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      in Soccer

      ‘I’ve ran out of memes’ – Twitter reacts to Man United’s shocking defeat at Brighton

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      FANS have savaged Manchester United on Twitter after their shocking defeat away at Brighton.The Red Devils were trounced by the Seagulls 4-0 and left supporters and rivals fans left to express their surprise on social media.
      Man Utd were smashed 4-0 by Brighton at the AmexCredit: Getty
      Fans were quick to point out how easy Brighton’s goals came, with one comparing it to them being welcomed through an open door.
      The defending left United supporters unimpressed as the home side repeatedly cut through their backline.
      Another commentated that they had “run out of memes” as United endured their umpteenth embarrassing performance of the season.
      The loss against Brighton means the Red Devils are now guaranteed to record their lowest ever points total in the Premier League era.
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.nk-headline-heading{color:rgba(71,30,121,1);}.css-1uyse24:before{content:”;top:0;right:0;bottom:0;left:0;overflow:hidden;position:absolute;z-index:1;}.css-n392go{border-width:0 1px 1px 1px;border-style:solid;border-color:rgba(155,201,183,1);padding:12px;max-height:104px;min-height:98px;}.css-1p5s3t0{padding:0;border-width:0 1px 1px 1px;border-style:solid;border-color:rgba(155,201,183,1);padding:12px;max-height:104px;min-height:98px;}.css-124tga5{overflow:hidden;-webkit-line-clamp:3;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;display:-webkit-box;word-wrap:break-word;line-height:1;}.css-5jzxpx{overflow:hidden;-webkit-line-clamp:3;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;display:-webkit-box;word-wrap:break-word;line-height:1;}.css-i1acvs{margin:0;padding:0;color:rgba(34,99,73,1);text-transform:uppercase;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;font-family:The Sun;font-size:18px;line-height:1.333;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:0%;font-stretch:normal;display:inline;}.css-i1acvs:hover:not(:disabled){-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}BRIGHTON 4 MAN UTD 0 .css-8h3gc3{margin:0;padding:0;color:rgba(34,37,38,1);-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;font-family:The Sun;font-size:18px;line-height:1.333;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:0%;font-stretch:normal;display:inline;}.css-8h3gc3:hover:not(:disabled){-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}Ralf Rangnick’s United flops confirmed as worst Red Devils EVER in PL
      One United fan joked that the club would “kill me one day” as he watched his team get ripped apart at the Amex.
      Other fans were quick to pick up on Cristiano Ronaldo’s reaction as he watched United concede their third goal.
      They concluded the club “need [Erik] Ten Hag now”.
      The defeat at Brighton means it’s five away defeats in a row for Ralf Rangnick’s men.

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      Rival fans jokingly admitted their opponents had got so bad it was no longer fun to watch them get humiliated.
      One said: “Bro Man United are so bad to the extent that bantering them isn’t even exciting anymore.”
      On the bright side for Manchester United, the loyalty of their fans could make them husband material, according to one Twitter user.
      She joked: “If you’re male and still support Man United slide in my dm’s. The loyalty is clearly unbreakable.”
      TV star and Sun columnist Piers Morgan also got in on the act as he ripped apart the 4-0 losers – and urged Ronaldo to join his club Arsenal. More

    • 250 Shares149 Views

      in Soccer

      ‘Give me my blue tick back’ – Man City star Riyad Mahrez makes plea to new Twitter owner Elon Musk

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      RIYAD MAHREZ has hilariously begged new Twitter owner Elon Musk for his blue tick back.Musk, the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, bought the social media platform in a deal worth a staggering £34.5billion in cash just last month.
      Riyad Mahrez asked Elon Musk to restore his blue tick on Twitter just days after the billionaire bought the companyCredit: AFP
      Elon Musk bought Twitter in a deal worth £34.5bn in cash late last monthCredit: Splash
      And Manchester City ace Mahrez has hilariously already tweeted Musk to ask him for help get his ‘blue tick’ back.
      Mahrez wrote, “Bro @elonmusk give me my blue tick back” before adding three cry-laughing emojis.
      The blue tick provides a way for Twitter users to know if an account of public interest is, in fact, authentic.
      Mahrez, who has 3.3million followers on the platform, does now have his verified badge back.
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      However, fans were quick to point out Musk was unlikely to have anything to do with it.
      One Twitter user joked: “People are asking Elon things like he is sitting at the Twitter office in one of the cubicle fulfilling customer care service.”
      Others were simply curious to know why Mahrez lost his blue tick in the first place.
      Verified accounts can lose their blue tick if they break Twitter’s rules regarding things such as hate speech or spam.
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      Mahrez has been a key contributor as Man City aim to hold off the charge of Liverpool to retain their Premier League crown.
      The Algerian, 31, has scored 11 goals in the league this term – all with his wand of a left foot – while laying on a further five assists.
      And Mahrez will hope he can help City join Liverpool in the Champions League final in Paris later this month.
      Pep Guardiola’s side face Real Madrid in the second leg of their semi-final tie at the Bernabeu having edged a seven-goal thriller 4-3 last week. More

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      in Soccer

      ‘Acting like a toddler’ – Watch Fenerbahce star Mert Hakan Yandas roll over FIVE times after tackle in Galatasaray clash

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      FENERBAHCE star Mert Hakan Yandas has been accused of “acting like a toddler” after his dramatic reaction to a tackle. The midfielder hit the deck after being floored during a clash against Galatasaray – and rolled five times.
      Fans accused Mert Hakan Yandas of overreacting after he was floored by a tackleCredit: Photo by ANP via Getty Images

