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Sunday Blessings

What’s poppin’ this week? Did y’all miss me? These past couple months I’ve been busy with finishing my junior year, vacation to Hawaii, spending time with family, and now getting adjusted to my new internship at Turner Sports! During my time away a lot of exciting things happened such as: NBA playoffs, Kanye West, Women’s College World Series, NFL controversies, and of course, JR Smith. We’ve got a lot to catch up on, so let’s discuss!

The Finals 

Currently, Kevin Durant has proven that he deserved to win finals MVP two years in a row. During an explosive game three performance, Durant was an astonishing 11-15 shooting outside the paint.. If the stat doesn’t sound crazy to you yet, consider the fact that the rest of the team shot 4-22 from outside the paint. Undeniably, Durant carried the squad on his back game 3 because with less than a minute left in the game the Warriors were up 103-102. KD had ice in his veins and was ready to end this game when he pulled up from the 3 and drained the shot to put the Warriors up 106-102 with 49.8 seconds left. Y’all know how Stephen A. Smith refers to Aaron Rodgers saying, “He’s a BAAAAAD man”? Well, that same reaction could be used for this moment after KD shot that dagger. His face didn’t convey any reaction just intense eyes while Stephen Curry and Draymond Green hyped him up. That’s why it came as no surprise to me that Durant won the award. 

LeBron James had an incredible 2018 season that should have silenced all the naysayers about his playing ability. After finishing off a great regular season in year 15 with 18 triple doubles and 27.5 PPG. His intensity carried over into the postseason when he had the Cavaliers go seven games with the Pacers in round one, sweep the #1 seed Raptors in the second round, and then take the Boston Celtics to seven games and advanced to the finals. Throughout the duration of the postseason, LeBron averaged 34 PPG for both the playoffs and finals. LeBron was a dominant force this entire season and it remains a mystery what jersey he will wear next season.

 What’s Going On with the NFL?

As we all remember, the NFL has been dealing for a couple years now about National Anthem protests which were sparked by Colin Kaepernick to protest police brutality. The protest caught the attention of Donald Trump when he tweeted statements that included referring to players who kneel as, “SOBs.” *I don’t have profanity on my site* Also, he mentioned that players should be fined for protesting the anthem because it is “disrespectful” to our country. Therefore, since the NFL did not have a rule to prevent the protests, they now created one. 

“All team and league personnel on the field shall stand and show respect for the flag and the Anthem.”

Can anyone spot the key word that makes this new rule a problem for many? Mind you, the new rule allows the players to stay in the locker room during the anthem as well, but if a player will be on the field during the anthem they must stand or they will get fined. Now, if you haven’t spotted the key word, it was the word respect. The word choice stated in the rule upsets many because it basically means that if you were previously kneeling during the flag you were being disrespectful. 

Many people have different opinions on whether or not players are disrespectful to kneel during the anthem, which everyone is entitled to have. The problem I have is that how is it disrespectful that a group of people want to use their platform to shine a light on a problem that affects their community? African Americans have been subject to police brutality for quite some time, but recently there has been outrage over the topic and black people are ready to say enough is enough. #BlackLivesMatter. Many people forget that the person who suggested to Kaepernick that he should kneel “because people kneel to pray; we’ll kneel in front of a fallen brother’s grave,” was a Caucasian Army vet named Nate Boyer. Ima sip my tea on that one.

Should Artists be separated from their music?

Okay, let’s discuss the West family. Last month, Mr. West. aka. Kanye, made the completely wild statement that “slavery was a choice”. Yes, Kanye tried to clarify his statement by saying he was speaking in reference to people remain slaves of their mindsets and things of that nature, but he definitely said the 400 years of slavery Africans endured was a choice. The Black community was outraged and immediately spoke out and said he was cancelled and sick. However, Kanye’s new album is ranked #1 and I’ve seen plenty of the same people bashing Mr. West say his album is amazing. This leads me to pose the question should the artist be separated from their music? 

Many people believe that we should separate the artist from their music, but there are plenty of examples to show that this belief is inconsistent. For example, R Kelly created some of the best R&B music ever with classics such as “Ignition Remix” and “Step in the Name of Love”; however, there is a plethora of people now who refuse to listen to his music. Why? He has a lengthy history of pedophilia, sexual harassment, and more. Granted, it took years for people to finally stop praising his music, and it was due to the kidnapping allegations that surfaced stating he kidnapped underage young women and held them against their will. 

