CrossFit has become one of the most popular fitness organizations over the last decade, but the organization is now facing severe backlash from affiliate gyms, members, and its top sponsor, Reebok, after CEO Greg Glassman posted insensitive and remarks on Twitter regarding racism and George Floyd.

A tweet from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation called racism and discrimination “critical pubic health issues,” to which Glassman replied on his verified @CrossFitCEO account that it was “Floyd-19,” a wildly insensitive and offensive tweet, downplaying both racism and the killing of Floyd and the COVID-19 pandemic.

On Sunday, Reebok announced they were ending their partnership with CrossFit over the tweet, issuing a statement noting that they would no longer enter into negotiations to extend their deal with CrossFit that ends this year after Glassman’s comments, via Footwear News.

“Our partnership with CrossFit HQ comes to an end later this year. Recently, we have been in discussions regarding a new agreement, however, in light of recent events, we have made the decision to end our partnership with CrossFit HQ. We will fulfill our remaining contractual obligations in 2020. We owe this to the CrossFit Games competitors, fans and the community.

“What doesn’t change is our commitment and dedication to CrossFitters and the passionate CrossFit community. We’re so thankful for the strong bonds we’ve created with coaches, box owners and athletes around the world over the past 10 years. We want to especially thank Dave Castro, Nicole Carroll, Andy Stumpf, Steve Weiss and Jimi Letchford, who were instrumental in ensuring Reebok was welcomed by the community, so that we could do our part to help more people improve their lives through fitness.”

Given that, aside from their UFC deal, CrossFit was Reebok’s biggest partner, this is a significant move. As the statement notes, they will not be exiting the marketplace and will still focus heavily on training shoes and apparel, but will no longer be a lead sponsor for the official CrossFit organization.

Not only is Reebok jumping ship, but some gyms across the country are announcing they are disaffiliating from the CrossFit brand.

On Saturday J.K. Rowling decided to make some controversial comments about trans people. The author — one of the most successful of her kind in history — took to her frequently updated Twitter account to share a story about creating better gender equality in our future post-Covid world. But she didn’t just tweet it out. She also, despite being a friend of the gay community, added a joke about trans people.

‘People who menstruate.’ I’m sure there used to be a word for those people,” the author of the Harry Potter series tweeted. “Someone help me out. Wumben? Wimpund? Woomud?”

This did not go over well. Rowling may have created one of the most popular franchise in the modern world, but that did not protect her from people righteously angry that she’d say something insensitive about people who are already targets for harassment and violence. So, as many celebrities do when they say something that is, to put it mildly, deeply unpopular, she explained herself by way of doubling down.

“If sex isn’t real, there’s no same-sex attraction,” Rowling wrote about a half hour later. “If sex isn’t real, the lived reality of women globally is erased. I know and love trans people, but erasing the concept of sex removes the ability of many to meaningfully discuss their lives. It isn’t hate to speak the truth.”

Rowling then tried to back-pedal a bit, claiming that labeling her anti-trans is “nonsense,” and that she’s “been empathetic to trans people for decades, feeling kinship because they’re vulnerable in the same way as women – ie, to male violence.” She concluded by saying, “I respect every trans person’s right to live any way that feels authentic and comfortable to them. I’d march with you if you were discriminated against on the basis of being trans. At the same time, my life has been shaped by being female. I do not believe it’s hateful to say so.”

Many disagreed. Rowling was roundly condemned by the trans community and its allies, among them Jameela Jamil, whose response was simple: She asked the fabulously wealthy author to prove that she stood with trans people by charitably donating to a GoFundMe for homeless black trans women.

Jamil also made sure to underline the absurdity of a wildly popular author putting her legacy on the line in such a fashion.

Jonathan Van Ness was more outspoken in his outrage.

As was Sarah Paulson.

And Anthony Rapp.

GLAAD criticized her by directing attention to a number of organizations help black trans people.

This isn’t the first time Rowling has been criticized for aligning herself with anti-trans beliefs. Last December she publicly sided with a researcher who was fired for making comments against the trans community, prompting a blacklash that, all in all, wasn’t as large as this.

Among the many things to be affected by the coronavirus have been the cancellation of graduation ceremonies across the country. High school and college students in the class of 2020 have been left to celebrate their accomplishments through Zoom meetings, with the hope that in-person ceremonies can be held in the fall. To make the deprivation of this ceremony less painful, Barack Obama has joined forces with YouTube Originals for a series of Dear Class of 2020 livestreams, which have already seen appearances from Taylor Swift, Michelle Obama, Justin Timberlake, Lizzo, Billie Eilish and more.

