This is freakin’ amazing. Honestly – as over 1.2 million youtube hits might suggest.
The US Open has seen some great performances so far, like Kim Clijsters’ return to form, and young Canadian Peter Polansky’s second victory over a top-35 opponent in two weeks. But nothing comes close to the pure beauty, athleticism, and – let’s face it – ballsy insouciance of Roger Federer’s between-the-legs classic shown here.
Federer may have slipped to world #2 behind Rafa Nadal, but he’s still a beast. Here’s hoping he produces some more sublime tennis at this week’s tourney. Oh, and while you’re waiting for more miracles from the Fed Express on the court, feast your eyes on this trick shot he does – a la Swiss countryman William Tell – knocking a can off the head of a scared-stiff video crew dude.
It’s not what you think at the Nike Academy. It’s a tough academy to get into and stay with but they don’t actually starve the players.
I saw first-hand how well footballers are fed these days – when I took my son for a trial at Sunderland AFC. The refectory there is run by a team of dieticians and chefs and the food there is not only healthy – but tasty too!
No, there is a different kind of hunger going on THESE DAYS. The kind of hunger that Michael Cunningham has.
You’ve followed along as we’ve in turn followed Michael in his bid to earn a spot on the 2011-2012 Nike Academy team.
The guy wants a spot in that academy like…like…well…think of some comparisons…throw me a bone…
By the way, today on Facebook (the hungry) Michael Cunningham reported that he has been named to play in the First Team game on the weekend:
“Good Session tonight, I got selected to play for the First Team again this Saturday. I felt I worked hard on the running, Hit some sweet shots in the shooting practice, did a couple good dribbles, first touch was right on point. The Manager text me saying he was pleased with me and wants the same in Saturdays game. First League game of the New season In a New Nike home kit. Hopefully I will get the Number 7 Shirt =] …”
Here was my response to Michael:
“Great that you’re in the FT game. Can’t imagine you in anything but a #7 jersey, Michael. What’s in a number? Raul refused to give Ronaldo the #7 even though CR7 came into the team as the reigning best player in the world. With Raul gone to Germany now, Ronaldo has snapped the number back up. Hopefully it will help him with his game…”
You see how hungry Michael is?
Oh – I’ve got it now, Michael is as hungry for a spot in the Nike Academy as Ronaldo was for Raul’s number…mmm…yum…
Now – you might ask – “Skateboarders aren’t players, so why follow him?” – and you might be right. But while we acknowledge that not everyone uses the term “best player in the world”, people certainly could use the term “best skater in the world” and they could also argue that – these days – skaters are just like athletes.
We tend to agree with such people and such arguments. In fact, it’s part of our Big Theory – our theory about what it means to be the best.
That’s right. You see, this project of ours is not so much about being a player but about being the best.
And that’s why we can dispense with semantics and include skaters in this project.
And so why are we talking about the Best Skater in the World today?
Well, like we were saying, we follow Tony Hawk on Twitter and Tony recently announced “Thank you Tweeps for skyrocketing my {pre-sale} book from an Amazon ranking of 900,000 to 42,000. Blowing up… kinda.”
So – “Big deal,” you might say, “Skater-dude’s got a book out and he’s clearly pitching it, trying to sell us some more stuff…” And you might be right. But this interests us. It interests us because not only is Tony maybe the best skater ever, he is also maybe one of the best athlete-businessmen ever. And the book is actually about how he turned his unparalleled skating talent into one of the best brands ever.
…and it’s not even out yet. You’ve got to pre-order it. Imagine – pre-order something from a guy who is already worth a-billion-plus! But we don’t care. We’re not jealous. We want to celebrate his success. In fact, we’re just going to re-post what Amazon.com says about his book:
“He’s the man who put skateboarding on the map. He’s the first to land a 900 (two and a half full rotations). He’s also among the richest pitchmen in any sport. And, in a sport that’s especially youth-oriented, Tony Hawk, a 40-something father of four, still connects with his audience by staying true to who he is.
Moving easily between the ramp and the boardroom, Tony currently runs one of the most acclaimed action sports companies, a clothing line, and video game series bearing his name that has sold over $1 billion worldwide, making it the biggest selling action sports game franchise in game history. He has secured endorsement deals with major brands such as McDonalds, Intel, T-Mobile and Kohl’s; started the Boom Boom HuckJam action sports tour; and achieved worldwide acclaim from the ESPN X Games.
Filled with Tony’s typical modesty and humor, How Did I Get Here? tells the amazing story behind Tony Hawk’s unprecedented success from skateboarder to CEO, and the secrets behind his lasting appeal. You’ll find out how authenticity has served him well in all his achievements. You’ll also understand how his story has shaped many of his fundamental values, including his huge desire to win and his strong sense of realism….”
While you might be sick of the commercialism that seems to invade every aspect of sport and performance these days, on the other hand you just might want to check out Tony Hawk’s book.
I know I will be. I think the blurb above is correct – Tony’s authenticity HAS been a big key in his becoming a legend both on and off his board – from the board to the boardroom. For me he is in this regard in a very select group. I think you could compare what he has done with his talent and his career to maybe what Michael Jordan did.
I think that Tony Hawk is that special…even if he’s not a “player”.
From Tyson and the experts at icehockeywarehouse, big-time online retailers of brand-name hockey equipment – this is why the Easton S19 is the stick of choice for tons of NHLers (the other big one being the Bauer Vapor series). We at BPITW have checked out the Easton S19, and we’ve gotta say it’s a unique combination of lightness, balance, and flex. Heck, if we could afford one we’d be potting goals like Dany Heatley too.
With September here, NHL training camps are opening – and the season not far behind. Here at BPITW, the question du jour in the Hockey department is whether Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin can continue this year basically unchallenged as either-or Best Players, or whether other stars (Jonathan Toews, Drew Doughty, Henrik Sedin, Duncan Keith, Steven Stamkos, Ryan Miller, etc.) can legitimately be considered as the best even though their individual skills aren’t as commonly lauded.
Toews: Olympic Gold, Stanley Cup champ, Conn Smythe winner - and the best this year?
Looking past reputation at actual performance is never easy – and neither is assessing whether highlight-reel goals versus things like leadership are more important. But when you look at what actually happened on the ice last year, the accomplishments of the Blackhawks’ young captain are pretty hard to ignore.
He came to my attention many months ago through his excellent Youtube tutorials. Know by his handle, “7mlc”, Michael shows that he can really breakdown and understand skill development.
And as you can see in his Nike video, the boy’s got football talent too. In particular, he has great feet.
For me, that’s what all great players need.
But Michael’s got a few other attributes – like discipline and character and intelligence – that could put him over the top when the coaches try to decide on who will be selected to the 2011-2012 Nike Academy.
I’m really pleased for Michael. He got himself “Noticed” and “Scouted” with the help of Facebook fans and his own excellent communication skills and now he needs to tap into his footballing skills to show the Nike coaches that he is among the best four of a strong looking group of players.
I’m really pulling for Michael and will be following him from here on in to see how close he can come to achieving his dreams.
The La Liga season finally opened yesterday and it didn’t take Lionel Messi very long to remind us why he is still the best player in the world.
In only the second minute, a sublime outside-of-the-foot pass from Iniesta sent Leo in all alone on the poor Racing Santander ‘keeper and Messi did what he does best: scored by chipping it over the ‘keeper.
A Messi classic.
Our 2010 poll shows that the fans of the world believe that Messi is still clearly the best player in the world…
