Jeremy Lin Picked A Hell Of A Time To Discuss The Discrimination He Faces As An Asian In The NBA7/25/2016 YardBarker- In a lengthy interview with Steve Serby of the New York Post, Lin was asked if he still encounters racism on the job or in everyday life. He hinted that he believes he is a victim of racial profiling when he’s stopped by arena security.
“I still get stopped when I try to go through away arenas and stuff, and I’m walking with my teammates, and obviously none of them are Asian but I’m the only one that gets stopped, and they ask for my credentials, stuff like that,” Lin explained. “‘Hey, we need your credentials,’ or ‘Are you part of the team?’ Stuff like that. But I really don’t let it affect me. … I’m so used to it now. It doesn’t bother me. “There’s gonna be racism everywhere I go, and some of it’s more subtle, some of it’s less malicious. I mean, every day there’s guys with certain stereotypes or whatever, and it’s not just me. But yeah, I still go through it.” Lin also said he sometimes has “really racist things” said to him on Twitter, but he understands that is an unfortunate part of the world we live in. If timing is everything then Jeremy Lin can forget about that 3 year, 36 million dollar contract because he literally has nothing. That's not that I don't think that an Asian that has to deal with racial profiling is worthy of our collective attention. It's that I don't think an Asian that make $12 million/year and faces that "racial profiling" while walking into his place of employment is deserving of our attention. Especially not while innocent black civilians are being gunned down, honest white police officers are the undeserving targets of the retribution, and it seems like every other day people are being killed by the handful based solely on their ethnicity or religious beliefs. That's not to say that his point doesn't hold any validity, but it is to say that soundbite was probably better off stuffed into his back pocket until serious racial issues took a rest and the sun came up on the current state of divisiveness plaguing this country. The prejudice that Jeremy Lin faces - the type that Chris Rock once so aptly dubbed "sideways racism" - really only manifests itself as a minor convenience at the hands of uneducated security guards using context clues. I think it's safe to say we - as a nation - have bigger fish to fry then making sure a professional basketball player disguised as a Brooklyn hipster with an asshole haircut gets into the locker room unimpeded. You know, considering the fact that it's the NBA offseason and the United States is resembling a stale black and white cookie that's crumbling all over itself more and more by the day. No offense Jeremy, but you kind of sound like the one kid that asked "so we're NOT going to take the test today?" immediately after the announcement that a plane hit the World Trade Center came over the loud speaker. To put it simply, cleansing the world of Asian stereotypes isn't currently high on the 'To-Do' list.
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YardBarker- Oakland Raiders linebacker Aldon Smith is still currently serving a one-year suspension for violating the NFL’s policy on substance abuse, so he should probably be laying low right now.
However, it seems that he’s doing quite the opposite. Smith has been posting videos on Periscope using an account named “ravenga,” under the name “Ricky.” As of Sunday morning, he had 29 followers, so we can assume that many of them are friends and family members. There’s one video that was posted 16 days ago that’s been called into question, though. Smith is never featured in it, but you can hear his voice, and there’s also what looks to be a hand-rolled marijuana cigarette being smoked as well. There’s a man holding it, but we never see his face. In all fairness, Aldon Smith has probably been given two repetitive lines of advice since his first substance abuse violation. I imagine they were something to the effect of "don't let a little bit of weed ruin your entire career" and "stay off your social media accounts". Well, you can say what you want about the severe lack of intelligence that it takes to post this video, but you can say it doesn't fit the parameters set forth by overseers. When you consider the size of an NFL defensive lineman's hands that bluntly sized blunt is filled with far more than little weed, and the smoking of it is clearly being posted on Ravenga's periscope. If anything, this is on his glorified babysitters for not being more clear about drug usage and internet presence. Some NFL athletes just really need things spelled out for them, and I have a feeling that Aldon Smith's circle of trust kinda sounded it out and expected him to put the pieces together. If there is anything we should know about him by now it's that he's not to be trusted in making the correct implications. That's why someone should have told him directly that blowing 'dro on someone else's video can still get you suspended. Someone should have told him directly that you don't need a certain amount of followers to go viral. Someone should have told him directly that all Roger Goodell needs to levy punishments is the smallest of suspicions of foul play. This completely unnecessary, mind melting display of ignorance isn't on Aldon Smith because Aldon Smith is literally too stupid to be responsible for his own actions. Oh well, at least he'll always have his reputation, because that's surely still in tact. So wait, let me get the details straight. White cop, innocent black suspect? Guns drawn, but none fired? Everyone's alive? African American in question doesn't feel persecuted? Police in question don't feel like their ability to execute their job was compromised? Whew, what a relief. It would have been a real shame if we had to pick sides between black lives and blue lives, and weren't given the opportunity to see the inherent, topical humor in a college football player getting misidentified as a bank robber while playing Pokemon GO. If this had gone slightly worse, or the parties involved were even slightly less understanding then we wouldn't be blessed with the freedom to soak in a story that's so comically representative of 2016 that it might as well have been plucked straight out of a half year review in 'The Onion'. Finally - amidst all the racial unrest and seemingly weekly terrorist attacks - a fucking reason to laugh. Even the most headstrong of social justice warriors can't consider this prejudice. The most avid defenders of all members of law enforcement are at a complete loss for words trying to wrap their mind around the concept that sometimes completely innocent minorities do get stopped because of how they look. It's the perfect narrative. Other than the media - that has earned every ounce of misdirected blame - there is literally no one to point fingers at! It's not the cop's fault. They had every right to approach Faith Ekakitie when he was frantically wandering around a park by himself cloaked in all black in the heat of the summer with a backpack flung over his shoulders and fucking goggles atop his head. Who would have thought that the questionable life (and wardrobe) choices that led to him chasing around virtual Pikachus would have had him matching the description of an unprepared bank robber desperately looking for the quickest path to safety? The fact of the matter is that they did, yet no one is prematurely deceased, no one feels disrespected, and NO ONE can get even mildly upset about a situation that was nothing more than a understandable misunderstanding! And just when I thought I would always be disappointed to hear that a Pokemon related incident had a happy ending...
