#like their tour started early 2022! the ad came out end of 2021

[petrovna-zamo]

Katya’s Nicole Kidman AMC Ad

[fluffypotatey]

OK SO! the tommyinnit 101. technically this isn't really tied to an smp though.

so first we must start at the very beginning. the dream smp. in late 2020-early 2021, the dream smp was at the height of its popularity, and tommyinnit played one of its most prominent characters (tommy, henceforth referred to as c!tommy). now the thing about c!tommy is that both he and cc!tommy (idk if i've talked about the c! vs cc! divide before but that is its own 101) were under 18 at the time, and therefore if you shipped his character with anyone about 70% of the fandom would tear you apart.

honestly dsmp isn't too relevant here, though, except to introduce tommy and tubbo. you see, in a world of straight men using their little block guys to flirt with one another, tommy was Very vocal about loving women. being Straight was part of his Bit in the same way that being Annoying and playing the able sisters music from animal crossing was.

anyways in late 2022 he uploaded a vlog of him and tubbo getting married, tubbo mostly against his will. they pulled out all the stops- got an ordained minister (their friend scott, who you may recognize from the life series 101s) to do a little ceremony, had a lot of their friends acting as different members of the wedding party, even signed and filed real paperwork!

yep. that's right. they signed legal fucking paperwork. i've heard that tubbo didn't even know it was a marriage certificate, he thought it was a waiver for being in the video or smth. that's right, known straight man tommyinnit tricked his best friend into getting Real Life Legally Married to him, presumably just for shits and giggles.

This fact went unnoticed until mid-late 2023. tubbo was playing on the QSMP with some other people (i know FitMC, not sure who else), and was joking about going to Vegas and getting married to Fit. and then tubbo realized he was still married to tommy.

also, around that time, tommy wrote and published (to wattpad) a rpf crack fic called Tommy x Tubbo Love Triangle, where tommy leaves his Real Life Girlfriend molly for tubbo (molly dies directly afterwards because it was so romantic) and then he and tubbo kiss without tongue. tubbo was not consulted during the production of this fanfiction.

after learning about the marriage, tubbo started working to get a Real Life Divorce from his Real Life Friend Tom. tommy refused to sign the paperwork. if any of this ever goes to court tubbo fully intends to livestream the whole thing.

around 2 months ago, tommy did a parody of "I'm Just Ken" called "I'm Just Tom," in which he begs tubbo not to divorce him. it must be seen to be believed. idk if the link will work in an ask but i need you to see it https://youtu.be/laAPXcxjDlI?si=wPQM3ZJHBIv11Cfr

also if you're wondering how molly, tommy's Real Life Girlfriend, feels about all of this? she thinks it's hilarious. for the past month or two-ish (?), tommy's been doing a stand-up comedy tour in america (because they are all british), and at the same time tubbo's been doing a subathon (aka tubbathon bc it's tubbo) (a subathon is a twitch stream with a timer on it. the stream ends when the timer finishes out, and whenever someone subscribes to the streamer's channel more time is added) (the tubbathon is still going btw and isn't slowing down anytime soon). at one point molly came onto the tubbathon, and tubbo bought her a new phone bc hers was shit. (directly afterwards tommy posted a vlog about it, saying he felt like he was being cucked by his gay husband)

fans have dubbed these three the nightmare polycule, and it's not hard to see why.

and then, finally, this morning (last night in england time), tommy and tubbo were on a phone call. tubbo (gay) encouraged tommy to "say the f slur!" and tommy said, and i quote, "I'm bicurious, so I guess I could say like a fifth of it. [Tochat] Hear that, ya -ggots?"

i needed to tell you all of this so that you would understand the full insanity of all of this. there are some bits that don't really translate unless you were a dsmp fan in the 2020-2021 era, but i need you to see the ongoing insanity this man creates. he had been planning to use that joke for his live comedy show

ok uh

wow

i some pointers on his singing voice (a bit too belty there, that'll damage the throat later, some vowels need rounding)

hilarious that he rhymed Tom with arm

reading this was like a fever dream

molly is me tbh this is the most hilarious drama i have ever read

his comedic timing is beautiful

what the fuck

[wtchnghrs]

⋆⠀҂҂ ── BACKGROUND

━ ☆ ❱ masterlist

━ ☆ ❱ send an ask to be added to the taglist

☆. EARLY LIFE !

BONNIE was born ZUHRAH ELMER on 2 APRIL 2002 to Swiss-Italian father, ELIJAH ELMER, and Ghanaian mother, FAITH MENSAH. Her parents were living in London at the time of her birth and they remained there until she was ten years old. In London, FAITH enrolled her daughter in violin lessons. Her mother was wary at first that it would be a waste of time and money but fortunately, ZUHRAH took a liking to it. What FAITH did not expect was for ZUHRAH to beg to start playing the guitar. And the bass. And a whole host of other instruments. To this day, ZUHRAH thanks her mom for getting her into music.

ELIJAH and FAITH decided to separate in 2012. ELIJAH had a job that required him to travel constantly and it was getting to difficult for FAITH to bear. Later that year she and ZUHRAH moved to the US together. Living in New York was exciting for ZUHRAH as it was there when she started dancing. At this point, she knew that she wanted to be a singer and a performer, but she would only consider K-Pop later. During the summer holidays ZUHRAH would fly out to wherever her dad was located at the time. Despite this, she never felt like she saw him as he was always working.