      Viewers accused the Fenerbahce midfielder of acting like a toddler or childCredit: Photo by ANP via Getty Images)
      Yandas was attempting to win a loose ball before clashing with an opposition playerCredit: Photo by ANP via Getty Images
      Fenerbahce won 2-0 against GalatasarayCredit: Photo by Salih Zeki Fazlioglu/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
      The video shows Yandas attempting to win a loose ball before being caught by an opposition player.
      But fans have been left baffled by his reaction as he tumbled repeatedly across the pitch.
      The game eventually finished 2-0 to Fenerbahce over Galatasaray in the Turkish Super Lig game, with Yandas’ roll stoking a reaction online.
      One observer on Reddit wrote: “In all honesty, how could you watch your husband in his profession, acting like an absolute toddler on live television.
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      “So embarrassing. The biggest reason I’ve never been able to get into watching soccer.”
      Another Reddit user also suggested these theatrics were what put people off the sport.
      They said: “Said this earlier, but this is the exact reason I can never get into watching soccer. This is so cringe.
      “It’s like in day care, when a child pokes another child, and over sells the crying in front of the care taker, to get sympathy.”
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      Another fan simply commented of Yandas: “Dude have some self respect.”
      And one wrote sarcastically: “He may have over sold it. Slightly…”
      Twitter users was also unsympathetic. One person compared Yandas to a video of a polar bear rolling in grass.
      The 27-year-old joined Fenerbahce in 2020 and usually plays in centre-midfield.
      The win leaves the Istanbul-based club 2nd in the Super Liga, but trailing league leaders Trabzonspor by 13 points. More

    • 138 Shares189 Views

      in Basket

      As His CNN+ Show Debuts, Rex Chapman Fears His Own Success

      by

      With 1.2 million Twitter followers and a new show debuting Monday, the former N.B.A. player appears to have an enviable life. But he’s haunted by what happened the last time he was famous.Sitting in a Midtown Manhattan cafe after shooting B-roll for his new show on CNN+, Rex Chapman says he knows that he’s living a dream, and it’s making him uncomfortable. “I struggle with it,” he said.Chapman, a former pro basketball player now best known as a Twitter personality, loves doing the show, which debuts Monday on CNN’s new streaming service. The show is not the problem. Simply titled “Rex Chapman,” it features him in conversation with a diverse array of people who have faced challenges, as he has, and who now try to make the world better, as he says he is trying to do.Chapman has interviewed Jason Sudeikis in London, the N.B.A. forward Kevin Love in Cleveland, the actor Ben Stiller in New York City and the paralyzed former college football player Eric LeGrand in New Jersey. After this conversation, he was going to the bar next door to meet the comedian, writer and talk show host Amber Ruffin.So why the struggle?“People dream of doing this,” said Chapman, whose height (6 feet 4 inches), gleaming bald head and bright blue glasses make him conspicuous. “They dream of having their own show. I struggle with whether I deserve it or not.”He explains: “I’ve been through some things,” he said. “And I’ve put myself through some things. And, uh. …”He hesitated, his voice catching.“I’ve got four kids,” he went on. “Sitting here talking to you is probably easier than many of the conversations I have with my kids.”His son and three daughters — Zeke, Caley, Tatum and Tyson — range in age from 29 to 21. “And,” Chapman said, “not a day goes by that I don’t think about disappointing them.”Chapman, now 54, was once the best high school player in his home state of Kentucky, a superstar at the University of Kentucky, the first-ever draft pick (No. 8 overall) of the expansion Charlotte Hornets and a member of the U.S. national team. He estimates that he made $40 million in 12 seasons in the N.B.A.Chapman, who played with the Suns, Heat, Wizards and Hornets during a 12-year career, taking a shot in a game against the Seattle SuperSonics in 1999.Dan Levine/AFP via Getty ImagesBut the attention and scrutiny that came with success never felt right. When he was 10 years old, he quit swimming after other kids made fun of his Speedo. When he was 15 and a high school basketball star, students from another school stopped him in a mall, asked for his autograph and then tore it up in front of him.Love and success seemed to lead to pain.That feeling intensified in the N.B.A. After some injuries and surgeries, he ended up addicted to opioids, exacerbating his long-running gambling addiction. Retirement from basketball led to deeper addiction. Chapman burned through money. By his 40s, he was crashing on couches and shoplifting goods to pawn for cash. His wife, Bridget, divorced him in 2012.At the height of his addiction, Chapman was consuming about 10 OxyContin and 40 Vicodin pills per day, chewing them to get them into his bloodstream quicker.