In the past few years Converse has crossed over a bit.
In 2008 they put together a decent song with Pharell, Santogold, and Julian Casablancas (Strokes lead man).
Then in 2009, Converse hosted the first annual Band of Ballers event in New York City.
For the day, they brought in NY’s Top Hip Hop radio station HOT 97, and their personalities like Miss Info and Cipha Sounds. The hottest hunnies were in town…i.e. Rosa Acosta
Teams were led by hip hop stars like Jim Jones, Diplo, Pac Div, and Asher Roth.
Converse has used these platforms, like music, video, and events to successfully promote their products to a broader audience. For the Band of Baller tournament, they introduced their new sneaker, Weapon Evo. The Evo, an updated version of the 1986-’87 Converse Weapon, introduces Cons’ Balls Technology. “Balls” are polyurethane bladders embedded in the shoe’s heel that compress and rebound during play.
With $10,000 cash sitting on top of the backboards, teams competed in half court 3-on-3 games. Jim Jones’ team, Jones Family, defeated Pac Div for the championship
Also, check out this funny promo video done by the Roth Boys
you’re not as hard as you pretend to be,
who wanna spark it, with the chocolate macademian,
head clean to the cranium,
you know the name, Shaq
aim to maintain, money on the brain, can’t stop the reign
Different version and Official video after the jump (more…)
I had a good time with the American people. I hope they remember me as a good guy who played hard. I wasn’t Michael Jordan, but I was somebody called Manute Bol
NAME: Manute Bol (TRANSLATION: “A Special Blessing”)
HEIGHT: 7 feet 7 inches
WEIGHT: 220 lbs (“Manute Bol is so skinny, his team saves money on road trips. They just fax him from city to city.” – Woody Allen)
SHOE SIZE: 16
Manute Bol is a pioneer and a portrait of a person who has used sports as an outlet and ultimately a platform to bring awareness to global issues, particularly the violence and civil unrest in Sudan.
After being discovered as a teenager in Africa by a US coach from Fairleigh Dickinson University, Manute Bol was brought to the USA, and eventually made his way onto the roster of the 1985 Washington Bullets. He was a starting center in most of his games, enjoying a 10-year career and earning approximately $7 Million in salary (1.65M in ‘92). As the tallest player in the league’s history at the time, he also received endorsement deals from Nike, Kodak Films, KFC, and Toyota.
Manute Bol was born in a remote village in south Sudan and growing up he saw his nation’s civil war take the lives of more than 2 million people over 15 years.
Southern Sudan is the home of the Dinkas, the tallest people in the world and Bol’s tribe. It is also home to the Sudanese People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) , a rebel group to which Bol previously backed and contributed millions of dollars.
Both during his NBA career and after, Bol has worked towards achieving peace in his divided nation where in the south Christian rebels battle a northern Islamic government, based in Khartoum. He has often lobbied for US Support and UN Peacekeeping to step in and stop the violence.
Note: A few years ago, after a movement toward peace was proposed by the northern Muslims, and then rejected by SPLA, Bol renounced his direct involvement with both parties, and now works independent of both to rebuild communities for children.
Bol established many foundations including the Ring True Foundation, a charitable organization dedicated to raising money for Sudanese refugees and for Sudan’s schools and clinics, and Sudan Sunrise.
“We are trying to raise some money to get a school and a clinic for my country. It’s been very hard since I got hurt. It’s hard to raise money. It is my dream to get some schools, good education and clinics for our people.”
Pictures, Video Interview, and Prank with Charles Barkley after the jump… (more…)
Take a look at this high quality video production put together by Hoops India. Seems like the youth in India are starting to fight for some respect in basketball! We love it, We need it! Go Hoops India!!
The multidimensional dynamics exemplified through sports is a microcosm of the society.
We often relate in our own way to player-team salary negotiations, hustle plays, dress codes, team names, drug tests, injuries, rehab, and even ethically, like debating what situations call for courtesy and which call for payback.
Well, our athletes, even those who are often considered the nicest, most hardworking, selfless, talented ones, also get busted by the long arm of the law.
Check out the SportsToast/BrownSkinZ Productions original video below:
Cam’ron, Doc Gooden, and Dwight Strawberry after the jump (more…)
