culture
-
Former Detroit Lions Running Back Suing NFL, Helmet Maker Over Concussions
Former Detroit Lions running back Jahvid Best, whose football career was cut short after he suffered several concussions, is suing the NFL and helmet maker Riddell, the Associated Press reports. Best, who was the 30th draft pick in the 2010 NFL draft after breaking multiple records coming out of California, suffered at least four concussions…
-
Cheerios Brings Back Interracial Family, Stands Up to the Haters
Cheerios is back with a new ad, featuring the same interracial family from an ad from last year, in a stand against the racist backlash it received then. And this time the family is getting bigger. In the adorable Super Bowl commercial, an African-American father uses cereal pieces to represent members of the family to…
-
Mall Shooter Wrote of Killing People and That He Was Ready to Die
The gunman who killed two people and injured several others before taking his own life inside a suburban Maryland mall last Saturday wrote of killing people in a journal. He also wrote that he was ready to die, police told the Associated Press, as they released new details about the shooting. Darion Marcus Aguilar expressed…
-
The Super Bowl Needs a Hip-Hop Halftime Show
It’s that time of year again. Your favorite time of year, I would imagine. The Super Bowl is what we all look forward to. But the hyped halftime show—the alleged highlight of the NFL Championship for the greater part of its 43-year history—has been a 50-50 viewing option for me over the years. The new…
-
‘Thank God’: Don’t Say It If You Don’t Mean It
“First, I want to thank God … ” For decades, those words have been uttered by black performers from gospel artists to gangsta rappers on every awards-show stage, whether their lyrics encourage optimistic praise or are phrases that need to be bleeped. But Sunday night, Jay Z stopped himself short, almost correcting himself, to change…
-
Kendrick Lamar on Macklemore Win, Grammy Snub: ‘Everything Happens for a Reason’
Kendrick Lamar doesn’t appear to be too fazed by what many see as a blatant snub by the Grammys: The rapper left with zero trophies despite seven nominations. Instead, taking a more diplomatic approach, Lamar praised Macklemore, who made all but a clean sweep in the rap categories—winning best rap album for The Heist as…
-
Pastor Follows Up SOTU Address With ‘God’s State of the Union,’ Says Obama Follows Satan
Shortly after President Barack Obama delivered his annual State of the Union address Tuesday night, Steven Andrew decided to upload his own message—“God’s State of the Union: Restoring God’s Blessings”—to counter Obama’s, the Raw Story reports. In the address, the USA Christian Ministries pastor slammed the president for promoting “homosexual sin,” citing it as evidence…
-
Jonathan Martin: ‘I Felt Trapped’ in Dolphins Locker Room
Football player Jonathan Martin, who left the Miami Dolphins mid-season amid allegations of bullying and racism, sat down for his first interview since the scandal broke. Martin told NBC Nightly News, which aired the episode Tuesday evening, that the persistence of vulgar language and the climate the lockerroom made him feel trapped, forcing him to…
-
7-Year-Old Girl Beaten Unconscious by Classmates in Maryland
A 7-year-old girl suffered a mild concussion after she was beaten unconscious by four boys at Thomas Claggett Elementary School in District Heights, Md., on Tuesday, Fox 5 reports. The incident occurred during a recess in the school’s gym, into which 75 students were allegedly crammed, with only about five teachers supervising the crowd. The…
-
Kanye West Pays Teen $250,000 to Settle Alleged Beating
The teen who allegedly called Kim Kardashian everything but a child of God and then received a reported ungodly beat-down from Yeezus has settled with the rapper out of court and received a massive six-figure payday, New York’s Daily News reports. The unidentified 18-year-old, who was alleged to have called Kim “a slut” and a…