ZUHRAH joined a dance team in 2016 and started competing. It was during one of these competitions in 2019 that took her to South Korea that she was scouted by ILLSV ENT. FAITH was happy for her, but wary. She wouldn’t be able to join ZUHRAH in Korea due to her work but to both of their surprise, ELIJAH offered to move with her.

☆. TRAINEE PERIOD !

She moved to Korea in July of 2019, at the end of her Junior year. ILLSV ENTERTAINMENT was a small company, just starting out and ZUHRAH joined as one of twelve trainees. It was undeniable that ZUHRAH was talented, probably the most talented trainee in the company and, coupled with the fact that she is Black, it caused most of the other trainees not to like her.

Because of her talent, ZUHRAH was given the opportunity to audition to be a backup dancer for SEVENTEEN when they went on tour in January 2020 and to no ones surprise, she passed. She completed her last year of high school during this year at Hanlim Multi Arts where she met and befriended some other idols.

ZUHRAH began preparing for her debut in August of that same year. It was her who came up with the concept and creative direction on top of writing all of her songs.

☆. AFTER DEBUT !

On 19 APRIL 2021, ZUHRAH made her debut as BONNIE with the mini album, WITCHING HOUR. As a Black idol, many people were curious to see what she would do while others began hating on her immediately. 

Despite not receiving music show wins, her songs were well received and and loved by those who listened, gaining her a steady fanbase. In 2022 she got her first win for LITTLE MONSTER (WITH. BIBI), the promotional b-side off her third album. From then, her success continued to grow and grow. 

However, behind the scenes, BONNIE was dealing with her company trying to screw her over. Even though she was the main writer behind all her songs, and she organised most of her promotions and content, she was not paid or treated as such. This would lead to the “indefinite hiatus” ILLSV ENTERTAINMENT announced she was taking after the promotions of her fourth album. For 9 months, BONNIE disappeared from the public eye while she was terminating her contract.

All was not lost for her, though, as in JUNE 2023 she was approached by SOURCE MUSIC with a new contact and she accepted. It was announced in August that her next comeback would be as a HYBE artist.

As of now, BONNIE is set to have her next comeback in APRIL 2024.

[hiphopscriptures]

Fresh Artist Fridays: Nicky Jam

This week’s Fresh Artist Friday comes with a twist. Today we are featuring Nicky Jam, a Puerto Rican reggaeton artist hailing from Boston, MA. He has just dropped his sixth studio album called INFINITY. Check out a break down of both the album and Nicky Jam’s impressive career below:

INFINITY is Nicky Jam’s most versatile album yet, taking the listener on a trip through all the genres he has mastered throughout his career. Starting with a bang, bringing his old school reggaetón sound to the forefront — yet feeling very current — the album then portrays all the different facets of Nicky’s artistry, from the raw and real rap verses to the romantic and melodic slow-tempo songs that really showcase his singing voice.

INFINITY begins with “Magnum,” an ode to old school reggaetón with a 2021 feel that will make the listener dive into the beats and rhythms and let go of their inhibitions. The track features one of “la nueva’s” (the new generation of reggaetón) most prolific voices, Jhay Cortez, adding his unmistakable style to make this meeting of two generations iconic.

“Tell me what are you going to do because I’m looking for someone who can drive it // I’m going to do to you whatever you let me // And the Magnum that protects me down below // To go all night so you don’t complain,” Nicky begins this cheeky song, while getting the listener in the mood for more, before Jhay Cortez disrupts with his unapologetic verse telling it like it is.

The music video, directed by Ariel Navarrete “NAVS” and produced by Maite Calzacorta with The Way Films, takes place in an underground party where people just enjoy the moment and live with no regrets. Throughout, flashes of both Nicky and Jhay singing on a stage are shown, matching their physical energy to the unparalleled vibes of the song, creating a visual orgasm for a track that is nothing like we’ve ever heard from the two artists.

Following “Magnum” on the album, Nicky Jam tones it down with “Miami” (6 million YouTube views), a slow-tempo romantic reggaeton that talks about missing a woman he met in Miami and the great times they had together. He then slowly turns the beat up again with “Te Hace Falta,” and “Celosa,” which features tropical vibes fused with urban sounds.

Then it’s the turn for “Se De y Se Da,” a more commercial reggaetón where Nicky asks his love interest for forgiveness, alluding that he wants to fix things and give the relationship another try. The track is followed by Nicky Jam and El Alfa’s explosive collaboration “Pikete” (14 million YouTube views), which tells the story of a woman who seems unattainable because of her beauty and attitude.

“Clavo” is up next with a more melodic tune, toning it down a bit to give way to “Te Invito” featuring up-and-coming artist Rios, which starts out as a ballad until the beat drops almost a minute into the song, transforming into a slow-tempo reggaetón that really highlights both artists distinctive voices.

Nicky Jam takes advantage of the mood to give way to “DM” featuring Manuel Turizo, which gets a bit sexier and more mysterious, talking about sliding into a woman’s DMs and trying to seduce her. “Guayaa” follows the story, as if Nicky were telling the listeners that he got the woman, and now they’re dancing, twerking, and having fun, to then give way to “Polvo,” featuring Myke Towers (93 million YouTube views), reminiscing of the fun times that ended, with a potential to reignite the flame.

The temperature rises with “Playa,” then the album takes a seductive turn with “Dándote,” to then surprise the listeners with “Melancolía,” a ballad where Nicky puts his vocal range to full display. He then ends with “Fan De Tus Fotos” featuring The King of Bachata Romeo Santos, a subtle reggaetón full of sensuality and rhythm with Romeo’s unique voice and Nicky’s distinctive flow, wrapping up Nicky’s most diverse, yet authentic project to date.

