LZ Sunday Paper Newsletter: The "Pigskin" Edition
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JUST TO KICK THINGS OFF:
Jerry Saltz, via Instagram
1/30/15
Dear Seahawks, Patriots, all other animals, historically-based cartoon characters, and fans:
Good luck to you today, whomever you or your friends and family members are rooting for!
There are many controversies plaguing the NFL, including domestic violence, concussions, air pressure, and the name of one of its teams. Apparently, the Washington Redskins' are still struggling to determine whether their name is, indeed, controversial. My recommendation as to appropriateness/non-appropriateness might be to take a cue from corporate Human Resources: if you thought that you would be inviting discrimination lawsuits by calling an employee by that name, then you have a team name that should be changed.
Animal names seem safe. They might might be just plain weird, but I can see cheering for men or women on teams that are called Cardinals, Falcons, Ravens, Panthers, Bears, Bengals (why that specific form of Tiger, I don't know, perhaps Siberians will consider litigation), Broncos, Lions, Colts, Jaguars, Dolphins, Eagles, Rams, or today's competitor, the Seahawks.
Or, if I was having a themed Halloween party, I would be unabashed to host some creatively attired Texans, Vikings, or Saints. Or even 49'ers.
Okay, there are others that defy easy categorization. What exactly is a "Packer"? The trusty Wikipedia says that Greenbay Packer co-founder Earl 'Curly' Lambeau solicited funds for uniforms from his employer, the Indian Packing Company. He was given $500 for uniforms and equipment, on the condition that the team be named for its sponsor." The origins of Branded Entertainment -- who knew?!
Another non-sensical yet inoffensive NFL team name: the Buffalo Bills. In 1946, the team invited fans to submit names in a contest. The winning submission was the Bills, in honor of 'Buffalo Bill' Cody. Though I am always a fan of delightful alliteration, the Wikipedia entry does not mention why is this a good team name, as Buffalo Bill Cody did not spend a minute in Buffalo or New York State, and also does not explain how the plural of someone's name makes any sense at all. Like, "Honey, let's invite all the Garys we know over for dinner!" It just doesn't make much sense. Which is how some people feel about the game of football in general or the keeping of the name Redskins, specifically.
The Patriots, as a team name, makes a lot of sense, what with New England and those Colonies of yore and whatnot. And yes, I'm sure Tom Brady and Gisele are super-patriotic.
And the Seahawks were also named by a fan naming contest. The team website says that “It happened in 1975, when 'Seahawks' was selected from 1,741 different names that were suggested by 20,365 entries." Among some of the other choices listed were the "Spermwhales," the "Orangutans," and the "Diarrhea." I really can't imagine what names the team thought was inappropriate to cite.
Here is another thing that the Seahawks chose to list on their website: the SeaGals Wall Calendar! Good news, Gotham- and Hollywood- and other Gals: it's only February, so if you forgot to buy one, the Seahawks are offering this item for only $20.00. And it's a 17-month calendar so that's really only a little bit more than 1-dollar per month. These Gals are quite a bargain!
In other confusing news: the NFL is getting a lot of credit for running this 60-second anti-domestic violence ad during today's game. The NFL's CMO, Dawn Hudson, says, "This is us trying to do the right thing…If my motivation was to help the brand, then I would have slapped the NFL logo on it."
And this is the YouTube algorithm screen that pops up right after you finish watching the spot that has been called "powerful," "chilling," and "the right message to send:"
Slap an NFL logo on that!
Someone with a powerful Twitter following, please alert CEO Susan Wojcicki and the team at YouTube: please fix your algorithms, stat!
Perhaps The Sunday Paper will consider creating a wall calendar or producing a PSA for 2016.
In the meantime, think of this newsletter as a month of Sundays, every week.
Email me at LZSundayPaper.com or tweet me at @LZSundayPaper to send me your best email address to sign up, for better delivery, or to tell us to put someone you know on the list.
Go eat some chili and don't forget, you can watch Downton Abbey in the other room, tonight, should you not be feeling quite Seahawkish or Patriotic-ish enough to make it through The Big Game.
See you next week,
LZ
THE PIC(K) OF THE WEEK:
Tales From Auschwitz: Survival Stories via The Guardian
"I cannot emphasize enough how utterly scary it is to be at the mercy of your fellow human beings. As a child I could not understand what we had done to deserve going there."
The Twins Of Auschwitz via The BBC
"Vera Kriegel and her twin sister Olga were just five years old when they were taken from their village in Czechoslovakia to Auschwitz…Vera, her sister, and her mother were taken straight to SS Captain Josef Mengele."
