Feature
A Change Gone Come When That Change Don’t Come
Redskins vs Fed Ex
Earlier this week the Washington Redskins released a statement saying that they would be changing their name…
I guess they thought that we would consider this a win. I mean, it is something that a lot of people having been asking for for the last 20 years. However, when you start to look at the grand scheme of things and the recent gestures that the NFL has been making to placate minority audiences as of late…(cue the band) the whole thing seems a little convenient.
And that’s because it is ladies and gentleman.
OKAY SO BOOM...Allegedly, FedEx signed a $205 million stadium naming rights deal with the Washington Redskins in ‘99. BUT FedEx put the team on notice July 2 2020 via letter that unless the team changes its name, it will remove its signage from the stadium after the NFL’s 2020 season, six years before the deal’s done.
(Image from Osage News)
That’s BIG advertisement dollars. Like REAL BIG.
And if FedEx were to terminate it’s partnership “for cause” with the Redskins they would leave with the 45 million due after the 2020 season still in their pockets, because who is going to pay the Redskins the reminder on a agreement for a stadium that no longer has their name on it! Duh!
There is more to this story that includes Nike (of course) but Fed Ex is tired of playing nice, and this latest chess move was the final warning for the Redskins to make like Spike Lee and do the right thing.
Read more about the history between one of the owners of the Redskins and the head of FedEx. (Spoiler Alert: The head of FedEx also happens to be a minority owner of the Redskins that has been dumping his shares to get away from the Redskins tyrant. This drama couldn’t be scripted.)
New Series ALERT
SOLE SEARCHING
A Longform. x On Her Feet Collaboration
We’ve created a new series!
Watch Longform. dive headfirst into the world of Sneaker Culture, as we raid the closets of our Sneakerhead friends to discover their favorite kicks and how they like to style them.
Watch it every Monday at 9pm on our IG channel @longformlive!
Clear here to see A Gee of On Her Feet, give us the details on her favorite sneaker: The AJ1 Satin Shattered Backboard.
Sports NBA/WNBA
Welcome To The Bubble
A look at how our low key basketball faves are living in “The Bubble,” a COVID free zone created to finish the remainder of the 2019/2020 NBA season and start the 2020 WNBA season as safely as possible.
(Image from nba.ncbsports.com)
Tisse!
So the 76ers Matisse Thybulle has been documenting his time in The Bubble, and I must say, it is not only very entertaining, but also well produced. The 23 year old rookie takes us from his pre-bubble food run, to the tarmac, and then the Orlando, FL hotel room with well executed jump cuts and some quality scoring all while taking the light rookie hazing on the chin. With well placed appearances from his teammates Ben Simmons and Tobias Harris, Tisse could be the one ESPN is tapping to produce a COVID 30 for 30 in 10 years.
Watch his first and second episodes here.
JaVale McGee
JaVale’s road to The Bubble is a little more personal, with the companionship of his young daughter he travels to the plane and tries to explain to her why he will be gone for three months…the explanation totaling up to—a very long basketball game.
Through his short day 1 documentary, the Purple and Gold Legacy kid lets the audience know that his asthma condition was something that he wanted to get under control and gain clarity on in terms of its relation to COVID, before making any decisions to participate this season.
*It is in Orlando where we get to see that the Lakers set up is a tad bit different from that of the ‘6ers, with each team owner crafting separate care packages for their players to get through their initial 48 hour quarantine.
Watch McGee’s recap here.
The Commonalities
Both players, hailing from teams on separate sides of the country show us that the NBA is very vigilant about following testing guidelines and the quarantine process. Green wrist bands, Disney bracelets, and cotton swabs are present in both videos, and all of the players are trying to make the best of this new 3 month normal.
Even though we won’t be there to watch the games in person, it is going to be a very interesting and entertaining season. With players like Michael Beasley testing positive for Corona while currently inside The Bubble, and franchise players like Russell Westbrook waiting to test negative before entering The Bubble, it is unclear how long this makeshift season will last.
Jump back into the WNBA July 25th
Jump back into the NBA July 30th
There have even been a few scares amongst the press with the introduction of COVID false positives.
Speaking of press…Taylor Rooks had a hilarious moment about the DO NOTS while in The Bubble with Spencer Dinwiddie that I don’t think any of us were expecting…but none of us would take it back!
The Bre(s) and the Bri(s)
The WNBA players are also in a bubble, over at IMG Sports academy, cleverly coined “The Wubble.” There the Seattle Storm’s Breanna Stewart and Brianna Turner from the Phoenix Mercury has a funny grocery mix up in The Wubble, as the WBA are calling it, and giving us some insight as to how they are setting up to live the next 12 weeks.
Elena Delle Donne
Before we leave this sports moment. Let’s talk about the WNBA being DEAD. ASS. wrong for how they are treating the WNBA’s Elena Delle Donne. Donne is considered immunocompromised due to Lyme’s disease. And now, because of the league’s doctors ignoring the medical recommendation from her doctors and subsequently denying her opt-out request…the star athlete now has to choose between putting her health and risk…and getting a pay check.
