March 2020 – Paid In Full: Chris Boline's Blog on Business and Pop Culture

Powder Blue and Yellow- Why L.T. was the biggest unsung star of the NFL in the 2000’s

Image courtesy of Bleacher Report

In terms of sheer grace and ferocity, no one ran the football quite like LaDainian Tomlinson back in the 2000’s. Tomlinson, or L.T. for short, (no not that L.T.) was one of the most dynamic stars of the 2000’s and was the main engine behind a San Diego Chargers offense that racked up five division titles during the decade. In addition to his prowess running the football, Tomlinson was a dynamic receiver out of the backfield and also a secret weapon as a passer for the Bolts. His drive and ambition helped to bring the Bolts to arguably their most impressive and lucrative stretch in franchise history and earned him a ticket to the NFL Hall of Fame as a first ballot member in 2017.

TCU running back LaDainian Tomlinson scores a touchdown at Mackay Stadium during a game against the Wolf Pack in 2000. Image via the Reno Gazette-Journal

His impact on the Bolts started early on as a first round pick out of TCU in the 2001 NFL draft. Tomlinson was selected as a consensus All-American and also the winner of the Doak Walker Award as the best running back in college football. After a brilliant college career (including three touchdowns in the Horned Frogs 41-10 win over Nevada in 2000), Tomlinson was selected with the fifth overall pick by the Chargers. His rookie year saw him rush for over 1,200 yards and in 2003, he became the first player in NFL history to rush for 1,000 yards and record 100 receptions in the same season. L.T. galvanized fans in the greater San Diego area and was elected to the Pro Bowl five times in his career.

During the peak of his career, no season better defined his legacy with the Bolts than his MVP campaign in 2006. This season saw Tomlinson set league records for both rushing touchdowns in a year (28) and also total touchdowns in a season (31) as he led the 14-2 Chargers to a No.1 seed in the AFC playoffs. While the Bolts fell short in a divisional heartbreaker to the Patriots, Tomlinson’s campaign forever established him as an icon in San Diego. He was named NFL Most Valuable Player for his efforts in 2006 and also ended up leading the league in rushing yards and touchdowns in 2007.

As the decade drew to a close, Tomlinson still had a handful of tricks left in his bag. As one of finest trick-play specialists in league history, Tomlinson threw for eight touchdown passes and is only behind Walter Payton in league history for non-quarterback players throwing for touchdowns. Powered by L.T. and quarterback Philip Rivers, the Chargers advanced to the AFC title game in 2008, but were ousted by the Patriots yet again. His next two seasons were again effective and he ended the decade dominating most major statistical categories. Tomlinson led the NFL with 12,490 rushing yards in the 2000s, 1,897 more than runner-up Edgerring James and his 138 rushing touchdowns during the decade set an NFL record for any decade, and were 38 more than any other player in the 2000s.Tomlinson also dominated the Bolts’ main rival, the Oakland Raiders, by going 14-4 against the Raiders as a Charger, with 22 rushing touchdowns, three scoring receptions and three touchdown passes.

While L.T. was never able to capture that elusive Super Bowl title, his impact on the franchise was immense. He was named to the NFL 2000’s All-Decade Team and eventually inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as his playing career ended. Since his time leaving the Chargers, Tomlinson has been a focal point in the community and is still employed by the team as a special assistant to owner Dean Spanos. While the Chargers no longer reside in San Diego, Tomlinson has always been an advocate for a club that gave him his start in the NFL and where he delivered a truly thunderous performance over the decade.

With it almost being Friday, leave a comment below with your favorite player from the 2000’s.

Must be the Shoes: The Top 3 OG Air Jordan’s of the 2010’s

Image courtesy of SneakerBarDetroit.com.

In these uncertain times, I can take solace in the fact that retro Air Jordans will still be released and scooped up by the masses in hopefully the near future. Well, maybe not all the time (apologies to the Jordan 4 Retro ‘What The’), but Jordans are still a coveted item for sneaker enthusiasts, especially around the holiday season. With the dawn of a new decade upon us, and what a start to the decade it has been, I wanted to take a small tour down memory lane and go over my top three favorite OG Air Jordan releases of the 2010’s. A couple notes though before we get into it: a) the shoes must have been an original release colorway, (ex. the red/black 1’s from 1985), b) the shoe must have been released in the 2010’s and c) must not be a collaboration (Travis Scott, Virgil Abloh, etc.)

