Stephen A. Smith and Skip Bayless are among if not THE most stubborn sports analysts on this planet. They constantly argue and debate in every corner of the sports world, and will always make sure that they get their point across. Their most recent argument was about the preseason power rankings of the Washington Redskins football team. Stephen A. had placed the Skins (along with many other analysts) in the number 10-12 range. But Bayless went far out on a limb, chiming in that he placed them at the number 3 spot.       

Bayless raved about the two star pro bowl pass rushers the Skins have in Ryan Kerrigan and Brian Orakpo. He also said that the offense now has their stud tight end Fred Davis back, who was somewhat of a reliable pass catcher for quarterback Robert Griffin III. On top of that, add second year running back Alfred Morris, who was second in the league in rushing yards as a rookie. With all this, he argued, everything is still in question with RGIII coming off an ACL injury.

Stephen A. brought into question the wide receiver position. Behind established starter Pierre Garcon, he argued that the Redskins have no real number two wide receiver. 12^th year veteran Santana Moss is sure handed, but with him aging, they need someone younger who can be more of a threat. Besides Moss, the rest of the wide receiver corps is young and inexperienced. Another concern he argued was with Robert Griffin the Third and his recently repaired left knee. He also brought up the other teams in the league who may be more set at these key positions than the Redskins are at this moment.

The two sports analysts are usually supposed to have differing views. We see here that Skip Bayless favors the Skins to do great things this year, while Stephen A. Smith does not have as much faith as Bayless. Their main arguments obviously hinged around the fact that star quarterback RGIII is coming off a serious ACL injury that most athletes struggle to come back from. This type of argument draws in not only sports gurus who want to see the Bayless vs. Stephen A. battles, or even fans of the Redskins, but also other people concerned to see a star player recover from an injury.         

This post is mainly a show of two highly recognized sports analysts arguing over the future of the Washington Redskins football team. With a sound bite of the argument located in the middle of the blog, the readers (or listeners) can hear the argument from the actual men themselves. This gives the reader a chance to feel as though they are in the room with Bayless and Smith, and can take a first hand account of both sides of the story. This is good for fans who want a more in depth discussion so they can make their opinion based on the specific evidence.

Throughout the blog, you can see the incorporation of a very popular ESPN television show into the post. This makes readers interested in it because it is not just some random guys debating something for no reason. These is two of the top analysts in the world, and to have them debating over YOUR team would make any fan of the Washington Redskins proud. In a sense, using the ESPN show in the post almost makes it official.

The post mainly uses excerpts from the argument to further explain the current ranking of the Skins. It presents the information from the analysts themselves in the fourth paragraph, using their direct quotes to further show the argument.

I think that this blog speaks to fans who are like me. We are always on the hunt to see what other people think about our team. And that’s even when the team is doing terrible! We like to see the glimmer of hope that other people may give to us. This is why we are fans. We look for reasons why we love who we love, and true fans will always stick by their team no matter what.

Now for this blog, it may not just appeal to Redskins fans. Near the very end of the blog, readers get a glimpse of the rankings of the Redskins archrival, the Dallas Cowboys. This is important to all Redskins fans because we want to see the enemy fail. This may not just be about the Redskins entirely though. Fans of other teams around the league may be keeping up on their research on other teams just to see how their own team compares. This is something that I think is essential to being a super fan of sports. You have to know how the competition is doing to see where your team lies in the spectrum of the league. 

To me, having Skip Bayless and Stephen A. Smith speak in such regard for my team makes me proud to love who I love. To be on television with millions of people watching and listening to their commentary gives me the feeling of superiority, as if to say “we (being the team) ARE one of the best, and we WILL live up to the expectations and challenges that we have been given.” And the greatest feeling ever is the feeling you have after you realize that your team has succeeded. There is no moment like jumping up and down and yelling at the top of your lungs in happiness. When you truly care about something as much as this, be it anything in this world, not just sports, you feel as if you are a part of it, and that you belong. And I believe this blog can be give fans like me the very same feelings I have described throughout the paper.

