Latest news with #FTWExplains
USA Today
05-06-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
The Indiana Pacers 'Yes 'Cers' rally cry, explained
The Indiana Pacers 'Yes 'Cers' rally cry, explained Welcome to FTW Explains: a guide to catching up on and better understanding stuff going on in the world. Are you wondering about all this "Yes 'Cers" stuff during the 2025 NBA Finals. And you're confused? We got you covered. If you're just tuning into the NBA Playoffs or catching the Indiana Pacers for the first time this season, you may be wondering when Indiana became so obsessed with "Yes 'Cers" as rallying cry. The phrase is everywhere — especially at the Pacers' Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Let's explain how we got here. So, what's up with the whole "Yes 'Cers" rally cry? Ok, you know how sometimes people say "Yes, sir" in celebration? It's pretty much like that. But instead of 'Sir' it's "Cer" as in Pacers. Yes, it's really that simple. It's also become a whole playoff identity for the state of Indiana. There are Yes 'Cer billboards, Yes 'Cer murals and Yes 'Cer merch galore. None of this is shocking because most teams find playoff slogans, but in Indy it's become fully embraced by the fandom. How big of a deal could it really be? The Pacers celebrated their return to the NBA Finals for the first time 25 years by giving away free bags of Yes 'Cers gear. It was so popular that downtown Indianapolis — a place commonly referred to as 'Nap Town' because of how sleepy it is — flooded with bumper-to-bumper traffic leading to multiple complaints. Per the IndyStar: While thousands waited in line for their 'Yes'Cers' swag bags downtown, many took to social media to complain about the wait and the traffic jam the Pacers giveaway caused during rush hour. Major intersections gridlocked as drivers in quest of the Pacers gear formed a one-lane traffic flow to the South Pennsylvania Street side of Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Is there a Yes 'Cers anthem yet? Of course there is. Come on, now. You can thank singer-songwriter and die-hard Pacers fan Josh Chalfant for the track. "For years I've wanted to write a song for one of my sports teams," Chalfant told Axios. "I just had this 'Yes 'Cers' melody going through my head. It happened quickly, within minutes." Is that all? Yes 'Cer.
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Alex Ovechkin retirement email controversy, explained
Welcome to FTW Explains: a guide to catching up on and better understanding stuff going on in the world. Are you wondering about a retracted Washington Capitals email announcing Alex Ovechkin's final season? And you're confused? We got you covered. Alex Ovechkin will turn 40 years old before the 2025-26 NHL season begins. Already a Stanley Cup Champion and the league's record-holder for all-time goals scored, it's been clear for awhile now the Great 8's career wouldn't last much longer. Advertisement On Thursday, hockey fans everywhere were told Ovechkin had one season left in him. The Washington icon would hang up his skates for good after the 2025-26 campaign. It felt like a trustworthy report, too, since the news was anticlimactically announced with a single line in an email to season ticket holders. But while the email was real, the contents were incorrect. Let us explain. Wait, what? The Capitals sent out an email that Ovechkin was retiring after next season and then immediately walked it back? Yep. That seems to be what happened here. An email went out to season ticket holders purporting October 2025 as the start of Ovechkin's final season. Many media outlets ran with the story, naturally, as the news came from the team itself. Advertisement However the announcement felt off. Full disclosure: this was going to be a post about how weird it was that the news was broken via email to season ticket holders as opposed to say, the a big splash from the NHL, a major insider like Darren Dreger, Capitals owner Ted Leonsis or, obviously, Ovechkin himself. We learned why shortly after. The email was apparently sent as a mistake. A mistake!? Hey, it happens! DC Backcheck's Sammi Silber got to the bottom of this all rather quickly. Silber confirmed with the team the email was incorrect. "An alleged marketing email went out to Capitals fans today saying this will be Alex Ovechkin's final NHL season. Got word from the team that this is NOT accurate and nothing was sent," Silber reported. Advertisement "Neither Washington nor Ovechkin has officially announced anything confirming this, though he intends to play out the final year of his contract. At breakdown day, president of hockey operations Brian MacLellan even said he wouldn't rule anything out when it came to No. 8 regarding a potential extension." Have the Capitals said anything publically? Yep. They quickly jumped online to confirm the email "mistakenly alluded to next year being Alex Ovechkin's final year". Give it to us straight: Is Ovi retiring in 2025-26 or what? Who knows!? At this point it truly seems no decision has been made. Advertisement "When he is ready to announce what's next, he will," Silber wrote. "He returned to Moscow, but that is routine for the 39-year-old every offseason. Still, as he pushes 40 and as the Capitals prepare for the next era without him, expect he and coach Spencer Carbery to discuss what exactly his role will be next year and if his minutes will start to cut back." What we can say is that Ovechkin's contract expires at the end of next season. And while it seems impossible to imagine Ovi playing anywhere other than in Washington, surely hockey fans felt the same before seeing Gordie Howe playing for the Whalers, Ray Bourque playing for the Avalanche or Martin Broduer playing for the Blues. Ovechkin has accomplished just about all he can on the ice throughout his career. He deserves to have the final say in how his time in the NHL ends. And when that time comes, fans should get to hear it from him — whether or not they have Caps season tickets. This article originally appeared on For The Win: Alex Ovechkin retirement email controversy, explained
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Alex Ovechkin retirement email controversy, explained