Let’s move onto some real hypocrisy. Chris Brown. Countless women have cancelled Chris Brown because of the physical abuse he committed to his then girlfriend, singer Rihanna. A lot of people have even gone so far to make claims that his music has not evolved over the years and that it is not good. However, Rihanna remains praised and held in high regard by everyone alive, yet she also physically abused Chris Brown during the course of their relationship (which she admitted, Google is free). This leads me to my point that how can you refuse to separate the artist from the music in the case of Chris Brown, but we as a people never want to hold Rihanna accountable? I’m a fan of both Chris Brown and Rihanna, but there is hypocrisy to shun one but love the other over an incident they both had faults within.

Lastly, there are a multitude of artists that have committed horrible acts that people choose to separate the artist from the music. XxxTentacion makes popular music, but has a history of aggravated assault towards his girlfriend, which she elaborated on during her testimony. Kodak Black has multiple sexual assault charges, 6ix9ine slept with an underage girl, and the list continues. 

What are my thoughts on separating the artist from the music? I believe that you should keep your energy consistent. If you are strongly against sexual abuse then why give money to someone by supporting their music if they are a known perpetrator of that crime? If you were outraged by Kanye’s slavery comments then why would you go out and buy his new album? It’s hypocrisy at its finest. The gag is *Keke Palmer voice*, if you found out your friend was a rapist the chances are you would not want to be around them and would condemn them for that, so why show support to a complete stranger who committed the same act?

Goals of the Week

I hope that this upcoming week grants nothing short of prosperity and blessings onto everyone who reads this. We have lost a very inspirational and loved journalist this week named Anthony Bourdain whose passion for food took him across the world, and he showcased that passion to the public. Also, we lost Kate Spade who was the creator of the wildly successful handbag and clothing store. Both of these amazing beings took their own lives, so I want everyone to know that your life is valuable. The National Suicide Prevention phone number is 1-800-273-8225, and always know that there are people who care. Blessings.

Remember everyone if Swaggy P can win a ring, then life truly gets better.

[janaenadams-blog]

Sunday Blessings

What’s poppin’ this week? COACHELLA. Rather, it was BeyChella. Beyonce came and conquered Saturday night at Coachella with her performance that left everyone’s wigs in oblivion. Although everyone was recovering from Beyonce’s performance, we cannot forget that today has historical impact. It’s Jackie Robinson Day! 

Beyonce

Okay, so where to begin? Queen Bey had the honor to be the first black woman to headline at Coachella, so there was only one way to bask in this moment. An unapologetic performance that was the epitome of black culture. She shined a light on Historically Black Universities and Colleges in every aspect from the band, majorette dancers, Greek life, and even swag surfin’. 

The band that Beyonce used was composed of 100 members that all were alumni of HBCUs such as Alabama A&M (shout out to my old school), Florida A&M, Alabama State, and many more. During one part, she created her own fraternity and showcased a fake probate on stage. Oh, her performance got even better than this though. She sang the Negro National Anthem Lift Every Voice and Sing....Just wow. 

The icing on the cake came when the crowd received a Destiny’s Child reunion. The trio did not miss a beat and harmonized beautifully together along with their synchronized choreography as well. Beyonce brought out her sister Solange on stage too and they completely mesmerized everyone with their syncopation. Last but not least, of course Jay Z had to make an appearance too. 2 hours straight Beyonce sang and danced in a performance so great that Twitter erupted in an argument over who the better performer was, her or Michael Jackson. 

Jackie Robinson

Today in history was Jackie Robinson Day! The day marks significance because it was the day that he made his major league debut. Branch Rickey decided to give Robinson a chance and break the color barrier in baseball, and this was the best decision that happened. Jackie had to endure a lot of racism and bigotry from all aspects. It takes a remarkable and strong man to be able to compose himself while people send death threats, throw balls at his head, and verbally abuse him and his family. 

The end of this week has ended pretty amazing and only more is expected to come. The NBA playoffs are off to a great start with the Cavs loss, Celtics overtime win over the Bucks, and more. Thank you Jackie for paving the way, so we can enjoy sports as we know it now. This week shall be great!

[janaenadams-blog]

Sunday Blessings

What’s poppin’ this week? This week, I just wanted to highlight an individual who has done remarkable things for the community, Matt Barnes.

