Rookies have been a part of most football fans’ lives since the very beginning. Whether it was unboxing a pack of Topps rookie cards, tracking them down at training camps for an autograph, or buying the new edition of Madden just to play with the rookies – everyone wanted a taste of that sweet, sweet potential. In recent years the NFL has recognized this love for rookies, popularizing rookie-only events like the Senior Bowl in...
American Heartbreak is a record that you can’t fully appreciate on the first listen, or even the first few. Some songs feel sad, some make you happy and present, others fill you with hope for the future.
Not too long ago, as football fans, we took in our mornings with newspaper box scores or ESPN’s bottom line. Slowly over the years, it was replaced by reading fantasy football blurbs on Twitter and scanning the betting lines in our sportsbook apps. Suddenly, games that once had no stake other than for our pure enjoyment became events we sweat out because of fantasy and betting implications. Whether you look to gambling as an added...
Tastes of warm weather – soon-to-be-flying graduation caps, the first smell of freshly – Spring is officially here. With the new season comes spring cleaning. While cleaning out the back of your closets or tidying up the yard this year, don’t forget to also clean out and change up your music library. Time to trade in the winter ballads for some fresh beats for your upcoming adventures. To help get you ahead of the curve...
Picking up this pen is signing a contract with the truth, even when it means covering difficult topics. This is one of those times. I began this column series, “A Football Lifestyle,” to show how this game impacts today’s culture; the good, the bad and the ugly. Unfortunately, in this case, it’s the latter, with the NFL having no shortage of legal issues to manage once again this offseason. The Gambler Calvin Ridley was one...
Somewhere off the highway, beyond the exit signs, there are towns of all sizes – map dots to cities – that come alive in late August and captivate a buzz throughout the fall. Whether it’s Friday night lights, Saturday college game days, or an NFL Sunday, one thing is for sure; it’s going to be a damn good time. Welcome to the American football town, one of the few places left where we leave our...
I was once told that Tinder is, “nothing more than the new bar for today’s dating scene.” More specifically, this was in a tipsy, 2019 rant from my girlfriend’s college roommate on modern love – still very much in a pre-pandemic world at the time. If dating in an Instagram-driven culture wasn’t messy enough, COVID-19 perhaps made it even messier. Most would agree that it’s easier than ever to find love online, yet it’s become...
In 2022 U.S. culture adapts about as fast as our fingers can move across our keyboards. Thanks to social media algorithms and personalized streaming platforms, individuals can find unique communities for just about any interest. It’s our renaissance. All those sports and “Pokémon” cards you had hidden at your parents’ house are cool again. Comic books and superheroes are mainstream. Creators are changing what it means to be a celebrity, and mindfulness is moving to...
