Daily Dose
Daily Dose: 7/31/17
Adidas apologizes for caving to LaVar Ball
6:49 AMWhat’s up, gang? Hope your weekend went well. I’ve done radio three times since we last spoke. Monday morning I hosted Mike and Mike for the first time, and working with Booger McFarland was fun. Here’s a link.
I wish I had some proof that journalism is now tailored only to an audience rich enough to afford the paywall. pic.twitter.com/uV0k0EFq49
— Gladstone (@WGladstone) July 30, 2017
The Olympics are coming back to the United States. In a new agreement reached Monday, the committees from the two cities left in the running would simply pick the years that worked best for them. Paris will take 2024, and Los Angeles will take 2028. We’ve come to a point where cities don’t even want the Games because of the headache and waste that hosting the Olympics brings. Every step this process takes now feels more and more like a death march, in terms of the shelf life of the competition overall.
Women get paid less on the dollar than men. No matter that some select economists will tell you otherwise, it’s true. And if you’re a black woman, that difference is even more stark. Why? Because, well, when you add structural problems that compound both sexism and racism, you’re even further behind. So #BlackWomensEqualPay day was created because when added up over a lifetime, we’re talking about $1 million that they don’t make compared with, say, white men. It varies from city to city, but that number is impossible to ignore.
Black people’s relationship with God is an interesting one. In this country in particular, the linkage between faith, freedom and salvation is one that some people see as justification for belief. Hence the reason that the black church has become such a large community on not only a social level but also a political one. That doesn’t always work for everyone. So when your faith is tested, Christianity doesn’t always end up being the answer. Read one woman’s quest to find new spirituality in the form of Yoruba.
I like LaVar Ball the dad. I like LaVar Ball the CEO. I enjoy LaVar Ball the Lonzo Ball hype man. I can’t stand LaVar Ball the basketball coach. Last weekend, at an AAU tournament in Las Vegas, he went way too far with his nonsense and managed to get a referee removed from a game and tournament after she gave him a technical foul. He then proceeded to insult her ability to referee and her conditioning. Now, Adidas is apologizing for the entire situation after the group that supplied the refs broke off their relationship with the shoe company. Good for them.
Free Food
Coffee Break: There’s a new homeless community in Denver that is designed for transgender people. It’s called Beloved Community Village. It’s a somewhat radical idea that’s funded by quite a few different partners, and it also involves tiny houses. Some of our most vital voices are way backward on acceptance, so this is a productive step.
Snack Time: If you don’t know who Joanne the Scammer is, I feel bad for you. But soon more of you will because Joanne might be getting a TV show, which is great news for all of us in the Scam Squad.
Dessert: Allen Iverson clearly doesn’t feel like hooping anymore. We don’t blame him, to be honest.
Daily Dose
Daily Dose: 7/28/17
Rick Ross issues another weak sauce apology
1:47 PMHey, gang, I’ll be filling in for Bomani Jones Friday on the radio, if you’re up for a little chatter. That’s from 4-7 p.m. EST and football’s sorta back, so there will be quite a few things to talk about.
https://twitter.com/CharlotteAlter/status/890922582052044800
Yes, it’s been another extremely wild week in Washington. The GOP’s health care bill died again on Capitol Hill, Russia decided to take pre-emptive sanctions against the U.S. and North Korea fired an intercontinental ballistic missile. In any other administration, just one of these things would be looked at as a complete disaster, but these days, we can just look to the White House communications director himself to get our totally foul-mouthed updates on what’s happening. That’s not even counting where the military is right now.
I’ve had a healthy fear of cruise ships for some time. Not because I think they’re a bad idea, but people always seem to be dying in the weirdest ways, or for bizarre reasons on them. Remember the guy who tried to throw his partner overboard, then she woke up from a coma to reveal the truth? Well, in another case of dudes being the absolute worst, some guy from Utah killed his wife apparently after she wouldn’t stop laughing at him. What a sad story.
When it comes to women, Rick Ross’ rhetoric has been problematic for a while. Whether it’s him rapping about putting drugs in women’s drinks, or mouthing off to a radio show about how he wants to sleep with the female artists he signs, it’s not a good look. Now, he’s issued an apology, but I’m still not really sure that Rozay gets what this is all really about. His apology was very boilerplate and wordy, making it seem like he just hired someone to pen something for him. His fundamental misogyny is never addressed. Do better, Ross.
The Kyrie Irving situation is officially elevated to the level of “drama.” Whatever may or may not be going on from a communication standpoint with the team, it’s certainly the talk of the league. So much so, that Kevin Durant, leaver-of-teams-in-chief, according to many, is now weighing in on the matter. Going forward, I’m very interested in thinking about how this will potentially affect LeBron James’ legacy down the line, if he becomes viewed as someone whom other stars stopped wanting to play with.
Free Food
Coffee Break: While we all use our phones for music these days, it’s wild to think that there was a time not so long ago in which we found uses for separate devices for this task. And to be honest, part of me still wishes I did. But, alas, Apple is discontinuing the iPod Nano and Shuffle.
Snack Time: We don’t need to state in this space that Rep. Maxine Waters is a national treasure, but we’ll do it anyway. Seriously, watch this clip.
"Reclaiming my time" is my new aesthetic for 2017 & beyond. @MaxineWaters pic.twitter.com/MhHyRKL3qy
— Sarah Lerner (@SarahLerner) July 28, 2017
Dessert: Vic Mensa’s new album is out, and you should definitely give it a listen!
