Greatest Celebrations with AJ Curry

a day every day of the week. We make sure that the equipment is working properly. And I think we're actually hitting a really great strike. You're doing a great job, you and Kurt together. Um, we are back. I'm Um. I am c J's wife and co host. We just got back from Utah. I was gonna say vacation. Vacation feels like to use right now. We had to drive eleven hours there and back and then but we have to see my parents. Everybody tested negative beforehand. We were

masked up. Were the people in the national parks glaring at the people without masks? Yes, Um, that's who we've become. Um I did go down a rapid in the Colorado River outside of the raft on my butt, and I feel like maybe comedy isn't my calling and maybe I should be some sort of nature guide. Now I could do that. Uh are are we had a guide on the raft and marl as in Marlow coach from Alga

their own lots of night games. One of my favorite lines she does she sleeps in a forerunner to be able to just there are people that love I mean, that's why I asked my mom, Like I was looking around, I go, so some of these people they just loved being outside, and we like being outside too, But then we have an oversized couch that we do like coming back to. We like to lay as well, so we we like to go to parks and then we like to come back and sleep in a sanitized five star Airbnb. Yes,

that's how. But it was successful trips. Everyone's healthy. Yeah, and we we practice social distancing. We did it the right way, and yeah, I'm very glad that we were able to do that and very grateful that we were able to escape and and get out of the city for a few hours. But um, I don't want to delay bring on our guests who were so so so honored. Okay, you give your you give your superlatives, and then I'll give my superlatives. I mean this is like sounds corny

and cheesy but awesome. UM, so smart, so creative. I was lucky to work with her at the NFL. Okay, your your turn. I I think of this person as the NFL's north star, where you know, like they look to her to write to the ship, um if it ever goes off course she is somehow in charge of all of these people. But it is friendly and kind and so cool and recently was featured on Good Morning Football talking about women in sports media. And yeah, appear

that I also look up to. So please welcome the NFL's AJ Curry h who Yeah, I like don't even know how to live up everything wild Well we actually didn't even say what your job is there? What is your what is your title at the NFL? So I am the senior manager of Social Content at the NFL. I do our activations at our temple events. So last year I printed tweets on confetti that rained down at

the people. Wow, I've like helped players break like Guinness World records like just a bunch of whatever if it's out a temple of it and it's social, like I've probably helped with it. And then I run are like platform innovation team, so that's Snapchat, Giffy, and I mean hopefully still TikTok. I think I know what I was thinking about this last night when I was reading all the news about TikTok potentially being banned, which is an insane thing to say, but yeah, I mean maybe we

can start there. What do you how what are your thoughts on that? And don't get her into troubles right? Oh? Yeah, you know, I mean I just saw you know you sort of said in tweets just like it's more than what he what what our president was calling it, but like, well, what attracts you to TikTok so much? And how is it relevant to your job right now? Yeah? So obviously, like I've run the NFL's TikTok along with one of

my colleagues, Matt Cummings. He handles like most of our day to day programming, but we really launched it together. And along with the launch, obviously there was like a bunch of strategy involved. So like I've been in the TikTok world like a very long time and uh, it's obviously weird and crazy and a lot of people don't understand it, but it's like easily, easily my favorite social media platform. Like it is just it's so positive, like people,

they are truly so positive. It's filled with advocates like I love that, Like they're like they care about things and they talk about them and they perform songs about black lives matter and they there's just like it's so powerful and like it really is. It just makes me

really confident in our next generation. Um it's so cheesy, but I just love it so much, and I find it hard to believe that we'll be able to mimic exactly what that was anywhere else maybe features and things, but like the community in the environment like is so no. I mean we worked together, you know, in the social lab, and I think a lot of the sort of stigmas that the tech talk generation and even when like Instagram and Snapchat all this was coming out, was that the

youth were just like dancing or just showing off. And it's really like best with technology because it is new technology and it's like, oh yeah, they just want to be on their phones all the time. But it's like, yeah, but people are making incredible things. Yeah, it's like and and I like how people are sort of phrasing, you know, uh TikTok and you know, saying that it's about the creators, like the fact that like YouTube and all these platforms

are like we are built by our creators. And by just calling the youth creators and empowering them to just like make stuff and make it easy for them and present them with features to further their voice and messages is so cool. And so to hear that any of these are in danger, it is just such a bummer. Yeah, it's like literally there's a girl that I followed who started as just like someone who was just like playing guitar and piano in her bedroom and she just was

on like the top music charts the other day. One of hers like that is TikTok, Like that is purely TikTok powering that. And it's just it's wild how like it's opened up so many doors and opportunities. And I know people always point to like whatever, like some cringeing influencers as being like that them defining the app, but like it it really like when you're on there, you

can just see like it's so much more. And I feel like to the fact that like older people are intimidated by like making TikTok and being on TikTok, I think that's like kind of kept it so like young and youthful, like you were staying with like the new tech, like they are the only ones who wanted to get on there and try, and that's kept it kind of

like its own little bubble insulated. Yeah. I always say like, oh, they'll reach a point where I'll just be like, no new technology for me, you know, I'll just have been like, oh, I aged out. And I really thought TikTok was gonna be it, you know, Like I thought I was like, oh no, not gonna be able to learn that. And I haven't learned it, but I do love watching it.