“At some point, I had just resigned myself to the fact that my life’s just going to be as a drug addict,” he said, adding an expletive for emphasis.In September 2014, he was caught shoplifting more than $14,000 worth of electronics and was arrested. His sister, Jenny, took him in, and with the help of friends persuaded Chapman to go to a rehab center in Louisville, Ky., where his college roommate, Paul Andrews, was an executive. “Saved my life,” Chapman said.After Chapman got clean, he began speaking in public about recovering from addiction. He found work covering Kentucky athletics on the radio for a regional media company around 2016. The company pushed him to be more active on social media, particularly on Twitter, but Chapman resisted. “The landscape was just toxic. Everybody hating each other,” he said.A dolphin video changed everything: “I saw a video one day of a school of dolphins swimming out to sea, and a guy on a paddle board coming in, and a dolphin jumped up and hit him in the chest and knocked him off. And I said to myself, ‘That’s a charge,’” Chapman said, adding another expletive. (The account that first shared the video is now suspended.)Chapman and his production crew filming B-roll for his new show.Gabriela Bhaskar/The New York TimesPeople responded well to the tweet, so he shared other slapstick videos, inspiring lighthearted debates about whether a given collision was, in basketball terms, a block or a charge. In time, he began posting “feel-good stuff” — videos of dogs, babies and animals interacting adorably — and paying two people to find content for him.Chapman, who now has 1.2 million followers, later ventured into tweeting about politics, with Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky a frequent target.In 2019, his friend Steve Nash, the former basketball star and current coach of the Brooklyn Nets, called Chapman with an idea for a podcast about people rebuilding their lives after making terrible mistakes. Chapman was wary of seeking fame again — “I didn’t fare real well with it the first time around” — but went forward after his children told him it was OK to do the show.The podcast was called “Charges.” To make his guests more comfortable, and in the hopes of helping people, Chapman began publicly sharing more of his story. This was healing at times, painful at others. “There’s something really cathartic about it,” he said. On the other hand, he said, it never doesn’t hurt, because you’re telling a bunch of strangers the worst stuff in life.He added: “I still can’t believe it was me. But it was. So I have to deal with that constantly.”Worse, he knows his children do too. “If they had any reservations,” he said, “then I wouldn’t do any of this stuff.”In an interview, Chapman’s daughter Caley, 27, said: “After he retired, that was a dark time. But he was always still my dad. I have respect for him. I just wanted him to get better for himself. And he’s done that. So I’m proud of him.”She expressed concern that her father is too hard on himself.“He holds a lot of guilt,” she said. “But there was never anything to forgive him for. From my point of view, I just wanted him to do better. So he’s been forgiven. And I’ll continue to say that until he forgives himself.”Chapman’s son, Zeke, declined to be interviewed, but sent a statement by text.“I’m extremely proud of my dad and how he has bounced back after a very tough time for him and our family,” he said. “I’m super excited for his new show and know how hard he’s been working on it.”“Life’s weird, man,” Chapman said. “And life’s hard.”Gabriela Bhaskar/The New York TimesChapman was approached about the CNN+ show late last year. Rebecca Kutler, the senior vice president and head of programming for the streaming service, sought him out because she liked his Twitter feed. Like many of his followers, she didn’t know much about his basketball life.“I found him to be an incredibly compelling human being,” she said. “He has come forward and talked about these challenges publicly, and really tried to use his experience to help others. That, along with his history as an incredible athlete, and the way that he’s been able to connect with an entire new generation of fans using social media, and sharing really uplifting content — I thought he would be a great person to bring new stories to CNN+.”The shows will range from 20 to 40 minutes per episode, with episodes to be released on Mondays.Chapman shooting an interview on Wednesday in New York.Gabriela Bhaskar/The New York TimesLeGrand, the former Rutgers football player whose spinal injury requires him to use a wheelchair, said he quickly felt a connection with Chapman when they met on campus in January. Chapman wore Nike Air Force 1s and a zip-up Jordan brand jacket, prompting LeGrand to say, “Look at you, all swagged out!” The two laughed and the conversation flowed.“When somebody else has been through a rough patch or overcome adversity in their lives, and they’ve been able to get through it and impact people in a positive way, it makes you open up,” LeGrand said. “It makes you feel that sense of comfort.”During the interview, Chapman asked what LeGrand dreamed about, a question no one had ever asked him before. LeGrand said: “When I’m dreaming, I’m always on my feet. I’m never in a wheelchair.”Chapman said he learned empathy from his mother, and from his own pain. He still wrestles with the guilt and shame of his past, particularly for not being a better father. “What they had to go through at school, and people knowing that their dad was in trouble and got arrested,” he said. Chapman said it “crushes” him.Now, he said, “I’m just trying to make up for lost time. I feel like I was gone for about 15 years.”This year, Chapman moved from Kentucky to Brooklyn, 10 minutes from his son. When his new success makes him uncomfortable, he reminds himself that it helps him be the father he wants to be for his children.“We have really no issues at this point,” he said. “Still trying to just show them a better me.” More

