You’ll have to excuse us.
We sometimes like to go off on a weird diatribe up top here but ever since we listened to Donald Trump’s speech last night, we’ve been cowering under a table in our bunker. The end is nigh, but before it gets here, let’s talk sports and look at GIFs.
NBA pulls 2017 All-Star Game from Charlotte, leaves door open for 2019
Give Adam Silver credit. The NBA commissioner warned that if North Carolina does not repeal the HB2 bill that takes protections away from the LGBTQ community, the league could take away next year’s All-Star Game, scheduled to be played in Charlotte. HB2 is still in effect and so the NBA taketh away.
https://twitter.com/harrylylesjr/status/756240529860468738?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
The league made it clear that they are willing reschedule an All-Star Game in Charlotte as soon as 2019 if and when HB2 is repealed. If not, you can pretty much forget about it, NC.
He failed our state. He failed our city. #AllStarGame #clt #ncpol #NBA pic.twitter.com/YEXEjl2eSp
— Rep. Jeff Jackson (@JeffJacksonNC) July 21, 2016
In the meantime, the NBA is looking to New Orleans as the potential host of the 2017 ASG.
WNBA players continue protests in spite of fines, Carmelo backs them up
A week ago, a group of Minnesota Lynx players wore shirts condemning the killings of Philando Castile, Alton Sterling, and five Dallas police officers. New York Liberty players then wore black warmups that read #BlackLivesMatter and #Dallas5. Indiana Fever and Phoenix Mercury players followed suit.
WNBA player of the month Liberty forward Tina Charles made a statement after Wednesday’s game by accepting the award in team-branded warmups turned inside out.
The WNBA commented that it was proud of it’s players for standing up for the cause…and then promptly fined them.
Don't say we have a voice and then fine us because we use it. #notpuppets #cutthestrings
— Mistie Bass-Boyd (@A_Phoenix_Born) July 21, 2016
Thursday, WNBA players voiced their displeasure with that by not providing their voices to reporters, at least when it came to discussing basketball.
Also on Thursday, Carmelo Anthony, who has recently been outspoken himself, added his support for WNBA players standing up for what they believe.
“I don’t see no reason to fine them,’’ Anthony said before Thursday’s U.S. Olympic team practice at UNLV. “If anything you should want to support them. I don’t know details, but don’t see a reason to fine them.” “A bunch of teams did it,”
Anthony said. “Everyone has their own freedom of speech if they decide to use the platform. I don’t see no reason for anybody to get fined. We did it [3 ¹/₂ years ago after the Trayvon Martin shooting]. The NBA did it. The NBA was very supportive. I don’t see any difference in this matter. Right now the players have a very strong stance in what they believe in right now. I don’t think anyone should be fighting that at this moment.”
Quick hits
– Bad news, Texans fans. J.J. Watt has undergone back surgery and will start Texans training camp on the physically unable to perform list. Good news, Texans fans. The star defensive end is expected to be ready to go for Houston’s game against the Chicago Bears in Week 1.
– Hey, remember when Donald Trump ran the USFL? Yeah, that didn’t go so well.
– Don’t tell us David Ortiz doesn’t still have it. He just lodged a ball in the Pesky Pole.
How’d that ball get stuck in The Pesky Pole?@DavidOrtiz did it! pic.twitter.com/Gl5F4fJoGB
— MLB (@MLB) July 21, 2016
– Ray Rice knows another shot in the NFL is a longshot but he says he’ll donate his salary to a domestic violence programs if a team gives him a chance.
– You still haven’t watched Stranger Things? You’re a crazy person.
Now I'm going to watch Stranger Things and pretend it's the 80's when my biggest problem was not having the right parachute pants
— Clea DuVall (@cleaduvall) July 22, 2016
– The VCR is dead. Long live the VCR.
– The Stanford Band doesn’t have any rights to “All Right Now” but they like playing it and they don’t like the idea of Donald Trump using it at rallies. So, they sent him a “cease and desist tweet.”
We recently found out that @realDonaldTrump used "All Right Now" at an event. So here's our cease and desist letter: pic.twitter.com/ihgBdBsrz0
— Stanford Band (@lsjumb) July 21, 2016
– The Daily Mail introduced us to “Graham,” a sculpture of what the human body would have to look like to survive a catastrophic car crash.
How the human body would have to be built to survive a catastrophic car crash https://t.co/MrUvbkShMm pic.twitter.com/gA98RLuL8i
— Daily Mail Online (@MailOnline) July 21, 2016
And then the internet did what the internet does.
Crash resistant man is yet another example of unrealistic beauty standards pic.twitter.com/JHQZ3VcWLx
— Javi Moreno 🇧🇷🇲🇽 (@Javi386) July 21, 2016
when you take off your bra after a long day pic.twitter.com/I2hedbe7Md
— Tanya Chen (government name Tianyi if u're hiring) (@tanyachen) July 21, 2016
https://twitter.com/_Cooper/status/756150492783382528
*whispers* not all men. pic.twitter.com/aWW63KqETj
— Julie Gerstein (@havethehabit) July 21, 2016
Everyone else: can't wait to show off my summer body!
me: pic.twitter.com/iU0XhQ0i51— Chrisp Gera (@chrisgera) July 21, 2016
News headline we won’t be able to explain to future generations.
“Republican Presidential Candidate & White Nationalist Totally On The Same Page”
https://twitter.com/DrDavidDuke/status/756334475223638016?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
One last glorious moment of procrastination
“I Photoshop my dog into pictures for fun.”
Yes. Yes you do.