Matt Barnes will be known as an athlete for various teams such as the Lakers and Warriors, but the former Sacramento Kings guard and resident decided to do something special for his former city. Following the death of Stephon Clark, an unarmed black man killed by Sacramento police, Barnes held a protest rally for him in Sacramento.

Matt Barnes not only held the protest rally for Clark, but he decided to start a scholarship for Clark’s sons so that they may go to college in the future. I think this was a great gesture because most of the time when celebrities and athletes want to showcase their feelings towards these police brutality issues, they just tweet something and that’s it. Instead, Matt Barnes took initiative to ensure that Clark’s family will have a guaranteed future by being able to afford college.

This past week I went to a panel discussion on campus held by the NAACP that discussed race and the legal system. During the discussion, someone on the panel mentioned that, “We’ve been having panel discussions on this topic for over 30 years but what has actually been done?” That comment stuck with me because it’s true. Why continue to discuss the issues among each other but don’t put much action forward? Matt Barnes decided to forget this strategy and actually put action in place. That’s why he should be honored.

[janaenadams-blog]

Sunday Blessings

What’s poppin’ this week? The March for Our Lives rally happened Saturday, March 24th, where thousands of students and demonstrators rallied to declare action about the gun issue in America. Also this week, many rallied outside the Sacramento Kings arena Thursday to protest the death of Stephon Clark, another unarmed black man who lost his life at the hands of the police. Athletes have showed remarkable support for both causes, so let’s explore them.

Dwyane Wade

After the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, Dwyane Wade discovered that one of the victims, Joaquin Oliver, was buried wearing Wade’s replica jersey. This impacted him so much that he decided to honor Oliver by dedicating the rest of his season to him. Earlier this month, Wade visited Stoneman Douglas to engage in conversation with students about the power of their voice and how to help create change. Furthermore, Wade and his wife Gabrielle Union donated $200,000 to send kids to the march in Washington D.C. 

Carmelo Anthony

Oklahoma City Thunder star, Carmelo Anthony, sent 4,500 kids from his hometown of Baltimore, Maryland to the event. “It’s a special moment..to see how powerful the youth are right now, and the voices are being heard,” said Anthony. 

More NBA Players

Plenty of other current and retired NBA players spoke out about this march in D.C. as well. Eleven time basketball champion, Bill Russell, expressed his support for the movement. Some great retired players such as Dennis Rodman and Steve Nash participated in the march with Rodman in D.C. while Nash was in Los Angeles. The NBA Players’ Association matched all players donations up to $25,000, and current NBA players such as Chris Paul and Lebron James showcased support on social media. The March for Our Lives event even had support from Anthony Rizzo, a Parkland native and baseball player for the Chicago Cubs. 

Sacramento Kings

During the Kings game on Thursday, protests were held outside the arena blocking entrance for many fans. The Kings owner spoke on the court about the scenario and expressed that it was a terrible tragedy, and that the organization has a responsibility to help. Therefore, the Kings and the Boston Celtics teamed up to wear warmup shirts honoring Stephon Clark. The front of the shirt read, “Acountability. We are one,” on the front and, “Stephon Clark,” on the back. Also, they filmed a video collaboration asking for change and accountability. 

Demarcus Cousins

Former Sacramento Kings star, Demarcus Cousins, reached out to Clark’s family to cover his funeral expenses. Cousins has been known for his heavy community service in Sacramento while he was on the team there.

It’s a beautiful sight seeing all these athletes stand together to protest important causes. There needs to be gun reform so children do not have to fear about school shootings anymore. Police brutality needs to end. Therefore, change needs to be made and we are in a time frame where individuals of all backgrounds are coming together to fight for change.

[janaenadams-blog]

Sunday Blessings

What’s poppin’ this week? 2 words. MARCH MADNESS!!! If you’re not hip to March Madness, it’s the best month of the year for basketball. Teams compete to become NCAA Division 1 champions, and the month is full of insanity. Recently, I read an article on how there are very few black walk on athletes for basketball. Therefore, I wanted to touch on this topic of why there’s a lack of walk ons in top college sports.