    • 238 Shares159 Views

      in Athletics

      Watch crazy moment high school athlete is PUNCHED in back of the head during race at Florida track meet

      by

      A HIGH-SCHOOL runner was left in a heap after being sucker-punched DURING a race last weekend in Florida.Images from a shocking viral video see the athlete hit the deck after receiving a brutal punch from behind to his head.
      The race leader in white and red doesn’t see the sucker-punch comingCredit: Twitter
      The pair had reportedly had a confrontation on the last lapCredit: Twitter
      The race leader hits the track hard to gasps and cries from the crowdCredit: Twitter
      The race continues with him lying hurt on the tracksideCredit: Twitter
      Shocked onlookers in the crowd could barely believe their eyes at the events which unfolded during the Tohopekaliga Tiger Invitational in Kissimmee.
      The stricken athlete has not been identified but the host school claims no Osceola County students were involved.
      According to TMZ, the runner in red and white was leading the race and had been involved in a collision with his assaulter on the previous lap.
      Witnesses report that the man who threw the punch was standing on the track and the runner had previously shoved him out of the way.
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.css-8h3gc3{margin:0;padding:0;color:rgba(34,37,38,1);-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;font-family:The Sun;font-size:18px;line-height:1.333;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:0%;font-stretch:normal;display:inline;}.css-8h3gc3:hover:not(:disabled){-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}Kourtney covers her stomach in unedited pic as fans think she’s pregnant
      He is not believed to have been part of the long-distance race.
      And when the race leader came round following another circuit, he was sucker-punched hard in the back of the head.
      The video continues after the confrontation, with the remaining members of the field running past the fallen athlete.
      One supporter in the stands is heard shouting “are you f***ing kidding me?” as the race continued.
      .css-qu9fel{border-top:1px solid #dcdddd;}.css-b9nmbi{margin-bottom:16px;border-top:1px solid #dcdddd;}.css-1qsre5o{display:-webkit-box;display:-webkit-flex;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;height:100%;-webkit-align-items:flex-start;-webkit-box-align:flex-start;-ms-flex-align:flex-start;align-items:flex-start;-webkit-align-content:flex-start;-ms-flex-line-pack:flex-start;align-content:flex-start;-webkit-box-flex-wrap:nowrap;-webkit-flex-wrap:nowrap;-ms-flex-wrap:nowrap;flex-wrap:nowrap;-webkit-flex-direction:column;-ms-flex-direction:column;flex-direction:column;-webkit-box-pack:justify;-webkit-justify-content:space-between;justify-content:space-between;}.css-q8gelu{margin-bottom:24px;}.css-7ysxcx{padding:0;text-transform:uppercase;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}.css-7ysxcx:hover:not(:disabled){-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}.css-jkwlot{display:-webkit-box;display:-webkit-flex;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;height:100%;-webkit-align-items:center;-webkit-box-align:center;-ms-flex-align:center;align-items:center;-webkit-flex-direction:row;-ms-flex-direction:row;flex-direction:row;-webkit-box-pack:justify;-webkit-justify-content:space-between;justify-content:space-between;padding:0;text-transform:uppercase;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}.css-jkwlot:hover:not(:disabled){-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}.css-1x7hydu{font-family:The Sun;font-size:24px;line-height:1.1666666666666667;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:0%;font-stretch:semi-condensed;padding:1px 0px;}.css-1x7hydu::before{content:”;display:block;height:0;width:0;margin-bottom:calc(-0.24520833333333342em + -0.5px);}.css-1x7hydu::after{content:”;display:block;height:0;width:0;margin-top:-0.2333333333333334em;}.css-1lobn43{display:inline;font:inherit;margin:0;color:rgba(0,0,0,1);}.css-1lobn43 svg{fill:rgba(0,0,0,1);}Most read in Sport.css-1gojmfd{margin-bottom:16px;}.css-zdjvqv{display:-webkit-box;display:-webkit-flex;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;height:100%;-webkit-align-items:flex-start;-webkit-box-align:flex-start;-ms-flex-align:flex-start;align-items:flex-start;-webkit-align-content:flex-start;-ms-flex-line-pack:flex-start;align-content:flex-start;-webkit-box-flex-wrap:nowrap;-webkit-flex-wrap:nowrap;-ms-flex-wrap:nowrap;flex-wrap:nowrap;-webkit-flex-direction:column;-ms-flex-direction:column;flex-direction:column;-webkit-box-pack:space-around;-ms-flex-pack:space-around;-webkit-justify-content:space-around;justify-content:space-around;margin-top:calc(-12px/2);margin-bottom:calc(-12px/2);}.css-zdjvqv:before,.css-zdjvqv:after{content:”;display:block;}.css-1meuhfk{display:-webkit-inline-box;display:-webkit-inline-flex;display:-ms-inline-flexbox;display:inline-flex;margin-top:calc(12px/2);margin-bottom:calc(12px/2);}
      Another gasped “did you see that?”, while others simply screamed at the shocking spectacle unfolding in front of them.
      Local police were reportedly called to the scene after the race, but there has been no confirmation any charges were filed.
      The teen eventually rose to his feet and was able to reach the finish line. More

    • 138 Shares129 Views

      in Basket

      For NBA Twitter's Josiah Johnson, It's All Jokes. Lots of Them.

