SPORTS

Tag Me A Date Keeps On Trucking Into 2015

Niche dating has been all the rage in the past couple of years. No matter what your interest is you will find a particular site that works for what you like (there is even sites for Vegans and Boat Captains. Ahoy!) One of those particular niche’s is pro wrestling, and the one site worth visiting if that is your forte is Tag Me A Date.

If you didn’t read my fantastic interview with CEO Steven Glenwick last month, Tag Me A Date, which is now available in the United States, Canada and the UK, bills itself as “Wresting Night is Date Night”. When you create a profile on the site, it skips the redundant questions that other sites ask and focuses strictly on the love you have for pro-wrestling. You can find matches based on who your favorite wrestler, manager or tag team is which in turn can create great conversation and be a fantastic icebreaker.

Steven believes this is a concept that he’s glad he started but is long overdue. “Professional wrestling is a multi-billion dollar industry with millions upon millions of fans. We feel this is something wrestling fans have been waiting for, for a long time. One of the most featured questions concerning this idea is; “How come this has not been done before?” That is music to my ears as I contemplated that very question and came to the very notion of doing a dating site for wrestling fans. Wrestling fans are people at the end of the day and many people want to find their significant other.”

Since our interview, there have been a ton of great advancements that Tag Me A Date has made in order to attract more people to their site, sign up and ultimately find their one true love. On top of their great search functionality you also have the ability to create a promo video about yourself as opposed to the generic picture. Seeing as the WWE is so interactive anyways, especially with the pro wrestlers and their fans, this is a great idea in my opinion and will get the other person who is watching to know you that much better, both inside the ring and out.

tag me a date, manhattan digest — Credit to: Tag Me A Date

There is also a huge bonus incentive for the ladies out there that want to try out Tag Me A Date! Seeing as the biggest day of love is coming up a month from today, Valentine’s Day, Tag Me A Date is offering one free year if they sign up next month. Tag Me A Date is also taking their initiative on the road in 2015, by sponsoring The Masters Of The Ring event in March and May as well as the first ever Hammerlock Awards with Northeast Wrestling that was held on January 10^thin Connecticut (pics above). They also held a contest for that event- any women that signed up for the site now were entered for a chance to win a date to that event with either the“Thrillride” Jimmy Preston or the “Sure Thing” Mark Shurman. Another great event they are working with is pictured below.

Be sure to check out Tag Me A Date’s official site if pro wrestling and love are your thing, or if you happen to know someone that would find this suitable for the person they are really trying to find.

Warm Ups with Rubber Bands? Meet the Da Vinci Bodyboard

by Jessica Klein

Though I don’t exercise as often as I should (I run about two times a week, on a good week), I never regret it when I do…especially once the workout has ended and I’m done panting, ready to have fun with the fresh wave of endorphins coursing through my system.

One session on the Da Vinci Bodyboard, an exercise tool created at home by a Pilates instructor/chocolatier who started tying straps to furniture all over her house, provided plenty of those endorphins. The board (“bodyboard” is literal) connects to various, elastic straps that you hold onto/strap into while performing what would otherwise feel like standard warm-up exercises combined with yoga poses.

A regular class runs for only 30 minutes, thanks to the workout’s intensity. Floery Mahoney, the instructor and the Bodyboard’s inventor, even admitted that, at home, just 20 minutes will provide a comprehensive workout. “It’s just hard for people to think it’s worth it to come to a class for only 20 minutes,” she explained.

Whether the class had lasted for 20 or 30 minutes, it was undoubtedly worth it. The board works your entire body in a way that’s more meaningful than using any sort of weight machine. That’s because weight machines target a single muscle or muscle group, leaving you with a mixture of strong and limp muscles and joints throughout your body, which could end up hurting you, especially as you age. “It’s really important to train all of your muscles,” Floery explained, citing, for example, weak knee joints that come from running without otherwise strengthening the muscles that surround them.

Before the 30 minutes began, Floery gave us (it happened to be just me and one other woman) the run down. We’d perform each exercise for 30 seconds to a minute, depending on the level of difficulty. Breaks between each heart-pumping task would last for 10 seconds. At the end of it all, we’d stretch for four minutes.