Besides the album, Nicky Jam also announced his upcoming INFINITY TOUR 2022. This will be Nicky Jam’s first official tour post-pandemic that will hit major cities across the United States and Canada. The tour will kick off in Boston on February 3, 2022, and end in Seattle on March 27, 2022 with stops in New York, Atlanta, Chicago, Toronto, Montreal, Orlando, Houston, Hidalgo, Ontario, Los Angeles, and San Jose. CLICK HERE TO BUY TICKETS.

Check out his music through the links above and connect with Nicky Jam through his socials to make sure you never miss new music. Remember to follow Hip Hop Scriptures to stay updated on the latest Fresh Artist Friday.

ARTIST BIO:

Nick Rivera Caminero, Nicky Jam, is one of the pioneers of Reggaeton in the world. At the age of 11 he recorded his first album called "Diferente a los Demás." Nicky Jam reached the top of his career by achieving several radio hits such as: "Yo no Soy tu Marido," "Me voy Pal Party," "Fiel a tu Piel," "La Combi Completa," among others, that led him to travel the world and become one of the greatest international exponents of the genre. He was forced to stop his career for 3 years due to personal problems. But in 2013, he debuted his new look and came back stronger than ever. He scored five hits on the radio: "Piensas en Mí," "Curiosidad," "Juegos Prohibidos," "Voy a Beber," and the global hit "Travesuras." In February 2015, Nicky Jam teamed up with Enrique Iglesias to release "El Perdón," his most internationally acclaimed single to date. “El Perdón” reached #1 on Billboard's Hot Latin Songs chart for 30 weeks (the second longest single in chart history). In January 2016, Nicky released "Hasta el Amanecer" which also became the biggest Latin song of the year. In 2017 Nicky Jam released his hit "El Amante," and his studio album titled "Fenix." The single "El Amante" quickly became an international success, reaching platinum certification 7 times, as did his album, which was awarded 11 platinum certifications. In 2018 he achieved 3 new Latin Grammy nominations, and collaborated on the song “Te Boté Remix,” which became the most watched video of the year worldwide on YouTube. In addition, Nicky Jam had the honor of singing the official theme of the 2018 FIFA World Cup: “Live It Up,” which he performed alongside Will Smith and Era Istrefi. His autobiographical series “El Ganador” premiered on Netflix at the end of 2019, as well as his seventh studio album “Íntimo.” Nicky Jam returned to the big screens in early 2020 in the sequel "Bad Boys For Life," starring alongside Will Smith and Martin Lawrence.

In 2020, the artist bared his soul with the release of the single “Desahogo” feat. Carla Morrison. Right after, he premiered “Fan de tus fotos” with Romeo Santos (+60 million views on YouTube). Most recently, he released “Pikete” with the master of the dembow El Alfa, a solo single “Miami,” and a collaboration with Musicólogo, “No Hay Fallo.”

EXTENDED BIO:

Nick Rivera Caminero, known as Nicky Jam, is recognized around the world as a pioneer of Latin Urban music. Born in 1981 in Boston, he moved with his family to Puerto Rico when he was just a boy. At the age of 11, he recorded his first album “Diferente a Los Demás” (Different From the Rest), which attracted the attention of DJs and artists on the island. 

As a young adult, Nicky Jam quickly rose to the top of his genre with radio hits including “Yo No Soy Tu Marido,” “Me Voy Pa’l Party,” “Fiel A Tu Piel,” and “La Combi Completa,” among others. He toured the world and became one of Latin urban music’s first international stars.

Just as he was enjoying his hard-earned accomplishments, his life took a 180-degree turn. Suddenly, instead of being on stage, he was in prison, and he fell into a deep depression. Finally, after three years out of the limelight, Nicky Jam performed a show in Colombia. There, he found an audience that was ready to give him a second chance. He vowed to show his fans that he had escaped drugs and alcohol. With discipline and hard work, he began to make up for lost time. 

He soon decided to move to Colombia to rebuild his career. In 2012, he created a low-budget music video that went on to rack up over 15 million views on YouTube. In 2013, he debuted his new image and returned stronger than ever. He notched five radio hits: “Piensas en Mí,” “Curiosidad,” “Juegos Prohibidos,” “Voy a Beber,” and the global hit “Travesuras.” At the time, “Travesuras” was Nicky’s international comeback hit, and after a 10-year absence from the charts, it peaked at #4 on Billboard’s Hot Latin Songs. His social media following grew 3000 percent by late 2014, making him one of Latin urban music’s most talked-about and respected artists.

In February 2015, Nicky Jam teamed up with Enrique Iglesias to release “El Perdón,” his most internationally acclaimed single to date. Tallying over 1 million YouTube views on the day of its release, “El Perdón” was #1 on Billboard’s Hot Latin songs charts for 30 weeks (second longest-running single in the chart’s history). An English version, titled “Forgiveness,” helped the song peak at No. 56 on the Billboard Hot 100 in September 2015.

In January 2016, Nicky released “Hasta el Amanecer,” which also became the biggest Latin song of the year. The single was #1 on Billboard’s “Hot Latin Songs” for 18 weeks, which was the longest run of 2016. The official music video reached 100 million views in the first month, averaging over 3 million views per day. It also scored the No. 1 year-end spot on the Latin Airplay, Latin Pop Airplay, Latin Rhythm Airplay, Latin Rhythm Digital Song Sales, and Latin Digital Song Sales charts. A remix featuring Daddy Yankee and an English version (“With You Tonight”) helped the song stay 19 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 (peaking at No. 73). 

