#paralympic highlights

[rightnewshindi]

LoC पर गंवाया पैर, अब पेरिस पैरालंपिक 2024 में जीता मेडल; जानें कौन है नागालैंड के होकाटो होतोजे सेमा

Hokato Hotoje Sema: पेरिस पैरालंपिक 2024 में भारतीय खिलाड़ियों का शानदार प्रदर्शन जारी है. पैरालंपिक इतिहास का सबसे बेहतरीन प्रदर्शन करते हुए भारत अब तक 27 पदक अपने नाम कर चुका है. 27वां मेडल शॉट पुट एफ57 इवेंट में आया. फाइनल मुकाबले में नागालैंड के 40 वर्षीय होकाटो होतोजे सेमा ने अपने चौथे प्रयास में 14.65 मीटर थ्रो किया और अपना व्यक्तिगत सर्वश्रेष्ठ प्रदर्शन करते हुए तीसरे स्थान पर रहे. इसके…

[wee-english-fella]

it should be illegal that the wifi signal is weakest from my bed....

[sujooon]

The Paris Paralympics 2024 got underway with the official opening ceremony on August 28 (events starting from August 29) and will conclude on September 8.

[bobcatmoran]

Watching the Paralympics swimming finals from today, and dang. The S1 men's 100 m backstroke. Paralympians are categorized from S1-S10 for physical impairment, with 1 being the most severe. There was one swimmer who had no use of his arms and frog kicked as his sole means of swimming 100 m. I would have died. I can't swim 100 meters with use of all my limbs. I

I'm fascinated at all the different techniques these ridiculously talented swimmers use, based on their disabilities. There's a Brazillian swimmer in S2 backstroke, dos Santos Araujo, who doesn't have arms and is basically dolphin kicking on his back and is ZOOMING. He won the gold easily. I kind of love his scooter, which is set up for him to drive with his feet.

You see single armed backstrokes, swimmers who are using a double-armed technique because it provides more stability but are still going so fast, people who use a flutter kick, frog kick, and again, dos Santos Araujo rocketing with a sort of modified dolphin kick. I'm impressed at how the swimmers whose use of limbs are weighted to one side manage to stay straight.

The stadium is packed and they lose their minds whenever there's a French swimmer.

If you're in the US, you can watch this on Peacock. The USA network is also showing a fair number of Paralympic events, and NBC will have end-of-week highlights in prime time this Sunday at 7 PM ET and at 9 PM ET on September 6.

[cy-cyborg]

I realised my recent paralympics posts could be read as, "i hate the paralympics" kind of stuff and thats not what i wanted. Its important to be able to critisise the things we love, and the reason why i had so many strong feelings/opinions is because i do genuinely love and care about the Paralympics and disability sports as a whole. So with the paralympics due to start in a few weeks (the 28th of August) please, if you're able to, tune in, even if it's just for the highlights.

The Paralympics themselves have a lot of issues which I already talked about, but a good amount of those issues stem from a perceived lack of interest/care from the public and the idea that "no one will care" if things arent right for us. It's much harder to justify not paying the athletes as much as their abled counterparts when they get the same publicity, it's harder for the organisers and people behind the scenes to get away with mistreatment when there's more eyes watching and more pressure to fix the issues. The athletes deserve respect, they deserve equal pay (which mostly comes from advertisers/sponsors, which depend on viewership) and their hard work deserves to be seen as more than just a funny joke or inspiration porn tear-jerker. Engage with places that treat the event and participants with the dignity it deserves.

If you're in Australia, channel 9 will be showing and streaming the highlights for free, but Stan Sports will be showing everything from every event - which is an absolutely MASSIVE thing. The entire paralympics have never been televised in Australia before, its only ever been highlights and some of the games of the more well-known sports. It sucks its locked behind a premium paywall but so was the full Olympics coverage this year, so it's not fully unique to us at least.

As for international viewers, try and find where things are for you and if they aren't being shown, put pressure on your TV networks/streaming services to include it for next time, or to include similar things like the disabled events at the commonwealth games (for those in commonwealth countries) or other global disabled sporting events - which can include sports not in the Paralympics!

[major-knighton]

Tony Estanguet comparing the Paralympics being highlighted to the Revolution and disabled athletes to revolutionaries is very emotional for my disabled revolution enthusiastic little ol' me.

Georges Couthon I hope you can see this from somewhere.