At this point, Floery asked whether we worked out on the regular. The other attendee nodded as if habitual exercise were the most natural thing in the world. I said that I tried my best to run sometimes (leaving out that this mostly applies to when I’m late for work, these days). Thus, Floery assured me that it was okay to take breaks throughout the class whenever I needed to (she suggested three-second breaks to breath during each cycle).

Before I get to the actual exercise part (I know, I promise I’ll get there), it’s imperative that I describe the board. About the length of a yoga mat (we draped one on it for part of the class), the wooden board has various bands attached at different points. Long, thin, red ones span the length of both sides (these, Floery warned, sometimes snap when it comes to the overused boards she shoves in and out of cars all the time—when your board lives at home, she assured, this will not occur) and thicker ones with “handles” attach to either corner on one end. On the other end, similar, thick bands connect to Velcro straps that loop around your ankles in the way that surfers stay attached to their boards.

The workout itself was intense. Imagine doing any kind of core workout that also involves your arms and legs…but all your limbs are strapped to giant rubber bands. The tension helped to engage all my muscles in a way that left them sore for up to three days following my time on the Da Vinci Bodyboard (on day two, walking became a serious chore).

Overall, I found each minute-long exercise very accessible. In other words, anyone can do this, which Floery encouraged. “This works for any ability level,” she insisted. “People don’t understand what their bodies are capable of.” As it turns out, my body was capable of an exercise that was so difficult we only performed it in 15-second segments, broken up by three-second breaks. (This part of the class entailed lying on our backs while “running” with our feet in the air, heads lifted and legs strapped into these massive rubber bands.)

We were lucky to get the class directly from Floery, Da Vinci Bodyboard’s creator, because she obviously knows her stuff better than anyone. In fact, she’s set to travel to South Korea to launch the workout tool there next month. “Right now, we have classes cropping up all over the US and have a lot of master trainers,” said Floery, adding that the product has also come to Switzerland and an upscale hotel in Kuwait.

In spite of the number of “master trainers” (one must get certified through a specialized training to achieve that title), Floery prefers to do the training herself when the Da Vinci Bodyboard arrives in new countries to ensure that people there maintain the integrity of the workout. Also, it’s hard to turn down a trip abroad.

To learn more about the Da Vinci Bodyboard, visit the website, where you can also order one to use at home. There, you can work out on the equipment for as little as 10 minutes a day and still make a huge impact on your body, according to Floery. Based on the way I felt after my workout, I’m quick to believe her.

For more information log onto Da Vinci Bodyboard’s official website!

Tag Me A Date: Wrestling Meets Online Dating

by Ryan Shea

No longer do we live in a world where a common expression you hear is “We met at a bar”, when you find out how a couple got together. For gay and straight people, in and out of Manhattan, the new normal happens to be online dating. Whether you are online looking for companionship, friendship or just a one night stand, something that you hope for in the person you are talking to is to find something of interest that can spark a conversation and gets things going. But what happens when there is a website where everyone on it has one common interest?

Bring in Tagmeadate.com, a website devoted to finding people love who have a fascination and admiration for professional wrestling. Seeing as the WWE has been popular for decades upon decades, more recently with the wildly popular E! series “Total Divas”, it makes sense that something of this nature would come along. But even with how popular this type of sport has been, can it really find an audience when it comes to online dating? Manhattan Digest sits down with CEO and founder Steven Glenwick to find that out.

So how did you come up with the name Tag Me A Date?

I have been a wrestling fan my entire life. Wrestling fans are a cult-like bunch, if you will. My last girlfriend, now my wife; when we first met, I needed to find out if she was a fan of professional wrestling. It is such a huge part of my life and I wanted to be able to share that with someone. When I did ask her about wrestling she rattled off the entire roster and that’s when I knew I would marry this woman. Fast forward four years and we are married with two children. I came up with the concept of a dating site for wrestling fans but it was my Director of Operations Christopher Witcher that came up with the tag line, which is: “Wrestling night just became date night!” It instantly clicked! We needed a name and tag line that jumps out and states what it is but also targets a specific market.

Overall, what is the concept of this site?

The basic concept of this site is to connect people that share a similar passion of professional wrestling. I, along with the rest of my employees, have been life-long wrestling fans. This is our main passion and we are quite proud of that! I’ve been fortunate enough to meet the woman that would later be my wife, and learn on the first date that she was a wrestling fan. I want the same thing for all single wrestling fans. How great would it be to find someone that shares that very same passion?