Just say it Lou. Go ahead, we are all waiting. You changed. You caved. You went to a huge market and you let it turn you into a big old softy. Max bonuses for a hockey player named Auston? I feel like I don't even know you anymore, and it's not because you're no longer doing things the "New Jersey way". It's because you're not doing things the "Lou Lamoriello way" anymore. There were nearly three decades where those things were synonymous with one another. Nearly three decades where Devils fans knew what to expect out of the man that was largely responsible for putting the team on the map and trophies in their case. We'll never forget those memories Lou, but let's not make it sound like you weren't pulling the strings on everyone of them - good and bad. These minor changes in philosophy upon arriving across the border might as well be a full fledged bi-polar disorder considering how steadfast you have always been in your ways. Rookies don't get bonuses, contracts don't get handed out midseason, and the status always remains quo. That's right, we haven't forgotten, and though you're in a much different situation now, neither should you. That "New Jersey way" of which you speak? It's one we hold close to our hearts, and we would prefer if the man that had full autonomy over instituting it doesn't talk about it like it was some hindrance on the franchise whose rise to prominence he spearheaded. Still makes me sick to this day. Logo on the front Lou, not name on the back....
I have a very steadfast rule. I don't want to act like it's a longstanding rule because I literally just made it up upon seeing this picture, but I'm pretty sure it's got quite the shelf life ahead of it. Here goes: If I don't feel comfortable going somewhere without bug spray then I do NOT want to go to that place. I am not talking about events where only the always prepared planner of the group shows up with bug spray just in case. I am talking about events where a group text gets sent around making sure someone is responsible for bringing the bug spray. Come to think of it, I don't hang around with campers and/or overprotective mothers so I'm almost positive I have never been in such a situation, but luckily - thanks to my new rule - I will never have to be. Whether or not I would change my mind if I were capable of competing athletically against the best the world had to offer is up for debate, but I believe the fact that the insects in question could potentially kill me balances out that hypothetical. I just have a hard time dealing with bugs when I know all they are threatening me with is perpetual annoyance and an unsightly skin bump. I can't imagine I would have the ability to stay sane if I had to intentionally make myself smell like a walking cloud of ass multiple times a day only to leave my room more paranoid of mosquitoes than Donald Trump is of any darker skinned person that doesn't have a mop in their hand. Thanks but no thanks. Those 4 years will surely go quickly, and not spending a few weeks fighting off flying epidemics should go a long way in making sure I will be alive for all of them. P.S. If fate were an actual thing then the women's soccer player that got nothing more than a stern talking to after she committed residential violence on the entirety of her family would contract Zika. I know we're really fighting the odds here considering she's going to bathe in 'Off', but if any bitch can get revenge it's Karma. P.P.S. People don't forget about a lot of things, but "seeing Hope Solo's disgusting vagina during the Fappening" has to be every overly intrusive pervert's #1. This Lady Complaining About A Vacation Company That Went Belly Up Is Not Good With Context Clues7/22/2016 Metro- Ashlie, from Hornchurch, Essex, has since forked out more money to re-book the holiday.