[mariacallous]

Usually held in the two weeks after the Olympic Games in the same host city, the Paralympics showcase the best athletes with physical disabilities from around the world competing for their home countries. (The Paralympics are not to be confused with the Special Olympics, which feature athletes with intellectual disabilities.) This year, the Summer Paralympics will take place from August 28 to September 8 in Paris, France.

Quick history lesson: The origins of the Paralympics began shortly after World War II, during the 1948 London Olympics, where 16 wheelchair-using veterans participated. The first official Paralympic Games took place in Rome in 1960 and featured 400 athletes from 23 countries. Since then, the Games have taken place every four years and now feature 4,400 athletes in 22 sports (the Olympics have 32), with 549 gold medals up for grabs.

There are athletes competing from 177 countries (this year’s Olympics had athletes from 184 countries), including 10 countries that have never been represented in the Paralympic Games before, along with representation from the Neutral and Refugee teams. In case you missed it, at the last Paralympics in Tokyo, China earned the most medals, with Great Britain behind it and the US in third.

Since the 1988 Summer Games and the 1992 Winter Games, the Olympic and Paralympic Games have been held in the same cities and venues. Although Paralympians still strive for equal treatment as Olympic athletes without disabilities, there is a large gap in funding between the Olympics and Paralympics.

Where to Watch

This year’s Games will make history as the first Paralympic Games to offer live coverage of every one of the 22 sports played. Like the Olympics, every event at the Paralympics will be available to stream on Peacock if you’re in the US.

If you prefer going old school and watching on basic cable, a select number of events will be airing on the NBC channels NBC, CNBC, and USA Network, along with E!, Golf Channel, and Telemundo, which offers coverage in Spanish. In an effort to make the Games more accessible, closed captioning will be available for every Paralympic event (regardless of the platform). You can also watch highlights and athlete interviews on Paralympic.org.

In the UK, Channel 4 has more than 1,300 hours of live coverage scheduled. Folks can also watch through their streaming service or Channel 4 Sport’s YouTube channel, which will show the entirety of the Games for the first time. BBC, BBC Radio 5 Live, and the BBC Sport website will also air highlights and select coverage. The Paralympics website also has a complete list of where to watch by country.

Opening Ceremony

The Opening Ceremony will begin August 28 at 8 pm Paris time, 7 pm BST, 2 pm EDT, and 11 am PDT. Similar to the Olympics opening ceremony, the Paralympics opening ceremony will be held outside of a stadium at one of the major squares in Paris, Place de la Concorde, and the iconic avenue Champs-Élysées will be transformed into the opening ceremony stage.

The competition starts the following day, on August 29, at 11 am EDT (8 am PDT). Like with the Paris Olympics, the start times will be similarly early and continue throughout the day. The specific timing of some of the events might change, so check the schedule of events on the Olympics' Paralympics schedule webpage.

Blind Football (Soccer)

Blind football is an adaptation of football (or soccer, if you’re American) for athletes with vision impairment played with an audible ball. This men’s competition starts early on September 1 and continues on September 2, 3 and 5, with the gold medal match on Saturday, September 7.

Boccia

Boccia is one of only two sports with no Olympic equivalent. It was originally created for athletes in wheelchairs who have impaired motor function or coordination. To win, each team must get the most balls closest to the white ball called the jack, with athletes allowed to make modifications according to their needs. Men’s and women’s individual games start August 29 and go through September 1, with the gold medal individual matches on September 1 and 2. Mixed pairs and teams start September 3, with gold mixed pairs and teams matches on September 5.

Goalball

The other sport of the Paralympic Games without an Olympic equivalent, goalball is a team sport for the visually impaired and blind, in which players wear special black eye-covering-type glasses so they fully can’t see and are thus more equitable (and honestly, look cool as hell). If there’s anything that the Olympic Games have taught us, it’s that the people go crazy for some out-of-the-norm eyewear. The audience needs to stay as quiet as possible because the ball has bells inside. Thus, the athletes have to rely solely on sound, while they use their whole body to try to block the ball from making it inside the goal. (Lets see Neymar try to do that.) Men’s and women’s games start August 29 with the gold medal games for both on September 5.

Para Archery

The first game played at the early iteration of the Paralympics in 1948, para archery now has men and women’s individual and mixed teams, with wheelchair or standing, and with recurve and compound bows used. Men’s and women’s individual events begin August 29 and continue through September 5, with gold medal matches in individual, teams and with different bows across multiple days.