Do you think there is enough of a niche audience to combine the love of professional wrestling with actual love?

Professional wrestling is a multi-billion dollar industry with millions upon millions of fans. We feel this is something wrestling fans have been waiting for, for a long time. One of the most featured questions concerning this idea is; “How come this has not been done before?” That is music to my ears as I contemplated that very question as I came to the very notion of doing a dating site for wrestling fans. Wrestling fans are a very loyal bunch and we want to show an appreciation for every one of them. Wrestling fans are people at the end of the day and many people want to find their significant other.

What current male and female pro wrestler do you think your users would most like to take on a date and why?

As far as what current male wrestler users would want to take on a date, I would say the answer may be John Cena. However, lately it seems that Roman Reigns has caught many eyes. As far as current female wrestlers, I would have to go with AJ Lee. She is the definition of what a diva should be but she is also very relatable, and of course cute as a button.

Same question only least likely now. Hehe.

The least likely male wrestler our users would want to take on a date might be a harder question. I’d have to put The Wyatt family right up there. However, based on the out-pouring of fans about the end of the Undertaker’s streak, including me, I might have to go with Brock Lesnar. The least likely female wrestler our users would want to take on a date would probably be Summer Rae, because she really doesn’t come off very likeable.

Dating sites usually have a ton of Q&A’s given so that users can describe themselves in a unique way. What are yours?

What makes our site different from the rest is that it mostly centers on wrestling-related questions. Our Q&A is much shorter and to the point and removed are many questions we feel are redundant, petty, and downright too personal that many other sites do. Our site will allow people to find matches based on questions such as favorite wrestler, favorite manager, and favorite tag team. We also provide space for users to talk about what drove them to wrestling and to discuss the experiences of any live events they may have been to. Also, we found that many other sites have questionnaires that run way too long and we want to cut out unnecessary questions and get down to it. You don’t want to feel like you’ve written your College thesis by the time you’re done.

Is your site gay friendly or is it just for straight people?

Our site does not discriminate in any way. We offer people the ability to find people, whether they are the opposite sex or the same sex. Our goal is to make sure wrestling fans find their tag team soul mates and get to share their passion for wrestling with another. Fans’ happiness is much more important than worrying about one’s sexual orientation.

Other sites like match.com are offering in person experiences for their users such as cooking classes, bowling matches, etc. Does your website plan on doing the same?

Great question…This is so new so the best way to answer this question would be this. I without question want to hold social gatherings to help people meet. That is the whole goal of this site. I want wrestling fans to find wrestling fans through love. I want TagMeADate to be so big that I can hold events where people meet and watch a pay-per-view event and such. Time will tell. We need the support of all the single wrestling fans out there. If and when we become a success, there is nothing off the table! As they say in the wrestling world…“never say never”

What are you hoping the users get the most out of on this site?

As I mentioned earlier, our main goal is to help wrestling fans meet other wrestling fans that they can connect with on an emotional level, leading to relationships. The ultimate goal of any dating site is, or at least should be, that very notion. Many sites tout the success rate of their users when it comes to relationships and we plan on doing the same. We are definitely the most innovative, dynamic, and revolutionary dating site out there.

Being that this is still a new site what are you hopeful for as it continues to blossom?

Right now we just want to get the word out there. Our statistics show that there are many single wrestling fans out there, both male and female. Wrestling fans, like people in general, deserve to find happiness. Meeting someone else who shares that very same passion for wrestling is every single wrestling fans’ dream. We are offering people that very platform and are extremely proud of that.

Any specials you have for new users who sign up this month?

Currently we have extended our pre- registration, which now ends on October 14^th. If you sign up before then, we will give you the first three months free. Because we are launching live on the 14^th, we will provide the service free until Feb 1^st.

Every customer that signs up after October 14^th, we will still be providing them the first month free as well.

We ask all our fans to keep an ear out because you never know when another promotion will pop up. We will have a mailing list option on the web site. Everyone should opt in to get emails. If a new promotion is coming that’s where you will find out about it first.