She said: ‘I was shocked – really, really shocked. I was so angry I could barely put it into words. ‘It was the worst feeling in the world feeling like they were laughing at people that they took money off of. There is clearly no remorse whatsoever. ‘I was really really angry as they were laughing and I had a three-year-old who was looking forward to going on holiday.’ Absolutely appalling. Just a downright ghastly lack of compassion. Have you ever seen a more egregious absence of empathy? A more alarming display of self-involvement? I know I haven't. This poor woman and child....can blow it out their ass. Hey lady, I know this might be a difficult concept to grasp, but ever think that the person "laughing" at you may have just lost more than a downpayment on a hotel room? Ever think that the person responding to customer service emails on behalf of a now defunct company and soiling it's name in the process might not be their biggest fan either? How hard is it to figure out that the second e-mail was sent by a disgruntled employee that likely hasn't been paid in months? Sorry you don't get to stay in your first choice of accommodation, but I think I'm feeling just a tad bit worse for the guy that lost his job after not being reimbursed for doing it for god knows how long. How clueless does someone have to be to think that reply was sent by some maniacal owner that was pleasuring himself to this women's credit card statement? Some pissed off former client services rep just gave her advice on how to attain her lost wages and she's going to take it to the news and drag the unnamed man through the mud? Man oh man, I have never prayed so hard for a 3 year old to completely terrorize the entirety of his/her mother's vacation, and that's saying a lot considering how many kids have sat close to me on cross country flights. Doug Christie's Wife Checks The Fuel Level Of His Testicles To Make Sure He's Not Cheating7/22/2016 “When your guy, your mate — a male — comes home, their balls have a certain amount of weight, usually they’re full,” Jackie explained. “If they’ve been emptied that’s usually after intercourse, or sex, and they’re kind of smaller and emptier and they kind of shrivel up.
“All you have to do is just look. If they’re emptier and littler, they’ve been emptied somewhere. Either he satisfied himself or someone satisfied him, so somebody’s got some explaining to do.” I am going to provide a little peace of mind to all the unfaithful dudes out there performing self-administered experiments to determine whether there is any validity to Jackie Christie's hypothesis - there isn't. Well, at least I don't think there is anyway. It's quite possible I don't do a good enough job checking the gas tank after I empty it, but I don't there is discernible difference between a pair of balls that haven't been used for an hour and a pair of balls that haven't been used for 24 hours. I am almost certain that's a fact. Now, that's not an indictment of her test so much as it is an indictment of her theory behind it. See, I probably can't tell the difference between a full scrotum and an empty scrotum without the most accurate of scales, but give me one look at the face of a man that has a black woman's strong, empowered hands wrapped around his genitals and I can tell you whether he's innocent or guilty. There's not a poker face in the world that can hide infidelity when testicular health is at high risk. If I were Doug Christie and - god forbid - I cheated, there's a stronger possibility of me fleeing the country than letting my nut specialist of a wife get on both knees and start studying the fullness of my balls. There's simply no way Doug Christie could be put in that position after fucking someone else and not have his nervousness be ever present in every one of his mannerisms. As far as I know it's not the weight of your cojones that will inevitably sink you, it's the weight of your conscious and you don't need anything more than a pair of eyeballs to measure that when you've got the entirety of a man's (sex) life in your hands. h/t LBS Source- But behind closed doors, one Hornets minority owner had a very different opinion. The Charlotte Observer/WBTV has obtained an unhinged, offensive, and terribly composed email that Hornets minority owner Felix Sabates sent to the rest of the Hornets ownership group after the NBA’s announcement. After blaming the Charlotte City Council for losing the All-Star Game—the statewide anti-LGBT HB2 was passed in response to Charlotte passing an LGBT non-discrimination ordinance—Sabates went on to say some stuff even worse than what your Uncle Chuck posts on Facebook. From the Observer/WBTV:
“What is wrong with a person using a bathroom provided for the sex the were born with, if you want to change your gender so be it, we are a free county, but don’t force 8 years old children to be exposed to having to share bathroom facilities with people that don’t share the organs they were Bourne (sic) with, this is plain wrong, this could cause irreparable damages to a children’s that don’t understand why they have to see what God did not mean for them to witness, we have some very confused business as well as political humans that frankly have made this a political issue rather then (sic) moral issues, SHAME ON THEM.” Let me start by saying that - despite my decision to post the contents of it - I am not a huge fan of leaking the e-mail of a minority owner of an NBA team when the e-mail in question was CLEARLY (See: misspellings, grammar mistakes) written out of frustration. He's not the first person to angrily pound away at the keys without a filter while typing something that wasn't meant for public consumption. That being said, I'm glad that this made it's way from the inbox of ownership to the eyes of the masses. Not because I think this guy should be exposed for his ridiculously offensive beliefs, but because he should be given a chance to voice them. I certainly don't support his opinion, but I support his right to have one. Think about it, the guy already received his punishment by having his franchise stripped of an All Star Game. Why shouldn't he be allowed to come out and declare that he wholeheartedly disagreed with the reasoning? He didn't pass the transgender bathroom laws in North Carolina, but he's still indirectly being disciplined for their existence. Now is the perfect time to drop some tone deaf, ill informed quote about the rights of transgenders. Other than his relative anonymity and reputation, he's really got nothing to lose. You can call him prejudice or discriminatory, but you can't say he's not headstrong. Remember in high school when the dickhead teacher would assign homework to the entire class because a couple of kids were being obnoxious? Didn't you immediately start raising hell because you had already gotten screwed anyway? That's all this guy really did. If you're going to be guilty by association then you might as well proclaim how proud you are of that association. Sidenote: There is no good excuse for any self respecting man to have a strong view on bathroom laws. I have tried to avoid writing about them as much as possible, and that's because no male should give a shit who is around him when he's handling his business. Hell, he shouldn't even know who's around. I treat public bathroom visits like I am driving in traffic. Put the blinders on, worry solely about yourself, and try to get out of there as soon as possible. I personally make a B-line to urinal, whip it out, stare at the wall, pretend to wash my hands, and be about my merry way. I could be sandwiched between a guy with 3 dicks and a woman popping a squat and there's only about a 50% chance I would even notice. Let the fucking transgenders piss where they want to piss, as long as it doesn't mean it's going to take me any longer to piss. Ezekiel Elliott's Ex-Girlfriend Is Accusing Him Of Domestic Violence With Some Pretty Damning Photos7/22/2016 TMZ- Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott has been named a suspect in a domestic violence police report obtained by TMZ Sports ... but the 21-year-old has DENIED any wrongdoing and was NOT arrested.