Para Athletics

One of the most beloved sports in the Paralympics is para athletics, which has been a popular fixture in the games since the inaugural Rome Games in 1960. Today, it spans a wide range of track, jumping, and throwing events, as well as marathons. Because of the wide range of men’s and women’s events, competition begins on August 30 and happens daily with gold medal matches until the Games end on September 8. Check the full para athletics schedule for more specific events’ times.

Para Badminton

Para badminton debuted at Tokyo 2020, although it has been hugely popular for decades. Like badminton, players compete as singles and pairs, as well as standing and in wheelchairs. Group play begins on August 29, with men’s, women’s, and mixed doubles beginning August 31. Gold medal matches take place September 1 and 2.

Para Canoe

The Paralympic Canoe competition features two types of boats: the kayak and va’a (traditionally used in Oceania for travel between islands). Para canoes are basically the same as those used in the Olympic Games, but just have a wider bottom for greater stability. The races begin September 6 with gold medal games on September 7 and 8.

Para Road Cycling

Throughout the years, like many other events, Paralympic cycling has grown to adapt to many disabilities, and uses standard bicycles, handcycles, tricycles, and tandems. In road cycling, there are road races, time trials, and relay events. Both the men and women’s individual and relay events and gold medal races take place daily September 4 through 7.

Para Track Cycling

Para  track cycling is similar to road cycling but takes place on a velodrome track (as the name suggests). Competition is divided into time trials, individual, and tandem or team sprints, using standard bicycles and tandems (all of which can be adapted for the specific athlete). The various track cycling events and gold medal races take place simultaneously August 29 to September 1.

Para Equestrian

Unlike the three equestrian events at the Olympic Games, the Paralympic equestrian program only includes the dressage competition. Para dressage essentially focuses on how well the rider and horse gel, with riders judged on their riding and performance with the horse. All the events are individual mixed, and each competition has gold medal rounds, taking place August 3, 4, 6 and 7.

Para Judo

Para judo is one of two martial arts competitions at the Games. The Paralympics judo follows the same rules as its Olympic equivalent, except it’s practiced exclusively by athletes with vision impairments—and is way more badass, in my humble opinion. (I think I’m allowed to make that assertion since I’m also disabled, don’t come for me.) With the athletes unable to see their opponent, they must use their sense of touch and careful listening—including slight differences in breathing and movement—to sense what their rival may do next. Men’s and women’s matches take place September 5, 6, and 7 and have gold medal matches at the end of each day.

Para Powerlifting

Para powerlifting is a men’s and women’s bench press competition that tests upper body strength where the athletes compete in different weight categories. All of the events are individual and there are gold medal rounds for each competition (which varies by gender and weight class) taking place September 4 to 8.

Para Rowing

A relatively new sport, rowing debuted at the Paralympic Games in 2008. Now, there are five rowing events, including three mixed events. Para rowing rules are nearly identical to those at the Olympics and rowers are eligible for different events according to their gender and impairment categories. The races begin across all categories on August 30, continue to August 31, with final gold medal rounds on September 1.

Para Swimming

Para swimming has remained one of the most enduring sports in the Paralympics since its debut at the Rome Games in 1960. Its popularity is due in part because athletes with all kinds of physical and mental disabilities can participate and doesn’t require any specific equipment. (Prosthetics aren’t allowed either.) Featuring different swims at different distances, athletes compete in breaststroke, backstroke, butterfly, freestyle, and medley. As one of the most popular sports, there are men’s, women’s, and mixed events virtually nonstop with gold medal races near the end of every day, August 29 until September 7.

Para Table Tennis

One of the OG Paralympian games, table tennis actually has a longer history in the Paralympic Games than its Olympic counterpart. When it began, it was only open to wheelchair users, although today athletes are placed into 11 different classes based on their physical and intellectual impairments. Men’s and women’s doubles, singles and mixed games take place August 29 to September 7, with gold medal games every day except September 2.

Para Taekwondo

Para taekwondo is a new competition that made its Paralympic debut at the Tokyo Games. Focused on athletes with upper limb impairments, they are split into two sports classes and divided into weight categories. Men and women compete August 29 to 31, with gold medal matches at the end of each day.