Breaking Down Kluwe and The Homophobia in Sports

by Ryan Shea

Manhattan, Manhattan Digest, Chris Kluwe — Credit to: The Current

Chris Kluwe for me was always a hero in the sports world, because he did things that really were never done before. What is that? Stand up to homophobia in such a way that it even made people question his sexuality. Same thing happened with other gay rights activists such as Ben Cohen and David Beckham, and similarly Macklemore who changed the face of hip-hop with his equality anthem “Same Love” that featured Mary Lambert, a gay singer. Chris just released an article yesterday on Deadspin alleging that he was let go of the Minnesota Vikings due to his support of the gay community, and blaming two cowards (Leslie Frazier & Rick Spielman) and a bigot to boot (Mike Priefer).

Since the fallout of the article, The Minnesota Vikings have released statements saying that Kluwe’s stance on marriage equality had nothing to do with him being fired, it was purely based on his performance in the sport. This is something that Kluwe vigorously denies, as he believes it was his viewpoints that cost him a spot on the team. So what seems to be the ultimate conclusion in all of this? It is simple as this- Homophobia exists in these kinds of arenas. It always has been, and it always will be.

As someone who grew up playing football, starting in little league, I cared more about the love of the game than worrying about being gay in a sport that is known for its machismo and masculinity on top of its over aggressive behavior for something as simple as throwing a ball around. I made the decision easily to join the Junior Varsity football team when I was in 9th grade, as I played throughout my middle school years. I was still heavily in the closet at that point, and didn’t want anyone knowing out of fear of being teased and bullied. I was actually asked during a routine football practice by a friend if I was gay, and I don’t know if I was just tired of being in the closet or the humidity that day. So I told him. He pretty much said, “Ryan, we’ve known for years. No one cares, just be happy”. That kind of encouragement allowed me to talk to a couple of other guys, until one of them told… the entire school.

As much as I hated that one particular guy and wanted to get him back for what he did to me, I didn’t. I became one of the lucky gay youth who was embraced by his peers and not shunned or ridiculed for something that they themselves couldn’t control. I did quit the football team because after I was outed I somehow felt a sense of defeat and judgement from the rest of the team, something that I still believe is true to this day. There were however guys who rallied around me and saw me for Ryan and not that gay kid, which is something I am forever indebted for them for.

So why bring up that story? Because it all goes back to what Kluwe is striving for- acceptance. I shouldn’t have to feel like my sexuality is a barrier to playing a sport that not only do I like but I happened to be quite good at at a certain point in my life. He just wanted to make sure that everyone is treated equal be in at a job or even if two people of the same sex wanted to get married. This is what I love about guys like him and why in a way he is a personal hero of mine. Even as a straight man he has knocked down the doors for several gay athletes to come out and feel like the sport should matter, not the personal stuff. So regardless if what he is saying is true or not, he has made himself legendary for something he didn’t need to in the first place. What do I call that besides being awesome? Progress.

NHL 14 Review

by Tim Morris

Having played EA Sports’s NHL franchise for many years, I’ve seen the greatness that was NHL ’94, the complete overhauls over the next few years that continued the tradition of excellence, the lean years of the early to mid 2000s, and the return of to glory that started with NHL 09. The newest version, NHL 14, released on September 10th. It’s likely the swan song for the current generation of consoles, with the PlayStation 4 and XBOX One releasing this November. This is not to say that EA will stop making the NHL games for the PS3 and X360, but the focus will clearly be on the newer platforms.

EA hyped this game by advertising a new fighting engine and enforcer mechanics, as well as better goalie, shooting, deflection, and defensive AI. The new fighting/enforcer engine is very well done. Fights are now triggered by big hits on star players, or illegal hits on most anyone. Players still have the option to decline fights in multiplayer, so there’s no risk of losing a top skater for five minutes because you crushed some poor soul along the boards. As for the remainder of the AI changes, they’re a mixed bag. Defenders are much better at positioning, which was the biggest problem in NHL 13‘s on ice play. It was too easy to blow by a defenseman who wasn’t perfectly placed, and the changes made for this year have mostly remedied that. Shooting and deflections are better as you can now shoot the puck flush to the ice, as opposed to always having at least a little elevation. AI teammates now actively try to redirect the puck on net, as opposed to it randomly flying off in any direction. However, the goalies are awful. For all the changes made since NHL 13, somehow the goaltenders came out far worse than they were before. Previously, goalies were able to make crazy, unrealistic saves on some shots, but were embarrassingly bad at covering high to the stick side and the five-hole. Now, it’s an absolute free-for-all. Goalies are better positioned and have a harder time reacting to screens, which is good, but in NHL 14 it seems that the average goalie couldn’t stop a child from scoring on him. It is now far too easy to score goals, and many games I play end with scores like 6-5 as opposed to the more realistic 2-1’s and 3-2’s that NHL 13 produced. The new one-touch deke system also falls a bit short. Maybe it’s just me, but I find that it can be a fairly awkward system to use. I liked being able to toe drag people into submission and pop the puck over a defender while avoiding a hit. This system is more focused on cutbacks and while it works, it isn’t as fun as the old system to me.