I think the overall theme in this post is that the Washington Redskins have impressed enough after years of failure to be ranked among the top teams in the league by some of the top analysis minds in the world. The author of the blog has made it clear of this. If you look throughout the entire blog and not just this one specific post, you can clearly see that his analysis is of every part and corner of the Washington Redskins football team. He is good at putting enough detail in each of his posts to make it feel real.

Overall, the blog is a good representation of a typical analysis of a sports team. The author adds enough information to at least wet the appetite of an average fan searching for some information on the Washington Redskins. And although the blog may be somewhat short, enough information is in it to draw in enough readers. I am happy that I was able to see this blog, because for a fan like me, it made me proud to be a fan of the Washington Redskins.

Superbowl Commercial Analysis: Fashionista Daddy

Doritos Superbowl Commercial

          

  Every year in early February, people turn on their televisions to watch the most highly anticipated football game of the year. While there are many who watch strictly for the game, there are those who watch the game simply for the commercials that are played. The Superbowl is notorious for having some of the funniest commercials played during game breaks. The competition to have an ad played during the game is so fierce that there are high stakes battles between commercials to see which one will be played. Some of the most famous and funny ads played in recent years have been the Doritos commercials.

            Doritos commercials are so famous that they now have a fan competition called “Crash the Superbowl” in which many different Doritos commercials are played and voted upon to see which one will make it onto the air. The 2013 winner was named “Fashionista Daddy”.

            In the commercial, a man is on his way outside of his house, football in hand to go play with “the guys”. As he passes his little girls room, she beckons to him to come play a princess adventure with her. He apologizes to her and explains his obligations, but she lures him in with the fact that she has Doritos. Several minutes later, the man’s friends come in the house grumbling to themselves and yelling to find out where their friend is. They walk into the little girls room, astonished as they see the man dressed up like a princess, complete with the dress and makeup. He notices them watching him, and he spins around in womanly fashion, eating Doritos in the process. The Doritos symbol then flashes across the screen and a chip crunching sound is made. Even later in the ad, the wife of the man walks past the room. She peeks in and sees all of the men dressed up like princesses, dancing with makeup and eating the chips. She looks angrily at one of them who is wearing her wedding dress, getting the orange powder of the chips all over the it. She rolls her eyes and continues walking past the room.

            In this ad, you can grab a couple points from it. The first and overall point would be the power of Doritos on the common man. At the beckoning of his daughter and the lure of doritos, the man was willing to put aside football time with his friends to eat chips with his daughter! He changed what he was going to do immediately, not even letting his friends know what he was going to do. He was completely drawn in by the little girl and her antics. She knew the right tricks to play to lure him in.

            The astonished look on the mens faces when they see their friend dressing as a woman is priceless. They all crowd around the door with the wide eyes. But the interesting thing is how if they were so surprised that their friend would be doing what he was doing, why would they quickly change their side and start wearing womens clothes?

Something that stands out in the ad is how quickly the mind can be changed, just for a simple food item. What is strange is how most males always want to have their “guy time” and in the ad, playing football is their passion. For most guys, “guy time” can never be interrupted or messed with, because guys need a way to vent and have fun. The fact that the daughter is able to entice all of the men to play princess with her just by offering them Doritos seems too easy. Many guys however cherish two things: sports and food. The men in this ad apparently hold food higher up than they do sports.

            One of the strangest things in the ad however, is when the wife of the man walks into the room. She sees all of the guys dancing around in princess clothes, eating Doritos. She is appalled to see the fattest man of the group with a very large beard wearing her wedding dress. She makes a remark to him but then walks off. Most women would never just let this kind of thing go. The wedding dress is a sacred thing, and to have a fat man wearing it, as well as getting orange Doritos cheese all over it would make anyone cringe. It is surprising to see her have almost no regard for her dress. The fact that they are all dressed up as women speaks volumes to the fact that the guys really had no care whatsoever that what they were doing may be looked at as somewhat transsexual. First of all, dressing up like a woman is something that the common man will not do, even if they do it as a joke. These guys clearly had no concern for how they appeared. They were so completely focused on the Doritos that they were willing to do anything, even if it made them appear to be having transgender tendencies.