Para Triathlon

A relatively new sport introduced at the 2016 Rio Games, the para triathlon is held over the “sprint” distance, which is half the Olympic distance for individual competitions, where athletes swim 750 meters, cycle 20 kilometers, and run 5 kilometers. The competition is divided by men’s and women’s, with medals being awarded for each race September 1 and 2.

Shooting Para Sport

Shooters compete in rifle and pistol events from distances of 10-meter, 25-meter, and 50-meter in men’s, women’s, and mixed fields. Depending on needs, athletes compete in a kneeling position, prone, or standing (or in a wheelchair or shooting seat). The games take place August 30 to September 5, with medals awarded each day.

Sitting Volleyball

Sitting volleyball is pretty much the exact same as the volleyball we know and love, except as the name suggests, is a sitting variation of the sport. It’s played by two teams of six players who move around the court using the power of their arms, along with a lowered net that’s 3 feet high. The games start on August 29 and continue until the men’s gold medal game on September 6 and the women’s on September 7.

Wheelchair Basketball

Originally used for rehabilitation and exercise for World War II veterans—wheelchair basketball is quintessential Paralympics. Now, it’s one of the most popular and beloved sports for wheelchair users around the world. Games start August 29 and go until the men’s gold medal match September 7, with the women’s September 8.

Wheelchair Fencing

What’s more badass than fencing? Wheelchair fencing. In this sport that requires discipline (and ability to not flinch when a sword is coming at you), athletes compete in a special wheelchair frame designed for the sport which is fastened to the floor—meaning the fencers cannot move and are always close to their opponent. Just like the Olympic equivalent, wheelchair fencing consists of three disciplines: foil, épée, and saber. The men’s and women’s matches take place September 3 to 7, with gold medal rounds at the end of every day.

Wheelchair Rugby

Wheelchair rugby is a four-person team sport played in specially designed wheelchairs. It combines elements of rugby, basketball, and handball, with players using a round ball. Because it’s such an aggressive sport, it’s often referred to as “murderball.” Need I say more? You’re gonna wanna watch this one. Mixed games start August 29, with the gold medal games September 2.

Wheelchair Tennis

Wheelchair tennis pretty much follows the same rules of able-bodied tennis, except here the ball can bounce twice before the player hits it back. Athletes are divided into open and quad classes, along with men’s, women’s, singles, and doubles. Games start August 30, with gold medal matches September 4 to 7.

[melanatedmedia2]

There’s been a recent development regarding Jordan Chiles, a talented gymnast initially stripped of her bronze medal at the Olympics. The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee has taken a firm stance against this decision and has appealed the initial ruling. The Committee firmly believes that Jordan earned the bronze medal rightfully and highlighted errors in the initial scoring and subsequent appeal process. USA Gymnastics has also supported this by providing video evidence and a letter proving that Jordan’s inquiry was submitted on time. Let’s hope for a swift and just resolution for Jordan Chiles!

[thatssosussex]

Day 2- Highlights of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex at an exhibition sitting volleyball match charity event held by the Defence staff at Nigeria Unconquered in Abuja. Meghan watched on as Harry played in the sitting volleyball match with paralympic athletes. The Nigeria: Unconquered is a local charity supporting wounded service members inspired by the Duke of Sussex’s Invictus Games Foundation. Harry & Meghan were also given scarves in the green and white colors of Nigeria as they took their seats. (5/11/24)

[shadoedseptmbr]

Since you apparently followed some Olympics, I have a question about that. Are Olympics something big in the states? Like, something culturally important? (besides winning medals, you did great about that) I can never tell, with how big college sports is and stuff like baseball and others, if things like the Olympics are "as big" in the states as well? Like, here it's broadcasted all day long on the biggest national TV stations and such. Not everyone will care, but it's pretty big. (and Paris did great with it, alas now the French hunger games will continue, or maybe the break also included the paralympics hopefully....)

hmm

i will say *yes* we do follow it. one of our major tv networks (we don't have a national network) bids for it, this year it was NBC, and for the full two weeks (depending on the difference in time zone) rebroadcasts the more popular sports (gymnastics, basketball, swimming, the track and field events) here for "prime time:" 6:30 PM to 10 PM (1800 to 2200) and then after the evening news for highlights, interviews, and less popular sports and for a few hours at a time during the day all weekend. This year, there was full coverage on NBC's premium pay network and online.