      by

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      WOODLAND HILLS, Calif. — Josiah Johnson crafts most of his jokes in a comfortable room tucked in the back of his Southern California home. There is no complex setup.The room’s décor includes an array of sports books, shoe boxes and a light blue University of California, Los Angeles basketball chair from when he played for the team. A plump brown couch takes up much of the space. Above it is a painting of LeBron James in a Los Angeles Lakers jersey by Rod Benson, a former college basketball player. A photo of the deceased rapper Nipsey Hussle hangs over a bed in a corner.This is Johnson’s makeshift office, where he posts most of the memes, funny images and videos he uses to satirize current events in sports and pop culture. His comedic efforts have made him one of the most popular personalities on Twitter, with the handle KingJosiah54.Johnson considers himself a modest one-man social media company, where much of the work of watching live sports and posting about them is done with his feet propped up, iPhone in hand, comfy T-shirt and shorts on.“I just want no frills in how I operate and move,” Johnson, 39, said. “At the end of the day, social is what the name implies — just being social. How would you talk to your friends normally? Would it be a whole elaborate setup? No. It’s just a phone wherever you’re at, and being able to use that technology to be able to communicate with the entire world.”Josiah Johnson said he has a couple thousand clips and images saved in an album to use for memes and jokes.Rozette Rago for The New York TimesAnyone involved in #NBATwitter — the community of hoops fans who celebrate, and argue about, basketball daily — has come across one of Johnson’s memes. He pokes fun with references from movies and TV shows, well-known and obscure. He has a keen ability to find humor in even the most serious situations, like the vaccination status of Nets guard Kyrie Irving or the fraught relationship between Ben Simmons and the Philadelphia 76ers.“I’m getting some satire off in a way that they may laugh, but it’ll make them think as well,” Johnson said.Johnson, who is Black, knows his jokes aren’t for everyone — and he doesn’t care. He often pulls from elements of Black culture that haven’t been appropriated, and thus may sail over the heads of non-Black sports fans. Many of his memes are nuanced references to shows specific to his own interests, like the drama series “The Wire” or the sports movie “White Men Can’t Jump” (his father, Marques Johnson, is in the movie).“I’ve just really built a devoted following with people that I’m super appreciative of that get the joke, too,” Josiah Johnson said. “I’m almost 40 years old, so I do a lot of stuff from my lane. And that could be problematic for kids who are looking at me as an old geezer. They don’t get a lot of the references, so they don’t understand why people are laughing at them.”Locker rooms and movie sets characterized Johnson’s early life.He was a forward at U.C.L.A. in the early 2000s on teams that included future N.B.A. players like Matt Barnes, Jason Kapono and Trevor Ariza.Johnson always had a unique sense of humor and a big, energetic personality, though he could be reserved and almost seem shy at times, said Steve Lavin, who coached Johnson at U.C.L.A. and is now a college basketball analyst. Lavin added that Johnson brought an authentic lightheartedness to a high-pressured environment where winning was expected.“He doesn’t have to say anything,” Lavin said. “It could be the expression on his face or knowing what he’s thinking. You could tell the mind was always at work.”Johnson said he was allowed to keep this U.C.L.A. chair from when he played basketball after he graduated.Rozette Rago for The New York TimesJohnson didn’t play much, but he spent four seasons on U.C.L.A.’s men’s basketball team in the early 2000s.Stephen Dunn/Getty ImagesJohnson’s father also played for U.C.L.A., under John Wooden in the 1970s, and spent over a decade in the N.B.A., mostly with the Bucks and Clippers. The Johnsons were close with the family of Marques Johnson’s Clippers teammate, Norm Nixon, and Nixon’s wife, the producer and choreographer Debbie Allen. So Johnson spent many afternoons on the set of the sitcom “A Different World,” which Allen produced. Johnson’s mother, Jocelyn, was an extra.Those experiences nurtured Johnson’s love for entertainment. He cocreated the Comedy Central animated sitcom “Legends of Chamberlain Heights,” which lasted two seasons. During the show, Johnson studied how programs like “South Park,” “Game of Thrones” and “Insecure” used social media to build fan loyalty and followed that formula to amass nearly 100,000 followers on the “Chamberlain Heights” social media page. That was the impetus for generating his own following of over 200,000 accounts across Twitter and Instagram.His content has caught the attention of everyone from athletes to filmmakers. LeBron James, whom Johnson has followed closely since learning that James sat in his U.C.L.A. chair during a 2003 high school tournament, may be one of Johnson’s biggest fans. He often retweets Johnson’s jokes and has referred to him using the goat emoji, a symbol of greatness. Johnson has one of James’s tweets to him printed out and placed on a shelf.In 2019, Johnson posted a meme representing the N.F.L. players Antonio Brown and Josh Gordon as two characters from the thriller “Get Out.” Jordan Peele, the film’s creator, saw the tweet and replied to it.“You win, Josiah,” Peele wrote in a tweet that Johnson has printed on a T-shirt hanging in his closet.“That really launched this thing to where it is,” Johnson said. Peele followed him on Twitter and the two communicated via direct messages. “I just thanked him so much for giving people like myself the opportunity to be successful,” Johnson said, adding later: “If I went to my agents and was like, ‘Get me a meeting with Jordan Peele,’ they’d laugh in my face. But if I put up a tweet that can get Jordan Peele’s attention. I can have him come to me. So that’s the thing that for social, that really kind of opened my eyes.”Johnson’s social media content has yielded numerous outside opportunities, including a podcast called “Outta Pocket” that he co-hosts on Wave.tv. He also has a writing role on the Netflix series “Colin in Black and White,” based on the life of the former N.F.L. quarterback Colin Kaepernick and produced by Kaepernick and the filmmaker Ava DuVernay.Johnson’s ascension coincides with a rise of content creators who post on social media and make money off nearly every aspect of their lives. He said he sees situations “in meme form.” When something happens in sports or pop culture, Johnson knows where to look in his photo album with of a couple thousand clips and images.“A lot of times, I’m like, ‘Damn, did I just see that?’” Johnson said. “And it’s like, ‘Yep, I did, so everybody else did too. So I’ve got to get it out as fast as possible.’”He has become known as much for his speed as his wit.“Josiah Johnson is one of those folks that legitimately stopped the timeline,” said TJ Adeshola, who leads the United States sports division at Twitter. “When Josiah has a tweet, it’s always timely. It’s always hilarious. It’s always at the perfect moment.”Twitter has paired Johnson with brands and pays him to make appearances on Twitter’s N.B.A. show called “NBA Twitter Live,” which the social media company hosts with Turner Sports.Johnson in his typical tweeting attire.Rozette Rago for The New York TimesThe N.B.A., with its bold personalities and resulting drama, is distinct among professional sports leagues in the way it has cultivated a fan culture that routinely births instant-classic comedic moments that are widely shared across social media.“There’s always going to be something funny to pick up on,” said Tyler Puryear, a close friend of Johnson’s and another popular social media personality. He is better known by his Twitter handle, DragonflyJonez, an homage to a character on the ’90s sitcom “Martin.”Like Johnson, Puryear gained notoriety by making fun of almost anything, or anyone, in the N.B.A. news cycle. That comedic element, Puryear said, puts the sport’s competitiveness in perspective.“You can’t ever lose sight of the fact that it’s just a game. It’s just a sport,” he said. “It’s a bunch of dudes in tank tops and shorts throwing a leather pouch at an aluminum ring.”That view has made room for Johnson’s success.“That’s where he’s masterful at this whole Twitter thing, is that he can reach a common ground and pull us in, and have us laugh there,” Puryear said. “And I think that’s the best possible way to use Twitter.” More