            More specifically, we can notice that not all of the men that dressed up in the ad were necessarily going “all out”. Not all of them put on all of the makeup or even had dresses. That being said, they did enough to make them seem like they were leaning towards the opposite gender. Some had pink clothes and womanly scarves. And still others had simple party caps on with a scarf draped around him. They looked like they had to use whatever they could to complete the look of a woman.

But one has to wonder what the little girl thought of all this. While the men were all dancing around and making fools of themselves, you see the little girl simply waving around a little wand. She appears to have been thrown from the spotlight as the “cutest” and “best dressed” one in the room. That title appears to have fallen on the man wearing the woman’s wedding dress. She may have had a plan to trick her dad and friends into dressing up like women just so that the wife would see and get them in trouble.

            From the commercial, at first glance you can make the assumption that it is mainly about the product of doritos, which it may be. But there is a serious problem with the men in it. One has to wonder how they easily “changed sides” so quickly. With such manly men as they are, it seems strange that they would even think about dressing up like women. This could mean that some of them have some problems. They may be considering what it would be like to be a woman. Seeing this as an opportunity, they pounced on the chance with much enthusiasm, and no thought to how it may appear to the outside people. When the wife catches them in the act, they almost pay no attention to her disgust of them. They continue on doing what they were doing. 

            This is probably not the best environment for a young girl. She is the instigator in the scene, but little does she realize what may be associated with cross-dressing. She may grow up thinking that this may be acceptable. Her dad and his friends could have started something within her head that they don’t even realize. The mom sees that she is in there with them, but she doesn’t do anything to remove her from the world of cross-dressing men.

            In a way, it may be surprising to some that this ad would have been the winner of the Doritos “Crash the Superbowl” contest, mainly because of the strange connotations that could be associated with the cross-dressing of the men in it. But the ad is funny to most, and it does exactly what the makers of Doritos want: get people to buy their product.

            

King of Amarillo

            The band Issues is a relatively new group to the post hardcore rock scene. They formed in the summer of 2012 by Tyler Carter and Michael Bohn, former vocalists of the band Woe, Is Me. Issues music blends elements of rhythm & blues and rap beats with the heavy chugging of metal core guitar riffs. They burst onto the scene with their leadoff single “King of Amarillo”, from their EP, “Black Diamonds”. They created this band to use their fame and talents to try to be a positive influence on this generation. The name Issues is in homage to all the problems that they and this generation face.

            Because of the messy break up situation that occurred between vocalists Carter and Bohn and their previous band Woe, Is Me, they (Carter and Bohn) felt as though they were looked at by fans of Woe, Is Me as traitors. They felt that fans would look down on them for leaving, as if the band wasn’t good enough for them. They also assumed that some people didn’t think that they were likely to achieve the same success that they had gained by being in Woe, Is Me. Essentially, they had their backs against the wall. In the first Issues song “King of Amarillo”, they made sure that they remind fans that they are indeed very much alive, and still doing well at what they do.

The song title “King of Amarillo” doesn’t make sense to most people who just look at it. But using strange and peculiar names as song titles is a common practice for most rock bands in this day in age. By just listening to the lyrics, many words jump out at you. The lyrics contain many words that are not exactly the nicest ever. Words like “wrath, broken, demise, fear” make the song sound very sad. But the overall message portrayed throughout the song is a sense of moving on and becoming who you want to be, without being held back by others that may try to bring you down. This is something that can definitely apply to all people. No one wants to be help back from doing what they want and love, and Issues has gone through this exact problem, and they want to let the world know that they you can come back from something like this.