Most local news show medal counts and do "this athlete in this sport you only hear about every four years is from here" specials. There's always a lot of talk about the athletes that are from the bigger university "oh these college rivals are teammates, now." The men's basketball team gets A LOT of coverage because it's all the stars of the game playing together.

The big newspapers do medal counts and the sports sections are full of articles, usually there's something on the front page as well. Magazines get put out, medalists get covers of the bigger news and sports magazines. We have a nationally carried cereal brand called "Wheaties" that loves to put the athletes on the box. Coca Cola always has a broad swathe of the advertising and sells "olympic special cases and cans"

This year seemed like better coverage, the venue, and interesting competition made for more people talking about it than i've seen in a while. What usually comes up is the "okay for two weeks i'm patriotic" people who aren't sports people and "i have a lot of opinions about this sport i've only been watching for five minutes." wE love the underdog stories, we love when smaller countries do well, we like to beat certain countries just for the fun of the rivalries (the Australians in swimming, for instance) so yeah, It's a pretty big deal and, at its best, when we let it, it brings us together a little.

[eretzyisrael]

Good News From Israel

In the 8th Sep 24 edition of Israel’s good news, the highlights include:

An IDF soldier breathes through the lungs of a fallen comrade.

Israeli surgeons used a robot to reconstruct a patient’s digestive system.

Israelis and Cypriots cooperated to save 8 kidney patients in one day.

An Israeli startup turns unsorted plastic waste into fuel.

Soon every new Israeli building will have to include solar panels.

Watch as an Israeli paralympic swimmer receives his second gold medal.

Added to the 30,000 new Israeli immigrants since Oct 7 is one therapy pony.

Read More: Good News From Israel

So many uplifting news articles published again last week. Thanks again to Sharon for the photograph of the Israeli medal winners, returning from the Paris Olympic Games, celebrating their successes at President Herzog's Jerusalem residence.

[barbielore]

Barbie has had tie-ins for the Olympic Games before, including both the Summer and Winter games as well as the Paralympics.

(Finding that post to link back to made me realise that I said I was going to do a post about past Winter games dolls, but I haven't done so.)

As of time of writing this post, there have not been any announced tie-in dolls for the 2024 Paris games, but I think it's highly likely that there will be.

I have recently discovered that there was a bit of controversy over the dolls for the Tokyo games in 2020/2021, and I feel it appropriate to draw attention to it.

This was during a time when Mattel were really pushing diverse line-ups in the Barbie brand. In fact, there was a press release (links to it now dead but it was quoted in some other articles) in which they discussed that the collection was designed to “highlight inclusivity and innovation”.

However, some people subsequently questioned this, as the line does not contain any Barbies of Asian appearance - despite the Games being held in Japan!

Mattel's official statement was that the Skateboarder Barbie was intended to be read as an Asian athlete however that they "fell short".

I am not going to question whether this doll is or is not intended to depict an Asian athlete - however this was a disappointing effort given the promise of inclusivity.

Some Asian athletes have been depicted as Barbies - for example volleyballer Hui Ruoqi has a She-roes depiction.

And snowboarder Chloe Kim has a highly sought after Barbie depiction too.

However going forward Mattel really could do better to ensure that, if they are going to market a brand as being diverse and inclusive, that they actually do follow through on that promise.

[jllongwrites]

Nine People I Want To Get To Know Better

I was tagged by @strange-alchemy!

LAST SONG: "Shivers" by Ed Sheeran. Not an absolute fave, but I had it stuck in my head the other day.

CURRENTLY WATCHING:

Paris Paralympics! I don't have NBC/Peacock, so I've been catching the highlights on the NBC Sports Youtube channel. Wheelchair rugby and goalball are my favorites to watch, though I'm trying to catch as many of the competitions as I can.

"Smartypants" on Dropout. It's the Dropout cast giving PowerPoint lectures on topics of their own choosing, and it's so dumb and so delightful.

"Porkin' Across America," a food show satire from the fine folks at The Onion. It's an eight episode miniseries, and it takes you on a journey.

FAVORITE COLOUR: Orange! I like soft light orange shades, in particular, and am less keen on burnt orange.

LAST MOVIE: "Amazon Adventure," a biopic on evolutionary biologist Henry Bates. I viewed it for work; I'm currently planning a film screening series, and I thought "Amazon Adventure" might work as half of a double feature.