In 2017, Nicky Jam released “El Amante,” and his very first solo album, Fenix. The single quickly became an international hit, reaching 7X platinum status. The album also enjoyed quite the success, achieving 11 platinum certifications worldwide.  

Entering 2018, Nicky Jam began to conquer new territories in his artistic career. His songs achieved more than 14.5 billion views on YouTube and 1.1 billion streams on Spotify. Singles such as “X” (35X platinum certification) featuring Colombian sensation J Balvin and “Cásate Conmigo” (5X platinum certification) in collaboration with Silvestre Dangond, became international anthems. The singles obtained recognition in the most important Latin music awards, including the prestigious Latin Grammy, achieving nominations in categories such as   Record of the Year, Best Urban Song of the Year and Best Tropical Song of the Year.

His collaboration with the single “Te Boté” featuring Casper Mágico, Nio García, Darell, Bad Bunny, and Ozuna became a worldwide phenomenon. The single captured the world’s attention and became the main topic in all award ceremonies during the year. It also surpassed all YouTube records, becoming the most-watched video in 2018.

Additionally, Nicky Jam had the honor of recording and performing the official song for the 2018 FIFA World Cup “Live It Up,” featuring Will Smith and Era Istrefi. His undeniable success in the music industry earned him two Latin Billboard Awards that year in the categories Top Latin Album of the Year and Latin Rhythm Album of the Year (Fenix). 

Nicky Jam also dabbled in the fashion industry, becoming a brand ambassador for the elegant and prestigious watch brand Hublot. 

The Latin idol showed the world his acting side with his autobiographical series “El Ganador.”  Telemundo joined the giant Netflix in the creation of a series that tells the story of how the superstar came to be. The series trended in Latin American, Spain and the US at the time of its release in early 2019. 

2019 was also a year of vast success for the singer. Nicky worked with some of the biggest names in the industry, such as Sech, Anuel, Ozuna, Ñejo, and others, collaborating in the production of the most-played songs of the year, generating millions of streams on all digital platforms. His tour "Sorry USA Tour 2019" was a total success, with sold-out tickets in 13 different theatres nationwide.

On November 1, 2019, he officially released his seventh studio album Íntimo, one of the most anticipated albums of the year, hand in hand with Sony Music Latin and La Industria INC. Íntimo included 15 singles, including international hits “Te Robaré” featuring Ozuna and, of course, his the mega hit “X” featuring J Balvin. The album also features collaborations with Anuel AA, Darell, Sech, and Rauw Alejandro.

The urban pioneer finalized the 2019 like a real champion, appearing in the top 6 positions of Billboard Year-End count charts: Latin Rhythm Airplay Artists, # 5 , Tropical Airplay Artists, # 4. Latin Rhythm Albums Artists, # 4, Latin Airplay Artists, # 5, Latin Pop Airplay Artists, # 5, Latin Streaming Songs, # 6

Starting this new decade on the right foot, Nicky Jam returned to the big screen joining the cast of the new sequel of the action-comedy classic “Bad Boys” named “Bad Boys For Life,” working directly in Hollywood with Will Smith and Martin Lawrence. Additionally, and for the second year in a row, Nicky Jam joined the list of nominees for Tu Musica Urbano Awards 2020 (7 categories), as well as Premios Juventud 2020 (3 categories). 

While 2020 was a challenging year for everyone, Nicky Jam made the most out of it. He started the year with a bang and joined forces with Daddy Yankee to release “Muévelo” (175 million views), then stripped his soul with the release of “Desahogo” featuring Carla Morrison (41 million views), started teasing his new album with the release of “Polvo” featuring Myke Towers (93 million views), and kept all of his fans entertained with his very own YouTube talk show “The Rockstar Show” featuring special guests like Maluma, El Alfa, Karol G, Luis Fonsi, and more.

In 2021, Nicky Jam surprised with an unprecedented collaboration with the King of Bachata Romeo Santos, “Fan de Tus Fotos” (61 million views), followed by “Pikete,” an explosive song with dembow king El Alfa, and then gave us another sneak peek into his most vulnerable and romantic side with “Miami” (6 million views), all in preparation for the release of his new studio album “Infinity,” out August 27. 

STAY CONNECTED WITH NICKY JAM ON SOCIAL MEDIA:

Instagram - Facebook - Twitter - YouTube - TikTok

STAY CONNECTED WITH HIP HOP SCRIPTURES ON SOCIAL MEDIA:

[your-dietician]

Notre Dame new beginnings as NCAA football recruiting dead period ends

New Post has been published on https://tattlepress.com/ncaa-football/notre-dame-new-beginnings-as-ncaa-football-recruiting-dead-period-ends/

Notre Dame new beginnings as NCAA football recruiting dead period ends

Drayk Bowen, for one, was appreciative that Notre Dame skipped the gimmickry of a football recruiting midnight madness earlier this week and drenched the start of potentially the most pivotal — and frazzled — recruiting month of the Brian Kelly Era in normalcy.

After a pandemic-induced, 15-month NCAA recruiting dead period of no (hosted) in-person campus visits and an overdose of Zooms, the largely universal knee-jerk template put in place at many college football programs across the country for Tuesday’s reopening was a mixture of pomp and chaos.

Notre Dame chose instead to be calculating and evolutionary.

Bowen, an elite linebacker prospect from St. John, Ind., and Chandavian Bradley, an ascending defensive end prospect from Missouri, along with their parents were the only invitees on Day 1. Bowen tagged along with new Irish defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Marcus Freeman, while Bradley got one-on-one time with defensive line coach and recruiting coordinator Mike Elston.