From the first lyric that Michael Bohn screams out, “Wrath to the Industry!” you know that the song is about to have a very hard to swallow message. “Get over yourself, we can see right through you. We are the future like no one ever knew you.” As guitarist AJ Rebello pounds away with the heavy chugging of his electric guitar, Bohn starts with the fact that the members of his old band have become too confident because of the fame that they have gained from touring the world. Bohn continues to explain that the fame that was achieved was partly because of Carter and Bohn as well as the others in that band. “If you don’t like these lyrics then go listen to Genesi[s]. He then turns his attention to the audience and tells them plainly that if they don’t like what Issues has to say, they can simply go and listen to Woe, Is Me’s new album, Genesi[s]. The last lyric is the most interesting however. “… if you took demise we’ll take your fame.” This is a play on words to the song, “Fame over Demise” that was written by Bohn and Carter while they were still with Woe, Is Me. This is quite a diss to their former band, taking a song that carries their name and using it against them. This is somewhat strange however because they were the two vocalists in that song as well, and even thought they try to put Woe, Is Me down with it, they almost bash themselves in the process.

This is where Carter comes in with his high, melodic vocals. With the lyric “I can’t wait to say whatever… and get on with my life”, He belts out to Woe, Is Me that he has grown tired of being controlled by them. With their new band Issues, they can talk about the things they want to talk about, and are free to speak their minds. Carter and Bohn feel refreshed now that they can start over and do what they want.

Bohn then starts to put the hurt on with the next lyrics. “I’ve heard from your stricken with fear, desperate for press on your pathetic career.” This is where he points out that since he and Tyler left, Woe, Is Me is losing the fame that was brought because of the two vocalists. “Can’t get out of debt since your sales took a dive…” They are now struggling to stay afloat and produce a good record that is well received by fans. While the new Issues EP had generated a lot of hype because of the household names of Michael Bohn and Tyler Carter, Woe, Is Me lost a huge chunk of their fan base. This was because there were many people that came over with Tyler and Michael when they left Woe, Is Me. On top of this, Woe, Is Me has two new vocalists who were relatively unknown to the rock and roll world, which didn’t exactly help with their success.

            It is at this time that the tempo of the song calms down from its heavy guitars and screaming into a calm and simple R&B beat. “You think you’re buying your way to the top with all that bull s*** that you sell.” This is where Tyler states that the members of Woe, Is Me have been struggling so badly that they have even gone as low as to bash Tyler and Michael simply because of their differences musically (Tyler Carter had gone solo to do R&B music for himself shortly after he left the band.) Tyler makes the statement that Woe, Is Me is now fiercely trying to one-up Issues and will go as far as to deceive fans about the true reasons why they separated from one another. “God’s not naïve like those fans you deceive.” Carter finishes with the fact that he doesn’t judge them, but that God does.

            

           The feud between Issues and Woe, Is Me is still on today, but Issues has tried to steer away from bashing them and try to focus on their own future. They only needed their first song to put themselves out there and show where they stand in this issue. Issues other songs talk about other real life problems, such as a father abandoning his wife and children, relationships with others, and misunderstood kids. Tyler Carter and Michael Bohn have branched out and shown their true musicality more through Issues than they had through Woe, Is Me. They created this band because they wanted to talk about things that would apply more to fans, having explained through multiple interviews that they do what they do because they want to make a difference in someone’s life. Because they have witnessed first hand for so many years how music has an effect on people, they believe the best way to influence someone is indeed through music.

 You can listen to the official lyric video for "King of Amarillo" here:

Where Will Amazing Happen This Year?

For professional players of the National Basketball Association, the greatest achievement is to play in an NBA Finals game. Reaching this goal means you are one of the best of the best. You have fought through round after round of other teams to make it to the ending point. After battling injuries through a grueling 82 games in the regular season as well as an average of 20 hard fought playoff games, the only thing standing between you and the glory of being the top team in the nation is the other team right across from you trying to do the same thing. It is you vs. them, and the winner is given “championship rings” as a symbol of the victory.

            When it comes to that time of year for the NBA finals to be played, there are a number of ads that circulate throughout magazines and television, which makes people more excited to watch the games. There was one such ad in an ESPN magazine that stood out to me. The ad was one that shows the progression of the game of basketball from where it began to where it is now, starting from the early 1960’s of basketball and going all the way to the modern age of stars like Kevin Garnett and Lebron James. 