SWEET/SPICY/SAVORY: I'm definitely a savory guy. Fatty, salty, cheesy are my categories of cravings.

RELATIONSHIP STATUS: Married for 13 years. It's been great. A+ spouse, no notes.

CURRENT OBSESSIONS: (1) I keep wanting to learn to play the hurdy-gurdy, for absolutely no good reason. (2) One of the children in my house recently moved out (to live at her dad's new house), and I'm in the process of turning her former bedroom into a home office. Not an obsession so much as a project, though? (3) I'm also stoked for "Wicked" to come out later this fall. I'm not a huge movie buff, but this one I definitely want to see in the theaters.

LAST THING YOU GOOGLED: "Vegan bratwurst recipes." I usually do an Oktoberfest party every year, and this year I'm thinking of making my own brats.

I shall tag @thebombasticbooky, @gojira007, @tired-angry-robot and @thereddouglas if any of them would like to participate.

[mrbeastcr7]

Paris 2024 Paralympic Games Opening Ceremony: Preview, how to watch, plus highlights of first two days of competition

On Wednesday 28 August, Paris will host its first-ever Paralympic Games, and will begin with a spectacular Opening Ceremony in the heart of France's capital.

Go

[whatsjenniupto]

A Parisian Dawning

There is nothing better than meeting a city at sunrise as it wakes up for the day. If there was a time I was going to fall in love with Paris, I figured it was going to be at sunrise.

My first morning in Paris found me at the Louvre just as the sun was rising. And opposite the Louvre?

One incredibly unique Olympic/Paralympic cauldron in Tuileries Garden which was the highlight of the morning.

The remainder of my morning walk stops were. They occurred. As I crossed off each one, I wondered why they were even on my list in the first place. To take up time until the bakery where I was planning on grabbing a morning pastry and a sandwich for lunch during my wheelchair basketball game opened? And then I learned that apparently opening times at bakeries are a suggestion and not a fact. After additional loops around the area wasting time, I quit, looked up a different location, and walked there. (Yes, that bakery was opening that day. On my last loop, 30min after supposed opening time, a staff member was finally loading the shelves with baked goods. I wasn't waiting until he finally finished.)

My second morning in Paris found me wandering streets adjacent to the Eiffel Tower.

One of my big question marks prior to arrival in Paris was whether or not the Olympic Rings were still going to be displayed during the Paralympics. I couldn't find an answer anywhere, only confirmation that other cities had removed their rings to display the Paralympic Agitos on the same landmark. Paris had broken tradition, though, and displayed the Agitos on the Arc de Triomphe during the Olympics. Maybe they would also break tradition and keep the Rings on the Eiffel Tower.

My first day in the city, I didn't get close enough to the Eiffel Tower to truly see if they were there or not. When I climbed the dome of Sacré-Cœur, I couldn't see the rings, though, so I accepted that they were gone.

As I walked closer to the tower, that understanding didn't change. I was a bit bummed, but I got it. The Olympics were over. I didn't come for the Olympics, I came for the Paralympics. And then I got to the park under the tower, and thought I might see rings on one side. Did I?!

There they were!

I excitedly wrapped my way around the tower over to Pont d'Iéna. I might not be particularly enamored with the city, but at least I was getting the experience I wanted with the rings.

Because this, this was the Eiffel Tower I wanted to see. As much as I had tried to accept that the Olympic Rings might have been gone, they were a huge part of what I wanted to see. I loved seeing Tower Bridge in London with the rings hanging off it. I wanted to see the Eiffel Tower with the rings as well. These extra embellishments were why I couldn't not come to Paris during the Paralympics. These were the memories I wanted. I didn't go just to explore Paris. I wanted Olympic/Paralympic Paris. And I have zero regrets about that.

From the Olympic Rings to the Paralympic Agitos, my bedecked Parisian monuments were located and off I went to my next arrondissement.

[boinin]

Flairs on /r/BlueLock

A meta commentary/shitpost. I'm not sure which.

For Tumblr-onlys: Reddit allows users to add a flair beside their usernames, much like Tumblr allows badges. Flair are unique to individual subreddit, and only appear when that user comments or posts in that subreddit. The Blue Lock subreddit allows users to set custom text flairs, which may include a selection of emojis or character thumbnails.

This post contains adult humour/explicit references.

I posit that there's three categories of user flairs on Reddit.

The first category is what I refer to as normie flairs.