1. The Lack of Reward

As a former student athlete, I had a few teammates who made the team at our open softball tryouts and became walk ons. Both girls ended up leaving the team at different times because they both thought they needed jobs instead. Being a student athlete is extremely time consuming and it does not allow you the opportunity to have a job and make money. That’s why a lot of people do not want to walk on because of the financial reasons. It doesn’t make sense to dedicate time to traveling, playing, and everything while not having money to pay bills or even simple things like meals. Most athletes on scholarship have at the minimum books covered, and on better cases room and board which includes a meal plan. Walk ons do not have these benefits, so while their teammates are only focusing on the sport and grades, most walk ons have to focus also on how to pay for school and food. Thus, it creates the feeling of it’s not worth walking on a team because there’s the lack of reward

Generally, white students may not feel turned away from being a walk on due to financial reasons. If you can afford to pay for school then why not also fulfill your dream of playing at the next level? Being a walk on has great benefits such as being apart of a team, nice gear, traveling, camaraderie with teammates, and most important of all to continue the love for the game and compete to have a winning season. 

2. Playing Time

The idea of being a walk on discourages some because there can be a lack of play time. In many cases, walk ons do not come and take a starting position on a team when they first get there. Baker Mayfield, from The University of Oklahoma, started his college career as a walk on at Texas Tech. Currently, he won the Heisman trophy this year at The University of Oklahoma. 

In most cases, students don’t want to walk on a team because they want to get play time. I know players who have walked on teams and have touched the field only twice in a season. Many think is it really worth it to dedicate all the time and energy into something and not even be able to play? Especially with men, it can be a pride thing for why guys don’t want to walk on a team. 

The combination of the lack of play time and the lack of monetary rewards for being a walk on a college sports team causes many black athletes to not want to walk on teams. College itself is expensive not including daily food needs and housing, so for many it doesn’t present enough benefits to dedicate all the time and energy into the team. Instead, having a job is more important to be able to have a good college experience. However, I believe that if a student has the financial means and the athletic ability they should by all means become a walk on. Despite the lack of playing time initially, there are so many rewards that come from playing at the collegiate level. Also, if a walk on proves to be a great player there’s opportunity to receive a scholarship the following year. 

[janaenadams-blog]

Sunday Blessings

What’s poppin’ this week? This week in my sports reporting class, we had a discussion on the lack of African American players in baseball. Currently, African-Americans only comprise 8% of the league. Let’s explore the reasons why.

1. Baseball is Too Expensive

Honestly, baseball is probably the most expensive sport to play as a youth. When I was 12 years old, I began playing travel softball. When you play rec ball, you don’t have to worry about fancy equipment or expensive fees because all the games are within your city. That’s why when I began travel ball I was in for a rude awakening. I needed a composite bat, a bigger glove, bigger softballs, metal cleats, and I now needed money for hotel rooms and the large fee to be on the team. Luckily, I had two parents and plenty family friends to help fund these expenses and take me to my games, but how many black kids in America can say they had the same? Bats range between $3-400 alone, so factor in a glove, cleats, and travel fees and you’re looking at spending a grand off the bat for one season. Also, youth need parents to travel distance to take them to tournaments. When I was in high school, I traveled to Los Angeles every other weekend and that’s a 6 hour drive. We also had tournaments in Utah, Washington, and Colorado to name a few places. That’s EXPENSIVE.

2. Baseball is Too Boujee

If you don’t know what the term “boujee” means just look up the music video to Migos hit song “Bad and Boujee.” In the video, the girl is eating Cup of Noodles while being dressed in all designer clothes and drinking an expensive glass of champagne. How does this relate to baseball? Baseball wants to keep its tradition so much and be upscale which results in the lack of black fans. Where’s the originality, the charisma, the personality? In football players have unique touchdown dances, in basketball players have flashy dunks or trademark things like Damian Lillard tapping his wrist when he comes clutch. In baseball, things like that are frowned upon and are seen as cocky. For example, Puig bat flips all the time and does flashy shows of excitement which makes him disliked by many fans. Baseball just enjoys tradition too much rather than evolving with the times, which makes it a boujee sport.

“It’s old-fashioned and stuck in the past,” said comedian Chris Rock on HBO’s Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel. “You’ve got the white-haired, white guy announcers, you’ve got cheesy old organ music at the game- I mean, where’s the Beats by Dre?!”

3. Baseball Isn’t the Social Sport

Have you ever seen a gathering of black people who don’t play baseball linking up to watch a baseball game? It’s not common on the large scale. Whenever it’s the NBA finals or the Super Bowl everyone regardless of them being fans or not all throw parties to watch these games. However, baseball isn’t treated like that. Honestly, I don’t have any friends who watch baseball games on their own if they aren’t a baseball/softball player. In 2010 when the San Francisco Giants won the World Series, I remember my dad was so shocked and happy he sat in disbelief. That was the Giants first championship in the City so it was a huge deal to San Francisco born and raised people like my dad. My dad and I along with my teammate and her dad all went to the parade and it was PACKED. We were front row and I lost my mind when my favorite player Tim Lincecum passed by on the trolley. However, the younger black people I saw there were not that into the parade. Instead, they were just using the parade as a reason to turn up. On the other hand, when I went to the Golden State Warriors parade in 2017 there was a large black presence there to celebrate and see Draymond, Kevin Durant, and everybody specifically. 

