Archives for May 2017

$495? Come on, Man!

May 5, 2017 by Southpaw 27 Comments

Many of the top NBA prospects are signed to endorsement deals after they declare for the draft. Brands see the potential in landing a premier talent and it’s not difficult to understand why. The best way to market a product is through brand recognition and people like to buy the brands that their favorite players are wearing. Players who achieve star status in the NBA are sometimes given their own line of products, specifically shoes. Lebron James is sponsored by Nike, James Harden is sponsored Adidas and Steph Curry sponsored by Under Armour. However, it seems that Lonzo Ball is taking a different route than his NBA predecessors.

Lavar Ball. Proud Daddy.

If you don’t know who Lonzo Ball is, definitely take the time to look him up. He was one of top High School prospects entering the 2016-17 NCAA season and lived up to the hype. UCLA went 15-17 the year before Lonzo arrived. In his first season as a freshman, Lonzo led the team to the Sweet 16, earning consensus first team All-American honors. After one season, he declared for the draft as most would have expected, and many analysts think that he could be the #1 overall pick this year. However, though things seem to be going well for Lonzo, he still has a way to go before being considered a NBA Superstar.

It doesn’t seem that Lonzo’s father, Lavar Ball, could wait for his son to actually get drafted before launching a new line of apparel dedicated to his son’s success. Big Baller Brand has officially launched their own independent line of apparel that is not affiliated with any of the major brands that you’re familiar with. The site features T-Shirts, Hoodies, women’s wear, and of course shoes. The first line of “ZO2: Primes” start at $495.00, and their slides (flip flops) cost a whopping $220.00 dollars. Needless to say, if you’re looking to rock some BBB, you better be willing to drop some serious coin.

Click your heels together three times and say “There’s no place like the NBA.”

Has Lavar Ball officially lost his mind? I brushed him off as an idiot when he claimed that he would have beaten Michael Jordan in a 1 on 1 game during his prime, but this is borderline insane. BBB is selling their first shoe for more than any major basketball shoe on the market. The Nike Lebron XIVs cost $175, the Adidas Harden Vol 1.s cost $140, and the Under Armour Curry 3ZER0s cost $120. These lines of shoes have been designated to current NBA All-Stars, who will likely end their careers in the Hall of Fame. You can literally buy all 3 of these shoes for $435.00, which is $60.00 less than the BBB ZO2: Primes.

BBB selling Lonzo’s first shoe for that price is insulting to the consumer. The price is laughable in itself, but the kid hasn’t even played in his first NBA game yet. Most aren’t even sure where he’s going to land in the draft, because teams are completely turned off by Lavar Ball’s antics. Professional organizations don’t want the World’s Worst Little League Father showing up to practice and demanding more playtime for their kid. Lonzo Ball could definitely end up being a top talent in the NBA, but he could end up being an average to below average player. There’s really no way to know that until it happens. For Lonzo’s sake, I hope that his play can provide justification for the cost, but it’s far more likely that BBB will have to close shop within the first year. Also, $220.00 for a pair of flip flops? Come on, man!

Pops says:

There is a sucker born every minute, and you can bet that sporting a spanking new pair of unlaced Lonzo’s will soon become the latest urban rage.

Trump’s Appearance on Face the Nation and Colbert’s Takedown

May 2, 2017 by Southpaw 26 Comments

Donald Trump appeared on “Face the Nation” with John Dickerson on Sunday and abruptly left after being asked a question about his wiretap allegations. I’d like to say that his decision to end the interview was surprising, but our President’s skin is about as thick as rice paper. Trump consistently shies away from difficult questions, mostly due to the fact that he’s incapable of providing an answer that borders along the notion of truth. He’ll usually throw out the same Trumpian jargon that we’re used to, citing opinion and alternative facts, or he’ll simply avoid a question altogether. To him, his inability to answer any sort of inquiry is a shot at his ego, which is something that our megalomaniac President can’t handle. It’s apparent that Trump’s temper is, and always has been, an issue.

The same can’t be said about John Dickerson, who was initially insulted by Trump after he referred to his show as “Deface the Nation.” Trump supporters, as they usually do, have written off his comments as an attempt at humor; however, humor isn’t usually present when one man questions another’s professional integrity in a serious setting. You’d think that Trump would at least have an ounce of social grace (considering he’s the best businessman that the world has ever seen), but etiquette really isn’t his strong suit.

Dickerson handled the situation with dignity, journalistic integrity, and ultimately did his job. His role as a journalist is to ask the difficult questions and push people to provide an answer. Our President’s inability to answer those questions shows that he’s not qualified for the job. Some may believe that the line of questioning is unfair; however, blindly making an assertion that President Obama wiretapped Trump Tower is so moronic that it warrants inquiry. President Trump may not be able to answer the difficult questions, but he at least should be able to provide some note of reasoning for the words coming out of his own mouth.

Pundits on the left have been ripping Trump, but none did it better than Stephen Colbert. The Late Night host defended his colleague and took shots at Trump like no one else could. Not only were his comments hilarious, but they were perfectly crass. He called out Trump in the only way that true Trump supporters can understand: bullying the bully. There was a level of fearlessness behind it, but it wasn’t devoid of wit. If you’re wondering why Colbert’s comments vary from Trumps usual antics, it’s because he isn’t the President of the United States. As a comedian, he isn’t held to the same standard as the leader of the free world; and thus, is permitted to voice his opinion in any way he sees fit. If want to see Colbert’s takedown, click on the link… Colbert on Trump

Pops’ take on this:

Southpaw can’t seem to make a point without being insulting and demeaning, which is unfortunately typical of snowflake millennials these days. It is sad that every “discussion” must begin with personal attacks, rather than with calm analysis. (But I suppose it isn’t easy to be objective when you get all of your news from The Daily Show.) And something else, the interview didn’t take place on the set of Face the Nation, it was in the White House. It is incredibly bad form for a reporter to badger a President in the Oval Office, and shows a level of disrespect for the honor of being invited to enter in the first place. You don’t go into someone else’s home to give them a hard time – ever.

That being said, yeah, President Trump is a terrible communicator. And yeah, he says things in a knee-jerk fashion that are frequently dumb, always hard to follow, and sometimes absolutely wrong. His effect is scarily reminiscent of Dustin Hoffman in Rain Man. Our President is always off-script, very unlike most politicians, who don’t speak without a teleprompter or cue cards, and when they do speak, they don’t say anything.

But is the President incapable of telling the truth? No. Is he lacking even “an ounce of social grace”? No. Southpaw can’t seem to control his own hyperbole. What a shame.

And don’t even get me started on Colbert. That clown wannabe. Will Rogers, he ain’t.

On a side point, if you watch the White House interview, you can see the “Squat and Squabble” premise in action. Two people, standing face to face, in strong disagreement. The conflict elevates – it’s human nature for it to happen. As we say here at S&S, the only way to have a meaningful dialogue is when people are comfortably seated, without the confrontational physical posturing.