With those rules in mind let’s go over some honorable mention favorites of mine from the last 10 years.

Jordan 5 Retro Grape (2013): Made famous by Will Smith on the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, the Grape 5’s have been a staple of most sneakerhead collections. With a colorway that invokes a very 90’s era feel (Larry Johnson and the Charlotte Hornets anyone?), the Grapes are an essential piece for most collections. Also special salute to Chris Rock for rocking a pair of these on the cover for his comedy album, “Born Suspect”. Jordan 3 Retro Black Cement (2018): Pencilled by many as the greatest Air Jordan of all time, the Black Cement 3 is an iconic colorway on an iconic silhouette. Made famous by Michael Jordan during the 1988 All-Star game and in a series of ads with Spike Lee, the Black Cement 3 is an excellent shoe and also one of the staple pieces of any collection. Now with those two out of the way, let’s roll onto the top three.

3. Jordan 11 Retro Space Jam (2016): The original pair of “Space Jams” were debuted back in the 1995 NBA playoffs by Michael Jordan against the Orlando Magic. Led by Penny Hardaway and Shaquille O’Neal, the upstart Magic were able to topple the mighty Chicago Bulls 4-2 in Jordan’s return from baseball. However, the legacy of the shoes only grew from there when they were later featured in the iconic “Space Jam” film alongside a slew of classic Looney Tunes characters. When this pair re-released back in 2016, it actually featured the number 45 on the back as opposed to MJ’s original 23 which was a feature that was present on the original model back in 1995. Additionally, back in 2016, the Space Jam re-launch was Nike’s “largest and most successful shoe launch in the history of the company” according to president Trevor Edwards.

2. Jordan 11 Retro Concord (2018): Man, in terms of sheer boldness, there might not be a better silhouette and color combination than the Air Jordan 11 “Concord”. Released around the same time as the “Space Jams”, the Concords (named after the purple-ish hits on the bottom of the sneaker), are an absolute masterpiece. The re-release in 2018 also featured the number 45 on the back of the sneaker and was an immediate sell-out upon release. While Jordan Brand has had to fend off the likes of Adidas’ Yeezy line the past couple of years, the holiday releases of Jordan 11’s have always been an immediate hit. Also continuing the trend of outstanding holiday releases, the 2018 version of the Concord was supposedly Nike’s biggest release ever.

The 2016 version of the Jordan 4 White Cement tops our list of most iconic Jordan sneakers of the 2010’s. Image courtesy of NiceKicks.com.

1. Jordan 4 Retro White Cement (2016): Finally to round out our list, Jordan Brand released an all-time classic just in in time for NBA All-Star weekend 2016 complete with iconic “Nike Air” branding. To me, the white cement 4 is not only an iconic sneaker of the 2010’s, but also one of the most iconic sneakers of the late 80’s and early 90’s. With it wing-like straps, grey and black cement speckles and vibrant red Jumpman logo, this is truly one of my favorite sneakers of all time. It really is a perfect shoe from feel to look and that is why it tops my list for best Jordan retro of the 2010’s.

Well that does it for my personal top three list of Jordans from the 2010’s, leave me a comment below with your favorite! Stay safe and stay fly out there y’all.

Game, Blouses: The Importance of Chappelle’s Show in 2020

Image via Comedy Central. Prince was the main inspiration for the one of the show’s most iconic skits that went over his legendary pick-up basketball skills as told by the late Charlie Murphy.

As far as influential comedy shows go, Comedy Central’s Chappelle’s Show might be the biggest “what if” of the 21st century. Created in 2003 by comedian and actor Dave Chappelle, the show ran until 2006 and was known for its highly influential comedic skits that drew on all walks of modern life. However, after the second season of the series, Chappelle took an indefinite hiatus due to stress and the show taking a huge toll on his personal life. While the series did have an abridged run in season three known as “The Lost Episodes” there was still an appetite for the brand that never came to be. The show was a critical and commercial hit for Comedy Central and went on to influence a variety of shows for the rest of the decade and beyond.