NHL 14 features a revamped version of the old Be A Pro mode, dubbed Live The Life in this title. In it, the old standby features of Be A Pro are complemented by added statistics regarding your likability to fans, management, teammates, and families. To affect these attributes, different multiple-choice events will pop up sporadically as you progress. These can be interviews, your teammates daring you to do something, nutrition choices, and more. The same expectation system and coach’s grades from previous years persist in this game, largely unchanged. They remain based around the player type you select for your pro. Snipers will be asked to score goals, playmakers are told to tally assists, two-way forwards have to do a little bit of everything, and so on. While the mode is more fun than in years’ past, some of the same problems are still present. Teammate AI, though better, is still subpar. They will still make bad passes, get caught out of position, and take bad shots. The goalies are worse than before, allowing soft goals left and right. The worst part about this mode from back then is the line change AI, and that still hasn’t been fixed. Oftentimes I start a shift with the puck either deep in my zone or the other team rushing in during a 2 on 1, and we get scored on. This craters my plus-minus rating, which is one of the requirements to unlock items and progress your player.

Live The Life Screenshot Source - Web Guy Unlimited — Live The Life Screenshot
Source – Web Guy Unlimited

GM Connected returns with a faster user interface and less delay in the menus. For those who are unaware, GM Connected allows you and up to 749 (you read that right, 749) others compete online in an NHL season. You can take control of a team as the general manager, be a player on the team, or coach a team. It’s a great concept for a game mode, but it still isn’t quite right. Weird things like trade exploits and sloppy menus keep the mode from being truly great. I personally am hoping for a fix in next year’s game on the new consoles. I think another great feature that is missing from this mode is the option to have a live fantasy draft for your league. The fantasy draft option is in the game for season and Be A GM modes, so it shouldn’t be too difficult to implement here.

Hockey Ultimate Team also returns with minimal improvements. In this mode, you buy packs of cards containing players, jerseys, contracts, attribute boosts, and arenas, which all go towards constructing your very own hockey team. Packs are bought with either EA Pucks, which are earned in the various game modes (you earn the most at a time by playing HUT though) or by paying real money. Once you’re ready to play, you can take your team into tournaments against the AI or online to battle other players’ teams. It’s an interesting way for people to build a team from scratch, but it takes a long time to save up for any of the good packs (gold and up, and even then you won’t get many top-tier players) and people who aren’t willing to go through the grind are going to get bored quickly.

Now, to the part of the review that I was really hoping that I wouldn’t have to write. Seemingly every EA Sports title that comes out has freezing/glitching issues. In NHL, said problems are often centered around the Custom Music feature. I love the idea of it, since EA’s musical selection for its games is normally terrible and I’d rather not hear the same ten songs repeatedly while playing. For last year’s NHL 13, I went all out with it and made a separate playlist for each team. In NHL 14, I brought the old playlists over and added three more songs per team. Even after installing the game to my hard drive and taking great care of the disc, in ’13 I still had freezes occurring sometimes due to the music not being loaded properly by the game. In ’14, half the time I play the game it freezes at some point, most often right after the final buzzer and the home team’s win song gets played (goal horn + whatever playlist you pick). As far as glitches go, the same glitch goals from the previous games exist, and a handful of new ones have already been discovered. This coupled with the community make online play an absolute mess. I usually refuse to touch online play in sports games, because people are too lazy and immature to actually learn how to play the game and instead resort to these exploits, and this game is no different.