But I'm so happy you brought up this girl that you were able to see her like rise, because I think c J and I feel that way kind of about you and your role within the NFL, Like we you know, there's at a revolving door, but like we're

not there anymore. Other people that we worked with are not there anymore, And you're kind of a constant in the best way who's there and who is really like really such a good voice for women and for youth and for progress within the league that we always joke about how you will be the first female commissioner in any league, because we just you have such a passion for the NFL that it is impossible for it to

not rub off on other people. Yeah. I think it's like it's so funny to say that, because I think about that, like so often. There are like people like you, guys that I love that have like come and gone. And I think for me, the NFL was truly my dream job. That was like kind of my like like I loved football literally forever, Like this was like my peak. And so when I got there at like kind of a young age and I got my foot in the door,

I was like, all right, here we are. You want to make your dream continue to be your dream, you know, like you wanted to be as good as you imagine to be, And like, I think the only way that I saw the opportunity to do that was to like get in there and stay there and like work to continue to make change kind of like throughout what you do. I wasn't recording, but I was recording on this. H my gosh, Like, I mean, that's a perfect example of why women need to be in charge of things. You know, Well,

actually I can't. I just can't know. I think we got it. I think we got that. We had Okay, great, happy to hear that. Now. I mean, we're not gonna we're not gonna cut that out. We're not going to pretend to restart. But I think that's another absolutely because you know, we talked a lot about in in comedy, sometimes you get a dream job and then you're like, oh, it's actually a job and I do have to go,

and there are annoying things about it. And and I've seen this happen in sports to where people they have worked in it so long that they're they used to be these die hard Cubs fans or whatever it is, and now they're just like, who even cares? What's it even meant? Like it they've seen too much that they become so disenfranchised by it. But you're someone who, like, you've seen so much and it just continue, Like do you just take all the good and then leave the

bad to be able to keep going? Yeah? I think like I just try really hard to like not get into like a jade of passive place, whether it's like how I'm growing at the like it's just in my career as a whole, whether it's things that I care about, like I just try not to settle, and it's I mean, it's obviously not easy at all, but I just try and like remember, I don't know, I just I just try and keep fighting forward. And I just can't sit

around like You're very promotive to me. I imagine in high school, Like what what clubs were you in in high school? Oh? Well I I was on the speech team. Okay, yeah, yes, exactly. Yeah. So you're just like a positive go getter and that that will you know, that helps you in a career, like you've chosen because it can be I mean, you are a Bears fan and the Bears have not won the Super Bowl. I'm just saying the Bears have not

won the Super Bowl. Like when I was at the NFL, they would get not mad at me, but I'd be like cults, colts, cults, cults, and it's like Megan, there's actually other teams and the cults aren't that good. And I was like I don't know what you're talking about. We squeaked into the playoffs that year. But like you've got a Texan shirt on right now? Is it is it hard to like be a fan and then also

in it. That's such a good question, So like football as a hole, So like that for me, I'm like, it's really easy to like acknowledge when like it's a good team, a good highlight. That is easy for me to like object to really separate. But like I do have, of course biases towards the Bears, but like I just try and also to be like, all right, this could be biased or but I think this could be cool,

and then I let other people help. But I also just really like the players themselves, So like this is a Deshaun Watson shoot because I love DeShawn Watson, and I also have a lot of interactions with players throughout my career, so like when I have like a really good positive interaction with someone, I become like their biggest fan. And so like I had a great time with DeShawn when he was drafted and I presented him with a

letter from his mom. He cried and I cried, and we cried together, and it was like so precious and like I he definitely does not remember me, but like that just moment me a lot. So I feel like also I get these like jerseys and jerseys, it's like kind of mementos to like these like moments and interactions in my career as well. Can you can you describe sort of that you know, you talk about activations, but maybe people who aren't in the industry know what that is.