These include much of what you'd expect, if you maintain the false assumption that enjoyers of football shounen are straight, well-adjusted young men. Many users take this opportunity to represent their appreciation for a particular character (i.e. "Isagi Yoichi"). Admirable, but ultimately boring.

Much like Tumblr has its microcosms and meta humour, so does /r/BlueLock. In flairs, users make reference to fandom in-jokes (e.g. "Red Keys #1 fan", or "#1 Paralympic Footballer" next to a thumbnail of Yukimiya Kenyu). Other flairs reference quotes from the manga that inspire them (e.g. "Shut the fuck up Ness", "There is a monster inside me"). Although edgy in tone, these flairs are still reasonably explicable, should their parents check their browsing activity.

A recurring theme among this user group is a desire to distance themselves from homosexuality. Although excessive gayness is canon in Blue Lock, some users are defiant in their assertion that the series is about ball handling and nothing else. Hence, the existence of flairs such as "Miss Me With That Gay Shit" and "I'm just here to talk football dude".

For these users, the most relatable character in the series is Adam Blake: Mr. "I have no interest in male bodies" himself.

True martyrs. We salute them.

On to the second category.

Again, this is a loose category in terms of content and theme. You may question why I've chosen to differentiate these from the normie flairs. However, while all of these users are expressing admiration for the characters, the way they do so is hornier than a bunch of imprisoned football virgins. They are more worked up than Shidou, when he scores a goal.

I introduce this grouping as… the down bad flairs. There's a lot to unpack. Take your time.

We cannot infer that all the flairs in this group are the result of users biting their lips and moaning whenever a certain character appears. There may be a innocent explanation for why someone would designate themselves "King Barou's Chair" or "Muscle Mommy Kunigami's Squat Bar Pad".

Perhaps they simply kin as furniture.

Users among this group embrace the fruity nature of the series. Although it's untrue to say all Redditors are male basement dwellers and thus, in gay denial. There's evidence that women also frequent the subreddit to thirst over pretty manga boys, using the broadband their parents paid for. At least, this is what flairs such as "Kenyuu's beloved waifu" and "Impregnate me, Shidou!" suggest. There's even straight men present, if "Drinking Anri Mommy Milkies" and "Bachira's Mom's boyfriend" are anything to go by. Forgive them their sins, they know not how to play along.

But cis-heteronormativity is a scourge, something Blue Lock fans understand better than most. After all, no particular gender is required to become "Noel Noa's sugar baby" or "Isagi's personal toe sucker".

In terms of distribution, no one is safe from the thirstiness of /r/BlueLock users. Nearly every character has a thirst flair to their name. The ones that seem to inspire the most unhinged flairs are Shidou "dress sluttily, I can fight" Ryusei, Michael Kaiser ("Reincarned as Kaiser's Wet Underwear") and Bachira Meguru ("Bachira's leaking rosebud").

As the protagonist, Isagi naturally attracts a lot of favour. Some flairs highlight his prowess (e.g. "I love it when isagi shoots from behind", or the more possessive "isagi meatrider get out kaiser"). These users are, unfortunately, deluded. I regret to inform them that there is no universe in which Isagi is a top. He'd be devouring your dick, not the other way around.

To the conclusion. If you are a /r/BlueLock veteran (my condolences), you will have noticed a conspicuous absence among the second flair group. You may be thinking, is this chick blinder than Yukimiya? Can they even read?? They missed the worse ones.

To this I say: Do not cite the deep flairs to me bitch. I was there when they were written.

One image lies below the cut. Unlike the other two, the third category of user flairs has an obvious theme.

However, there is no returning beyond this point. Once you have borne witness to this forbidden knowledge, you will be irrevocably changed. It may ruin your life... or awaken something in you. Either way, a price must be paid.

Consider this my final warning. You may yet walk away from this post unscathed. Even with the words "Devouring Aiku's Hairy Ass" branded on your psyche.

But if you are determined—if you have steeled your mind (and your eyes), open this video in another tab and read on.

Anyone who guessed horny Chigiri flairs, take 1,000 Jeopardy points and a shot of something strong.

I'm not going to invent pseudo-intellectual commentary for this. Y'all came this far, see for yourself. I can't justify some of these, nor begin to explain them—and I write Blue Lock fanfiction. These users are in another dimension of Chigiri worship, one I can never bridge.

Source and references: this