The structure of the visits themselves was right out of the pre-pandemic playbook. Who was taking those visits is what was different and significant.

Both visitors are 2023 recruits, players who will be high school juniors in the fall. Bradley, unranked in the Rivals top 100 and No. 90 nationally in 247Sports’ early playoff rankings, has the traits. productivity and the frame (6-5) to grow into a five-star prospect, even if he’s only 205 pounds at the moment.

Bowen, No. 16 in the Rivals Top 100, is already on that five-star trajectory, with a work ethic that will make that difficult to dislodge.

Before getting in the car with his parents to come to South Bend Tuesday, the 6-2, 215-pound Bowen performed his daily 5:30 a.m. ritual or speed work and lifting before making the 30-minute drive to Andrean High School in Merrillville, to take final exams.

“Drive is something I saw in my parents,” Bowen said. “My dad built a business pretty much from scratch and built it into a multi-million dollar business. My mom worked a couple of different jobs to provide for us. So I got it from them.

“Obviously, I want to be the best — the best player I can be, the best teammate, the best person, so wanting to be the best kind of drives me a lot too.”

► Related:Inside Recruiting: How Notre Dame will finish at WR and CB, and looking ahead to 2023

► More:Chat Transcript: Talking Notre Dame recruiting ramping up and portal possibilities

Twelfth-year Irish head coach Brian Kelly, meanwhile, is driven by the incessant questions pushed at him of how he’ll close the gap with College Football Playoff bullies Alabama, Ohio State and Clemson, as well as his own self-imposed directive of Notre Dame starting to produce top five national recruiting classes on a regular basis.

June thus becomes an important and overt benchmark toward turning rhetoric into results, though the momentum has been building behind the scenes for months since Alabama’s 31-14 dismissal of the Irish in a Jan. 1 playoff semifinal.

The Irish currently stand fourth nationally in both the Rivals and 247Sports team recruiting rankings after finishing ninth in both in the 2021 cycle.

“There have been two major changes with Notre Dame recruiting that are paying big dividends,” CBS Sports recruiting analyst Tom Lemming said. “They’re swinging for the fences in terms of who they’re going after.

“Marcus Freeman came in, and he’s not afraid of anybody or anything. That’s rubbed off on the rest of the staff. And Mike Elston, as recruiting coordinator, enhances that approach with impressive organization and creativity.

“Also key is Notre Dame is now evaluating and offering kids earlier than ever before. In the past, they were always about a year behind Alabama, Ohio State, Clemson, Georgia and LSU — and they couldn’t catch up. Those schools had already established strong relationships before ND ever got involved.

“Now they’re on top of the 2023 kids and getting them on campus. They’ve even offered some 2024 kids the past few weeks. When was the last time Notre Dame offered a freshman? Never. Kelly lit a fire under these guys. And you’re going to see that pay off with the 2022 class.

“But you know what — 2023’s going to be even better.”

That would be an indication, if it came to pass, that Kelly coaxed a sustainable recruiting shift and not a one-cycle bump from its playoff appearance.

What that will look like this month is a blend of camps, official visits, unofficial visits, rolling out Notre Dame’s name-image-likeness potential in the imminent new amateur sports model, and blending the transfer portal into all of that.

Two potential 2021 starters — Tulsa cornerback Akayleb Evans and Marshall All-America offensive guard Cain Madden — visited this week as grad transfers.

Madden became the first verbal commitment of June on Friday when he selected the Irish over ND’s season-opening opponent, Florida State.

On Sunday ND resurrects its Irish Invasion Camp, a key evaluative and exposure tool that will draw 90-100 prospects from the 2023 and ‘24 classes. There’s quality to go with that quantity, though many of the campers are prospects that are ascending or underexposed to this point.

Still between the Irish Invasion and regular visits, like the ones Bowen and Bradley took, 16 Rivals top 100 prospects and counting from that class will get a taste of Notre Dame in June.

“That’s a Notre Dame trump card, to be able to be holding these visits in June,” Lemming said, “when the campus is as beautiful as any in the country.”

The Irish recruiting staff opted to wait until the weekend of June 11-13, when its players returned to campus for summer school and workouts, to introduce the 2022 prospects into the equation.

‘Last piece of the puzzle’

The NCAA didn’t alter the existing recruiting calendar when it truncated the dead period, meaning schools had just four weekends before the fall to shoehorn in all their official visitors. The Irish will do it in three, along with some midweek visits.

“The competition to get 2022 kids on your campus was fierce, given the limited number of weekends,” Lemming said. “Notre Dame was pretty much able to get every kid on their wish list to commit to an official visit, which is huge.”

That includes 13 players ranked in the top 100 of Rivals, 247Sports or both. Notre Dame begins the month with 13 players already committed in a class that’s likely to number 26 or 27 when the December signing period rolls around.

“I think you’re going to see a lot of these 2022s commit quickly,” Lemming said. “They’re antsy. They’re tired of talking to the coaches on Zoom. The visit is the last piece of the puzzle. Even some of the sophomores may be quick to commit.”

Bowen won’t likely be one of them. He’s got a full summer of travel baseball and unofficial football visits to take. He followed up his ND visit with a tour of Michigan on Wednesday. Clemson, which offered the morning Bowen visited ND, will get a visit next week as will Tennessee, Ole Miss and perhaps Ohio State.

Then after more baseball commitments, he’ll take an Alabama-Auburn-LSU swing at the end of June.