Daily Dose
Daily Dose: 7/27/17
John Urschel decides that NFL football is not worth the risk
1:49 PMThere are people running around in football uniforms on my television, which leads me to believe that the NFL is apparently going to return soon. My favorite part about this coverage is hearing all the on-field music they have.
This is what they call #RelationshipGoals, right? (via stephencurry30/Instagram) pic.twitter.com/sZr0Eev1c7
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) July 27, 2017
Football is dangerous. This isn’t news to most of us, but a recent report had some pretty damning numbers about the NFL and brain injuries that basically solidified the fact that chronic traumatic encephalopathy is just going to be a part of life in that league. Personally, I have no idea why this is so surprising to people. When you have a bunch of grown men bashing each other’s heads in at full speed, guess what? Dudes are going to be wildly concussed on a regular basis. You know who else knows that? Ravens O-lineman John Urschel. He retired Thursday at the age of 26.
Hillary Clinton is dropping a new book. It’s called What Happened, which might simultaneously be the best book title and tease I’ve ever seen in my life. This book could be about anything. Her college years! Her time as first lady of Arkansas! Her illustrious career as a senator and secretary of state! Her time in the White House! Her experience with parallel parking! Who knows! In all seriousness, if this book is about what everyone thinks it is, she’s going to make tons of cash off of it.
There was a time in my life when I liked Gilbert Arenas. But I don’t care how many buzzer-beaters he hit for my Washington Wizards, this dude is a super jerk. First, his foolish antics harassing Nick Young and his kids were just too foul for my taste, and now he’s still out here on Instagram, trying to somehow shame dark-skinned women. Who knows what Arenas’ problem is, but being a pretty dark-skinned brother himself, the self-hate is clearly very real.
Adrian Beltre is a surefire Hall of Famer. Mainly because of his on-the-field play, but he’s also No. 1 in my heart because of his attitude toward the game. In case you don’t know, he’s the guy who is not here for anyone touching his head, which is problematic when you hit so many homers. On Wednesday, however, he managed to get tossed from a game while in the on-deck circle, which is just plain awesome. MLB umpires are some of the biggest “look at me” officials in sports, and this was no different.
Free Food
Coffee Break: There are some headlines that are terrifying in concept and some that are scary in practice. Then, there are others that make you go check to see if your doors are locked because the situation presented is so terrifying. “Police: One-armed, machete-wielding clown arrested” is definitely in the latter category.
Snack Time: It may not mean much to you, but 12ozProphet is back, which is tremendous news for anyone interested in the street art or graffiti scene.
Dessert: I’ve stated my love for Cardi B a million times. And her latest is another banger.
Daily Dose
Daily Dose: 7/26/17
Kendrick Lamar leads MTV VMA nominations
1:33 PMIn the past year or so, I’ve met two genuinely supertalented young men who took my advice and started a podcast in their living room. They’re headed to the National Association of Black Journalists convention soon and their latest episode is about the do’s and don’ts at the event.
Sir. Jeromey-Rome, Original Playa of House Himalaya, first of his name. pic.twitter.com/7qajFzYgW1
— Nyron N. Crawford (@NyronNCrawford) July 24, 2017
The end of summer can be sad. But, there’s also something refreshing about looking back on all the things that you had fun with and having something to mark that moment. It’s why Labor Day weekend is tremendous. But, before that, there’s the unofficial end of summer: the MTV Video Music Awards. This year, they’re in Inglewood, California, on Aug. 27, which means that you know Kendrick Lamar is going to absolutely set the place on fire. Here’s a full list of the nominees for the event.
Donald Trump is going to ban transgender people from serving in the military. How he plans to make this work, I have no idea, considering there are thousands already there. But after his stunt at the Boy Scouts of America Jamboree and his latest string of rather inexplicably cruel maneuvers, this might be out of left field, but is hardly a surprise. Who knows what’s fueled this, but when you throw in the words “in any capacity,” you put yourself at a real disadvantage from a rhetorical standpoint.
A note: the Department of Defense is the largest single employer of trans people in the country. An estimated 15K are currently serving.
— Jane Coaston (@cjane87) July 26, 2017
Look, I’m not some massive numerology guy. But, let’s take a look at the timeline of Jay-Z’s latest album, 4:44. Remember when Solange attacked him in an elevator a couple of years back? It was deduced that this was all over an affair Jay had, that eventually fueled Lemonade and had the world in suspense about what was really going on in their lives. Then, Jay dropped his latest from a more mature standpoint of life. Come to find out the address of the space where that incident went down is 444 W. 13th St. BRRUUUUUUHHHHHHH.
They say that every time you watch a baseball game, you’ll see something new. As someone who watches a ton of hardball, this is partly true, but sometimes, it’s uncanny how absolutely correct it can be. Such was the case last night, when Todd Frazier took to the plate for the Yankees in his first appearance at home, and managed to ground into a triple play, while also sort of knocking in a run. Seriously, watch this play. It’s one of the craziest things I’ve ever seen on the diamond.
Free Food
Coffee Break: It’s been a busy couple of weeks for Tyler, the Creator. First, he found himself explaining lyrics that many thought meant he was coming out of the closet. Then, he delivered an incredible interview and performance of “911” on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Then, he decided to start selling cassettes and they look really fun.
Snack Time: You probably don’t watch a whole lot of MasterChef Junior, but you might want to know that Georgia’s Jasmine Stewart won that bad boy last week. She’s in the sixth grade. Can’t wait to see what she does next.
Dessert: I can’t stop staring at these new Cookies & Cream flyknits.