“Bob Rutan is legendary among the tight-knit fraternity of Macy’s Santa Clauses. Like many of these men, playing Santa changed Bob. Profoundly. His story is one of struggle and failure, heartbreak and grace and—yes—the magic of Christmas.”
David Gauvey Herbert
Posted inEditor's Pick
Bad Dojo: Tiger Schulmann Didn’t Get to Be America’s No. 1 Karate Kingpin Without Busting a Few Faces
“Former senseis and business partners accuse Schulmann of building his $35-million-a-year martial-arts empire with Mafia tactics. What, you expect him to apologize?”
Posted inTop 5
The Top 5 Longreads of the Week
Featuring stories from Blake Ellis, Melanie Hicken, Yahya Abou-Ghazala, Audrey Ash, Kyung Lah, Anna-Maja Rappard, Casey Tolan, Lou Robinson, and Byron Manley; Lindsey Liles; David Gauvey Herbert; Laura Trethewey; and Abe Beame.
Posted inEditor's Pick
How Cheerleading Became So Acrobatic, Dangerous and Popular
“For decades, the sport has been shaped in large part by one company — and one man.”
Posted inTop 5
The Top 5 Longreads of the Week
This edition highlights stories by Robin Kaiser-Schatzlein, David Gauvey Herbert, Kit Chellel, Ashley Stimpson, and Nate Rogers.
Posted inEditor's Pick
The Case of the Fake Sherlock
“Richard Walter was hailed as a genius criminal profiler. How did he get away with his fraud for so long?”