Tag: sports

Honestly, this fight is probably going to suck

~ dannyhong ~ Leave a comment

Anyone who likes sports in general would had to have been living under a rock if they didn’t hear about the year-plus of build-up that has finally culminated in an official set date for the next fight of the century, pitting MMA superstar Conor McGregor against Floyd “Money” Mayweather.

Let’s be real here though, the buildup was everything, will continue to be everything as we’ve still got nearly three full months until the match itself, and said match itself will be the most disappointing part of this entire saga.  Basically, this is kind of like a slightly watered down version of Mayweather vs. Pacquiao all over again, except McGregor is a way more entertaining shit-talker and as colorful and flamboyantly outspoken personality as Mayweather himself.

But the result is going to be the same, and that, I would actually wager money on: Mayweather will win via decision after 12 rounds.

As much trash Mayweather spouts, it’s kind of laughable that his boxing style revolves almost entirely around defense, dancing around for 36 minutes and occasionally landing a jab only after he’s 100% certain it will hit after endless time spent observing and circling, instead of actually boxing.  He spends 36 months talking shit, and when it comes time to throw down, he always turtles up and waits for his opponents to make the first moves before methodically playing the counter attack game all the time.

I mean really, the guy is 49-0 where 23 of them came via decision. 

“I’m gonna defend myself against you to death!” 

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Why change a solid logo?

~ dannyhong ~ Leave a comment

Supposedly, there are rumblings that the NBA needs to change its logo.  The Undefeated has made a game of potential silhouettes to replace Jerry West; naturally being The Undefeated, ten of them are black guys, and then Larry Bird, almost like an obligation to option out a non-black guy as to not seem too obvious. But the question I really have is, why??  Why change the NBA logo?  There’s nothing at all wrong with it!

This isn’t like the Cleveland Indians, Washington Redskins, Atlanta Braves or any other sports team name that triggers white guilt and is always in the conversation of needing to be changed because they’re construed as offensive.  This isn’t like the Vietnamese skin care center that uses a logo that’s too infringe-y to an existing copyright and needs to be changed, so people don’t mistake them as manufacturers of zombie serum.  Or this isn’t like, Wendy’s, whose prior wild western-looking type face made their brand look as old as the era in which the font best represents.

The NBA logo is an icon in itself, and has no need for change, especially for no good reason other than the sake of change.  It doesn’t help when Jerry West, the alleged basis of the silhouette in the logo is all white-guilty and is clamoring for a change as well, but thankfully the NBA themselves continues to deny it as to deny leverage to West.

But really, there’s no need for change.  What for?  MLB has never changed their logo, and you better fucking believe that the NFL isn’t going to change their logo.  Stability and longevity is what gives strength to logos, and the NBA would be flushing 70+ years of tradition and history down the toilet because the world feels like change should occur on some basis other than never, for everything, including long standing identities and brands. 

Brands that want to last and thrive know how to commit and stick with something for the long haul.  The NBA changing their logo for no real good reason is a stupid idea, and I hope they never actually do it.

Oh how different my life could have been

~ dannyhong ~ Leave a comment

It begins in Asia: Video games will soon be a medal sport in the 2022 Asian Games

To all you non-Asians, the Asian Games are kind of like a mini-Olympics, but exclusive to, you guessed it, Asia.  There are all sorts of athletic competitions performed at the Asian Games, from baseball, judo, wrestling, weightlifting to gymnastics and ping pong, much like the Olympics.  It’s a very big deal, because it’s not as exclusive as the Olympics can be, so it really gives smaller, lesser-heralded Asian countries opportunities to represent themselves, and it’s where some of the larger countries like Korea and Japan can flex their advancement without competition from the Western world.

But anyway, news comes from the East that by the 2022 Asian Games, eSports might be a category in which countries can participate in.  As in video games; teenagers playing video games featuring characters that are usually athletic to compete against other teenagers playing as athletic characters.  But video games, for actual medals and actual national honors and prestige nonetheless.

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Respect is earned or the beatings continue

~ dannyhong ~ Leave a comment

I told myself that I wouldn’t write anything about Superb Owl Lee until it was over, because I am the controller of the entire universe and the words I choose to put onto a brog post will guarantee control the entire outcome of the game.  But I’m in a little bit of a rut lately, and there are few things that help get me out of a rut than writing about sports.  Not to mention that every now and then, I’ll come across something that I guess the correct response would be that it triggers something of an emotional synapse where I feel that words typed out is the appropriate reaction.

