Sports & Hip-Hop: Tackling The Manto Te’o Hoax, Recapping the NFL Playoffs & More Posted by Lucas Garrison on 01/17/13 | Filed under Opinion, Sports, Sports & Hip-Hop

(Image via DeadSpin)

A Note from Nathan S: Since the dawn of time, or at least since N.W.A. started rocking Raiders hats, sports and hip-hop have gone together like Rosa Acosta stretching videos. So while most sites might just recap the last week's biggest sports stories, we're upping the level of difficulty and attempting to recap the week's biggest sports stories...via music.

I'll let the homie Lucas Garrison take it from here:

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Laws "Overtime"


After a long season full of blown calls, quarterback controversies, and Jets mishaps, we have finally whittled it down to four remaining teams. In the NFC, the Falcons narrowly avoided another playoff loss, recovering from a late Seahawks touchdown thanks to Matt Bryant’s go ahead 49 yard field goal with 8 seconds left. They will face the 49ers, who, behind 181 yards rushing and 4 total touchdowns from Colin Kaepernick trounced a veteran Packers squad. In the AFC, the Patriots did what they normally do, win big, amassing nearly 500 yards in a 41-28 route of the Texans. Things might not be so easy next week against a Ravens squad that took part in what has to be one of the best playoff games ever.

The first game of the weekend between Ravens and Broncos, also happened to the best one. The match up was a offensive slugfest, both teams racked up an astounding 877 combined yards and scored a total of 73 points. The Broncos were able to counter Joe Flacco’s connection Torrey Smith, who hauled in 3 balls for 98 yards and 2 scores, thanks, in part, to Trindon Holliday. Holliday, the Broncos return man, ran his way into the record books by returning a 104 yard kickoff and a 90 yard punt for a touchdown. Both returns were an NFL playoff record, but more importantly, they kept his team in the game against a sizzling Ravens offense. Both teams traded blows throughout the game and with 38 seconds to go, down 7, and the ball on their own 30, the Ravens took a desperation shot down field. Amazingly, the pass sailed over the reach of stumbling safety Rahim Moore and landed in the hands of Jacoby Jones. Jones turned around and ran into the endzone. He really earned the right to wear this shirt.



While there was certainly enough excitement for one game, it was not over. Each team sputtered in overtime, failing to even get any real, legitimate scoring chances. Finally, it was Peyton Manning who broke the game wide open, only he did it for the wrong team. With less than a minute left in the first overtime, Manning, on his own half of the field, rolled left and threw a ball that was picked off by Ravens corner, Corey Graham. Grahams crucial interception set up the game winning field goal from impressive rookie Justin Tucker.



A far as playoff games go, this one could not have been any better. Not only was it the most watched AFC divisional playoff game since 1987, but also it was one of only six NFL playoff games ever to go into double overtime. The Ravens, might not be the best team in the playoffs, but they are playing some very inspired football right now. Ray Lewis is in his last season, and I think the team has really rallied around him, wanting him to go out with a Super Bowl. While, you might be sick of seeing him after every play, and hearing the announcers talk about him every 2 seconds, you have to appreciate what he is doing for that squad. Not only does he have an impact in the locker room, but he also has racked up 30 tackles in two playoff games. To lead a team into double overtime, away from home takes an incredible amount of strength, which comes from the motivation of playing for Ray Ray. You can see the passion and emotion he has for football in the post game interview.



I chose Laws’ jam "Overtime" for this, because not only is the song title fitting, but he even mentions Edgar Allen Poe and The Raven, which is where the Baltimore squad’s name derives from. The Ravens after surviving a double overtime thriller, they should have no doubt in their minds that they are playing well enough to overcome any obstacle in their way. They will have their work cut out for them next week, but make no mistake about it, they have the chops to take down the Pats.

Tupac "To Live and Die In L.A."


With the holidays, it has been a while since I have written about the NBA. Perhaps the biggest story since the holidays has been out of L.A. Don’t worry, this is not another Lakers story. This one is all about the Clippers, who are currently red-hot and making people believe they are can contend in June. In December, the Clippers won all 16 games scoring over 100 points in 10 of the 16 matchups. While they have cooled off a little bit, going 5-3 in January, Lob City has become one of the better teams in the league, shooting up the standings. With a 30-9 record they only trail Oklahoma City by one game, and with the energy they are playing, they will look to challenge the talented squad fro first place.