    • 213 Shares189 Views

      in Soccer

      I had to delete Twitter because of racist trolls – these people need help, says Jermaine Jenas

      by

      HIS good-natured grin and expert insights have made him a favourite with fans of TV’s Match Of The Day.But now Jermaine Jenas has told for the first time of the shocking racist abuse he was subjected to while commentating during Euro 2020, which led to him calling the police.
      Footie star Jermaine Jenas reveals for the first time of the shocking racist abuse he was subjected to while commentating during Euro 2020Credit: Flicker Productions
      The laid-back man and former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder, even called the policeCredit: PA:Press Association
      The former footie ace and One Show host is urging social media giants to clamp down on trolls.
      Jermaine has joined forces with the Football Policing Unit — set up in conjunction with the Home Office — and has spent the past 12 months researching racism for a new Channel 4 documentary, sharing the frustrations of the country’s elite footballers.
      The former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder even came face to face with a generic online abuser on Hunting The Football Trolls – after two trolls who had personally abused him, personally, were rules out on grounds of mental health. 
      Jermaine, 38, says: “These unregulated platforms, where people can be anonymous, have become like the black market of racism. I got a lot of abuse commentating during the Euros, which wasn’t nice.
      “Pretty much any game I did, I was trending on Twitter afterwards — a lot of it was racial abuse, some of it just abuse for no reason. It got to the point — after the third game, I think — where I had to delete Twitter. It wasn’t a healthy place for me to be.
      “I’m quite a laid-back person, quite relaxed and I have strong self-belief. But for the first time, I found myself acting a bit differently, being a lot more sensitive when people were trying to have a laugh or a joke with me. After the tournament, there were a couple of tweets that the police highlighted — ones that were directly racist.

      Learn and change
      “So I’m currently going through the process of trying to get some form of punishment for those two people. The police have tracked them down, and I’ve given my statement.
      “Unfortunately these things take time, so who knows if and when they will be charged. There does need to be more of a deterrent — be it a fine, a custodial sentence or some sort of reform, giving education and help to these people, so they can learn and change for good.”
      In the run-up to Euro 2020, as lockdown hit and fans were kept out of stadiums, reported online abuse against footballers soared by 48 per cent. England’s own success at the tournament, where they made their first final in 55 years, was unquestionably soured by fighting in the ground, and the horrendous trolling of young stars Marcus Rashford, Bukayo Saka and Jadon Sancho in the wake of their penalty misses.
      Depressingly, Jermaine reveals he recently tried lodging a formal complaint with Instagram after being labelled a “half-caste c***” — but, staggeringly, was told the language did not break rules.
      He adds: “I went through the whole process, sent an email, everything, after someone called me that — it rocked me. I hadn’t heard that term since I was maybe eight years old. And Instagram came back to me and said it wasn’t against the community guidelines.
      “This is why so many players are so disillusioned. I spoke to Kyle Walker in the documentary and so many footballers are feeling very disheartened — they don’t feel empowered to do anything.
      I’m currently going through the process of trying to get some form of punishment for those two people. The police have tracked them down, and I’ve given my statement.Jermaine Jenas
      “They think, ‘I get racial abuse but what’s the point in me taking action, taking nine hours out of a couple of rest days, when nothing is going to happen?’
      “And from the clubs’ perspective, it deters them from wanting to get involved as much. They want their players ready for a Saturday afternoon. They want them fit and mentally ready to go.
      “They don’t want them in police stations giving statements every two minutes.”
      In the documentary, Jermaine meets an unidentified 22-year-old man to quiz him on his previous online racial abuse. It makes for uncomfortable viewing.
      The star suffered a career-ending cruciate ligament rupture in 2014 while playing for Queens Park Rangers. As a gifted box-to-box midfielder, the ace made his full Three Lions debut in 2003 — the same year he was named PFA Young Player Of The Year.
      He helped Tottenham win the Carling Cup in 2008, and went on to play 21 times for his country.
      Monkey chants
      In his heyday, Instagram was in its infancy. But the abuse he received was every bit as sinister, especially after a North London derby. Incredibly, Arsenal fans at his mobile phone provider would dish out his number to fans who would then ring and leave vile messages.
      He explains: “Somebody at the phone company where my mobile was registered at the time would hand out my number, and it would spread among opposition fans. I’d finish the 90 minutes, look at my phone and have 20 voicemails saying, ‘Jenas, you black this’ or ‘Jenas, you N-word’ — every kind of racial slur you can think of. I had to keep changing my number, it was awful.”
      He also reveals his worst ever footballing experience was in 2004 when playing for England against Spain at the Bernabeu stadium. England lost 1-0 but the game will be remembered more for the monstrous monkey chants hurled at the team’s black players “every time we touched the ball”.
      He adds: “That was the worst feeling being on a football pitch. I just thought, ‘Why are we here?’ ” Naturally, Jermaine agrees with players taking the knee before games and applauds current England players including Tyrone Mings, Raheem Sterling and Rashford for speaking so eloquently about the subject.
      “I’ve never been so attached to a team as I am this current England team,” he says. Everything they do, everything they stand for, the way they play. They have big shoulders, they take responsibility and they are quite happy to discuss social issues or big racial issues.
      “And we have a manager who gives them the freedom to do that. I actually love this team.” After formally announcing his retirement nearly six years ago, Jermaine has become a household name thanks to a regular slot on MoTD.
      Last year he made the successful transition from football pundit to bona fide broadcaster — and showbusiness celebrity — after landing a co-hosting role on BBC’s The One Show alongside Alex Jones.
      Surreally for a lad who grew up on a tough council estate in Nottingham, he has gone on to interview stars including Dolly Parton, Jennifer Aniston and Annie Lennox.
      ‘I look up to Gary’
      But Jermaine credits his “forward-thinking” parents, Dennis and Lynette, for helping him stay grounded — and sane in the face of racial abuse.
      He explains: “I was the son of a black dad and a white mum, and she’d be called a n****er-lover in the street when I was a child, walking by her side.” Of his former semi-professional footballing father, Jermaine adds: “He told me the best way to ignore the taunts in the stands was to score a goal. He was more a Martin Luther King than a Malcolm X.”
      Jermaine, a keen home cook and gym devotee, has been tipped to replace MoTD host Gary Lineker should the ex-England striker decide to hang up his microphone.
      Jermaine’s a big fan of the 60-year-old Leicester legend, and credits him with helping his career.
      Chatting from his home in London, where he lives with wife Ellie and their three children, the devoted family man says: “Gary is somebody I’ve always looked up to as a presenter, and someone I’ve loved working with.
      “I remember one of my first One Show gigs, I had a bit of a sticky moment and I knew I could have handled it better, and Gary reached out, messaged me and said, ‘Look, just a bit of advice; if this happens again, try doing this’.
      Match Of The Day is the biggest job on television, and if I ever got the opportunity of course I’d say yes.Jermaine Jenas
      “He’d tell me what he used to do when he was first starting out, and I always appreciated that. He went out of his way to help me. Gary is like the Des Lynam of my era, let’s make him feel nice and old!
      “Match Of The Day is the biggest job on television, and if I ever got the opportunity of course I’d say yes. When Gary decides to call it a day, I’m sure the BBC will have a look around and decide who’s the best fit for the job.
      “Obviously I’d be absolutely delighted if it was me. But Gary’s not going anywhere.”