Beyonce is the latest to join the livestream. The singer began her speech by asking the graduates to thank their community for helping them reach this life achievement. “Please remember to take a little bit of time to give thanks to your family members and the community who’s been such a big support system for you,” she said. “You are achieving things your parents and grandparents never could imagine for themselves. You are the answer to a generation of prayers.”

Beyonce then urged them to continue chasing their dreams and to let “that vulnerability motivate you into greatness.” Lastly, Beyonce used the recent protests all across the country to show what the results of coming together could look like. “Look what you’ve been able to do in the last 14 days,” she said. “We’ve seen the power of the collective. We’ve seen what happens when we join for the same cause. Please, continue to be the voice for the voiceless.”

You can watch Beyonce’s speech in the video above, and you can tune into the Dear Class Of 2020 livestream at the top of this post to hear words from Megan Thee Stallion, Demi Lovato, Katy Perry, Barack Obama, and more.

View Entire Post ›

View Entire Post ›

The NFL surprised everyone when the league, which has frequently attempted to avoid anything that could be seen as political, put out a video statement from Roger Goodell supporting the Black Lives Matter movement. Ever since Colin Kaepernick began silently protesting police brutality during the national anthem, the league has pushed back against players using their platform on the field to make statements — with Kaepernick finding himself out of the league for making a stand.

With the killing of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police, multiple players have spoken out since in an effort to make their voices heard. Many have pushed their organizations to put out statements and to stand with them, while also being unafraid to confront those in the league like Drew Brees that have continued to misconstrue the point of those protests.

As teams across the league did so, the NFL put out its own statement that lacked the words the NFL’s black players were looking for and led to backlash from those some players. While many were demanding a stronger message from the NFL, a different video posted by a number of stars across the league came out pushing the NFL to make a stronger statement.

It turns out that the way that video came to be was secretly organized by a member of the NFL social team. A rogue member of the league, Bryan Minter, secretly contacted Michael Thomas of the New Orleans Saints. His message was that he wanted to put pressure on the league to make a statement. Via Yahoo! Sports.

“Hey Mike,” it began.

Bryndon Minter wasn’t sure Saints receiver Michael Thomas would even read the message. He knew it could get him fired. He continued anyway.

“Want to help you create content to be heard around the league,” Minter wrote. “I’m a NFL social employee and am embarrassed by how the league has been silent this week. The NFL hasn’t condemned racism. The NFL hasn’t said that Black Lives Matter.

“I want [to] help you put the pressure on. And arm you with a video that expresses YOUR voice and [what] you want from the League. Give me a holler if you’re interested in working together, thanks bro!”

After Minter received interest from Thomas and other NFL players he got to work on putting the video together. Within 24 hours the video was out there and it was now up to the NFL to decide how they wanted to respond. By Friday they had the video of Goodell giving the players their support. The pressure the players and Minter wanted to put on the league had worked.

Minter later met with NFL execs for a meeting expecting to lose his job. Instead, he had what he described as a “productive conversation” and believes that progress is on the way.

“It’s clear, at least to me, that they’re trying to get on the right path, both internally and externally. Both with the people who root for the teams on Sunday and with the employees, especially employees of color, who make this league run. Because you can’t talk out of both sides of your mouth. You can’t have a league that’s 70 percent black and have no stance when it comes to this. … So the real lesson here is that there’s a human side to this league that I hope, and I pray, we embrace going forward.

“I think it’s a turning point,” he concludes. “I think it’s a turning point.”

While many are hopeful with the NFL’s words we also know that actions speak louder. Until their actions meet their words there is going to be a healthy amount of skepticism, but we can surely expect to find out later this year as players have made it clear they will once again bring peaceful protests to the field.

Following his release from prison in early April, Tekashi 69 dove head-first into the flamboyant and viral-seeking antics he left behind when he was sentenced back in December of 2019. From snitching jokes to his “Gooba” single to accusations of Billboard chart bias, Tekashi has managed to stay in headlines since his release simply by making it hard for us to turn away. Back on social media, Tekashi previewed another single, this time featuring Akon, and fans are not happy about its existence.

Kicking it in the studio together, Akon and Tekashi 69 showcased a new remix of Akon’s 2004 track “Locked Up.” The remix features a new verse from Tekashi that finds him briefly speaking about his time in prison, fighting with his lawyer in hopes of gaining a better offer, and his regrets as a whole. Moments after the song arrived on social media, fans quickly fired shots at the song while condemning Akon for working with Tekashi.

https://twitter.com/KingMcQueen7/status/1269682811226804224?s=20

Others were a bit too distracted by Tekashi’s hair to deliver their first shots at Akon. Sitting by the Senegal singer, Tekashi dawned a long and colorful wig that took viewers by surprise upon playing the video.

