Former Knicks point guard Jeremy Lin.
During the existence of the New York Knicks, a few larger than life sensations have left its fandom in a frenzy — Jeremy Lin, Carmelo Anthony and Phil Jackson have all instilled a level of hope when they first hit the court (or board room in the case of Jackson) that perhaps the team is going to turn things around.
Last Sunday, the best professional basketball players in the world faced off in a head to head showdown at the 2016 NBA All Star game in Toronto. Fans got to see Kobe Bryant, considered the Michael Jordan of the 21st century, play in his last All Star game, as well as NBA champions Lebron James and Stephen Curry suit up for the Eastern and Western Conferences respectively. What more could a fan of the sport of basketball ask for?
Well, how about an actual game of basketball? Not some highlight reel-friendly ego showcase that does little to spotlight the all-around talent the NBA has to offer?
Players need to actually play defense, to stop opposing players’ attempts at driving to the basket instead standing around and watching their opponent score. We want them diving, hustling, fighting, and competing with ferocity like there is actually some meaning and purpose to them playing in the game. And granted, there were a lot of nice shots, dunks, and alley-oops, which is what some fans want to see at the mid-season classic. But, should they come at the expense of integrity of the contest?
This is not the Harlem Globetrotters versus the Washington Generals. This is the National Basketball Association. Play like it.
Cam Newton demonstrates the Dab before it’s demise.
Some may know the Super Bowl as the football game of the season, some may have seen it as a Beyonce concert featuring special guest Coldplay and Bruno Mars, or some may have seen it as an interruption to a series of witty and expensive commercials.
Last night, however, over 120.8 million people tuned into the NFL’s premiere attraction and witnessed history, though not in the way they expected. On Super Bowl Sunday, the world witnessed the death of the dab.
The Dab according to the Urban Dictionary is a dance in which you throw your arms both to one side and lean your face into the inner part of your elbow in a sneeze like motion. Origins of “the dab” aren’t apparent, however, Cam Newton, along with the Carolina Panthers and rappers Migos and OG Maco, have made “the dab” popular among all people, from little kids in the crowds, to Betty White.
Considering the Carolina Panthers only scored one touchdown in their 24-10 loss to the Denver Broncos, there wasn’t much to dance about. One thing is certain, defense wins championships. To put the nail in the coffin, Denver Broncos defense coordinator, Wade Phillips, tweeted, “A little Dab with do you but too much Dab will undo you!” Aside from the typo, the comment tweeted after the Super Bowl win was too soon considering Hip Hop’s loss.
It’s no secret that the world has a difficult time accepting the hip hop culture that Cam Newton puts at forefront, however, none of that can take away from his greatness and his MVP season. “Haters are going to hate!” Unfortunately for the Panthers, from the first quarter onwards, the Carolina Panthers didn’t play the brand of football that they were accustomed to playing. Cam Newton’s smile was no where to be seen in the second half of the game.
Super Bowl 50 MVP Von Miller gets his groove on.
Von Miller, the Superbowl MVP for the Denver Broncos, did take the time to showcase his version of the dab while celebrating. So, is this the end of the dab, or a transition of dabbing powers from Cam Newton to Von Miller, I guess we’ll have to wait for the NFL season to return. One thing is for certain, the young Cam Newton will have multiple chances to resurrect the dance craze, as well as become a Super Bowl champion.
After the Carolina Panthers had lost Super Bowl 50 to the Denver Broncos, there wasn’t much left to say or do afterwards. In fact, the Most Valuable Player of the National Football League, Cam Newton walked out on his post-game … Continue reading
Super Bowl 50, in all it’s hippie glory. Photo Collage: Glenn Manacker.
Superbowl 50 brought us a patriotic Lady Gaga in two mismatched Gucci shoes, a Denver Broncos victory very few believed would happen, a performance of Beyonce’s new song “Formation” and an appearance by Bruno Mars and Mark Ronson.
But it also showed us that even after almost 50 years, California can’t shake its hippie past.
Before Beyonce and Bruno hit the stage, Coldplay singer Chris Martin strutted around Santa Clara, California’s Levi’s Stadium on a colorful, flower-shaped stage in front of his band’s drum kit, piano, and amps, which held chains of bright orange flowers. While Martin jumped and danced during “Adventure of a Lifetime,” the surrounding field was filled with dancers holding–you guessed it–more big, bright purple and yellow flowers. Finally, the 13-minute performance concluded with a colorful message spelled out in the stands: “BELIEVE IN LOVE.”
Levi’s Stadium, home of the San Francisco 49ers, lies about 47 miles from San Francisco’s infamous hippie hub, Haight-Ashbury, which provided a haven for members of the American counterculture in 1967, a year historically known as the Summer of Love. The neighborhood ran on drugs, music, contempt for the Vietnam War, more drugs, and a progressive social atmosphere. Rock bands like the Grateful Dead and Jefferson Airplane thrived there and acted as leaders of the growing movement, and journalist Tom Wolfe immortalized the hippie lifestyle in his 1968 book The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test, which follows the Merry Pranksters, a group who travel across the country hopped up on LSD.
Though there was no shortage of music in Haight-Ashbury, “San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair)” by singer-songwriter Scott McKenzie became, according to the Telegraph, “the unofficial anthem of the counterculture movement of the 1960s.” The song, which was reportedly written in 20 minutes by John Phillips of The Mamas and the Papas, begins:
If you’re going to San Francisco
Be sure to wear some flowers in your hair
One has to wonder if Chris Martin and the Halftime planners drew their inspiration from California’s historic past or if they simply got swept away in the state’s sunny, 68-degree weather.
Watch Scott McKenzie perform “San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair)” live at California’s 1967 Monterey Pop Festival:
It was estimated that Americans nation-wide would intake around 1.3 billion chicken wings during Super Bowl 50, and the estimation did not increase or decrease after the game. Super Bowl weekend, February 5th-7th was a very busy weekend for food industries. Not just for the Denver Broncos, who defeated the Carolina Panthers by 10-24. Football fans watching at home will always crave hearty and high-calorie snacks and lots of beer during the game.
Buffalo WIld Wings Super Bowl ad.
75% of all chicken wings were mostly consumed at popular chain restaurants, such as Buffalo Wild Wings, and Wing Zone, a restaurant not known in New York City (the nearest locations being in New Jersey and in Long Island). It is always a competition between restaurants during the Super Bowl weekend, says NBC News.
According to Eater, it was estimated that Americans would also chug 325 million gallons of beer during the Super Bowl weekend, and the estimation did not change after the game either. Every man, woman, and child in America would have to drink more than a gallon each to keep up on how much football fans consumed. Treehugger also claims that all the beer consumed is enough to fill 493 Olympic-sized swimming pools.
Binging on beer and wings is always a must during the Super Bowl, it is one the best times to cheat on your diet. The Calorie Control Council says that every American citizen probably consumed 2,400 calories during the game.
Don’t worry, if you were up on your feet dancing to Beyonce’s half-time show performance, you probably lost around 100 calories. If you were eating a chicken wing or drinking beer, or doing both while dancing, well then more power to you. Slow progress is better than no progress at all.