The NRA Thinks You Should Probably Kill Doug Flutie

Written by Brandon Stroud / 02.01.13
Doug Flutie card

A threat to our national security.

Gun control debates are at an all-time high. Some people think we should regulate guns to keep bullets from flying out of them and murdering people. Others think guns are our constitutional right, the last thing standing between us and Barack Obama sending drones shaped like British soldiers to our doors to forcibly remove our freedom. Others still wish social media didn’t exist so they wouldn’t have to hear what every person they have ever met thinks should be done about guns.

Back in September, the NRA-ILA — the National Rifle Association’s “lobbying arm,” the Institute for Legislative Action — published a fact sheet alerting gun owners to persons and organizations with an anti-gun stance. Now, this isn’t the most up-to-the-minute breaking news thing I’ve ever shared, but as a person who does not have a Google alert set up for PEOPLE WHO PUBLISH LISTS OF THEIR ENEMIES ON THE INTERNET, I was surprised at some of the names.

Here, I’ll let them explain what this is.

The following organizations have lent monetary, grassroots or some other type of direct support to anti-gun organizations. In many instances, these organizations lent their name in support of specific campaigns to pass anti-gun legislation such as the March 1995 HCI “Campaign to Protect Sane Gun Laws.” Many of these organizations were listed as “Campaign Partners,” for having pledged to fight any efforts to repeal the Brady Act and the Clinton “assault weapons” ban. All have officially endorsed anti-gun positions.

Included on the list: harmless-as-humanly-possible Doug Flutie, former NBA star Rick Fox, MLB journeyman common Mike Torrez, Vinny By God Testaverde and tennis great John McEnroe. The NRA felt it was important for you to know that DOUG FLUTIE thought gun-control was a possibility, so that you could stop loving him. Or whatever. I’m not sure what the actual purpose of the list is. It has BOYZ II MEN on it. Did somebody weigh the importance of their guns against how much they liked ‘On Bended Knee’?

You can check out the entire list here.

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Sports On TV: 30 Rock’s 20 Greatest Sports Moments

Written by Ashley Burns / 09.13.12

In a few months, I’m going to sink into depression. It won’t be because the Miami Dolphins will be 0 and whatever and it won’t have anything to do with the Orlando Magic embarking on a 4-win season. My misery will stem from 30 Rock airing its final episode and NBC turning its back on one of the greatest comedies in TV history in favor of low hanging fruit like Guys with Kids. But that’s what happens when only a few million people tune in. The Two and a Half Mens of this world win.

One of the many – many, many, many – reasons that I love 30 Rock and consider it in the same category as Seinfeld and Cheers is because of the writing and the lines that most people don’t even hear. With 30 Rock, there’s always a main joke, but beneath that first layer is another layer and another layer, which makes each episode as re-watchable as the next. And within those jokes and layers are some of the smartest and funniest sports jokes that have ever been written for a sitcom.

I actually started working on this before Brandon started this wonderful series, and I had about 60-something scenes and jokes picked out, but I narrowed it down to my favorite moments. Enjoy and reflect, because after this season we’ll have to hope that Tina Fey and Co. take their talents elsewhere.

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If Rain Wasn’t Bad Enough, Adam Sandler Played Kevin James At The U.S. Open

Written by Ashley Burns / 09.07.12

With Andy Roddick now retired and the nation mourning the loss of Brooklyn Decker’s attendance at Grand Slam events, there isn’t much left for American men’s tennis fans to be excited about. That is, unless you’re a big Mardy Fish fan, in which case I hope you shout “MARDY!” every time he plays like the random voice in Not Another Teen Movie, because that’s necessary.

Now that we officially stand no chance, it’s only fair that us Americans punish the rest of the world’s tennis fans by making them sit through the stuff that pains us most. Yesterday, that agony came at the hands of Adam Sandler and Kevin James, who teamed up with John McEnroe and Jim Courier, respectively, for a special celebrity doubles match.

The late night main course was preceded by the warm-up event, namely John McEnroe and Adam Sandler taking on Jim Courier and Kevin James. It’s fair to say the quality wasn’t out of the top-drawer, although the two comedians did show a glimpse of ability. James served to stay in the match, but was unable to do so. Although it wasn’t exactly clear who won given Sandler and James were on the same side of the net when the final point was scored. (Via ESPN)

Which means they were being HILARIOUS! James was sporting a t-shirt for his new “comedy” Here Comes the Boom, which, as Vince Mancini at FilmDrunk describes it, is a Mixed Martial Farts film.