NEWS & INSIGHTS:
What (Some) Silicon Valley Women Think Of Newsweek via TechCrunch
“…this cover is perpetuating what it purportedly denounces -- It makes women feel excluded, sexualized, and degraded as it tries to point out how bad it is to exclude, sexualize, and degrade women."
UVA Sorority Sisters Ordered To Stay Home Saturday Night For Their Own Safety--While Fraternity Brothers Party via The Washington Post
"Sorority women are being used as leverage to change the actions and behaviors of fraternity men…It has also had the unintended consequence of subjugating women."
Two Former Vanderbilt Football Players Convicted Of Rape Thanks To Pictures One Of Them Took During Attack via The Washington Post
"This is normally the part of the trial where we might say that if we had this on photo or if we had it on video, then it would make the state’s job a lot easier."
Female Founders Fare Much Better In 2014 via Tech Crunch
"In a place where having a penis is referred to as the sine qua non of the startup founder, it’s easy to jump on the pessimism bandwagon…"
11 Reasons 2015's Outlook For Women Entrepreneurs Is Coming Up Roses via Forbes
"The number of wealthy women in the U.S. is growing twice as fast as the number of wealthy men."
Patagonia CEO Rose Marcario Fights The Fights Worth Fighting via Fast Company
"I really believe that business can be an agent for change."
Everyone Calm Down: Michelle Obama's Saudi Outfit Was Plenty Respectful via The Guardian
"But no, dear sweet internet, no, she is neither the first female US official nor the first western official to bare her hair in the kingdom."
Davos Wife To Leader: Women Shrug Off Forum's Gender Gap via Bloomberg Businessweek
"It’s up to the women to be willing to come, leave family behind."
Jenji Kohan's Husband Reveals Plus-One Etiquette: How Not To Be A Federline via The Hollywood Reporter
"I was interested in when the traditional power dynamic of a relationship gets shifted — men are in the support role, women are the breadwinners. What happens to the relationship?"
Katy Perry Thinks Her 'female empowerment' Songs Are Perfect For The Super Bowl Halftime Show via Time
"Perry’s definition of female empowerment might be a little different than, say, Gloria Steinem’s."
Manchild Artist Tells Dallas Arts Writer To Go Get Laid; Jezebel Weighs In Immediately via Glasstire
"The 35-year old French art star believes the Texas writer might better understand his work if she had a boyfriend who takes an erection enhancer."
The School That Killed The Word 'Mister' via The Daily Beast
"…the banishing of “Mr.” and ”Ms.” …is either a bracing new cultural milestone, or a symptom of political correctness gone ever wilder…"
'The Sun' Adopts Copywriter's Idea To Rotate The Page 3 Number To Resemble Cleavage…via The Drum
"Newell had just sold his “small idea” to the country’s best-selling red top newspaper by putting a funny tweet out into social media."
The Women's World #7 Ranked Tennis Player Got Asked To Do A "Twirl" By A Presenter via Time
" 'I don’t know, an old guy asking you to twirl. It was funny.' "
For The Love Of Goop Don't Steam Your Vagina via The Daily Beast
"I imagine that for most of you, this advice seems startlingly unnecessary."
Catcalling Is Never Funny Unless It's These Bros Tricked Into Catcalling Their Mothers via Fast Company
"A farce perpetuated on serial harassers ends with a haunting Oedipal calamity."
"The story of 11-year-old Sally Horner’s abduction changed the course of 20th-century literature."
Carl Djerassi Dies at 91; Forever Altered Reproductive Practices As A Creator Of The Pill via The New York Times
"…drug companies were reluctant to market the pill, fearing boycotts of their products by religious groups and others opposed to birth control."
'Plain Of Feature' Thornbirds Author Obituary Raises Eyebrows via The Irish Times
"Plain of feature, and certainly overweight, she was nevertheless a woman of wit and warmth"
AND WHAT'S NOT TO LOVE ABOUT:
This Guy Is Recreating Pop Divas On Instagram And It's Everything via Buzzfeed
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The LZ Sunday Paper™ (soon to be registered trademarked and copyrighted) launched at the dawn of 2014. We expose and recirculate interesting content that is about, and frequently by, women in business, with a dose of ultra-relevant culture. We think that culture comes in size high, medium, and low. Our audience for this content is vast and not gender-driven. Every week we expect at least one good laugh. Send suggestions, clips, or names of people you think might enjoy this to LZSundayPaper@gmail.com.
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