So below are the top three most influential ways Chappelle’s Show affected the comedy business in the entertainment industry:

Netflix comedy specials
While media has changed a ton since the show’s initial run in 2003, the impact of having a high profile comedy act on your network is a must. Almost every impactful comedian has had a special of some kind on Netflix. The likes of old favorites Jerry Seinfield and Chris Rock to more current acts like Kevin Hart and Iliza Shlesinger have all had successful runs on the channel. Chappelle himself has also had a handful of specials air on the platform which have all had varying degrees of success but none as popular as his original creation on Comedy Central. However, the fact remains that having a marquee comedy special is still an envious position to be in for an entertainment brand. Nothing has quite come close to the mass appeal of the legendary Rick James or Prince skits, but shows since then have tried to emulate that success for a shot one day.

Image via Comedy Central.com.

The influence on the podcast genre
In the same vein as Netflix, podcasts have become an incredibly popular audio choice for users on the go. Many influential comedians have their own podcasts the likes of Michael Rapaport, Marc Maron and Conan O’Brien just to name a few, but the most popular host right now might be frequent Chappelle collaborator, Joe Rogan. While Rogan was really known at the time as being the host “Fear Factor” his career has since taken off with very successful gigs in the UFC and as host of his own podcast, The Joe Rogan Experience. The latter being one of the most influential shows in any medium and a true microscope into what is going on in modern pop culture. In fact, with advertising revenues being considered, Rogan’s podcast has become one of the most financially successful shows on any medium, mirroring the strong influence of Chappelle’s Show before it.

Key and Peele and Comedy Central
Since the departure of Chappelle’s Show, Comedy Central has tried to fill the void of the show with a variety of different series that have all had varying degrees of success. The most notable of which have been Key and Peele and Tosh.O. The former followed the Chappelle formula of skits and found a large degree of success by tapping into the sports audience and also due to the duo (Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele)’s ability to connect to the audience. However, the duo found criticism from Chappelle himself for copying their formula too closely. Tosh meanwhile found success using viral videos as his main source of material which has proved successful in the long run as the show is still running today. While both shows have their own flavors, the impact of Chappelle’s can be traced to both programs.

While a Chappelle’s Show reunion will probably never happen down the line, we can all still remember the good times. So please comment below your favorite episode or skit. You can also send me a message on Twitter with your favorite moment from the series.

Duet To You: Why Darius Miles and Quentin Richardson were beyond their years

Image via Clipnation.com. Darius Miles (left) and Quentin Richardson show off their iconic “knucklehead” pose for a photo shoot in the early 2000’s.

In the early 2000’s, a pair of braggadocious teenagers made their entrance into the National Basketball Association and influenced an entire generation of players after them. In between the likes of Kobe Bryant and Kevin Garnett making the jump in the late 1990’s, but before LeBron James in 2003, Illinois natives Darius Miles and Quentin Richardson helped bring the Los Angeles Clippers to the edge of national prominence. While “D-Miles” and “Q-Rich” only played two seasons together, their influence extended beyond to a whole generation of players. The “Youngest Guns” as they were known, were a staple of Jordan Brand and entertained fans of all ages with their high-flying style of play.

Entering the league out of DePaul in Chicago, Richardson played both shooting guard and small forward for the Clippers and was one of the leaders of the team. Richardson, along with fellow young players Miles, Corey Maggette, Keyon Dooling, Lamar Odom and Elton Brand helped the team improve to 39 wins in their final year together in 2002. On the precipice of the playoffs, the team ultimately folded, but still found a way to leave a mark on the league with the team’s collective fashion style and athletic play. Richardson spent four seasons with the LA Clippers (2000-04), averaging: 12.0 PPG, 4.7 RPG, and 1.5 APG. and had a 13-year career in the league with six teams. While he never found a championship, he is still involved today both in the broadcast booth as a member of the Orlando Magic broadcast team and was the former director of player development for the Detroit Pistons.

Image via Slam.com:

The cover of Slam Magazine 57 featured (from left to right) center/forward Elton Brand, forward Lamar Odom and forward Darius Miles. The trio were a strong nucleus of players that achieved numerous accolades through their careers, but did not achieve their potential together.

Miles on the other hand played above the rim with his thunderous dunks and was one of the athletic backbones for Los Angeles. Selected with the third overall pick of the 2000 draft, the native of Belleville, Ill. had a prototypical build for the NBA that mirrored Kevin Garnett’s frame. During his time with the Clippers, Miles was named to the NBA All-Rookie team in 2001, but sadly his tenure with the team ended after the 2002 season when he was traded to Cleveland. Miles would go on to have some success with the Portland Trailblazers, but also ran into controversy when he butted heads with head coach Maurice Cheeks. His career ended with totals of 10.1 PPG and 4.9 RPG, but his athletic style is still the blueprint admired by many coaches to this day.