The female accuser filed a report with the Columbus PD in Ohio Friday morning ... saying she was assaulted by Elliott -- who she claims is her former live-in boyfriend -- while sitting in the driver's seat of her parked vehicle. The officers who responded to the scene say the woman claims she had pain in her wrist and a red mark -- but declined medical treatment. According to the report, cops also spoke with 4 witnesses -- but they all told cops they didn't see an assault. One of the witnesses was in the car at the time of the alleged incident. We reached out to Elliott's camp -- one person in his agent's office told us, "I can assure you [the allegations] are not true." Now that's how you find a loophole! Can't tarnish your career forever with a domestic abuse charge if you lay your hands on a woman before you've even started the career in question. Pretty sure that's how that works, right? In all seriousness, this is just another unfortunate incident in a long line of stupidity that you don't want to see from professional athletes...if it's true. Others might be so inclined, but I'm not exactly putting the guy behind bars and slapping a scarlet letter on his chest just because his EX-girlfriend - who was recently cheated on - posted some eye opening pictures on Instagram. If there was going to be a time to try to squeeze a pay day out of someone that just came into a bunch of money and is likely going to leave you in the dust this would be it. Doesn't exactly seem like the strongest case when one of the witnesses - who was in the car at the time of the assault - didn't see the assault. That doesn't mean I am standing on the highest of mountain tops proclaiming Ezekiel Elliott's innocence, but it does mean we shouldn't make any assumptions about what happened here until we get more information. Bottom line, a woman is very clearly battered and bruised and this allegation needs to be taken seriously by a league that's had it's issues with doing so in the past. I can't even begin to comprehend a top 5 pick that's been blessed with a golden opportunity in the PERFECT offense doing something this mind numbingly dumb, but if there's one thing I learned following sports it's to never trust that athletes are privy to common sense/decency. All I know is if turns out Zeke was responsible for those marks then he shouldn't have to worry about flashing his abs on a football field for a long, LONG time. The truth should eventually come out, and when it does Ezekiel Elliott better pray the only thing he's guilty of is not dumping his girlfriend before getting drafted into the NFL. WNBA Players Were Fined For Wearing Black Shirts In Support Of The Victims Of Police Shootings7/22/2016 SFGate- The WNBA has fined the Indiana Fever, New York Liberty and Phoenix Mercury and their players for wearing black warm up shirts in the wake of recent shootings by and against police officers.