But every now and then whenever the Atlanta Falcons, or any Atlanta-based sports team, but mostly the Falcons, find a modicum of success, they inevitably become motivation for some bigwig sports writer to take a cheap shot at not just the team, but inevitably the city itself, along with all of its denizens.  That Atlanta teams are all pretenders, have yet to win anything (except them ’95 Braves!), and then that the fans are all fair-weathered bandwagon riders that only cheer for winners when they’re not going bonkers over college football.  That Atlanta is the worse sports town in America.  That Atlanta is pretty much the new Cleveland when it comes to sports championship droughts.

None of these allegations are incorrect, but they’re revisited and flung around so many times that they’re completely unoriginal and stated so many times that the only appropriate response is usually “you’re right, what’s your point” with an annoyed eye roll.

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When being right feels gross

~ dannyhong ~ Leave a comment

For the last week, I feel like I’ve been the only person who had this niggling feeling that Alabama was going to lose to Clemson.  Perhaps I just need to know more people who actually like sports.  Prior to the game, I was the only guy in my department that picked Clemson to win the National Championship.  I predicted a final score of 38-30.  I wasn’t that far off.  So I was right in my sports predicting, which is a little validating, but the end result of it is still Clemson as National Champions, so it does leave me with some slight nausea.

But seriously, whether it was ESPN or other national outlets, workplace proximity associates who like to pretend like they know things about sports, or even the mythical girlfriend, just about everyone I’d heard from since the field was set seemed to favor Alabama over Clemson.  And justifiably so, Alabama was undefeated going into the National Championship, and they’d already proven they could beat Clemson by having done so in the previous year’s National Championship.

Regardless, I just had this feeling in my gut, that feeling that comes from having watched an exorbitant amount of sports throughout my entire life, that Clemson was going to win the game.  Their QB was pretty much the ultimate bridesmaid, having come so close the year prior, and having been snubbed for two straight Heisman Trophies; and at literally his last collegiate game, he had absolutely one shot to immortalize his entire college career, before he’ll inevitably be making gobs of money in the NFL.  Needless to say, a graduating Deshaun Watson with a chip the size of South Carolina on his shoulders against an 18-year old true freshman in Alabama’s Jalen Hurts, regardless of his immense talent, just didn’t seem like a favorable matchup for Crimson Tide supporters.

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Grayson Allen and the double-standards of athletics

~ dannyhong ~ Leave a comment

Impetus: Duke basketball player Grayson Allen suspended indefinitely by the team for intentionally tripping Elon player (and then proceeding to throw the biggest temper tantrum this side of Christian Bale)

What is the risk when a college basketball player deliberately trips another player on a hardwood court?  Broken bones, contusions, concussions, among other types of injury.

What is the risk when an ordinary citizen deliberately trips another ordinary citizen on the street, in a hallway, at the store, at school, or any other location?  Broken bones, contusions, concussions, among other types of injury.

The difference is that when a college basketball player does it, although it is seen on television and by thousands of spectators, they get a whole lot of scrutiny, criticism, disdain and blown up on social media, but when an ordinary person does it at any other ordinary location, they are classified as committing assault, and are subject to arrest, among other criminal punishment.

It goes without saying that this sort of double-standard is troubling as far as society is concerned.  Just because Grayson Allen is a talented basketball player for one of the most recognized sporting teams in its entire sport doesn’t mean he shouldn’t be punished like an ordinary citizen for his dangerous actions. 

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It wasn’t unexpected, but I’m still disappointed

~ dannyhong ~ Leave a comment

Clemson beating Virginia Tech (again) for the ACC Championship was a game that would be construed as a “good game.”  The #23 Hokies did not shrivel up and get blown out like so many going up against a National Championship contender, instead keeping it close and undecided until literally 1:51 left in regulation. 

The final score was 42-35.  It was a good game.

But I’m still bummed out about it.  I realize that of all the sports I enjoy and all the sports I watch, nothing brings me down harder than Virginia Tech football.  They’re like the one team I’m ingrained to remain loyal to, so it’s their inability to reach the pinnacles of success and their failures to succeed that actually manage to make me feel mopey and disappointment when they occur.

I turned the game off before Dabo Sweeney could talk about how great of a game it was, how Virginia Tech is a program on the upswing, and other graceful remarks in said in victory.  I don’t want to hear that shit.  I don’t want to hear people saying nice things about Virginia Tech’s respectable performance in defeat.  I know all this shit.  Every Tech fan knows this shit.  None of it changes the fact that Tech still lost, and losing sucks.

Continue reading “It wasn’t unexpected, but I’m still disappointed” →