I don’t have NBA player money. I don’t have the desire to go to war with the league on this. And I can’t appeal. - Donne
This scenario is a very stark contrast to the story of NBA player Ryan Broekhoff of the 76ers, who was excused from having to report to The Bubble due to his wife (who is also immunocompromised) catching COVID.
Read Donne’s gut check of a letter, here.
(Image of the 64 pill that Donne has to take on the daily basis via The Players Tribune.)
Politics
U.N.I.T.Y.
How women are fairing in politics.
(Image from humanosphere.com)
The Global Gag Rule
Have you heard of the “Global Gag Rule”?
Well if you haven’t don’t be alarmed. I hadn’t either, until I discovered that Planned Parenthood has been moving like a REAL G, and silently winning out this bitch! (Sorry, the ratchet came out!…Ehhh I take it back, I’m not that sorry.)
The Global Gag Rule was put into play to stop foreign nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) who receive U.S. global health assistance from providing legal abortion services or referrals.
It also bars advocacy for abortion law reform—even if it’s done with the NGO’s own, non-U.S. funds. The policy allows access to abortion only in cases of rape, incest, or when a woman’s life is at risk.
All that to say: the current president of the United States was trying to police bodies of women who don’t even live here! But thankfully, last week the U.S. House Committee on Appropriations passed a budget bill that increases funding and protections for reproductive health and rights across the globe.
Read a statement from the CEO from Planned Parenthood regarding the win here.
Kelly Loeffler of GA is Problematic
Georgia Senator Kelly Loeffler co-owns the WNBA Atlanta Dream team and has been vocally against the Black Lives Matter movement having any place in the WNBA.
You may or may not know that the league gave each player an option to wear a message that uplifts the BLM movement on the back of their jersey.
And Kelly “It would be more fitting if her name was KAREN” Loeffler was totally against the idea. Loeffler thinks that sports as a platform should be void of all politics, a stance that appeals to her Republican base and garnered her a few sympathy points.
However, the Atlanta Dream is not having it. In fact, the entire team has publicly disagreed with Loeffler. But funny enough, still she has not distanced herself nor her ownership stake from the WNBA. This is important to note, because there are a few Loeffler opponents (both Democrat and Republican) that have tried to use her owning a part of the Atlanta Dream against her. Whether it be because the team donates its proceeds to organizations like Planned Parenthood or takes other social justice stances directly opposite of Loeffler’s conservative base, the association does not always work for her. Hopefully it’s to her detriment.
Here’s what I mean. This November Loeffler faces 20 opponents, for her seat in the Senate, the one that she won by being named the replacement for retiring Sen. Johnny Isakson.
But with 20 people on the ballet (which will be a write-in DISASTER) and a runoff almost too predictable between the top two vote-getters, it is possible that this last row with the Atlanta Dream could push the moderately conservative and socially sympathetic Georgians that would’ve voted for Loeffler… to other candidates.
One can Dream. (You see what I did there?!)
Following the presidential race? Not too sure about Biden’s VP spot? Read this for more insight as to why Harris is not the shoe in.
This piece from The Daily Beast breaks down why Kamala Harris is not the front runner for VP in Joe Biden’s cabinet. And it may not be for the reasons you think. According to the article the presidential hopeful is not the only Biden Kamala has crossed, and that Biden is held to a high regard in Joe’s book and his heart. Check out Kamala’s Betrayal here.
The Links
Before You Go…
Have You FULLY Recovered from COVID-19?
If so, donate your plasma to help others to fight off COVID. Click the link below for more information.
COVID-19 Convalescent Plasma Donor Eligibility Form.
Make sure to check out these great pieces of WERK!
Say Her Name! with The Root as Felice Leon and Kimberlé W. Crenshaw talk about the erasure of Black Women from the conversation of police brutality.
Let there be no mistake, Black women are killed by the police. But, there is a long history of Black women being erased from conversations of state-sanctioned violence. When we say #BlackLivesMatter, which Black lives are you talking about? bit.ly/2CvOjxYSidebar, 87 people were arrested for protesting the murder of Breonna Taylor, BEFORE the actual murderers of Breonna Taylor. The Kentucky AG has charged the protestors with a FELONY while celebrating his engagement, and still has not lifted a finger to charge the officers involved with Breonna’s death and her partner’s wrongful imprisonment. I don’t know whether to tell you to sign a petition or carry out something that my mother would scold me for…so I’ll just say…
*Each person was charged with:
Intimidating a Participant in a Legal Process (Class D felony)
Disorderly Conduct 2nd Degree (Class B misdemeanor)
Criminal Trespass 3rd Degree (Violation)
(Image from I May Destroy You)
You may have saw a million dollar rumor floating around regarding Chewing Gum’s Michaela Coel and her departure from Netflix. Read this to get some facts about the business surrounding the dead deal and Coel’s new home at HBO. Michaela Coel Feature on Vulture Written by Alex Jung
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Chay