All three teams were fined $5,000 and each player was fined $500 as the shirts violated the league's uniform policy. While the shirts were the Adidas brand — the official outfitter of the league — WNBA rules state that uniforms may not be altered in any way. "What's most upsetting is the way it was handled," Indiana Fever player rep Briann January said. "You have a league that is 90 — if not above 90 percent African American — and you have an issue that is directly affecting them and the people they know and you have a league that isn't willing to side with them. "It's not a race issue, not an anti-police issue, not a black or white issue. It's a right or wrong issue." WNBA President Lisa Borders said Wednesday night in statement to The Associated Press the fines were not about the players speaking out on a social issue. "We are proud of WNBA players' engagement and passionate advocacy for non-violent solutions to difficult social issues but expect them to comply with the league's uniform guidelines," Borders said. That's gotta hurt. Honestly, is there a more scathing way to be made aware that you are not considered important to your employer than by getting fined for wearing a pre-game t-shirt that supports an honorable, non-threatening cause? If there is then I can't of it, but that's the message that the WNBA is sending to it's players. A message that states they are replaceable, because if they weren't then a business would always be inclined to side with it's talent. The NFL is an exception because there's not a single player that is bigger than their brand, but did you see any NBA players getting fined or suspended when they decided to collectively wear shirts that were far more pointed at the police force? I think you know the answer to that, and the reason being is that the NBA is player driven league that wouldn't want to offend or trivialize the people responsible for it's popularity. This is not to say that I don't think that WNBA players should have the right to express themselves freely in response to a societal injustice. I absolutely do. I think the security guards that left when the Minnesota Lynx came out in shirts that honored all of the recently deceased should have been kicked off the force for acting like children when presented with an opportunity to stand for what's right instead of stomping off in support of what's right for them specifically. I think the WNBA looks stupid for levying out monetary penalties to it's participants that did nothing to damage their product. Still, the fact that they feel comfortable doing so - in the face of racial unrest - is a sign that they know the voices of their players aren't ones that the general public is particularly interested in hearing from. That might not be fair or just, but - unfortunately for them - it's the truth. Jae Crowder Is Super Upset That The Celtics Gave Away Their Secrets During The KD Recruiting Process7/22/2016 “We were the only team in the NBA to beat both (Cleveland and Golden State) on their home court — the only team in the NBA, the Boston Celtics,” Crowder said. “We told him that. We played him clips from both games and told him basically the scouting report of how we guarded Steph (Curry) and Klay (Thompson) — our entire game plan, basically. That’s what made me mad.
“We (expletive) told him everything we do to beat these guys, and we beat them, and he went and joined them… I felt like afterward, I was talking to Isaiah, like maybe after you sit back, you shouldn’t have told him everything, but who the (expletive) thought he was going to Golden State, realistically? It was like a slap in the face for us, basically.” A lot of people are going to say it's ridiculous that Jae Crowder thinks one of the best players in the world stealing a couple defensive tips en route to joining the team they were created to stop is going to make a difference. Let me ask those people one thing, were they a part of any of the 9 teams that beat the 2015-2016 Golden State Warriors in a single regular season game? Exactly, didn't think so. I don't know about you, but one NBA team finding out another NBA's team's super secret defensive strategy basically compromises our national security. This isn't just about a player exercising his rights in free agency, it's a matter of public safety! The Boston Celtics have just been violated! I bet Jae Crowder would have spoken up sooner if he knew there was a possibility that Kevin Durant would go elsewhere. If he thought there was even the slightest of chances that KD wasn't going to sign in Boston then he never would have let him take a glance at the highly innovative way in which they guard the pick-and-roll. The prospect of convincing one of the best players in basketball to play for your team simply isn't worth the risk of re-showing the same defensive hand that the Warriors likely saw when they got taken the distance by the Thunder and the Cavaliers. I honestly don't know how the Celtics recover from this. They offered up room and board to someone they thought they could trust and he essentially ransacked the place and made off to Northern California in the middle of the night. Due to the fact that they were obviously living in a fantasy land at the time, they had no reason to believe that was a possibility. Why Kevin Durant? Why did you decide to join the best team in basketball to live and work in sunny, 75 degree whether all year?! Don't you know how pleasant Boston winters can be? h/t Uproxx This may not be the most popular of opinion, but I don't think it's all that bad. And yes, I fully acknowledge that is solely because it's starting to remind me of my favorite childhood poster... In fact, my biggest problem is that KD didn't recreate the whole damn thing. A contextless Tupac - tagged with a random Wu Tang logo for god knows what reason - undoubtedly looks silly, and if there's anything I know about silly tattoos is that the best way to make them look less silly is to surround them with extensive ink and spread the attention around. As far as I am concerned, he's got to throw some more rappers on there and all the sudden all eyez aren't on Pac anymore. Just straight up turn his entire lower body into an ode to classic hip hop and it wouldn't be too long before his legs would be considered a canvas for art instead of a target for jokes. Not everyone that gets a tat has to immediately turn in to J.R. Smith, but when that tat is the nearly life-size face of a deceased rapper hovering over the famous symbol of a completely unrelated group from an entirely different coast then they kindddddda do. I think that actually looks a little more like Mr. Shakur than people are letting on but sandwich it between a Biggie and a Big Pun and it won't even matter, because sleeves are always bad ass - no matter what appendage they cover. Ray Rice Says He'd Donate His Entire Salary To Domestic Violence If He Were Signed By An NFL Team7/21/2016 USA Today- If Ray Rice gets a chance to return to the NFL this season, every game check he earns would go towards combating the issue that took him out of the league.