Welcome to FTW Explains: a guide to catching up on and better understanding stuff going on in the world. Are you wondering about a retracted Washington Capitals email announcing Alex Ovechkin's final season? And you're confused? We got you covered. Alex Ovechkin will turn 40 years old before the 2025-26 NHL season begins. Already a Stanley Cup Champion and the league's record-holder for all-time goals scored, it's been clear for awhile now the Great 8's career wouldn't last much longer. Advertisement On Thursday, hockey fans everywhere were told Ovechkin had one season left in him. The Washington icon would hang up his skates for good after the 2025-26 campaign. It felt like a trustworthy report, too, since the news was anticlimactically announced with a single line in an email to season ticket holders. But while the email was real, the contents were incorrect. Let us explain. Wait, what? The Capitals sent out an email that Ovechkin was retiring after next season and then immediately walked it back? Yep. That seems to be what happened here. An email went out to season ticket holders purporting October 2025 as the start of Ovechkin's final season. Many media outlets ran with the story, naturally, as the news came from the team itself. Advertisement However the announcement felt off. Full disclosure: this was going to be a post about how weird it was that the news was broken via email to season ticket holders as opposed to say, the a big splash from the NHL, a major insider like Darren Dreger, Capitals owner Ted Leonsis or, obviously, Ovechkin himself. We learned why shortly after. The email was apparently sent as a mistake. A mistake!? Hey, it happens! DC Backcheck's Sammi Silber got to the bottom of this all rather quickly. Silber confirmed with the team the email was incorrect. "An alleged marketing email went out to Capitals fans today saying this will be Alex Ovechkin's final NHL season. Got word from the team that this is NOT accurate and nothing was sent," Silber reported. Advertisement "Neither Washington nor Ovechkin has officially announced anything confirming this, though he intends to play out the final year of his contract. At breakdown day, president of hockey operations Brian MacLellan even said he wouldn't rule anything out when it came to No. 8 regarding a potential extension." Have the Capitals said anything publically? Yep. They quickly jumped online to confirm the email "mistakenly alluded to next year being Alex Ovechkin's final year". Give it to us straight: Is Ovi retiring in 2025-26 or what? Who knows!? At this point it truly seems no decision has been made. Advertisement "When he is ready to announce what's next, he will," Silber wrote. "He returned to Moscow, but that is routine for the 39-year-old every offseason. Still, as he pushes 40 and as the Capitals prepare for the next era without him, expect he and coach Spencer Carbery to discuss what exactly his role will be next year and if his minutes will start to cut back." What we can say is that Ovechkin's contract expires at the end of next season. And while it seems impossible to imagine Ovi playing anywhere other than in Washington, surely hockey fans felt the same before seeing Gordie Howe playing for the Whalers, Ray Bourque playing for the Avalanche or Martin Broduer playing for the Blues. Ovechkin has accomplished just about all he can on the ice throughout his career. He deserves to have the final say in how his time in the NHL ends. And when that time comes, fans should get to hear it from him — whether or not they have Caps season tickets. This article originally appeared on For The Win: Alex Ovechkin retirement email controversy, explained
USA Today
24-04-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
What's the USC Ice Bucket Challenge? The viral video series, explained
What's the USC Ice Bucket Challenge? The viral video series, explained Welcome to FTW Explains: A guide to catching up on and better understanding stuff going on in the world. You may have seen videos of people getting buckets of ice water dumped on their heads and had some deja vu, and also wondered what the heck is going on. That's OK! We're here to help. That's right, the viral ice bucket challenge is back, and this time, it's for a different cause. When I started seeing these videos go viral again, I wondered if it was 2014, when we wrote a whole bunch of posts about celebrities and athletes getting water dumped on them. But, nope! It's 2025! And it's back. Let's break down the whole thing: What is the Ice Bucket Challenge? It's simple. You turn on your phone to shoot a video and someone takes a bucket filled with ice and water and dumps it on your head. You then challenge other people to do it, and they do the same, and it goes on and on. Also, you include a link for donations on your social media post. Who started this version of the Ice Bucket Challenge? Back then, it was to bring awareness to ALS. This time, per USA TODAY: "The #SpeakYourMIND ice bucket challenge was created by students at the University of South Carolina's 'Mental Illness Needs Discussion' club, which first posted about the challenge on March 31." How much money has been raised thanks to the Ice Bucket Challenge? Nearly $300,000 to Active Minds. Is there any controversy with this Ice Bucket Challenge? There have been discussions about how this is overshadowing the original cause, with the ALS Association posting this: I wouldn't call it a controversy, but there's discussion online.
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
What's the USC Ice Bucket Challenge? The viral video series, explained
Welcome to FTW Explains: A guide to catching up on and better understanding stuff going on in the world. You may have seen videos of people getting buckets of ice water dumped on their heads and had some deja vu, and also wondered what the heck is going on. That's OK! We're here to help. That's right, the viral ice bucket challenge is back, and this time, it's for a different cause. When I started seeing these videos go viral again, I wondered if it was 2014, when we wrote a whole bunch of posts about celebrities and athletes getting water dumped on them. But, nope! It's 2025! And it's back. Let's break down the whole thing: It's simple. You turn on your phone to shoot a video and someone takes a bucket filled with ice and water and dumps it on your head. You then challenge other people to do it, and they do the same, and it goes on and on. Also, you include a link for donations on your social media post. I was nominated for the USC Speak your mind ice bucket challenge!But on a serious note… please, if you ask for help — it doesn't make you are loved — and this world wouldn't be complete without you in it. 🤍 — Angelina Marie Tamez (@AngelinaTamezTX) April 23, 2025 Back then, it was to bring awareness to ALS. This time, per USA TODAY: "The #SpeakYourMIND ice bucket challenge was created by students at the University of South Carolina's 'Mental Illness Needs Discussion' club, which first posted about the challenge on March 31." Nearly $300,000 to Active Minds. There have been discussions about how this is overshadowing the original cause, with the ALS Association posting this: View this post on Instagram A post shared by The ALS Association (@als) I wouldn't call it a controversy, but there's discussion online. This article originally appeared on For The Win: What's the USC Ice Bucket Challenge? Speak Your Mind videos go viral