“The way I was looking at it, I wanted to visit colleges, get to meet people, see the campuses,” Bowen said. “Probably start narrowing down after that. So that was kind of my timeline.

“Then maybe mid-junior year — the end of football and the beginning of baseball — is kind of when I wanted to almost be done with it, be able to be done and just enjoy senior year.”

To land Bowen, Notre Dame will have to theoretically beat out at least five of the six schools that comprised 247Sports’ top six classes last season.

An unexpected bounce in favor of the Irish is the surge of the Notre Dame baseball team under second-year coach Link Jarrett. Notre Dame is the overall No. 10 seed in the NCAA Tournament, and hosting a regional this weekend for the first time in 17 years.

► More:Notre Dame feeling good going into NCAA baseball regional in South Bend, ready to see fans

Bowen is familiar with the careers or two-sports Notre Dame stars Jeff Samardzija and Cole Kmet, and the shortstop/third baseman wants to try it himself.

“It wouldn’t be a deal breaker, but I do want to do both,” he said after touring the Irish baseball facilities and meeting its staff during his football visit Tuesday.

Whether he sticks to that notion, those who have studied Bowen’s game believe his best football is ahead of him.

“He’s going to be a Butkus Award favorite in 2022, and he plays like one now,” Lemming said.  

“I think when you watch him, it becomes very obvious that he’s just relentless on defense,” Andrean coach Chris Skinner added. “On any given play, he’s going to find his way to the ball regardless of what side it goes to, where he’s at.

“You take obviously a high-end physical skill set and match it up with this relentless enthusiasm for the game. And then you talk to him and you find out that he’s a straight-A student and works harder than the average high school student (4.17 on a 4.0 scale). 

“He really does study the game of kind of understanding the pass concepts of the opposing team and what windows do they want to be in? When you throw it all together, it’s pretty cool to think about.”

The same might be said of Notre Dame recruiting by month’s end.

“There’s a lot coming at the coaching staff and the recruiting support staff this month,” Lemming said. “But it seems they have a plan for everything, including how to personalize visits when the sheer number of kids visiting would seem to make that impossible.

“Notre Dame was never going to be great in recruiting unless they changed their ways, and now they did. I’m excited about the way they’re going about it now. I’m excited about what that can turn into down the road for them.”

Follow ND Insider Eric Hansen on Twitter: @ehansenNDI

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[rickhorrow]

15 To Watch : Decade in Review 12219

15 TO WATCH: DECADE IN REVIEW 

RICK HORROW’S TOP SPORTS/BIZ/LAW ISSUES OF 2010-2019 

with Jacob Aere

It’s hard to believe, but we have reached the end of yet another decade. And in the business of sport, it’s been a busy one. Here are Rick Horrow’s top 15 sport business/law trends and issues of the decade just ending. Stay tuned throughout December for his top 15 sports technology and media picks, as well as his most influential philanthropic/corporate social responsibility actions in sports, and an early look at the year and decade ahead.

State by state, legal sports wagering outside of Nevada sports books takes hold, with massive business implications. On May 14, 2018, the U.S. Supreme Court lifted the federal ban on sports betting. Since the ruling, 19 states have legalized the practice, with Colorado, Illinois, Montana, New Hampshire, North Carolina, and Tennessee passing legislation this year. Additionally, 24 states have pending legislation. Legal sports wagering has already had a profound effect on virtually all American professional sports, casting a wider fan base net, spurring innovation in sports media and ecommerce, and birthing an entire cottage industry of related new companies. Sports teams are embracing fans who wager – Monumental Sports & Entertainment, owners of the Washington Wizards and Capitals, is only the latest ownership group to install a sports book in their venue. And tens of millions of tax dollars on net sports betting proceeds are adding income streams to state and community coffers. 

Esports becomes a global thing. Only a handful of years ago, esports was only a “sport” in South Korea, and it was generally only followed by geeky techy guys who lived in their parents basements. Or so we thought. By 2018, according to the Motley Fool, esports viewership grew 13.8% to 380 million people worldwide. And analysts expect this number to reach 557 million by 2021. The growth in esports revenue closely parallels the fan numbers, with 2018 industry revenue growing to $906 million, a 38% jump. More than half of U.S. stick and ball pro sports leagues and teams – and their ownership groups and athletes – are investing in sister esports operations, many operating with similar branding to the traditional sports franchises. Multiple “amateur” competitions have +$1 million top prizes. Multi-million dollar esports arenas are in the works. And the sport is under consideration for future Olympics inclusion. The future of sports, it seems, has arrived with a joystick and a giant HD monitor in hand.

College football adds a real playoff. After years of avoiding adding yet another game to the college football season via the auspice of the Bowl Championship Series – a selection system that created five existing bowl matchups involving ten of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision’s top-ranked teams – the NCAA in the 2014-2015 season finally embraced the College Football Playoff (CFP), a bracket tournament between the top four teams in the country as determined by a selection committee, culminating in a championship game at a neutral site. While the payout for the semifinal teams is a modest $6 million, the playoff format delivers tens of millions in additional revenue to the schools, conferences, and contract and access bowl host cities – a handful of which, including New Orleans this year, get to double down on hosting duties and economic impact.