While their time together ended prematurely, many players and coaches think fondly of the original young guns in L.A. Now Miles and Richardson host a podcast together sponsored by the Players’ Tribune called “Knuckleheads with Quentin Richardson and Darius Miles” where they interview a wide variety of stars both old and new. Everyone from Shaquille O’Neal and the late Kobe Bryant to Jimmy Butler and Damian Lillard have appeared on the show to share their war stories from the league and reflect on their times in the NBA. The duo was also famous for being the poster boys for the Air Jordan XVII that came out during their first initial years in the NBA. They also starred in the 2002 film Van Wilder, which was a staple of the early 2000’s comedy scene.

In the pantheon of iconic NBA stars of the 2000’s, Richardson and Miles might not make the top 10 or probably the top 25, but their swagger and style were a focal point of their era. In a time period dominated by baggy clothes, big chains and even bigger personalities, two men not even above the legal drinking limit helped give Clippers fans something to be proud of, which was not something common for the franchise back then. Indeed, having such a presence both on and off the court, solidified their reputations as tastemakers. So if you are reading this right now, go out and pick your best throwback jersey to wear for this weekend and queue up Nelly’s “Air Force Ones” to max volume.

“Are You Ready?”: A Brief Economic Analysis of WWF’s Attitude Era

Caption: Stone Cold Steve Austin (right) faced off against Shawn Michaels (left) leading up to the peak of The Attitude Era as special referee Mike Tyson looked on during their championship match at Wrestlemania XIV. Image via http://www.thechairshot.com/WWE

In the mid-1990’s, the World Wrestling Federation (now known as World Wrestling Entertainment), was in the midst of an identity crisis. The company had enjoyed a long sustained period of success starting in the mid-1980’s thanks to the likes of Hulk Hogan, “Macho Man” Randy Savage, Andre the Giant, amongst others, but now those stars were either no longer with the company or long since retired. Now with a new slew of stars to promote to a changing audience, the company had to compete against a thriving organization in World Championship Wrestling (WCW). This period is known as “Monday Night Wars” and it is the story of how Vince McMahon, the owner of the WWF and a variety of iconic stars saved their company from bankruptcy and established themselves as the dominant brand in wrestling.

Today, the WWE is flourishing and has a vice grip on the world of professional wrestling, but it was not always that way. After the high point of the 1980’s, the company saw an exodus of its most famous stars to WCW. While the companies had long traded stars, the most famous initial departures were Razor Ramon (Scott Hall) and Diesel (Kevin Nash). This was then followed by the most famous dissension of all when Hulk Hogan opted to sign with WCW as a free agent. What ensued after was the creation of one of the most iconic factions in wrestling history, the New World Order or NWO. With the combined star power of the original NWO (the group would later include dozens of wrestlers), WCW started to establish a dominant lead in the ratings war with WWE which put the latter in the proverbial headlock.

When Hulk Hogan (center) was revealed as the final member of the NWO, the wrestling world was turned on its head. Hogan joining the group was a turning point in the Monday Night Wars as WCW took a commanding lead. Image via Youtube.com/WWE

With WCW bearing down on him and his company, McMahon had to think of something soon or else he would have to sell his business, or worse, pull out of wrestling entirely. But, thanks to shrewd thinking from McMahon and his creative team, led by Vince Russo, the company transformed its image from family-friendly to more mature programming thanks to a slew of more abrasive wrestlers. McMahon took a gamble by allowing these athletes to express themselves in more of an honest and “real” way and no one did this better than “Stone Cold” Steve Austin. The poster child of the disaffected youth of the 1990’s, Austin fought with his boss, fought with authority, and basically fought with anyone who challenged his run to the world title all while guzzling a variety of light beers.

With Austin leading the charge, the WWE was then able to develop a multitude of other stars to compete with WCW’s roster. Chief among them was The Rock, a brash trash-talker with pro wrestling in his bloodlines, who later went on to become one of the biggest box office stars of the 2010’s. Other stars included the Undertaker (one of the biggest box office draws in company history), Triple H (the current COO for WWE and the heir to the company throne), D-Generation X, Mick Foley (the hardcore hero and best-selling author), Kurt Angle (the former Atlanta Olympics gold medalist), and these are just on the short list of iconic wrestlers still best known from their time on the WWE roster in the late 90’s. In fact, each of the aforementioned wrestlers all eventually spun off to their own ventures which generated millions of dollars for their own brands.

