Inside Dazed Maxx, a new zine spotlighting sports subcultures

We live in an era of maximisation, or maxxing – optimising our lives and workstreams to do things faster, better, stronger and more efficiently. Less discussed, however, is how we can maximise our connections with ourselves and the community around us. What does it look like to reach the peak of self-expression? How does it feel to deepen our connection with our cities? What would it mean to take our imaginations to the next level? And who can we elevate and collaborate with along the way?

Professional athletes, by nature, are masters at honing in on their craft while moving in synchronicity with their teams and surroundings. For the first-ever issue of Dazed Maxx, in partnership with Nike, we invited three athletes at the top of their fields to join us as cultural editors: Sunny Choi, an Olympic breakdancer; Bijan Robinson, a running back for the Atlanta Falcons; and Tobey McIntosh, the mastermind behind Crenshaw Skate Club.

In this special issue, our athletes-turned-cultural editors guide us through New York, Los Angeles and Atlanta, sitting down with leaders of subculture groups in their area. Choi spoke with Maggie Chen of New York’s Tai Chi Youth Group about finding yourself and embracing heritage through movement; McIntosh traded notes on defying expectations and opening doors for the next generation of skaters with figure skater Ganna Bogdan; and Robinson connected with Raushan Bennett from the Cascade Dream Team on staying motivated and doing it all for your city.

We also hear from local writers Angie Lin, Devine Blacksher and Erin White on what makes the essence of each subcultural hub so unique, diving deep into LA’s youth Mahjong scene, New York’s Hike Clerb community and Atlanta’s recent embrace of soccer.

Dazed Maxx is an exploration of the sports subcultures bubbling across North America, but it is also an invitation to re-imagine future visions of sport in your own city. This could be as a rising sports star, a passionate social player or on the sidelines as a supporters group member. At the end of the day, sports culture is community culture – something it never hurts to max out on, whenever we get the chance.