Gameplay screenshot of NHL 14. Source - Operation Sports — Gameplay screenshot of NHL 14.
Source – Operation Sports

When the game runs properly, NHL 14 is a solid hockey title that delivers fluid skating, hellaciously fun fighting, an immersive mode in Live The Life, and an overall more realistic hockey sim than NHL 12 and NHL 13 when it comes to everything but scoring. However, as it stands right now the game is a glitch and bug-filled mess. EA is supposedly working on patches and ways to fix the issues, but these are things that should have been addressed in production and not post-release. The sooner they fix the freezes and exploits, the sooner we can all get to enjoying the game, but until then I’m giving NHL 14 a grade of Incomplete on the grounds that due to some bugged features it can be unplayable for some. Once fixed, I’d say this is a B+ title.

System: XBOX 360, Playstation 3
Genre: Sports/Hockey
Players: 1-4 offline, 2-12 online (simultaneous)
Price: $59.99

Tuesday Morning QB: Jets Get It Down While The Giants Falter

by Ed Tierney

Smith Run's for a large gain Sunday vs. Tampa Bay — Smith Run’s for a large gain Sunday vs. Tampa Bay

What would the kid do? Personally I looked at my roommate Dean and said, “Do you know what time it is?” He replied “No” I than proclaimed “It’s Geno Time”. With just over a half minute to play in the final quarter Sunday Geno Smith ran the Jets offense out there like a seasoned veteran.

“I just went out there,” Smith said, “and told those guys it’s never over.”

Down by 2 (17-15), the before mentioned Smith would drop back to pass but to find nothing to his liking. In his best Steve Young impersonation he would scramble for a gain of 10 while being shoved out of bounds by Bucacaneers Lavonte David, which is an additional 15-yard penalty. Once the player dedicates himself to leaving the playing surface anyone who tackles such player is subject to a 15-yard personal foul penalty. The additional infraction would put kicker Nick Folk in his range where he would come on to win the contest with :07 left. Folk’s kick would register 48 yards.

“Man, oh man,” head coach Rex Ryan mentioned after the game.”We talk about a resilient group, and we certainly have it. We fought all the way to the end. One team, one fight, well, there it is.

The Jets were elated once the kick went through the field goal post as they all jumped up and down on the field and in addition to the sideline. A similar scene to the Buccaneers moments earlier when kicker Rian Lindell booted a 37-yard field goal with 34 seconds left. Smith who is starting in place of QB Mark Sanchez who is out with a torn labrum said “If there’s time on the clock, I expect us to go out there and execute, And that’s what we did today.”

Prior to the contest The Jets announced that Sanchez would be receiving a second opinion by Dr. James Andrews sometime this week, in addition the NFL announced before the game that Grammy-winner Bruno Mars will perform at halftime of the Super Bowl at MetLife Stadium (NY/NJ) on Feb. 2.

The Jets (1-0) travel to Gilette Stadium to take on the New England Patriots (1-0) this Thursday evening at 8:25pm while Tampa Bay (0-1) host’s New Orleans (1-0) Sunday at 4:25

It took numerous attempts but the Dallas Cowboys finally defeated the New York Giants in their shiny 1.2 billion dollar stadium, New York was previously (4-0). Tony Romo who seemed not to be fazed by an apparent rib injury which took him out of the game late in the first half came back strong delivering two touchdown passes to his favorite target, Jason Witten. Eli Manning of the Giants would do his best to counter punch by throwing four touchdowns of his own including three passes to Victor Cruz. Surprisingly despite 6 Giants turnovers, New York some how was still in position for a comeback victory.

“It’s infectious. It’s contagious,” Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett said. “We challenged them at halftime. We had three, let’s get three more.” Garrett a former Giants QB was referring to turnovers, something that new defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin has seemed to improve in the offseason. DeMarcus Ware intercepted Manning’s first pass of the game, and the Giants turned it over on their first three possessions.

In the loss the Giants lost starting cornerback Prince Amukamara to a concussion. He is questionable for Sunday’s game vs. Manning’s older brother Peyton and the Broncos at 4:15.

UEFA Champions Viewing Party Yesterday- Cheers and Beers

by Ryan Shea

One sport that is celebrated on a global scale yet not as much on a local scale here in the United States is Futbol, otherwise known as Soccer. Yesterday, that couldn’t have been far from the truth. Heineken and Remezcla, who focus on providing a local guide to the best in Latin culture, brought together thousands of die hard soccer fans for the “UEFA Champions League Final Viewing Party” yesterday at Pier 36 on South Street in Basketball City, right outside Brooklyn.