While no one could have predicted this outcome, the amount of grit shown by WWE would make any company envious. Clawing tooth and nail, McMahon put his company in a position to buy WCW from Ted Turner in 2001, effectively ending the “Monday Night Wars” and establishing WWE’s monopoly on the world of pro wrestling. While the organization might not ever reach the collective starpower of the era, WWE now consistently sells out football stadiums for Wrestlemania, its marquee event each year, and also has ventured into its own programming network for its fans. The company continues to innovate and push boundaries in its space and while others have challenged since WCW’s demise, the WWE has deflected them all away or taken their best stars. In business, there is an omnipresent need to innovate and grow and the WWE showed that through this tumultuous period in company history, they rose to the challenge and emerged as the dominant brand in their industry.

So for those reading this, send me a tweet @CDBoline and let me know your favorite wrestler of all-time.

“Damn It Feels Good To Be a Gangster”: The Top Three Sales Lessons from Office Space

CREDIT: VAN REDIN/20TH CENTURY FOX/KOBAL/Variety.com

For everyone that has had a desk job in the corporate world, no movie better depicts corporate existential angst than Mike Judge’s 1999 film Office Space. Initially a disappointment at the box office, Office Space has since become a cult classic thanks to its ability to connect to its audience via the mundane and ordinary life of an office worker. However, what many may not know is that Office Space has a plethora of lessons available to apply in everyday life and especially in sales/business. Judge drew from his boring experiences working in the corporate world in the Bay Area and turned it into a relatable comedy for anyone that has worked in that setting. Below is an abridged list that goes over my top three lessons learned from Office Space and how you can apply them in your career. (Spoilers ahead!)

Caption: Actor David Herman portrays Michael Bolton in 1999’s Office Space. Image via The Austin Chronicle https://bit.ly/2VK84JB

No. 1: Don’t be afraid to be yourself.

Near the beginning of the film the main character, Peter Gibbons (portrayed by Ron Livingston), is upset at his current place in life so he begrudgingly agrees to see a hypnotherapist. While at the session, the therapist abruptly passes away due to a heart attack. This leaves Peter in a perpetually relaxed state and allows him to start expressing himself in different ways at his drab job at his software company, Initech. This includes ignoring his oafish boss (Gary Cole), tearing down his cubicle, and also speaking candidly to business consultants, Bob Slydell and Bob Porter. During this exchange, Peter wins over the Bobs’ thanks to his frankness in regards the inner-workings of the office and what his opinion is on how to improve the company culture.

The key takeaway here is that instead of being ruled by the corporate system, Peter found his own way to make the company better and started expressing himself as such. While this is in no way justifying outlandish behavior, it is reasonable for one to express themselves at work in a professional way. Companies nowadays are able to see the full scope of your interests via social media and having a balanced professional and personal life is critical to your own personal and professional success. Organizations and prospects want authenticity more than ever and employees are empowered to do so within reason which can promote a much healthier workplace via transparency and working together towards a common goal.

No. 2 Take care of your co-workers.

Over the course of the film, Peter and his two friends, Samir Nagheenanajar and Michael Bolton (no, not the singer), are all thrown into the precarious situation of going from disgruntled employees to potential felons. While there were a handful of situations where the group could have turned on one another, they instead stuck it out and eventually worked through their problems to prevail. In business and in life, we are faced with many situations where we can point fingers and accuse someone else of not doing their job, but what the best leaders do is to bring the group together and lift each other up. Each situation is different, but more often than not, taking the high road and taking care of your colleagues is essential to having a long and fulfilled career.

No. 3 Think outside the box.

In one of the most famous scenes in the film (other than the group destroying a troublesome printer in a field), the three hatch a plan to siphon money out of the company’s bank account, which of course goes terribly awry. Again this is not an endorsement of white collar crime, but it is rather ingenious the trio thought to help themselves and give their company a taste of its proverbial medicine. In the 21st century, companies are exposed to a variety of different sales techniques and products. While each product is different, organizations are being inundated with sales pitches all the time so finding a way to think outside the box and fit the client’s needs is imperative to your professional development. Thinking outside the box (in a legal way), will not only help yourself but the companies or clients you work with on a daily basis.

As always, thank you for reading my post and check out this link to The Ringer’s fantastic oral history of the film.