And like, you know, you talked about the letters that you gave to Shawn. Can you tell us about that project act and maybe some other projects you've done at these ten pole events for the NFL. Yeah, So the activations are kind of content capture opportunities or like really slashy, newsworthy things that we try and do at our temples, which are Draft, Kickoff, Combine, Pro Bowl, Super Bowl, all

of those kind of main events. So it can be anything from like something in partnership with one of our platform partners, so like a TikTok or Twitter, or it can be just like a really cool organic content capturing opportunities. So Draft Letters was one of those when we started that actually that year um that Sean was drafted and we found we basically got loved ones of the players to write them letters uh, congratulating them, um right like, and so we would present those with the players right

after they were drafted. Right they get off the stage, they'd like honestly, they go through like a bunch of crazy interviews right there, you know, like running around, and then I bring them kind of into our area and I sit them down and I say, take a breath, You've made it, and now we have a message for you God. And it's always like even like we helped the parents some sometimes they film them, We help them fum before and like even just have them filming the

message before their you know, son is even drafted. I'm like crying with them as they're filming, like, oh my god. Devin Bush's family had me like full balling with them, like in like a hotel ballroom and he didn't even

drafted yet, it was. And so it's like, I think, a really special moment because when they see their families after they're drafted, it's still part of this whirlwind, right, like they have to go do all these things, and so to give them just a second to like sit down take it all in, like this is fully their dreams come like they've worked their entire lives for this, and they get to sit down and just take it like like a second to like take it all in

and then just get this message from the people who've been by their sides this entire time, just saying how proud they are of them, Like it's like my favorite thing that we do. It's so powerful and yeah, like it it makes me want to cry talking about it, like it's just no, it's I mean, and and the reality is to be even make it to the NFL is a miracle, you know, like you are a one in billion, and a lot of these guys and families

have had to go through so much. We just started watching the New Last Chance You season and the first episode ends with like the star wide receivers sleeping in his car and you're like, fun, and he just loves football so much and and and so there's guys like that that that that then are getting that letter and it's a culmination of of so much hard work by an entire community and family that yeah, I mean, that's incredible. Is your second favorite thing? The tweets on the confetti?

I think yeah, And honestly, they kind of like fall in the same realm of Like one of the big parts of the Twitter confetti that we did was we went and we found players old tweets from like way back in the day talking isn't manifesting that this would one day happen, right, Like Patrick Mahomes tweet was on there, and it was like, I can't wait to wonder it must feel so great to be the quarterback who went to the Super Bowl and then gets to say I'm

going to Disney World and you tweeted that years ago, and then that rains down on his head as he

did that. Yeah, And it's like, I guess like one of the best parts I think about the NFL, and like it's sometimes hard to remember, but like every you're just watching people live their dreams constantly, whether that's you know, the first time they scored a touchdown or they're like, you know, fifty if sack, or they're like, you know, making it to a certain level in the playoffs, or to the super Bowl or the Pro Bowl, like every single thing, and especially knowing where like so many of

them came from, like and work to get there. There's just so many milestones and you just see like this pure joy of like playing the sport that they love and have always loved, and like that just it just warms my heart always. It's great. I mean I do think that kind of brings us to the topic. Yeah, I mean you suggested this and I was like, oh, this is such a perfect midnight like the MD and

I was like, okay, hear me out greatest celebrations. Yeah, and and that that's like on a personal level, it's also perfect because I remember when when I went to the NFL and we were launching the Checkdown and we didn't you know, obviously it was like, you know, the Checkdown is is a fun, sort of youthful way of

looking at sportsbrations. It's like what it's specialized. And I think I was just so lucky for the time that I was there and we were launching this thing, because celebrations just became like legal or or it was being sort of embraced by the league, and the account was kind of like, hey, if you want to see the celebrations that players are doing after plays, you can see

it all on the Checkdown. And so I just remember, like I'm mark in my head just so there's like some marks of like time just based on like celebration stions of like the Packers playing Duck Duck goose and and all this other stuff. I don't want to I don't want to say anyone's selections. So I just want to say, this is also such a perfect topic to how do you want to discuss It's also just so

funny being their personalities and their creativity. Like that's the side I think that it's hard to see unless you're looking for it, And so when we change some of the rules, bring that into the light a little bit more. Like I mean, it just up the fun bag games by like a million. It was a smart move because yeah, it just makes it endears you to all of these players and you're like, oh my god, they're a really

good dancer. Oh they're really funny. Like you see all these different facets of their personality that before then you weren't able to see. And I think that's a really valuable thing if you want to continue to grow and like appreciate your fan base. We want to know the players, you know. That's the that's the reality. It doesn't I don't want the Colts to just be a roster of people I don't know, Like I love their family, ease. I love their kids. I want to know what they like.