The look and feel of the venue made you feel like you were walking into the arena. There was one section sort of designed like an airport terminal, with crisp white couches at your every convenience as well as multiple televisions screens and several bartenders at hand passing out free Heinekens for the viewers. It was heavily designed in green to coincide with Heineken’s signature colors and featured several hostesses dressed in color patters that echo Heineken as well.

That was one side of the event. While walking through to the other side, they then designed it to make you feel like you were walking into freaking Wembley itself and that you were apart of the game. As I was walking in I could hear the roar of the crowd at hand as the game had gotten underway about fifteen minutes into it. That aspect of the venue was gigantic as the game played on one of the largest television screens I had ever seen and witnessing people root for either team or just there to have a good time. They had a fantastic local German bakery that served us some of the most delicious Bratwurst I have ever tasted which went down really well with the endless Heineken at hand.

The two teams playing at hand in the UEFA finals were rivals Bayer Munich and Borussia Dortmund in a thrilling ninety four minute spectacle of a game that in the last two minutes saw Munich pull ahead 2-1 due to it’s star player Arjen Robben making a last minute goal.
It was a moment of long-awaited deliverance for both Bayern and Robben, after defeats for the Bavarians in the final of the competition in 2010 and again in 2012, when they lost a cruel penalty shoot-out to Chelsea on home soil. Robben had set Bayern on the way to victory after an hour of the first all-German final when he teed up Mario Mandzukic for the opener, only for Ilkay Gundogan to equalise from the penalty spot in the 68th minute.

Before, during and after the game they had a sick DJ perform some current club bangers such as “I Don’t Care” by Icona Pop and everyone’s favorite “Harlem Shake” by Brooklyn’s very own Bauuer. The festivities went on from about 1 in the afternoon to about 7:30 at night, and from the looks of it everyone seemed to have a really great time including me and my friend.

Want to know more about the sponsors and the great organizers of this event and how they could help yours out in the future? Go onto Remezcla‘s website to learn more about what they are all about and for all things Heineken and UEFA check out their sites as well.

Chatty Talk with Elise

by Elise Pentz

Helloooo & welcome!!

What an amazing day it is!! Jason Collins(center for the Washington Wizards, think NBA people!!) has become the first active, professional athlete to come out as gay! What an amazing this he has done, & what incredible support he has received from his fellow players, coaches, celebrities & the PRESIDENT of the United States! Thank YOU, Jason Collins! You’ve done more then you know! This is beyond thrilling!

With Geno In, Tebow is Out. How and Why for the NY Jets

by Ed Tierney

Geno Smith Taken by the New York Jets this past Friday

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK; Highly touted former West Virginia quarterback Geno Smith had one of the biggest fall’s in recent NFL draft history. There was Aaron Rodgers and Brady Quinn, both potential top 10 guys who fell to much later in the round but Smith was different. Geno was projected to be a top 10 pick like the previous 2 players, but unlike them he wasn’t selected on day one. Geno Smith was among about 12 college players who had accepted an invitation to attend the draft. Invited players are placed back stage in the green room at Radio City Music Hall where he would stay for most of the first-round. He would often be seen on the table landline phone, or even his cell phone potentially talking to suitors. I have inside information that has stated that his table # was leaked and people pranking his table was the cause of his angst. When the first-round reached the final few picks, and with those picks being held by teams that have no need for a quarterback, Smith would leave the building as it was evident he would not be selected until Day 2.

It had originally been reported that Smith was not going to attend Day 2 of the draft, but last second the star QB decided to change his mind and give it another go. He returned to Radio City Music Hall on Friday and would wait for his name to be called. He would only wait 8 selections as the New York Jets decided to select him 39^th overall. Must be nice to be drafted by an NFL team right? Of course it is but his projected contract should be in the range of just under $5 million with over $3.1 million in guaranteed money. If Geno Smith had been selected in Round 1, his contract would be worth, at minimum, $6.7 million with around $5.4 million in guaranteed money. Huge pay difference, but who is to blame? For starters Smith thinks it’s his agent and he has fired him barely a weekend since the draft concluded.

The financial difference, as well as having to return to a green room for a second day, appear to be the reason why Smith is changing agents.

