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should've stayed in the drafts

A Football Mascot's Less-Than-Sensitive Tribute To A Late Player, And More Of This Week's 'One Main Character'

Darcy Jimenez
Darcy Jimenez
A Football Mascot's Less-Than-Sensitive Tribute To A Late Player, And More Of This Week's 'One Main Character'
Featuring a guy who definitely knows what good art is.
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Every day, somebody says or does something that earns them the scorn of the internet. Here at Digg, as part of our mission to curate what the internet is talking about right now, we rounded up the main characters on Twitter from this past week and held them accountable for their actions.



This week, we've got someone who thinks they're the authority on good and bad art, a sportsman with a confusing take, a Frenchman riling up Americans and an NFL Twitter account that should've paused for thought before hitting send.



Sunday

Noah Lyles

The character: Noah Lyles, American sprinter, world champion, fan of global flags

The plot: Sprinter Noah Lyles recently won a couple of golds at the 2023 World Championships, and said in a press conference that American NBA teams calling themselves world champions was a farce, because the league isn’t a global competition.

“I love the U.S... but that ain't the world!” Lyles said.



Weird comment to make when you’ve just won yourself.


The repercussion: There’s truth in Lyles’s statement, but it’s also a very 2000-and-late sentiment that’s been in and of discourse. Making fun of American sports leagues’ exceptionalism? Something an amateur stand-up comedian would put in their set. Online it was mostly emotional basketball fans, and players, who chirped back.



Adwait Patil




Saturday

Philippe Lemoine

The character: Philippe Lemoine, PhD candidate, genuine believer, defender of French food from France

The plot: It’s hard to rattle Americans with subpar takes about food, cuisines or restaurants — anything of that sort — but you can always trust someone who flaunts their Ivy League affiliation in their bio to stir the pot. Some chap called Philippe, who is located in Paris, wrote: “Americans genuinely believe they have better food than France. They really believe it. It’s truly extraordinary.” Which sounds too fake to be true, but alas.

I want to believe someone held Lemoine at gunpoint and said, “go on, be the most boring version of yourself,” and this is what we got.



The plot: French guy taking earnest shots at online Americans and calling their misguided beliefs “truly extraordinary” — I’m yet to see a more obvious invite for chaos.



Adwait Patil



Monday

Boltman

The character: Boltman, LA Chargers mascot, NFL fan

The plot: Whoever runs this social media account needs to delete this tweet, yesterday, and then be fired. Cannot believe this is still up.



This is just the worst mash-up of tragedy, unintentional satire, weirdness and disrespect. Junior Seau got CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy) from playing professional football and ended up shooting himself. He died aged just 43, and it’s a real shame he’s being used in this tweet. By a wacky looking mascot. Done by the NFL to honor him? The entire thing is bizarre.


The repercussion: So this ended up becoming a miniature meme in which people photoshopped Boltman in various inappropriate places, like at the 9/11 site to honor that memorial, or at a Senate hearing. The posts making fun of the original tweet are quite subtle compared to the typical fare you see on Twitter, which usually includes curse words and vitriolic replies. Well done, Twitter users, for keeping this one somewhat classy.



Jared Russo



Sunday

Jash Dholani

The character: Jash Dholani, guy who doesn’t understand art, like at all

The plot: On Sunday, Twitter user Jash Dholani decided he’d had enough of people’s “annoying” belief that art is subjective, so he posted a list of the 15 objective (in his opinion) differences between good and bad art.



The repercussion: Obviously Dholani’s claim that there is objectively good and bad art is stupid, but what’s really bizarre are the criteria he settled on. Bad art “makes you feel weird,” whatever that means, and “enfeebles life,” while good art “hints at forgotten values” and includes “a good map.”

The majority of responses just made fun of his weird take.



Darcy Jimenez



———

Read the previous edition of our One Main Character column, which includes a a Diet Coke obsessive, someone with strong feelings about British plugs and a woman whose husband cannot, under any circumstances, see Florence Pugh's breasts.

Comments

  1. David Wilson 8 months ago

    The world of sports is no stranger to controversies, and a football mascot's less-than-sensitive tribute to a late player is a stark reminder of the importance of thoughtful and respectful gestures in honoring the memory of athletes. It's a testament to the ongoing discussions around the role of mascots and symbols in sports culture, and how they can impact individuals and communities. Let's hope for more positive and inclusive gestures as we continue to celebrate the achievements and legacies of athletes in the future. 🏈🤝 #SportsControversy #RespectfulTributes #SportsCulture

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