Tekashi’s latest preview comes after he called the late Pop Smoke a “great talent” during a 45-minute livestream with DJ Akademiks.

There have been a number of current and former athletes that have spoken out against systemic racism and police brutality over the past two weeks following the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police.

Many have used their platform to continue spreading the message that racial injustice is a significant issue in the U.S. that impacts everyone in the Black community, including those at the top of the sports world. Michael Jordan has never been known as an athlete that speaks much on social and political issues, as he has been more likely to offer a quiet, but sizable donation in the past. This time, however, Jordan has made sure his mouth and his wallet are heard, as he issued a strong statement condemning police violence and racism, which he followed up with a $100 million pledge from he and Jordan Brand over the next decade.

While the organizations that will receive that funding are still being figured out, Jordan gave a rare interview to Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer about why he spoke up so strongly this time and what moved him to make his $100 million pledge.

“We have been beaten down (as African Americans) for so many years. It sucks your soul. You can’t accept it anymore. This is a tipping point. We need to make a stand. We’ve got to be better as a society regarding race.”

When asked what has to happen for racist behaviors to change, he, like many others, noted it starts with white people understanding the inequalities that exist and taking steps to help, rather than turning a blind eye.

“Face up to your demons. Extend a hand. Understand the inequalities. Sure, it’s about bargaining for better policing, but it’s more. We have encountered racism to be somewhat acceptable in certain circles.”

The interview makes it clear that education will be at the forefront of where the money goes to, as he notes education is what offers the best chance to “stand up on your own.” Beyond that, Jordan explains why he’s helped build a pair of low-cost health clinics in under-served neighborhoods in Charlotte, as those are places that can really impact change in a community and indicates the type of thought that will be put into ensuring that the money he pledges goes to funding things that can have sustainable, long-term impacts on communities.

NXT TakeOver In Your House airs this Sunday, June 7, live on WWE Network. The most recent edition of TakeOver features a “Last Chance Backlot Brawl” for the NXT Championship, a triple threat for the Women’s Championship, Gargano vs. Lee for the North American Championship, and more. We’ll be here all night with a live discussion thread — you’re in it right now! — and results. Here’s the complete card:

NXT TakeOver: In Your House Card

1. Last Chance Backlot Brawl (If Dream loses, he can no longer challenge for the NXT Championship while Cole is still champion): Adam Cole (c) vs. Velveteen Dream
2. Triple Threat Match for the NXT Women’s Championship: Charlotte Flair (c) vs. Rhea Ripley vs. Io Shirai
3. Tommaso Ciampa vs. Karrion Kross
4. North American Championship Match: Keith Lee (c) vs. Johnny Gargano
5. Mia Yim, Shotzi Blackheart and Tegan Nox vs. Candice LeRae, Dakota Kai and Raquel Gonzalez
6. Finn Bálor vs. Damian Priest

If you’d like to read our predictions and analysis for all six matches on the card, you can do that here.

Make sure to give your favorite comments from tonight’s open discussion a thumbs up, as we’ll include ten of the best, funniest, or most insightful in tomorrow’s Best and Worst of NXT TakeOver In Your House column. Be sure to flip your comments to “newest” in the drop-down menu, and enjoy the show!

While all celebrities are not superheroes, Gunna will certainly not settle for normalcy and a regular life. The ATL rapper cleared a few hurdles in his way in 2020 and released his latest album, Wunna, a few months later than most originally anticipated. Despite the delay, Gunna notched a No. 1 spot on the Billboard album charts with the album. Continuing to promote the album a little over two weeks after its release, Gunna looks to showcase his superpowers with a new action figure.

Showcasing the action figure on his Instagram page, the Wunna Mann character emulates the animated character pictured on the cover of Wunna. Labeled as The Warrior Communicator, the packaging of the Wunna Man action figure reveals superb being’s true motivation.

“Gunna is Wunna. He’s wealthy, he’s unapologetic, and he got the D R I P. The life purpose of Wunna is to be seen, be heard, and communicate. Through his new project he will reflect this purpose in a warrior like manner — energetically, outspoken and recklessly, while shining his brightest light to others.”

The Wunna Mann packaging also reveals the inhabitants of WunnaWorld, that being Young Thug and producers Wheezy, Turbo, Taurus, and Aviator Keys. In addition to teasing the action figure, Gunna also revealed that the deluxe version for Wunna is on the way, but a release date or possible features have yet to have been revealed.

Check out the Instagram post above for a preview of the Wunna Mann action figure.