The Progression of Basketball

            When you first even glance at the ad, you immediately see a darkened court, and if you look closely you can see in the background are the thousands of fans in the stands cheering the players on. You also notice the flashes of cameras to get every action on the court as possible. Starting from the top of the three point line on the court is an image of what looks like a player from the early days of basketball. He is dribbling the ball towards the hoop. As you look at the ad, you see there are about six or seven different players on the court, all of them dribbling towards the hoop. But the funny thing is that all of these players come from different eras of the game of basketball. As you get closer to the hoop, the players get more modern and recognizable. This type of ad shows that ever since the very creation of the game, people have had one goal in mind: reach the NBA finals and win to show the nation that you are the best team in the land.

            For those that follow the NBA, they may recognize that almost every era of basketball is represented in the ad, with players like Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, and Shaquille O’Neal among others in the ad. Some things that stood out in the ad was how perfectly in a row all the players represented are. They are also all doing something different, weather it be dribbling, running, shooting, or dunking. All are in the motion of going to the basketball hoop, but some are at a different peak in their jump, or at a different area on the court. The closer to the hoop, the closer that player is to making his shot.

            In the early days of basketball, short shorts were common to every one. But as time progressed, basketball shorts became longer and longer down the players legs. This was a style change that caught on in the later years of basketball, around the 1980’s. You see in the ad that the first few players are wearing very short shorts. As you get to Michael Jordan, you see that his shorts are longer, because it was a little before his time that longer shorts became a popular trend among basketball athletes.

Another thing that I noticed about the ad was how the basketball court was darkened with only a single light shining on the players. Normally when a basketball game is played, it would make sense that the court would be lit with more than just one spotlight shining near the hoop. Why is that? Well for the creators of the ad, I believe they obviously wanted to give the focus mainly to the players and to not have them lost in the ad. If the lighting was like a normal basketball game, the players would almost fade into the crowd and it would be harder to distinguish which player he is. Another reason for the lighting is to put the players on center stage, as if the whole world was watching, which is really what happens. To put you in the mood, the ad creators make it seem like each player is going for the game winning shot, to win the NBA finals and be crowned the champions of the nation. 

Comparisons between former players like
Michael Jordan (left) are made to current players like
 Lebron James (Right)

One final thing that stood out to me about the ad was the actual players themselves. If you look closely, you will see a common trend as to which of the 30 teams are represented. You notice that out of the seven players represented, five of them are in Los Angeles Lakers or Boston Celtics jerseys. Why did the ad favor these teams so much? If you know much about basketball history, you may know that the Lakers and Celtics are bitter rivals, having played many NBA finals games against each other. The majority of early Finals games have been played by theses two teams, so it is only fitting to show who has been dominating the NBA for so long.

Even with most of the players in the ad wearing Boston or Los Angeles jerseys, the ad wouldn’t be complete without the greatest player to ever play the game: Michael Jordan. Jordan’s face and stance in the ad is especially intriguing because he is in his well known, legs spread, feet out, mouth open dunk attempt. This dunk stance is his signature, and its even the logo on his Nike shoe brand “Jordan”.

The words across the ad read: “Where will amazing happen this year?” Amazing things happen in the finals. Teams come back to win, teams lose in disappointing fashion, or it will go down to one shot in the last game 7 with everyone in the country sitting at the edge of their seats. The ad’s statement can excite anyone even with its five words. The words give somewhat of a mystery as to what actually might happen this year. Not only that, but it also give some hope to fans of all the teams in the league that their team might actually have a shot at getting to the finals, even if their team is very bad. Every year is different in the NBA, and every team has a shot at making it to the big game.

            The overall point of the ad is to get fans excited for the biggest game of the year for basketball. It shows the importance of the finals for each era of the game, and the different players who defined those eras. The NBA wants people to be drawn to the game to not only increase television ratings, but to continue on the tradition that basketball has carried on since the beginning of the 20^th century.
                                Watch An amazing video featuring old and new players