With Geno being introduced to the nation as the newest Jets QB in Florham Park,NJ on Saturday that left a bit of log jam at that position for the team. On the roster currently they had 6 Quarterbacks, but that has changed as the Jets decided to cut former Heisman trophy winner and 1^st round pick Tim Tebow, and all the baggage that came along with him. With Mark Sanchez’s huge contract the move was to release Tebow, as Mark seems to be stuck for atleast one more season. But another question has been asked. Why did the Jets even want this guy?

All of which would make sense if Tebow came pulling an arrest record or showed up late for meetings or cost the Jets the playoffs with a bad interception. Instead, the disdain with which the Jets threw him out the door after barely using him in a waste of a season – he appeared in just 77 offensive plays – raises a bigger question that speaks to the chaos of a franchise that never gets it:

Why did the Jets want Tim Tebow in the first place?

This organization who has been known for its dysfunction were the ones who initiated and pursued Tebow last spring, pushing extremely hard to get him, and their was nothing the fans could do. They would watch the courtship occur and wonder why their team would want and under skilled QB who brings a lot so much more than just football, but a media circus. If it’s not questions about his religion, its about him being a virgin, or his family or other beliefs. If you think about it Tebow is a handsome, religious football player without a rap sheet. He seems to be the perfect role model!

Tim Tebow seen here was released by the Jets yesterday April 29th

They would find themselves in an unusual bidding war with his hometown Jacksonville Jaguars, eventually trading a fourth-round pick to get him 13 months ago. They would convince Tim and his family (which means everything to him) that they were the best fit for him and his career. They even leaked that they had a plan and a formation that would be dedicated to him. He would sometimes play QB, with a little receiver, maybe some running back and occasionally block. That doesn’t seem like much of a plan, but rather a lot of, yup dysfunction. They wanted Tim to be similar to what they had with former Mizzou QB Brad Smith and something they missed after he departed to division rival Buffalo before the 2011 season.

Instead of putting Tim in a position he can succeed or even keep their promise, they told him a fib and a lie to the disdain of Jets who threw him out the door after barely using him “in a waste of a season – he appeared in just 77 offensive plays – raises a bigger question that speaks to the chaos of a franchise that never gets it”. (yahoo sports)

Rex Ryan and the Jets failed Tim Tebow, he was told and preached one thing and was lied to. Now with the draft over and OTAs, and conditioning camps starting rosters are filled. It will be hard for ole’ Tim to find an NFL job now but, Don’t count him out.

NBA’s Jason Collins Comes Out!

by Andrew Gutierrez

Image by Kwaku Alston/For Sports Illustrated

Yesterday news broke with NBA player, Jason Collins, coming out as the first openly gay and active men’s professional athlete. Sports Illustrated’s website has an article/open letter from Collins detailing his reasons for coming out. While being gay isn’t as controversial as it once was in the past, it still takes an amazing amount of courage for anyone to come out of the closet, especially for someone in the public eye.

Collin’s started his NBA career in 2001 with the New Jersey Nets after attending Standford. After spending 7 years with the Nets he went on to play for the Memphis Grizzlies, Minnesota Timberwolves, Atlanta Hawks, Boston Celtics, and finally the Wizards. This summer he’s slated to become a free agent with intent to pursue another contract.

Though Collins has received mostly positive and supportive reactions from athletes and non-athletes, there’s definitely been some shade thrown his way. According to the NYTimes, Mike Wallace, wide receiver for the Miami Dolphins sent out a Tweet saying: “All these beautiful women in the world and guys wanna mess with other guys.” The tweet was later deleted and Wallace apologized for the comment. Also, on ESPN, NBA analyst Chris Broussard called Jason Collins a sinner. Who the hell isn’t a sinner though? Here’s video of Broussard’s comment.

Collins wrote in his Sport Illustrated piece, “I didn’t set out to be the first openly gay athlete playing in a major American team sport. But since I am, I’m happy to start the conversation.” Although he admits he would rather someone have come out before he did, he decided to do so since no other athlete has.

It’s great that Collins chose to come out and be the first to go through the motions so that other athletes and other people in general can see that coming out isn’t the death of a career, image, etc. The unfortunate part about Collins coming out is that it might not create as much change as an All Star, championship winning athlete coming out. Nonetheless, congrats and best of luck to him.

SPORTS

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