Baseball just isn’t loved on a social aspect. If you never played the sport or grew up with family members that love it, then you probably say the game moves too slow. Baseball isn’t like basketball where it’s constant scoring and that’s the beauty of it. A player can at any time do something crazy like make a critical error to cost them game winning runs, a grand slam, a no hitter, or anything can happen during a game and you never know when to expect it. The 2017 World Series match up between The Dodgers and the Astros was high scoring and exciting and definitely killed any stereotype that baseball moves slow. 

At the end of the day, if baseball wants to gain more black viewers and black players there are changes that need to be made. First, there shouldn’t be such a high cost for youth to play the sport competitively. Second, the traditional playing of the game should be changed and updated to be more hip to the times we live in. Third, baseball should try and market itself better to the black community and make it look inviting. I have no doubt if baseball updated than African Americans will be more likely to play!

[janaenadams-blog]

Sunday Blessings

What’s poppin’ this week? I know a lot of people aren’t NASCAR fans and neither am I, but the Atlanta Motor Speedway happened yesterday, which is a big racing event. I attended the event expecting it to go one way, but I came out with an entirely new outlook! Despite NASCAR being a historically white-male dominated sport, I saw the presence of Black excellence at the speedway.

When I first pulled up into the parking lot, I was greeted by at least a dozen Confederate flags, so I knew it was going to be a long day. However, to my surprise, I began noticing a lot of black individuals walking around. Not only were they there as fans, but there were in positions of power.

1. Christopher Davis 

The first person that I met was a black man named Chris Davis who became the first ever chief security for NASCAR. Previously, he was a professional athlete for the Minnesota Vikings and New England Patriots. Then, he became the senior executive service inspector for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Due to his decorated background, NASCAR created the position of chief security officer because they knew he could fulfill the role of the position.

2. Brehanna Daniels

In preparation for the racing event, I discovered that there was a young lady who recently became the first female African-American pit crew member. While my group and I were there, we asked around to see if she was working the events. Luckily, we found her and it was an amazing sight to see her quickly changing the tires on a car within 15 seconds. 

3. Phil Horton

The last person we met was Phil Horton, a black man who was the Director of Athletic Performance for his company Athletic Training Concepts. As a graduate from North Carolina A&T, it was great seeing a fellow HBCU alumni succeed in such a white-male dominated industry. As a strength and conditioning coach, he coached NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace. Also, he currently is the director for athletic performance for Rev Racing, and with that he had an all black pit crew working the Atlanta Motor Speedway. His goal is to have more black individuals participate in NASCAR.

4. Bubba Wallace

Recently, Bubba Wallace made news when he became the first full-time African American driver to race in the Daytona 500. What was even more ground-breaking was that he won 2nd place in it! He’s breaking barriers for the NASCAR industry by making strides as a black racer. He knows of the impact too because after he won there was a heartfelt video of him and his mom crying tears of joy because of the accomplishment.

Despite the huge perception that NASCAR is entirely racist and does not welcome black people, there are many black individuals making strides to change the image. I came into the event expecting to feel uncomfortable, but it was so comforting seeing the many black faces being valuable members of this industry. I was expecting “Life is a Highway” to be blaring on the speakers and Ricky Bobby look-a-likes everywhere, but as you can tell I didn’t fully get that. Instead, the closest I got was meeting the voice of Mater from Cars, Larry the Cable Guy, who said to me, “If you don’t like NASCAR you’re a communist.” 

Ka-chow. 

[janaenadams-blog]

Sunday Blessings

What’s poppin’ this week? Today marks the last day of All Star Weekend, which is probably NBA fans favorite weekend of the year.This year the events took place in Los Angeles, so you know I had to head back to my home state of California to attend! LA was poppin like always the entire weekend, but Sunday of course was the main event, so let’s dive into the takeaways from the All-Star Game.