Although it might not come as a surprise, the Clippers success is largely due to point guard Chris Paul. Currently Paul is averaging 16.8 points, 9.7 assists and 2.6 steals per game. While these numbers aren’t phenomenal, it is the aspects of the game that can not be quantified, where Paul excels. To put it simply, Paul is such a gifted point guard, he makes the players around him better. Paul’s court vision and awareness are uncanny, he is able to find passing lanes from anywhere on the court. Not only can he find the open guy, but he can get it to him as well, no matter how difficult the pass. Take a look at these highlights from a recent win against the Mavericks in which Paul had a double-double with 19 points and a whopping 16 assists.



Former Bull turned analyst, Steve Kerr, said the following about Paul, “He's by far now the best point guard in the league. It's one thing to make a whole team better. But to change a whole franchise the way he has, to alter the entire course of a franchise, is pretty remarkable. That's what Paul has done.”

The debate now seems to be whether or not the Clippers are title contenders. I think it is too early to tell, it should be interesting however, to see how their youth and athleticism matches up against the playoff experience of teams like the Spurs or the Thunder. Despite what happens this year, the future is bright for the other team in LA. I chose Pac’s to Live and Die In LA, because it is interesting to see that as the Lakers stranglehold on the NBA and the city seems to be dieing, the Clippers are alive and well, and, with a bright future, and a group of young players, I wouldn’t be surprised to see more CP3 jerseys than Kobe jerseys.

Emilio Rojas "Tell No Lies"


Earlier in the football season, I wrote about Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te'o. The star linebacker emerged as one of the best stories in college football. Te'o recovered from the death of his grandmother and girlfriend to lead the Irish to an undefeated season and a national championship appearance. However, it now seems as though Te'o is not all he is cracked up to be. On Wednesday, DeadSpin released an impressive piece of journalism, in which they claimed that T’eo’s girlfriend did not die, in fact, she never even existed. The piece is very long, but a very thorough piece with some interesting information.

Now being that this story is still so marred in uncertainty, its hard to speak on the situation matter of factly until the dust settles. However, if T’eo, who claims he was a victim of an elaborate hoax, asserting that he had only talked to the girl over the phone and on the internet, is lying, this is easily one of the biggest scandals rock the sport, which is no stranger to lies, criminal behavior, and unethical practices. My gut tells me T’eo is lying, and there are a few things that make me believe he made this up.

First, I find it hard to believe that someone in his position would trust somebody he has never met. Secondly, didn’t he attend her funeral or talk to anyone in her family after she died? It seems strange to me that he had no contact with any of her family after her death, or even before. I heard Gene Wojciechowski, from ESPN, discussing his interview with T’eo last night on ESPN. Wojciechowski, stated that he asked T’eo if he could speak to the family or even have a picture, but T’eo said the family did not want to be interviewed, nor give out any information. That seems a little fishy. Also, apparently, T’eo found out about the hoax in late December. If this is the case, how come he did not come clean then. It seems a little suspicious, given his situation, that he would try and cover it up. If he actually had no knowledge of the hoax and was a “victim”, how come he didn’t speak out right away? There are a lot of questions for T’eo and, even if he was a victim of a elaborate hoax, he has some serious explaining to do.



While sickening, if true, Te'o’s hoax is not 100% surprising. Sure the story is unreal, but a player lying or stretching the truth in an effort to publicize himself, is not a shocking idea College football is no longer just something people do while in school. It has become a business that makes millions of dollars off of athletes who are not paid. With all that money, it is no surprise that unethical behavior goes unregulated and unpunished. If its not unethical recruiting, it’s the bowl game system. College football has a million bowl games, all getting huge sponsorships from various companies, essentially making money of off players and schools, who often, do not see the money come their way. In 2011, the team over at HBO’s Real Sports With Bryant Gumble did an investigation into shady bowl practices, which included this interesting segment that gives you an idea of some of the corruption in college football.



Like the FBS origination attempts to profit from football, so do the athletes that play it. Te'o could have fabricated the story in an effort to make himself a brand, and quite frankly it worked. Te'o and the Irish gained national attention from his “tragic” story, all of which bolstering his pro potential. Te'o shot up draft boards, essentially earning him millions of dollars, as the more notable he becomes, the higher his draft position, making him more money come draft day. Is it unethical? Yes, but in a business where you have a short amount of time to make a name for yourself, I can’t say I’m 100% surprised that a player would lie in order to ensure a prosperous NFL career. Again, it is not certainty that Te'o is a fake, but if he is, his reputation is tarnished, and it may seriously but his stock in jeopardy.

Either way, the next few weeks, should be interesting as the truth begins to surface. Perhaps now, if Te'o wants to save face, he should take some advice from Emilio Rojas and "Tell No Lies".

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