      Hunting The Football Trolls: Jermaine Jenas, airs Thursday at 10pm on Channel 4.

      The former footie ace and One Show host, 38, is urging social media giants to clamp down on trollsCredit: Flicker Productions
      Jermaine, here with wife Ellie, says ‘It got to the point — after the third game, I think — where I had to delete Twitter. It wasn’t a healthy place for me to be’Credit: Rex
      The star, here as a pundit on Match Of The Day, reveals ‘Gary is somebody I’ve always looked up to as a presenter, and someone I’ve loved working with’
      The One Show’s Jermaine Jenas winces as he makes nightmare Martin Clunes name blunder More

    • 138 Shares99 Views

      in Soccer

      How Facebook Failed to Stem Racist Abuse of England’s Soccer Players

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      In May 2019, Facebook asked the organizing bodies of English soccer to its London offices off Regent’s Park. On the agenda: what to do about the growing racist abuse on the social network against Black soccer players.At the meeting, Facebook gave representatives from four of England’s main soccer organizations — the Football Association, the Premier League, the English Football League and the Professional Footballers’ Association — what they felt was a brushoff, two people with knowledge of the conversation said. Company executives told the group that they had many issues to deal with, including content about terrorism and child sex abuse.A few months later, Facebook provided soccer representatives with an athlete safety guide, including directions on how players could shield themselves from bigotry using its tools. The message was clear: It was up to the players and the clubs to protect themselves online.The interactions were the start of what became a more than two-year campaign by English soccer to pressure Facebook and other social media companies to rein in online hate speech against their players. Soccer officials have since met numerous times with the platforms, sent an open letter calling for change and organized social media boycotts. Facebook’s employees have joined in, demanding that it to do more to stop the harassment.The pressure intensified after the European Championship last month, when three of England’s Black players were subjected to torrents of racial epithets on social media for missing penalty kicks in the final game’s decisive shootout. Prince William condemned the hate, and the British prime minister, Boris Johnson, threatened regulation and fines for companies that continued to permit racist abuse. Inside Facebook, the incident was escalated to a “Site Event 1,” the equivalent of a companywide five-alarm fire.Jadon Sancho, who missed a penalty kick during England’s loss in the European Championship final last month, was embraced by the team’s manager, Gareth Southgate.Pool photo by Laurence GriffithsYet as the Premier League, England’s top division, opens its season on Friday, soccer officials said that the social media companies — especially Facebook, the largest — hadn’t taken the issue seriously enough and that players were again steeling themselves for online hate.“Football is a growing global market that includes clubs, brands, sponsors and fans who are all tired of the obvious lack of desire from the tech giants to develop in-platform solutions for the issues we are dealing with daily,” said Simone Pound, head of equality, diversity and inclusion for the Professional Footballers’ Association, the players’ union.The impasse with English soccer is another instance of Facebook’s failing to solve speech problems on its platform, even after it was made aware of the level of abuse. While Facebook has introduced some measures to mitigate the harassment, soccer officials said they were insufficient.Social media companies aren’t doing enough “because the pain hasn’t become enough for them,” said Sanjay Bhandari, the chair of Kick It Out, an organization that supports equality in soccer.This season, Facebook is trying again. Its Instagram photo-sharing app rolled out new features on Wednesday to make racist material harder to view, according to a blog post. Among them, one will let users hide potentially harassing comments and messages from accounts that either don’t follow or recently followed them.“The unfortunate reality is that tackling racism on social media, much like tackling racism in society, is complex,” Karina Newton, Instagram’s global head of public policy, said in a statement. “We’ve made important strides, many of which have been driven by our discussions with groups being targeted with abuse, like the U.K. football community.”But Facebook executives also privately acknowledge that racist speech against English soccer players is likely to continue. “No one thing will fix this challenge overnight,” Steve Hatch, Facebook’s director for Britain and Ireland, wrote last month in an internal note that The Times reviewed.Some players appear resigned to the abuse. Four days after the European Championship final, Bukayo Saka, 19, one of the Black players who missed penalty kicks for England, posted on Twitter and Instagram that the “powerful platforms are not doing enough to stop these messages” and called it a “sad reality.”Around the same time, Facebook employees continued to report hateful comments to their employer on Mr. Saka’s posts in an effort to get them taken down. One that was reported — an Instagram comment that read, “Bro stay in Africa” — apparently did not violate the platform’s rules, according to the automated moderation system. It stayed up.#EnoughMuch of the racist abuse in English soccer has been directed at Black superstars in the Premier League, such as Raheem Sterling and Marcus Rashford. About 30 percent of players in the Premier League are Black, Mr. Bhandari said.Over time, these players have been harassed at soccer stadiums and on Facebook, where users are asked to provide their real names, and on Instagram and Twitter, which allows users to be anonymous. In April 2019, fed up with the behavior, some players and two former captains of the national team, David Beckham and Wayne Rooney, took part in a 24-hour social media boycott, posting red badges on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook with the hashtag #Enough.A month later, English soccer officials held their first meeting with Facebook — and came away disappointed. Facebook said that “feedback from the meeting was taken on board and influenced further policy, product and enforcement efforts.”Tensions ratcheted up last year after the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. When the Premier League restarted in June 2020 after a 100-day coronavirus hiatus, athletes from all 20 clubs began each match by taking a knee. Players continued the symbolic act last season and said they would also kneel this