This year the All Star Game used a new strategy by scrapping the east vs west teams. Instead. they had team captains who could choose their own team based off the players fans voted to be All Stars. The stage was set. Team Steph vs Team Bron. 

Throughout the first half of the game, Team Steph was dominating to the surprise of many. When the All Star lineups were revealed, everyone thought LeBron’s team was much superior than Curry’s. However, “shooters shoot”. Oakland native, Damian Lillard, had 21 points as well as Demar Derozan. However, Team Bron wasn’t too intimidated because they came back at the very end to win the game.

It was only fair to crown LeBron James as the MVP of the All Star Game. Bron went crazy with 29 points, 10 rebounds, and 8 assists. Regardless if you like or dislike LeBron, this week he deserved respect. This past week, radio host Laura Ingraham had harsh comments towards the All-Star Game MVP. During Cari Champion’s conversation with LeBron and Kevin Durant, LeBron made critical remarks towards Donald Trump. Therefore, Ingraham decided to throw jabs towards James, but her comments were extremely inappropriate.

 Ingraham remarked that LeBron James attempted to leave high school so he could join the NBA. Furthermore, she stated to James “shut up and dribble.” Where was the fact checking? Obviously, none was done because LeBron in fact graduated high school. Also, telling an individual such as James to shut up and dribble was atrocious. James responded and declared that he will not take Ingram's advice to shut up, which was the best response. LeBron James does a lot for the community and has a status of a role model to a multitude of children. Therefore, why should he have to silence his views on certain issues? Is it because African Americans should not discuss their intelligence and positive influence when it does not relate to their craft? We should sit in silence while a Caucasian woman mocks our people still? No. Whether it was from the strong sense of Black pride from the Black Panther release or the fact Black History Month is in effect, James deserved all the respect for how he handled that extremely negative and situation.

All-Star Weekend was an extremely good experience that everyone should have. Within the week, it came numerous positive moments, but also it brought some negative ones such as the LeBron James situation. However, I am proud of not only the response James gave to the wrong words expressed upon him, but the support and outrage from others as well. James came from a single parent household that was not financially stable, and he transformed into arguably the most influential athlete that we have. His story is one of perseverance and a heart that always wants to shine a light on issues of injustice and be a strong influence to the community. Therefore, let’s uplift LeBron James for his stellar performance that led his team to victory along with the MVP award. 

[janaenadams-blog]

Sunday Blessings

What’s poppin’ this week? This week the highly anticipated movie “Black Panther” hits theaters! For months all everyone has been talking about on social media is how excited they are for the movie to come out. Between the Black Panther premiere, the release of the hot movie soundtrack, All Star weekend, and more, Black History Month is off to a great start!

The Black Panther character’s the king of the African nation of Wakanda. He is one of the world’s wealthiest individuals, and possesses the powers of superhuman senses, strength, speed, agility, and more. Black Panther encompasses strong physicality and intelligence to help him be great, but do we know of any “Black Panther” types within our own real life community? Are there any athletes that could possibly fit the qualifications of being able to mimic the antics of this powerful character?

1. LeBron James

Is it really any shock that LeBron was the first name that came to mind when thinking about someone who could portray Black Panther? To begin with, LeBron stands at 6′8 and weighs 250 pounds. He uses this build to dominate on the court each and every time he steps out there. His athleticism has allowed him the ability to have a career average of 27 points per game and win 3 NBA titles. Currently, he arguably is producing his best statistics of his career this season, despite it being his 15th season. There’s no doubt about it that LeBron could portray Black Panther. He’s the king!

2. Yasiel Puig

If you’re a baseball fan this pick shouldn’t surprise you too much. Yasiel Puig secures the spot of not only the most entertaining baseball player in Major League Baseball, but he is also one of the most athletic men in the league. He’s almost a freak of nature! He possesses extreme speed, a cannon of an arm, and a monstrous swing that can have the ball flying out of the park. Puig can dominate the field and has proven to be clutch. During the 2017 World Series, Puig came up to bat in the bottom of the 9th, down 3 runs, and blasted a one-handed two-run homerun. A one-handed homerun in a clutch World Series game? If that’s not Black Panther qualities I don’t know what is!

Those are a couple examples, but there’s a few more out there. I would have popcorn in hand with SOB x RBE’s song “Paramedic!” playing in the background while I watch LeBron or Puig portraying Black Panther.

Along with this being the Black Panther premiere week, it’s also still Black History Month, so I want to highlight recent Black excellence.