The exhibition – which featured Colin Quinn as a guest judge, because what else does he have to do? – comes as no surprise, as Sandler and McEnroe have been good buddies since the tennis legend appeared in Mr. Deeds. Honestly, I hope this inspires them to try their luck at more sports, starting with “car dodging” at the Federated Auto Parts 400 tomorrow.

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The Best Of The 2011 U.S. Open (Spoiler Alert: It’s All Brooklyn Decker)

Written by Ashley Burns / 09.02.11

Andy Roddick has taken some time out from being America’s death rattle of men’s tennis success to openly voice his opinion on some matters that are near and dear to his heart. For starters, when you’re a guy who isn’t as good as people once expected you to be, you’re going to often be aggravated and wish to vent your frustration how you see fit. Roddick’s solution is that he thinks that tennis players should be allowed to behave like professional wrestlers and just break anything they want. In theory, he’s right. A throwback to John McEnroe would be great.

But there’s a better solution out there – it’s called not sucking. But look at me being all critical. That’s another thing that Roddick hates. In an interview with ESPN’s Chris Fowler, Roddick talked about his future as an analyst.

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Andy Samberg Looks Like Old Tennis Players

Written by Ashley Burns / 08.24.11

Iconic sports photographer Walter Iooss, Jr. recently teamed up with the New York Times and Saturday Night Live’s Andy Samberg to re-capture some of tennis’ greatest legends and their even greater rivalries. If anything, it was an opportunity for Samberg to wear vintage clothes and make funny faces, or as he usually calls it – Tuesday. Look, it’s a slow sports news day and I think the photos are pretty fun, even though our evil cousin Cajun Boy already beat us to them.

Samberg and Iooss, Jr. re-created the 1980 Wimbledon Finals matchup between John McEnroe and Bjorn Borg, and since most of us weren’t alive then to know what any of that means (I may have been, but my records won’t be released until 2162), it was basically like Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, except they weren’t friends. At all. And despite what they may say now, they pretty much hated each other. Samberg also takes on some other old dudes, but he sadly chose not to dress up as Arthur Ashe or Michael Chang. Now that would have made this a good news day.

(Unless you guys want to talk more about Dwyane Wade saying that he thinks people are going to like the Miami Heat next season now that we got all the hate out of us. But quite frankly I’d rather eat a bowl of human hair than talk about the NBA right now.)

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Seventies Tennis Just Got Awkward

Written by Brandon Stroud / 07.01.11

Bjorn Loves John

The rivalry between Sweden’s Björn Borg and New Yorker byway of West Germany John McEnroe is so storied it has its own Wikipedia Page. The page chronicles their matches in detail, expounds upon their “Fire and Ice” nickname and breaks down everything from who won the most on hard courts (McEnroe) and who won most on carpet (Borg). Nowhere does it say why they got old and started making out with each other to sell boxer briefs.

But here we are in 2011, living through the “Björn <3 John" line and a declaration of their love for in front of the world's press at the boating lake in Wimbledon Park. The report from Telegraph Online’s fashion section (ugh) starts off telling you what you need to know, then descends into a horrible E! Network bumper about portmanteaus and “coy smiles”.

Borg, who has built up a nice little sideline in men’s underwear over the past 14 years, has teamed up with McEnroe to push a limited-edition range of jersey boxer briefs, with some of the proceeds from sales going to the John and Patty McEnroe Foundation.

In keeping with the air of bromance, there were four buff male models draped across deckchairs on a jetty over the lake, wearing nothing but pants and coy smiles and looking for wall the world like they were auditioning for a Christopher Isherwood biopic. McEnroe was dressed a bit more modestly in Ralph Lauren jeans and a crisp white shirt under a very snappy plaid Tom Ford jacket with wide lapels.

The combination of this news and the image of Borg and McEnroe in 1978 makes me think way too much of that scene in The Royal Tenenbaums where Richie shaves off all his hair and tries to kill himself.

What’s next, Magic and Bird teaming up to sell skinny jeans?

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