“All the scrutiny that I’ve got, it was deserved, because domestic violence is a horrible thing,” said Rice, the three-time Pro Bowl running back banished by the NFL (but later reinstated on appeal) amid outrage over the video recorded nearly 2 ½ years ago. “Me donating my salary is something that’ll be from the heart for me. I only want to play football so I can end it the right way for my kids and for the people that really believed in me. But I know there’s a lot of people affected by domestic violence, and every dollar helps. It’s raising awareness. “People need homes. People need shelter when they’re in a crucial situation. I’ve donated a lot of money to charities, but I had a situation where it was a national crisis. I’m not saying I’d be (donating the salary) to get on the field, but it’s something that will show where my heart is. My heart is about finishing the right way and helping people along the way.” See, I was hoping it would never come to this. I was hoping that Ray Rice - a player I used to cheer on every Saturday and eventually every Sunday - would just let this football career go quietly into the night. That's not because I thought someone who was clearly made an example of by the NFL (and deservingly so) didn't deserved a second chance. It's because I didn't want him to learn the harsh reality of why he wasn't getting that second chance. The sad irony is that as time has passed and teams have inevitably warmed to the concept of signing a one time domestic abuser, their feet have grown increasingly colder to the idea of signing a running back that's nearing 30 and hasn't played a meaningful down of football in two years. Though it is commendable, Ray Rice offering the entirety of a hypothetical contract to the victims of domestic violence is a fruitless gesture. His absence on an NFL roster is no longer about the appalling video of him knocking his then fiancee out cold in elevator. It certainly doesn't help, but teams that are worth billions of dollars and will do ANYTHING (See: Greg Hardy) to win aren't afraid of associating themselves with someone that laid their hands on a female. They aren't afraid of employing someone who might be of questionable character. They are afraid of paying someone that's not capable of reciprocating that value on the field - no matter who the money is going towards. I don't think Ray Rice is as bad of a guy as the one that drunkenly struck a woman in shockingly violent fashion, but I also don't think he's as versatile of a threat out of the backfield as he was at that time either. Apparently the people he's trying to satisfy agree or he wouldn't have to offer to pay to play.
Honestly, has any team ever lost a breakup worse than the Toronto Maple Leafs? It doesn't even matter that they ended up with the first overall pick and look to be a young, promising team on the rise, because the person they stopped at nothing to villainize is now a Stanley Cup Champion. Not only that, but he's become a lovable Stanley Cup Champion with a cult following. He may have been viewed as an enigmatic, overweight problem child in Toronto, but he became a hot dog eating hero as soon as he crossed through customs. Oh, and just in case you still think he's a dick and that his success in the playoffs was merely a matter of happenstance, he just proved his worth as a family man by giving his Grandma a sip of champagne out of the Cup. Sorry, after what I have seen since I just can't imagine a world in which any of laundry list of criticisms that were directed at him in Toronto were justified. This whole situation is starting to feel like running into your friend's ex-girlfriend at the bar, sharing a few laughs with her, and realizing that your buddy was actually the reason that she sucked. The Toronto Maple Leafs are the shitty friend that doesn't show up to events or respond to texts and blames his girlfriend for all of it when in actuality she's down for anything and capable of doing so much better than him! Who would have thought that Phil fucking Kessel would be the ex to prosper after being granted a new lease on life?! He's broken free from the shackles of a bad relationship, and in doing so he's left no doubt at to who was at fault for it ending so poorly. The Grandma's boy is at it again ladies and gentlemen. Stanley Cup? What's that mean? Is that bad? Did I break it? Chris Matthews Decided The RNC Was The Perfect Time To Ask Michael Che Who The Funniest Black Guy Is7/21/2016 TalkingPoints- During MSNBC's coverage of the Republican National Convention Wednesday night, pundit Chris Matthews asked "Saturday Night Live" cast member Michael Che who he thinks is the "funniest black guy."
"You are so funny," Matthews told the "Weekend Update" co-hosts. Turning to Che, who is black, he asked, "What do you think, funniest guy – funniest black guy?" Che and his SNL co-host, Colin Jost, seemed taken aback by the question, but the two comedians didn't miss a beat. "You know what, I'm going to say Cosby so nobody gets mad at you," Che replied. "Now that'll be the headline." A certain Kanye lyric immediately came to mind while I watched this most awkward of Dave Chappelle inspired "Ask A Black Dude" segments (where is Paul Mooney when you need him?) play out in real life... "Racism still alive, they just be concealing it." Now, I don't mean to say that a white guy asking a black dude to pinpoint the funniest person of his skin color is an outright racist question. It's certainly a strange one to be asking at a political roundtable and it's definitely a little weird that he corrected his original, socially acceptable question to one that was clearly inappropriate given the circumstances, but no - not intentionally discriminatory. It is, however, institutionally racist that some crusty old Republican implied that the answer to "funniest guy?" and "funniest black guy?" isn't one and the same. What's next? Is he going to inadvertently suggest that the best athlete isn't black either? Trying to single out the funniest black guy is like trying to name the most astute Jewish lawyer or the most exotic Spanish dancer. The racial/religious identifier isn't necessary because everyone should know what demographic resides at the top of each respective craft. If I had to guess I would say that the top 5-10 funniest people on the planet are African American, and the fact that Chris Matthews doesn't know that is a sign of deep seated prejudice was learned at a young age. I'm not here to disparage him, because he doesn't - nor should he - know any better. He has, quite literally, been grandfathered into being the elderly, loose lipped conservative who's allowed to say whatever the hell he wants. That said, he did shed light on a bigger problem which is that the stereotypical qualities of the darker skinned aren't common knowledge in this country. #BlackComediansMatter. Mostly just because they will ALWAYS get the loudest of laughs. If ever a picture has spoken 1,000 words...
