The Grammys offered a chaotic celebration of modern music, “Etsy witches” are getting kicked off of Etsy, and sports betting looms large over Super Bowl LX this Sunday. But first:
Song of the week: “Aperture” by Harry Styles“
Harry Styles’ single, “Aperture,” debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. The house-inspired song is a marked departure from Styles’ previous pop-rock sound, and fans are divided inon their opinions of the song. His fourth solo album Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally will release on March 6. The much-anticipated release comes more than three years after Harry’s House, which spent two weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. While fans are excited to see Styles touring again, many are also upset about the cost of tickets.
And now for our three conversations..
1. Cher-y Chaotic
What it is: This year’s Grammys included political statements, emotional performances, and more than a few moments of pure chaos.
Why it was anything but “Ordinary”: Billie Eilish and Bad Bunny used their acceptance speeches to voice disapproval of ICE, and many artists wore pins that read “ICE OUT.” A fiery, siren-filled tribute honored the late Ozzy Osbourne. Justin Bieber performed wearing only boxers and socks. Alex Warren battled technical issues throughout his performance of “Ordinary.” Lauryn Hill returned to the Grammy stage for the first time in 27 years to honor D’Angelo and Roberta Flack. Cher accepted a lifetime achievement award, forgot the nominees, announced the wrong artist for Record of the Year, corrected herself, and Kendrick Lamar and SZA laughed their way onstage. Host Trevor Noah summed it up: “I love live television.”
Continue the conversation: Do you think award shows should be places for political statements, or should they stay focused on music?
2. Witch Hunt
What it is: “Etsy witches,” merchants who offer to cast love spells, curses, and perform other magical “services” for a fee on Etsy are being removed from the platform.
Why it’s revealing: The conversation about Etsy witches came to a head in September, after the writer of a since-deleted article from Jezebel claimed to have paid Etsy witches to curse Charlie Kirk two days before his assassination (even though the curses were only supposed to involve minor inconveniences). The sale of anything that promises life change has been officially banned from Etsy since 2015 (which would also include selling prayer services)—but according to The Daily Dot, the popularity of Etsy witches has only grown since then. This popularity speaks to a view of spirituality as primarily a means of getting what we want—and to a view of “alternative” spiritual practices offering a greater sense of agency.
Continue the conversation: What do you think Jesus meant in John 10:10?
3. You (Probably) Bet
What it is: While fans from New England and Seattle might be excited for their teams to potentially take home the Vince Lombardi trophy at Super Bowl LX (60), for many, the big game is a chance to make (or lose) some money.
Why it’s big money: According to the American Gaming Association, an estimated $1.76 billion will be legally bet on the showdown between the Patriots and Seahawks on Sunday. Sports betting is now legal in 39 US States, and for many, it’s become a core part of their sports-watching experience. Instead of cheering for a specific team, betting allows fans to cheer for specific things, like rushing yards, completion percentage, the result of the coin-flip at the start, and more off-the-wall bets, like whether a player completes an “octopus” (scoring a touchdown and a subsequent 2-point conversion) or whether they’ll play “Sweet Caroline” in the stadium.
Let’s translate this one further…
In 2013, game developers Valve released something called “the Compendium” for their video game Dota 2. It gave players a different way of engaging with the game, with cosmetics and new features tied to it. Without realizing it, Valve had changed gaming by inventing what we know now as the battlepass. Today, battlepasses are the industry-standard way of spending a little money (usually $10) to get bonus features on games. Any parent who has a teen who loves Fortnite is probably more aware of battlepasses than they ever wanted to be.
For many, sports betting offers something similar to the battlepass. It’s a way for fans to engage with a sport in a more invested way. In the last decade or so, apps like FanDuel, DraftKings, and BetMGM have completely changed the betting landscape and given fans a reason to pay more attention to games and maybe even hit a parlay to win some cash.
It’s important to have open and honest conversations with teens about things like gambling—because they are already thinking about it. Streaming sites like Kick are riddled with videos of streamers losing five to six-figure sums of money on gambling sites (often the sponsor of said streams). It makes for enticing, “good” content but terrible discipleship.
So on Sunday, you will see ads with celebrities promising wealth, excitement, and a deeper sports experience if you (and any teens watching) just download DraftKings or BetMGM. Yet, as with any vice, the truth of Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians continues to ring true. While not specifically about gambling, not being “mastered by anything” seemed to be something the Corinthians needed to learn, and it just might be something our culture can learn, too.
For more context and nuance, check out our Roundtable podcast on Spotify, Apple, Amazon Music, or wherever you listen to podcasts. In the meantime, here are three questions to help you continue the conversation with your teens:
- What are you most excited about for this year’s Super Bowl?
- Why do you think sports betting is so popular?
- What do you think Jesus would say about sports betting?
Parenting together,
CJ Fant and the Axis Team
In Other News…
- “She’s free” is a TikTok trend where friends line up, clap and shine phone flashlights as someone walks a celebratory runway after a breakup.
- The 2026 Winter Olympics in the Italian cities of Milano and Cortina begin today. If the 2024 Summer Olympics were any indication, teens will probably be fascinated by the athletes and their respective social media presences.
- A new platform called Moltbook is designed to be a Reddit-style social media forum for AI bots to publicly chat with each other.
- The Lunar New Year is coming up soon, which brings a new Chinese zodiac. 2026 is the year of the Fire Horse, and people on TikTok are freaking out about it.
- Iron Lung, a sci-fi horror film that stars YouTuber Markiplier (who also wrote, directed, and financed it), was a surprise box office success that almost beat Disney’s Send Help in its opening weekend.
PS: Next month, we’re focusing on parents as disciple-makers! To submit a question for our Ask Axis podcast about what it means to disciple the next generation, please send an email to ask@axis.org!