by Michelle Brooks | staff writer
1. The moment when Cleveland almost won two championships
“This is for you Cleveland!” That is what LeBron James said after the Cleveland Cavaliers had come back from a 3-1 deficit to beat the Golden State Warriors. Originating from Akron, Ohio and playing for the Cavaliers the first few years of his NBA career, James has had a history with the city of Cleveland and had promised them a championship back when he got drafted by them. He has finally fulfilled that promise and has made the city proud immensely. In the next stadium, the Cleveland Indians were also doing good on their own. They had hosted the Chicago Cubs and had beat them 6-0 in game one. Although the Indians lost the World Series 4-3, these successful seasons have given the city a reason to have hope and be more unified. Find out how the sports of Cleveland have helped revive the city here.
2. The moment when Donald Trump won the presidential election
On November 10th, 2016, I would say, the whole world felt surreal and out of place. The election had just taken place and I was eager to see the results. Due to the constant negative news and murmur I would hear or see on social media about Donald Trump, I expected Hillary to be the favorite. I was really shocked to find out that Trump had won the election, by far. It felt as if I had entered a whole new dimension and the world was soon going to crash down on me. It felt like 2012. You know, the movie where the world is ending?
3. The moment when Ryan Lochte lied about being mugged
During this summer’s Rio Olympics, four U.S. swimmers were involved in an alleged robbery, according to four- time Olympian Ryan Lochte. Turns out, these allegations were false and only exaggerated due to the fact that Lochte had just came from a party and was drunk. The four U.S. swimmers that were ‘victims’ also turned out to be vandalizers as they had just came from trashing the gas station’s bathrooms before the robbery. After word got around that Lochte had lied about the robbery, all four swimmers had punishments, all including suspensions from swimming. This scandal only helped everybody celebrate Michael Phelps as the most decorated Olympian despite his struggle with weed. Check out the full story and all the punishments here.
4. The moment when two rappers went crazy
Kid Cudi and Kanye West. Both rappers who have had their moments in the rapping industry. Both rappers who have had their moment in the mental hospital as well. Recently, Kanye West had checked himself into a hospital, concerning his mental health. Over the years, primarily from the year his mother died, you could tell that Kanye wasn’t 100% right in the brain. Although no one has ever paid enough attention to Kid Cudi, he recently broke the news when Drake dissed him and his mental issues in Two Birds One Stone. This diss and Kanye’s trip to the hospital has been met with the hashtag: #YouGoodMan, which highlights the mental illness in the black male community. You can read more about this here.
5.The moment when Frank Ocean finally dropped his album
It’s been four years since we’ve heard from Frank Ocean. His first album, Channel Orange, won a Grammy but Ocean failed to release another project since 2012. But, the wait was worth it, especially since it features collabs with Beyoncè, Kendrick Lamar, André 3000, and more. Many fans were very satisfied with all the tracks and even Kanye put the album on repeat. Frank spiced up the release by showing a visual of the album, titled Endless, and a music video for the song, Nikes before releasing the album itself.
6. The moment when Team USA collects the most gold medals at the Rio Olympics
Since the Olympics happen once every 4 years, it was no surprise that almost every American was tuned in to the Rio Olympics this summer. It was full of a lot of action and winning in every sport. This year, Team USA has won the most medals in history of the Olympics and it is the 6th games that the US has topped the charts. Check out this chart that visualizes all the U.S. victories here.
7. The moment when Drake dropped Views and the weather matched his release
Following Drake’s big year after burying Meek Mill, everyone was already anticipating his next album to drop. On April 29, 2016, he finally dropped Views and everybody loved it. The album remained #1 on the Itunes charts for more than five weeks. It’s also surprising that at the time the album dropped, the weather seemed to match the album art cover, gloomy and rainy in Toronto, his home town. However, the album is full of bangers that everyone can get hype to with their friends. You’ll most likely catch a whole song from the album scrolling down your social media feed. You can see how different fans reacted to his album here.
8. The moment when Beyonce and Solange dropped two albums filled with black empowerment and both ended up in the top charts
Beyonce and Solange Knowles, two black sisters who can sing. Although Solange is overshadowed by her sister, she didn’t fall behind when she released her second EP, A Seat at the Table, and it ended up on the ITunes top charts. Beyonce dropped her album about a month or so earlier and it still remains on the top charts as well. Both albums, Lemonade and A Seat at the Table, contain words of black empowerment and are anthems of people all over the world. You can see their journey here.
9. The moment when the iPhone 7 dropped and everything changed
Ever since 2007, Apple has released a new IPhone almost every year. This year, on September 16, 2016, Apple released the Iphone 7 and the world was shocked by the new upgrades. There are many new features to the IPhone 7, but, it’s size stayed the same from the IPhone 6. The Iphone 7 also does not have a headphone jack but shares the port with the charger cord. It also has better camera and speaker quality and is already equipped with the latest IOS update. The biggest surprise is that there is no longer an actual home button. It just lights up when you press on the bottom. You can see a new owner’s review here.
10. The moment when Kevin Durant decided to end the whole NBA by joining the Warriors
After the Oklahoma City Thunder lost to the Golden State Warriors, their main player, Kevin Durant, had a huge decision. He was a free agent and could opt to go to another team. He had a choice to stay with the Thunder and continue to fight in the Western conference or he could go to about any team he wanted in the NBA. After discussing with many teams, like the Boston Celtics, Miami Heat, and the Los Angeles Clippers, Durant decided that if he couldn’t beat them, he’d join them. On July 5, 2016, Durant announced that he will go to the Golden State Warriors and combine with 2 of the best shooters, Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, to make the ultimate team. Without Durant, the Warriors already broke the best regular season record with 73 wins. Just imagine what the other teams are against when the starting five can all shoot threes. Too bad there is only one ball. Check out a sports analysts’ suggestion for other teams here.