No, but seriously. Only way to get ahead of this is to contact Southwest Airlines and offer to recreate a dramatization as part of their 'Wanna Get Away?' marketing campaign. If you're going to be the butt of every joke then you might as well profit off of it. There's not many worse situations to be in than lying in your own net as the soccer goalie who failed to chase down the ball that you straight up threw in there. That sucks so much it makes patiently waiting to fight for a crappy middle seat - with a carry-on that's undoubtedly going to need to be checked - and prepping for a reasonably priced flight to a mediocre domestic destination seem fun by comparison. Let's just say that Group B never looked so good. I guess the one positive here is that this guy plays footy in Minnesota, and apparently being responsible for an own goal so embarrassing that it makes my 7th grade stint as a backup goaltender look accomplished gets you nothing more than a light groan from the crowd. If this happened literally anywhere else than some satellite league in a remote region of the United States then the fan retaliation would be nothing short of homicidal. A word of advice for Sammy Ndjock? Keep cashing those North American Soccer League checks, because if you did this overseas you wouldn't even be alive long enough to get to the airport to take that much needed vacay. Somehow, Without Saying A Word, Josh Norman Is Still Making Odell Beckham Jr. Look Like An Idiot7/21/2016 Uproxx- See, when Odell Beckham Jr. talks about people making a name off him, he’s talking principally about Josh Norman. This spring, after nearly winning the Super Bowl with Carolina, Norman signed with Washington, the Giants’ NFC East nemesis, guaranteeing at least two Beckham-Norman face-offs each and every season. Washington won the division last season, is loaded with young talent, and gave Norman a deal worth $75 million to leave Carolina—but Beckham believes none of that is why he signed with Washington. Odell Beckham Jr. believes Norman signed with Washington because of Odell Beckham Jr. “I’m sure,” he says. Really? He came for you? “Yeah. For sure. I mean, it’s a smart business move for him.” “It goes back to what I was saying. If I wasn’t playing him twice a year, maybe people wouldn’t bring it up as much,” Beckham says. “But now it’ll be a lot more media attention for him, attention that I don’t really look for, attention that I don’t need. The reason that he’s become so relevant is because of me.” Well, there you have it. Josh Norman is Odell Beckham Jr.'s kryptonite. It's really as simple as that. Odell is a lovable young receiver with a personality and a flare for the dramatic, but even the mention of the name Josh Norman turns him into an unlikable, egotistical little bitch. We saw him get in his head on the field, and now it's manifesting itself through interview as well. I mean, this is as self important and disconnected as a person can sound, right? To assume that a All World caliber talent drew out his career path specifically so it would intersect with another All World caliber talent on an opposing team more often? To truly believe that one of the best players on the defensive side of the ball is only widely known because he spent one afternoon wrestling around the grass of an NFL stadium like a toddler with one of the best players on the offensive side of the ball? Yup, that must be it. Never mind the fact that the Norman-Beckham matchup was being hyped wellllll before it happened strictly because they had both done so much to prove themselves on their own. That can't be it. Josh Norman is only a household name because of his mild association with the guy with the golden mohawk. He didn't sign his new contract because it was worth an exorbitant amount of money. He didn't join the Redskins because he liked the team or the city of Washington. He just wanted to be closer to the guy that tried to decapitate him. He's just had an undying need to continue leaching fame from the guy he once called a "faggot". Completely asinine. As pompous and dumb as an athlete can sound, and that - my friends - is saying a lot. We - as football fans - are better off getting to watch ODB and Josh Norman go head-to-head multiple times per year, but the guy that's so vain that he thinks every single one of another man's life choices is about him is undoubtedly not. Josh Norman is soooo far in ODB's head that he's tap dancing on his brain while belting out Carly Simon. Hey Odell, I bet you think this blog is about you...don't you? DON'T YOU?!?!
LBS- TMZ caught up Ann this week, and the retired porn star turned sports radio personality unloaded on those who have asked her if she is sleeping with Rice because of the photo. The shot was taken at a charity basketball event in the Bronx, where Ann was a coach and her team won. Rice was on the losing team.
