Grantland's got another awesome installment of story time w/ Jalen Rose. This time our protagonist recalls the tale of when he decided to challenge Michael Jordan and proceed to dunk on him. Hilarious story-telling, but even more hilarious animation!
Tennis legend Andre Agassi joins the ranks of Nike once again. This time the retired player will be on the philanthropic and ambassador side of the field rather than a sponsored athlete. According to Nike's Phil Knight he'll join the company on the outreach side. "As one of the world’s greatest tennis players, Agassi embodied the passion, dedication and determination of the Nike brand. As a philanthropist and campaigner, he continues to share Nike’s commitment to inspire the young generation with his Just Do It spirit. We are honored to welcome him back." Congrats to him!
Red Bull and some of the world's greatest fixed gear bicycle riders converged on San Francisco's Justin Herman Plaza park again for this year's Red Bull Ride + Style Fixed-Gear Competition. As expected the event brought out some of the most exhilarating and daring of two-wheelers, some of which banged out everything from backflips to frameless drops off and onto ramps. Watch the recap and really ask yourself how these guys pull all of these BMX style tricks on bikes with fixed (no free pedaling) cogs.
Rapper Lil Wayne continues to dedicate himself to skateboarding. This time around he and some professional homies (Greg Lutzka, Tyler Hendley, Yo Yo and Christiona Sereika) hit California's Orange County to capture some nighttime thrills. Weezy and company laid it down, hitting everything from grass gaps to rails and even a ditch! Props to this. With all the negative publicity surrounding Lil Wayne, it's great to see him have fun doing something he truly enjoys.
This past Saturday marked the 139th annual Kentucky Derby horse race. The prestigious event attracts both spectators and racers from over the globe to participate at the hallowed Churchill Down Tracks. This year's victory marks a very special one for us here at the office as Dominican-native (yes República) Joel Rosario was the winning jockey. The 27-year-old racer had just come off of his Dubai World Cup victory just over a month earlier. Dominicanos stand up!
Los Angeles-based surf/skate label Matix just released a look into its 2013 Summer collection via--what else--a surf and skate video. The piece features some casual surfing and shredding in what looks like Venice Beach, California. Okay we get it, staying true to their roots via the help of surf ambassadors Turkey Stopnik and JJ Wessels and some homies that skate real solid. We can dig the homegrown effort.
Photographer Joe Pease decided to take his Predatory Bird deck out for a spin. While doing so he managed to capture the loose cruiser in DIY montage form. The result is a quirky short that spans some typical Californian city streets in atypical form. Check it out!
Desillusion Magazine and videographer Patrick Pearse team up to give viewers a glimpse into the life skateboarding stoic Steve Olson. The 6-minute short, set to black and white for an even more poetic feel, doesn't really focus on anything stellar. In fact it emphasis the focuses on the non-moments, the candid snapshots of Olson's American living--cigarettes, motorcycles, driving and skateboarding with friends. Welcome to your first-hand look at the anti-hero that is Mr. Olson.
With the New York Knicks in this year's NBA Playoffs a large portion of the Big Apple (all of them sports fans) is ecstatic about the opportunity. You see, it's been a long time since the nation's most abundant metropolis has staked its claim in basketball fame past the first round of action. Of course, folks can point out tons of reasons behind the lackluster performance of psst years--injuries, distractions, lack of moral support, politics even! Here's what New York City-based writer and new República recruit, F. Garcia has to say about some mayoral-affiliated reasons for New York's recent basketball run:
Words by: F. Garcia
In his 3 terms as mayor of New York City Michael Bloomberg’s inescapable presence has impacted a whole lot of us New Yorkers. Whether it be for the ban on trans fats, the ban on smoking in bars and restaurants, the ban on sugary drinks, or his unapologetic support of the NYPD’s Stop & Frisk policy Bloomberg, he's has proved to be quite a divisive figure. The truth is that Bloomberg’s time in City Hall has affected us in more ways than we could have possibly imagined. In 9 months time when the next mayor is sworn into office there will be many fokls glad to see him go. The fans of the New York Knicks being chief among them. The fact is that the Knicks have been by the worst professional sports team in New York City (statistically) while Bloomberg's been in office.
The idea that politicians can be blamed for the fates of our beloved sports teams isn't necessarily a far-fetched one. Take New York's other beloved sports franchise, The Yankees. They've won 9 championships, all with Democrats in the White House. In fact, the last 5 World Series that the Yankees have lost have all occurred during Republican presidencies. How's that for politics affecting team spirit?
On November 6th, 2001 Bloomberg was elected mayor and in the 12 NBA seasons since then the Knicks have only won 1 game in the playoffs. Sounds incredible, right? During Bloomberg’s time in office the Knicks have had 8 top-10 draft picks and not one of them played on a winning team in New York. Meanwhile 2 of the draft picks the Knicks traded away, Lamarcus Aldridge and Joakim Noah, went on to become NBA All-Stars elsewhere. Up until two weeks ago every New York professional sports team except for the Knicks had won at least 1 division title during Bloomberg’s time in office.
There is renewed excitement around the Knicks this Spring as the team’s first division champion since the days of "GO NY, GO" appeared ready to make a deep run into the playoffs. While we all hope that these Knicks will do the unthinkable and win their first championship in 40 years (the time it takes to be born and become a jaded middle-aged father), at least we can all take solace in the thought that if they don’t we can just chalk it down as another reason why Bloomberg is f-ing up and folks like me can't wait until he leaves so we can finally get us an NBA Championship. Real talk.
*F. Garcia is a native New Yorker, teetotaler, vegetarian and sports fanatic. Check out more about his passion for the city, the politics and the opinions here.*
Director Ron Howard (A Beautiful Mind) depicts the story of infamous Formula One circuit rivals, James Hunt and Niki Lauda, in his new film, Rush. Chris Hemsworth and Daniel Brühl play two very riveting characters whose personal lives meet on the racetrack. Trust us when we say that more than just racing fans will probably enjoy this one.
