Daily Dose
Daily Dose: 11/28/17
The 2018 Grammy nominations are out
1:11 PMAll right, kiddos, Tuesday’s another radio day. I’ll be filling in for Bomani Jones on #TheRightTime on ESPN Radio from 4-7 p.m. EST. You can tune in here.
Introducing the official #WorldCup poster for 🇷🇺Russia 2018! pic.twitter.com/91OTD6SYOq
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) November 28, 2017
The Grammys are going back to New York. They’ll be hosted by James Corden again, which at this point feels like a job he’s just going to be doing for the rest of time. The controversy over nominees is always a big one, but there’s really only one thing that matters to me at this point. Cardi B is a Grammy-nominated artist. For me, it doesn’t even particularly matter if she wins at this point. What matters is that she’ll be there and I hope she’ll perform, and it’ll be a huge bonus if she wins. I am so actively excited about this.
Are you familiar with Cyntoia Brown? The hashtag #FreeCyntoiaBrown has been circulating on the internet quite a bit lately in an effort to call attention to her case. She’s been serving a life sentence since she was 16 years old for killing a man who had paid to have sex with her. She’d been trafficked as a child after running away from home and was put in prison because lawyers argued that her motive was robbery in the killing. Obviously, that’s foul. Rihanna, Kim Kardashian and other celebrities have come to her side, so we’ll see what comes of it.
Our level for the “wow” bar keeps getting higher. Just when you think the president can’t surprise us anymore, he manages to find a way. Monday was no different. At an event honoring Navajo code talkers, President Donald Trump couldn’t help but to make a very bigoted remark about Massachusetts Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren. He called her “Pocahontas,” a term that is absolutely an insult at best and definitely a racial slur at worst. The White House doesn’t seem to think so on that front. Unreal.
A year ago, the soccer world experienced an unthinkable tragedy. On their way to one of the biggest matches of their lives, the Brazilian soccer team Chapecoense’s plane crashed, killing all but six of the 77 people on board. Nearly the entire team died. The team was eventually awarded the trophy for the 2016 Copa Sudamericana final at the request of its opponent. But that community, never mind the franchise itself, is clearly still recovering from the devastation. This story is from earlier this year but has been resurfaced for this day.
Free Food
Coffee Break: If you missed the 2017 Miss Universe pageant, then you missed Miss Jamaica. While pageants, as a matter of course, aren’t exactly the most progressive of events, it doesn’t mean they can’t have culturally noteworthy moments. Davina Bennett’s rocking an Afro on that stage was definitely one of them.
Snack Time: I’ve never been to Japan, but I hope to make it soon. There are a decent number of black folks there, and not just those from the United States. Check out this short documentary on what it’s like to be black in Tokyo.
Dessert: I enjoy Christmas music, so here are some new offerings from D.R.A.M. and, wait for it, Dru Hill. I know.
Daily Dose
Daily Dose: 11/22/17
Trump claps back at LaVar Ball yet again
4:28 PMAll right, y’all, I’ve got some programming updates. If you’re looking for a way to avoid your family Thursday and Friday, you can tune in to me hosting The Dan Le Batard Show on ESPN Radio. I promise it’ll be a fun time.
https://twitter.com/fivefifths/status/933123066372091904
What, you thought we’d get to Turkey Day without an issue from the White House? Come on, now. You know better than that. Roy Moore, the man accused of molesting various girls over the course of his lifetime who is running for Senate in Alabama, is getting what we can only call support from President Donald Trump. It’s tough to frame it any other way because, in the name of partisan politics, Trump won’t denounce Moore’s actions, which is gross. Nonetheless, Moore’s camp is finding a way to raise money from POTUS’s actions, which is even more shocking.
Speaking of Trump, he’s now completely lost the psychological battle to LaVar Ball. He’s lobbing tweets his way and calling him ungrateful, which is code for uppity. And while the rest of the country feels like it’s burning down around us, the leader of the free world is in a war of words with a basketball dad. To make things even more bizarre, the president’s supporters seem to think that Ball is actually Levar Burton, of Reading Rainbow and Star Trek fame. What a world we live in.
And speaking of child molesters, we have another story from the sports world. Larry Nassar, the man who was once the doctor for USA Gymnastics, pleaded guilty to criminal sexual conduct in court, which brings an end to a chapter in American sports history that was downright shameful. The number of victims is listed as above 100, which is really scary when you think about it. Perhaps the name you’ll remember most from that list is Aly Raisman, who was a member of the Fierce Five who won gold in 2016. What a sad tale.
We’re about a month or so into the NBA season, which means injuries are starting to really hit. Sure, there were some big ones early, like the Celtics’ Gordon Hayward, but we’re at that point of the year where general dings start to add up and guys start to go down. For the Los Angeles Clippers, point guard Patrick Beverley is scheduled for knee surgery, which means the Clippers’ season is basically shot. And in Oakland, Kevin Durant is a little banged up with an ankle tweak, but he plans to play against his old team Oklahoma City on Wednesday night.
Free Food
Coffee Break: Ray Allen is in a very awkward situation. Apparently he got catfished something crazy, and after trying to pay the guy (who he thought was actually various women) off, he’s now the one in court being accused of stalking. Life comes at you super fast, fam.
Snack Time: Since food is on all of our brains, check out this story about how one kid was constantly mocked by his classmates for bringing “stinky” food to the lunchroom. Then, his family fought back.
Dessert: Print this story out. Take it to your families at Thanksgiving. Read it aloud. Trust me.