“We met, we took a photo, that was it,” Ann said. “I will tell you, I’ve been attacked by racists over the past 48 hours. I’m taking a no-social media day because I had to block over 1,000 people yesterday. I cannot believe the intensity of hate and racism directed at me because I did a charity event and took pictures with people.” Ann said she is tired of not being shown respect because of her former career. “Just because I do something, I’m not always having sex,” she said. “Just because I did porn — just like Ray Rice deserves a second chance in this world because he’s paid his price. He lost his opportunity. He’s no longer in the NFL. I deserve a second chance in life, too. I did my job. I retired and moved on. I’m working really hard at something else and I’m constantly harassed, disrespected and disregarded as a decent human being.” Despicable. Just despicable. Don't people understand that - despite what your mother told you - words can actually hurt? How quickly we forget that when you assume you make an ass out of everyone involved. Can't believe the fine folks on the internet didn't step back and calmly ask for more context when they saw a former porn star palling around with professional athletes. God forbid the woman who is hardly ever seen in the company of someone that hasn't penetrated her feels like people are harshly jumping to conclusions when she's photographed around those of the most promiscuous profession other than pornography. Come on guys. Just because having sex was her "9-5" for upwards of two decades doesn't mean she's some kind of slut or something. Obviously I don't endorse whatever wave of racist bullshit she's been dealing with online, but can Lisa Ann really blame anyone for speculating that she's fucking Ray Rice just because she was pictured with him? We're talking about someone that has been known to sleep with athletes before. I know she's technically retired, but that doesn't mean she's abstinent. Just because Marshawn Lynch hung up his cleats doesn't mean he forgot how to catch a football, and just because Lisa Ann finally put some clothes on doesn't mean she's not quick to take them off. I feel the same way about her getting a second chance to rebrand herself as I feel about Ray Rice getting a second chance to play in the NFL. Do they deserve it? Probably. Are they going to get it? Fuck no. Sucking dick on camera in exchange for a paycheck is much like being criminal defense attorney. It's a profitable, necessary profession, but it's thankless and carries a lifelong stigma. You provide a service to the public for years and that service is going to be presumed as part of who you are. That doesn't mean that Lisa Ann is boning every person she shares a moment with, but it does mean we are allowed to act like she is for the sake of comedy.
And now we know why a man that's spent a vast majority of his life reining in teenagers has been given the responsibility to oversee the best professional basketball players in the world during international competition. It's not just because Coach K. is a great coach that gets the most out of his teams, it's because Coach K. knows how to properly balance silliness and success. A bunch of superstars coming off an extremely taxing NBA season to practice for a tournament they are almost definitely going to win? Yeah, safe to say their focus might be a bit off. I'm going to go out on a limb and assume that locker room probably resembles a kid's birthday party after they are all hyped up on sugar after finishing their cake. Just a bunch of man children running around without a care in the world trying to relax and have as much fun as possible. Well, someone has to manage that excitement and teach them how to play together, and who better to do it than the guy who has pretty much earned the 'Lifetime Achievement Award' when it comes to relating to immature players in a new, exciting environment. A couple of light hearted fuck you's were to be expected when trying to get some of the most talented athletes in the world to buckle down and take a competition they've basically already won just by showing up seriously.
You ever go out to a bar with your buddies, start talking to a group of girls, and have one friend that's either too drunk or too obnoxious to be able to appropriately function around females? The friend that makes a complete ass of himself and makes everyone else seem more desirable by comparison? The friend that makes your life easier by providing you with endless opportunities to make simple, off the cuff jokes about him? That's basically how I view the Republican party right now. The Democrats don't even have to "run game", because people are flocking to them by default. The Democrats are the guy at the bar reaping the benefits of his friend's pigheadedness. They are the guy that doesn't have to be all that witty or good looking, because all he needs to do is illicit the help of some observational humor at the expense of his brash, borderline embarrassing friend to seem like a worthy candidate to go home with. The Democratic House interns deciding to take an extremely diverse selfie together wasn't some super intricate slight of hand. In fact, it was pretty much the most obvious way possible to respond to Paul Ryan posting a picture of the Republican interns looking like they were at a lacrosse formal at the University of Loyola. That doesn't mean it didn't have the desired effect. Between the country dealing with an increasingly restless racial divide and the Republican speaker of the house posting a picture of the 'Vineyard Vines' corporate staff, the Democrats look like goddamn political savants for posting a snapshot that looks like Martin Luther King's dream came to life. This is just a microcosm of what this election has become. In the moment it doesn't even matter that that the Democrats have flaws of their own, because they are all being overshadowed by their competition's defective personality. Benghazi? E-mail scandals? Both seem pretty trivial when there's a boorish megalomaniac on stage screaming about building a prison-esque wall around the land of the free. A picture of people of all races, colors, and creeds standing on some steps would hardly be noteworthy...if it weren't proceeded by a picture of every extra that ever graced the set of 'Friends'. The Democrats have been blessed with the opportunity to be reactive instead of proactive, and there is no way to respond to the current actions of conservatives that could possibly leave them looking like the worse option. |
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