season.That has stoked more online abuse. In January, Mr. Rashford used Twitter to call out “humanity and social media at its worst” for the bigoted messages he had received. Two of his Manchester United teammates, who are also Black, were targeted on Instagram with monkey emojis — which are meant to dehumanize — after a loss.Inside Facebook, employees took note of the surge in racist speech. In one internal forum meant for flagging negative press to the communications department, one employee started cataloging articles about English soccer players who had been abused on Facebook’s platforms. By February, the list had grown to about 20 different news clips in a single month, according to a company document seen by The Times.Marcus Rashford kneeling in support of the Black Lives Matter movement before a Manchester United match in March.Pool photo by Peter PowellEnglish soccer organizations continued meeting with Facebook. This year, organizers also brought Twitter into the conversations, forming what became known as the Online Hate Working Group.But soccer officials grew frustrated at the lack of progress, they said. There was no indication that Facebook’s and Twitter’s top leaders were aware of the abuse, said Edleen John, who heads international relations and corporate affairs for the Football Association, England’s governing body for the sport. She and others began discussing writing an open letter to Mark Zuckerberg and Jack Dorsey, the chief executives of Facebook and Twitter.“Why don’t we try to communicate and get meetings with individuals right at the top of the organization and see if that will make change?” Ms. John said in an interview, explaining the thinking.In February, the chief executives of the Premier League, the Football Association and other groups published a 580-word letter to Mr. Zuckerberg and Mr. Dorsey accusing them of “inaction” against racial abuse. They demanded that the companies block racist and discriminatory content before it was sent or posted. They also pushed for user identity verification so offenders could be rooted out.But, Ms. John said, “we didn’t get a response” from Mr. Zuckerberg or Mr. Dorsey. In April, English soccer organizations, players and brands held a four-day boycott of social media.Twitter, which declined to comment, said in a blog post about racism on Tuesday that it had been “appalled by those who targeted players from the England football team with racist abuse following the Euro 2020 Final.”Messages of support adorning a mural of Mr. Rashford that was defaced after Italy defeated England for the European championship.Lindsey Parnaby/Agence France-Presse — Getty ImagesAt Facebook, members of the policy team, which sets the rules around what content stays up or comes down, pushed back against the demands from soccer officials, three people with knowledge of the conversations said.They argued that terms or symbols used for racist abuse — such as a monkey emoji — could have different meanings depending on the context and should not be banned completely. Identity verification could also undermine anonymity on Instagram and create new problems for users, they argued.In April, Facebook announced a privacy setting called Hidden Words to automatically filter out messages and comments containing offensive words, phrases and emojis. Those comments cannot then be easily seen by the account user and will be hidden from those who follow the account. A month later, Instagram also began a test that allowed a slice of its users in the United States, South Africa, Brazil, Australia and Britain to flag “racist language or activity,” according to documents reviewed by The Times.The test generated hundreds of reports. One internal spreadsheet outlining the results included a tab titled “Dehumanization_Monkey/Primate.” It had more than 30 examples of comments using bigoted terms and emojis of monkeys, gorillas and bananas in connection with Black people.‘The Onus Is on Them’In the hours after England lost the European Championship final to Italy on July 11, racist comments against the players who missed penalty kicks — Mr. Saka, Mr. Rashford and Jadon Sancho — escalated. That set off a “site event” at Facebook, eventually triggering the kind of emergency associated with a major system outage of the site.Facebook employees rushed to internal forums to say they had reported monkey emojis or other degrading stereotypes. Some workers asked if they could volunteer to help sort through content or moderate comments for high-profile accounts.“We get this stream of utter bile every match, and it’s even worse when someone black misses,” one employee wrote on an internal forum.Gianluigi Donnarumma of Italy stopping Mr. Sancho’s penalty kick. England missed three of five penalty kicks, giving Italy the victory after play ended with the score tied.Laurence Griffiths/Getty ImagesBut the employees’ reports of racist speech were often met with automated messages saying the posts did not violate the company’s guidelines. Executives also provided talking points to employees that said Facebook had worked “swiftly to remove comments and accounts directing abuse at England’s footballers.”In one internal comment, Jerry Newman, Facebook’s director of sports partnerships for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, reminded workers that the company had introduced the Hidden Words feature so users could filter out offensive words or symbols. It was the players’ responsibility to use the feature, he wrote.“Ultimately the onus is on them to go into Instagram and input which emojis/words they don’t want to feature,” Mr. Newman said. Other Facebook executives said monkey emojis were not typically used negatively. If the company filtered certain terms out for everyone, they added, people might miss important messages.Adam Mosseri, Instagram’s chief executive, later said the platform could have done better, tweeting in response to a BBC reporter that the app “mistakenly” marked some of the racist comments as “benign.”Adam Mosseri, head of Instagram, told the BBC that the app had “mistakenly” marked some racist comments as “benign.”Ricky Rhodes for The New York TimesBut Facebook also defended itself in a blog post. The company said it had removed 25 million pieces of hate content in the first three months of the year, while Instagram took down 6.3 million pieces, or 93 percent before a user reported it.Kelly Hogarth, who helps manage Mr. Rashford’s off-field activities, said he had no plans to leave social media, which serves as an important channel to fans. Still, she questioned how much of the burden should be on athletes to monitor abuse.“At what point does responsibility come off the player?” she wondered. She added, “I wouldn’t be under any illusions we will be in exactly the same place, having exactly the same conversation next season.” More