Collegiate student athletes now have a legal path to getting paid. In late September 2019, California Governor Gavin Newsom, with LeBron James at his side, signed the Fair Pay to Play Act, a bill that a bill Monday that permits college athletes in the state to get paid for their name, image, and likeness through endorsement deals, sponsorships, autograph signings, and other similar income opportunities. The law carries the potential to force major colleges and universities to allow scholarship athletes to make money through income avenues that the NCAA has warned for decades would bring about an end to college sports as we know it. As other states indicated their willingness to join California – or risk losing top recruits – the NCAA quickly jumped on board, announcing sweeping changes to come to its long-established rules on amateurism. Given how quickly the NCAA doesn’t move, it will be some time before its actual impact will be clear.

After 20 long years, Los Angeles gets an NFL team back in 2016. In fact, it gets two. Largely thanks to billionaire and St. Louis Rams owner Stan Kroenke, Los Angeles has now positioned itself to be the center of the sports universe for the next decade and likely longer. The two-decade span in which Los Angeles lacked an NFL team was brought on in part by the obsolescence of Los Angeles's existing stadiums, the unwillingness of the NFL to add expansion teams after 2002 (when the Houston Texans premiered) or relocate any other teams, and an inability to agree on a plan to build a new stadium, despite several proposals that were vetted but never landed a team willing to relocate under the developers' terms. Kroenke’s privately-funded SoFi Stadium opens next July with a Taylor Swift concert, and will house both the Rams and the Chargers. Additionally, the $4.963 billion venue will host Super Bowl LVI in 2022, the CFP National Championship Game in 2023, and the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. L.A. is now synonymous with mega sports events.

Rob Manfred became the 10th Major League Baseball Commissioner during a period of labor peace and unrest in almost everything else. At the beginning of the decade, baseball was still healing from its steroid era, a span in the 1990s-2000s where home runs were plenty and performance-enhancing drug testing scarce. Former Commissioner Bud Selig was largely credited with cleaning up the sport, and in 2015 Manfred inherited a league that was in decent baseball shape but desperately trying to stay relevant to the next generation of fans. Slow play was an issue…but a pitch clock somehow made games even slower. PED bats were gone, but the balls appeared to be corked. And Manfred’s decade ends with a nasty sign-stealing scandal involving the World Series champion Houston Astros. One bright spot in baseball continues to be its vast minor league system, which ensures pro baseball is played throughout America’s smaller communities – MiLB saw attendance in 2019 surpass 44 million fans annually. As baseball’s Winter Meetings convene next week in San Diego, MiLB President Pat O’Connor and industry experts present a solution to improved facilities that rests in three key areas: time, money, and space. 

The price tag for a pro sports stadium is now written with a “B” rather than an “M.” The $1.3 billion AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas – also known as “Jerry World” in honor of Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones – was only the beginning of the B-word builds when it opened in 2009. Led by the almost $5 billion SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, the crop of new sports facilities over the last decade have become so prohibitively expensive that they’ve moved past the public-private partnerships Rick spearheaded so successfully in the 1990s and 2000s to dwell mainly in the “private” zone, beyond the scale of civic ownership and desire of taxpayers. A 2016 study by the Brookings Institution found that 45 stadiums and arenas in the U.S.’ four major pro sports — football, baseball, basketball, hockey — were constructed or renovated from 2000 to 2014 at a cost of nearly $28 billion. Recent among them were $1.6 billion Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta (2017), and the $1.4 billion Chase Center arena in San Francisco. 

Golf gets Tiger, golf loses Tiger, golf gets Tiger back. When we last glimpsed our long-driving hero at the beginning of the decade, he was on a self-imposed hiatus from pro golf in an attempt to salvage his endorsement deals and his marriage in the wake of extramarital affairs, a rehab stint, and multiple major surgeries. For most of the decade, as we watched Tiger struggle both on and off the course, we were sadly resigned to accepting the end of his reign and enormous influence on the sport, and the likelihood that his passing Jack Nicklaus’ record 18 majors was a pipe dream. Then came 2018. Woods emerged from a fourth surgery with a new back and a new attitude. He won the Tour Championship in Atlanta. And on Sunday, April 14, 2019, the greatest comeback in sports history was completed when Tiger claimed his fifth Masters title. Golf viewership is up. The casual fans are back. Tiger has a book coming out, and a playing captainship at the President’s Cup at Royal Melbourne next week. In 2020, the pursuit of Nicklaus continues.

Centered in the NBA, star athletes become media moguls. It started in the 2000s with the rise of social media and athletes’ taking charge of their own brands. This decade, the NBA has become the wellspring of the Athlete as Media Emperor. LeBron James’ and partner Maverick Carter’s “Uninterrupted” network and SpringHill entertainment company upended the world of sports media by working with athletes to tell unique stories from their point of view – and under their management. James’ Hollywood empire has even become a Harvard Business School case study. Fellow NBA future Hall of Famer Kobe Bryant won an Oscar for “Dear Basketball” – and his private equity company Bryant Stibel has invested in more than 28 companies, three of which have gone public. Kevin Durant and Russ Westbrook have burgeoning media empires of their own, while Steph Curry is carving out a golf media niche when he’s not on the court. And while she’s not an NBA star, Serena Williams has proved that she can drive to the mogul hoop just fine, thank you, with a robust business portfolio comprising media, fashion, and technology. 