1. Maame Biney becoming the first Black woman to make/compete the Olympic speed skating team.

2. Erin Jackson qualifying for the 2018 Winter Olympics four months after picking up speed skating, and she became the first black woman to make the long-track team.

3. Jordan Greenway becoming the first African-American player to be on the U.S. Olympic men’s hockey roster.

Black History Month is a time to recognize, celebrate, and appreciate the history and excellence radiating from African-Americans. This week I task you to go out and learn more about Black history and individuals that shape the society we live today. Play some 2pac “Changes” to get your day going. Go help the community. Just take this month as an opportunity to dive into the culture.

“Do it for the culture” -Migos

[janaenadams-blog]

Sunday Blessings

,What’s poppin’ this week? It’s Super Bowl Sunday! This Super Bowl will be interesting and exciting for many different reasons.

Tom Brady’s 8th Super Bowl appearance

Nick Foles, backup quarterback turned Super Bowl starter

Doug Pederson and Bill Belichick matchup

Justin Timberlake halftime performance 

Tom Brady possibly breaking 51 year old QB curse

All of these issues are key points for why this Super Bowl will be interesting, but one of these topics stands out to me. Justin Timberlake’s halftime performance. Let’s take a trip down memory lane and remember what happened last time he hit the stage. 

Super Bowl XXXVII : This year for the Super Bowl many artists graced the stage such as, Jessica Simpson, Nelly, P. Diddy, Kid Rock, and of course, Janet Jackson. Janet electrified the stage with her performance of her hit song, “Rhythm Nation”. Then, Timberlake hit the stage to perform a duet of “Rock Your Body” with Jackson. During the final line of the song, “I’m gonna have you naked by the end of this song,” the moment that shocked the world happened. Nipplegate. Timberlake ripped off part of the top of Janet’s costume which revealed her exposed breast, with only a nipple shield to cover her. 

Now, the aftermath of the performance was so impacting that it lead to the creation of one of the most prominent media outlets, YouTube. It created the term “wardrobe malfunction” that Timberlake used to describe the incident. Most importantly, it lead to the black balling of Jackson’s career and the rise of Timberlake’s. I wonder why...?

Throughout the course of history, women have received the shorter end of the stick, which has lead to women speaking up about gender equality. Recently, Academy Award winning actress and comedian Mo’Nique has spoken out about her recent gender and racial inequality issue. Netflix reportedly only offered Mo’Nique $500K to do a special on their streaming service; however, male comedians such as Dave Chapelle received $20 million for their special, and white comedian Amy Schumer received $13 million. There’s no reason why a legend like Mo’Nique should have such a staggering pay gap between her and Amy Schumer. 

Janet Jackson was wrongly blackballed from the music industry following the Super Bowl incident. She was dis-invited from the Grammys, her album flopped, Viacom, MTV, and major radio networks boycotted her music. On the other hand, Timberlake performed at the Grammy’s, his album prevailed, and acting career took off. 

What does this show? White privilege and male privilege is real, nothing new. Don’t get me wrong though, I am a fan of Justin Timberlake’s music and do not hold this situation against him. Whether or not Timberlake intentionally meant for her breast to be exposed or not we will never know the true story. However, this means that society has to stop the unfair treatment of women and women of color. Janet will always be iconic and regarded as The Queen of Pop, the inspiration for many performers, and a remarkable woman. However, due to unfair inequality many tried to tarnish her career due to the unintentional exposure of her breast. 

Will Justin Timberlake bring out Janet for the halftime performance? Will he acknowledge it? Better yet, will society finally stop showcasing inequality towards women? We’ll see, but just know I’ll be waiting.

[janaenadams-blog]

Who’s Nae?

Strong, ambitious, knowledgeable, cultured, athlete. These are the attributes that encompass myself, Janae Adams, a Bay Area, California native. When I reflect on this world, I notice the intersection of various subjects. As an African American woman, I pay close attention to race, gender, and social issues because I am a strong defender of equality. As a former Division 1 athlete, I am a true sports lover who enjoys watching, writing, and covering sports. Therefore, why not combine the two?! There are so many correlations between sports and issues among this world and I’m here to help explore them! Don’t worry though! This page will not be uptight and stuffy because after all I am a college student. Aside from sports and social justice, I will be making references to pop culture, music, TV, movies, and everything else going on. Therefore, if you aren’t hip to Migos, BlackLivesMatter, and Insecure, then go brush up because Nae from the Bay has it all.