAA divisions voted to approve the interim NIL policy.

“This creates an entirely new landscape,” longtime sports agent Leigh Steinberg told the New York Post. “It’s revolutionary in terms of the implications in respect to amateurism.”

The NCAA’s last-minute decision comes after several years of debate and just one day before laws will go into effect in more than a dozen states that will make it illegal for schools to follow the long-standing NCAA rules that have, until this week, prohibited athletes from making money.

Athletes will still not be paid directly by universities beyond the cost of attendance. And schools in many states are expected to set policies around matters like whether students can wear a university’s logo in an advertisement.

Was this always the NCAA’s plan? No. But caught between a Congress that has yet to create national name, image and likeness standards and a Supreme Court that has made abundantly clear that any NCAA-imposed limits violate antitrust laws, they didn’t have much choice.

And floodgates already seem to be open. In a midnight ceremony from a New York City hotel, Jackson State defensive end Antwan Owens became one of the first players to ink an endorsement deal. And several others are already experimenting with profitable NFT sales and autographed memorabilia.

↦ Reactions: Barstool Sports has curated a wide range of reactions to the news from the sports world.

Bill Cosby Freed

Court overturns his sexual assault conviction

Bill Cosby was released from prison Wednesday after the Pennsylvania Supreme Court overturned his 2018 conviction for sexual assault—an unexpected reversal in one of the first high-profile criminal trials of the #MeToo era.

In an 79-page opinion [PDF] by the court, the justices found that Cosby's due process rights were violated when he was charged for a 2004 assault after prosecutors previously told the comedian they wouldn't bring criminal charges against him.

“He was found guilty by a jury and now goes free on a procedural issue that is irrelevant to the facts of the crime,” Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele said in a statement. But Cosby's attorney, Brian Perry, said at a news conference Wednesday afternoon—where the 83-year-old actor did not speak—that the release was proof of a fair system.

Cosby, had served more than two years of a three- to 10-year sentence (after losing an appeal in December of 2019).

↦ Meanwhile: NBC News spoke with several of the 60+ women who accused the actor of allegations ranging from groping to sexual assault to rape.

A Real Flying Car

And it will apparently be road and air legal

The future's vision of a flying car has been tried many a time, but it never seems to catch on in a broader sense. But they just keep trying, of course. And a new contender, the Klein Vision AirCar, just completed a successful test flight between two cities.

According to The Drive, the craft has a swoopy, two-door design with a huge bubble canopy like a race car. It sports fold-out wings, a twin-boom tail, and a fixed pusher propeller mounted behind the cockpit. Engine-wise, a 160-horsepower BMW unit runs the show.

While this is only a pre-production model, AirCar creators have said the current model is capable of cruising at around 186mph and can fly up to 600 miles in a single journey.

The company has been working on its hybrid aircraft for more than 30 years, reports Engadget. With 142 successful landings and over 40 hours of test flights under its belt, Klein is convinced that his third prototype is ready to leap past the concept stage.

↦ Watch It: See the dual-mode craft in action in this three-minute film about its inter-city flight.

The Future of Sunglasses?

These shades could replace your AirPods

New audio eyewear brand Aether has launched a noteworthy set of sunglasses and optical-compatible eyeglasses featuring hidden, discrete audio playback that's optimized for your ears only.

According to Airows, each pair is equipped with the latest Bluetooth technology to connect to your phone with ease, along with a mix of microphones for crystal-clear Zoom sessions and phone calls. The speakers, meanwhile, sit near-invisibly behind the ears.

The audio function is activated by tapping the side of the frames, made from acetate by Italian company Mazzucchelli. The eyewear comes fitted with Carl Zeiss Vision lenses and each pair weighs just under one and half ounces.

What's more, the glasses offer three hours of playing time from a single charge that occurs in a handsome brushed aluminum case.

↦ Get It: The glasses are available to buy now, for about $425 at Aether.

In Other News

↦ Trump’s Family Business, CFO Are Expected to Be Charged Today in New York

↦ Judge Denies Britney Spears’ Request to Remove Father From Conservatorship Again

↦ Everything You Need to Know About Novavax, the New COVID Vaccine

Other Things We’re Talking About Today

Punctuation

The PGA’s sleek new HQ

The Simpsons’ Loki short

Don’t Work Out In Just Any Shoes

Expert picks for the gym, HIIT sessions and outdoor runs

If you’re like a lot of guys (*raises hand), you probably throw on a pair of running shoes before launching into some exercise.

But what kind of training are you doing? After all, preparation is the key to success and what you wear on your feet will definitely impact your performance—be it at the gym, on the track or just in your garage.

Because, of course, not all gym shoes are created equal. Depending on your workout routine, the Valet. team has pulled some solid options recommended by experts to make you faster and stronger, not to mention more stable and coordinated.

↦ The Best: From durable cross trainers and barefoot-feel kicks, to the running shoes the Tracksmith CEO swears by, here are the sneakers you need now.