The Larry Nassar sex abuse scandal heralds the #MeToo era in sports. In 2015, USA Gymnastics cut ties with Dr. Larry Nassar of Michigan State "after learning of athlete concerns." In November 2016, Nassar was indicted on state charges of sexual assault of a child from 1998 to 2005. He was charged with 22 counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct with minors. Over the course of the next two years, hundreds of gymnasts (including Olympic gold medalists Aly Raisman and McKayla Maroney) and Michigan State student athletes accused Nassar of serial abuse. USA Gymnastics was also implicated in the scandal for an alleged cover up and victim payoff system; all of the NGO’s leadership was forced out, and the USOC cleaned house, installing a new leadership group and vowing increased, consistent oversight. Outside of this horrible expose, the sports industry in general was forced to recon with its own #MeToo abuses, as accusations of improper conduct encircled Carolina Panthers owner Jerry Richardson (he was subsequently forced to sell his NFL team), New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft (facing as of yet unresolved solicitation of prostitution charges), and numerous media and team front office execs.

From the Games to the tweets and the kicks, all eyes remain focused on China. It wasn’t enough that Beijing staged a successful Summer Olympic Games in 2008. In 2015, Beijing was selected as host city of the 2022 Winter Olympics after beating Almaty by four votes. Never mind that the region of China around Beijing just gets a dusting of snow at best – they manufacture it. Just like the Chinese government is on track to create 300 million “winter sports enthusiasts” by the time the 2022 Games roll around. More recently, America’s focus on China was centered on basketball and freedom of speech, as the Houston Rockets saw $20 million in sponsorship evaporate after general manager Daryl Morey’s tweet in support of Hong Kong enraged Chinese sponsors and fans in October –after two decades in which no sport was more popular in the world’s biggest market than the NBA. And as the calendar turns to 2020, sneaker brands are waiting to see what the latest round of Trump administration tariff negotiations will do to domestic markets on both sides of the Pacific.

A sting in Zurich finally targets FIFA corruption. A May 2015 sting operation at the FIFA headquarters in Zurich led to the resignation and disgrace of longtime FIFA president Sepp Blatter and a handful of other FIFA leaders accused, among other things, of taking bribes to secure World Cup locations like the controversial Qatar World Cup scheduled for 2022. To set the scene, we turn to (also now defunct and sorely missed) Grantland: “It went down, in the end, like a scene in some 1920s comic novel, Wallander reimagined by Wodehouse: Swiss law enforcement officers politely stormed in through the revolving door of the Baur au Lac, a five-star hotel in downtown Zurich, and surrounded the concierge’s desk. They politely requested the room numbers of several FIFA officials in town for the soccer organization’s annual congress. Then they went to the rooms and politely arrested the occupants.” The ensuing indictment by the U.S. Justice Department of 14 soccer officials and marketing executives finally exposed the corruption charges long whispered against Blatter and his cronies running the world’s most popular sport.

USWNT ascendant. After being ranked #2 on average from 2003 to 2008 in the FIFA women’s soccer world rankings, the U.S. women’s national team was ranked #1 continuously from March 2008 to November 2014, falling back behind Germany, the only other team to occupy the #1 position in the ranking's history. The team returned to the top position in June 2017, after victories in friendlies against Russia, Sweden, and Norway. Two months prior, U.S. Women’s Soccer and U.S. Soccer had reached a deal on a new collective bargaining agreement that would lead to a pay increase. Then came 2019, when the USWNT once again triumphed in the FIFA Women’s World Cup in France and shattered scoring records in the process. Last summer’s Cup created superstars among the likes of Megan Rapinoe and Alex Morgan, and once again bolstered interest in women’s soccer at all levels in the U.S., especially during the team’s summer-long victory tour, which sold out NFL stadiums nationwide. However, the team’s fight for equal working conditions and pay is ongoing, as while they signed a more favorable CBA through 2021, they still do not receive pay equal to that of the struggling U.S. men’s national team.

A NASCAR in decline changes leadership lanes. Since its peak in 2005, NASCAR has seen a gradual decline, with TV viewership reaching record lows in 2018 and race weekend attendance suffering record lows as well. Further, many of the sport’s biggest driver draws, including Dale Earnhardt Jr., Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon, and Danica Patrick retired during the decade. While NASCAR isn’t dying, motor sports insiders see a sport in transition. Globally, NASCAR is broadcast in over 185 countries and territories. Close to home, the sport suffered a major image hit in August 2018 when chairman and CEO Brian France was arrested for DWI and drug possession and took a leave of absence; the racing circuit brought Brian’s uncle Jim France out of retirement to serve as CEO. Looking to right the ship, International Speedway Corp. just closed a $2 billion merger with NASCAR, and is laser focused on fan loyalty and sponsorship success. To wit, according to Forbes: the number of Fortune 500 companies investing in the sport has increased 29% since 2008, and 28% of Fortune 500 companies continue to invest in NASCAR.

Mayweather-McGregor fight The Money Fight. What has been referred to as the biggest fight in combat sports history took place on August 26, 2017 at the brand new T-Mobile Arena outside of Las Vegas. The boxing match pitted 11-time five-division boxing champion Floyd Mayweather Jr. and two-division MMA world champion and (at the time UFC Lightweight Champion) Conor McGregor. The fight, scheduled for 12 rounds, was decided in the 10th round when Mayweather defeated McGregor by TKO. The bout recorded the second highest pay-per-view buy rate in history – Showtime recorded 4.3 million PPV buys in North America – and record guaranteed paychecks, with $100 million guaranteed to Mayweather and $30 million guaranteed to McGregor. However, the purse for both fighters was reported to be substantially higher, with Mayweather reportedly earning $275 million and McGregor pocketing $85 million. Since the bout, McGregor has found himself in trouble with the law – he was involved in a bus attack at Barclays Center in April 2018, and earlier this year, was arrested for assault in Miami as well as his native Dublin. (As they say, you can remove the fighter from the fight, but you can’t take the fight out of the fighter.)