I watched their wedding videos like I'm in it. Yes, I mean, I'm obviously like a thousand percent the same. Um. I have like like an Instagram Burner account if you will. It's not really burner, it's like it's a Mac and Cheese account, but I was gonna bring up Mac and cheese. I also use it to like if you look at who is that account is following, it's all NFL players and like their families because I love to go through

and like look at that stuff. And obviously you can pull some of it for content, but like it just helps you just learn about them even more. Yeah, oh a j I got. I got made fun of for picking Brawny James as one of my favorite sports influencers on a previous episode. So I listened to that episode and like you guys were talking about it before you even said brawny, I was kind of thinking brawny and

then you said it. I was like, oh my gosh. Yes, And he's like such like a modern person too, because he also is like on Twitch and like obviously to talk and and then he said Carmel Anthony who I used to work for us when my mom's surprised there, but I was girled about that. So I think that us making fun of c J with the brawny stuff is more that c J is a grown man and he is brawny as a child. Um, and just the

questions that that raises in society in general. Um. But I know that c J has such love for him. He does own a jersey of this trial. He's really cool. Um. Okay, a J, do you want to lead us off with your first pick for greatest celebration? Oh my gosh. Okay, So first I have to talk about how I've been like really stressing out about calibrations because there's so many ways to categorize them, right, Like there's obviously like the

just like overall like iconic celebration. I mean, I don't want to take any of yours, so I won't say him yet, but like obviously there's like the classics celebrate tours, like you know, the t O and the Chad and like everything from like you know, the Dirty Bird and things like that, where those are like iconic celebrations. But then we have this new era of celebrations. And also

I figured I listened to the podcast. I know what sports you guys like, so I figured I just come in with the full football expertise, so that wall are definitely gonna hit on the other sports. It was kind of my thoughts. So there's also like the more modern ones, there's some touchdown celebrations, sack celebrations, first down celebrations, like there's just there's so many you could do, just like your favorite celebrations with the best pantomime props, because the

best teams you could like, there's just so many. So it was very, very hard for me, and I literally am like looking at my list of notes right now to like like, okay, here's a million of them, which one of mine. People, this is how invested she is listeners. She's picking on the fly because it's too hard. This is sophace choice. Yes, um okay, So I think what I'm going to start with. I think it was vastly underrated. Um frankly, I think it did not get enough attention.

But I think that almost why it was so great. And it is Trey Quinn did the Michael Scarn dance from the office. I remember this, what a phenomenally subtle pop culture reference. That like if you got it and you felt it, you were in this community of people who knew what was happening. And I just thought it

was so creative. Everybody else is out here doing you know, childhood games or like you know, really like well known dances, and I just thought he came out with like the most creative take on a dance that people would know, but also like you gotta be in this office community

to kind of understand. So yeah, that's my favorite thing is when like they do that and they're like that's cool or like it's kind of like underwhelming at first, but then the internet, just one person on the Internet, all they have to do is just tweet, oh my god, that was a Michael Scarn dance from uh the office, and it blows up. All the office fans come in and it's like it's These dances, especially in the NFL, have really been a great way for pop culture to

overlap with sports. And I think that's how like a lot of sports is being consumed now with social media. So I think that's a great thing. Yeah, it reminds me of and this wasn't a celebration, but when that song got put to Cam doing his like warm up and that um that was so like and everybody was like, Oh, you don't even have to like football, just pick a song that you think this would look funny with and it took off. What was the hashtag, uh Dak dances

to Anything, That's what it was, Jack Dances to Anything. Yeah, I think like to Like there's like these If you're a casual fan, if you just see like highlight after highlight after highlight in your feed, that's like not going to make you like football anymore. Like you don't have like a way in right like we talked, like Megan, you said like families like you know, players themselves. That's like you're at least start into like why you like like the sport and then build your fandom. Like that's

definitely how I was too. There's people like who like food is their way into football fandom because they love all the food and snacks and tailgates and parties and like to be able to open this new door for someone who maybe doesn't ever watch football but loves the office and then they see this like that's just like, Oh, I'm in a root for Trey Quinn and I happen to be you know, this is on TV or it's all around, and so I think things like that, Like

you know, people I say like hot game A Chargers because I love their logo or whatever. Like people like at their color. This team's colors were cool, Like people grow their fandoms that way. But this is expanding those doors even more so there's even more ways to like find your way into like this football fandom. That's a great first pick. Okay, you want me to go? Okay, so I went really classic for all of my picks.

I did. Um. Yeah, that's just so. My my first pick is actually a person one that has been mentioned already, and I'm just I'm going with Teo because I think TiO. TiO was doing all of his celebrations before it was allowed, so he was being danalized, he was being fined, he was like getting in trouble, and he just was like I'm gonna do it. Anyways. My favorites are the sharpie, the cheerleader, obviously going to the Cowboys logo, uh, popcorn,

the cell phone like he just was. So TiO has like a really soft spot in my heart, and I think it's because he kind of was a viral sensation before that existed, and he helped kind of bring the NFL into the twenty one century. I think if he hadn't done those celebrations and they hadn't been so popular and funny, we may not have the celebration rules we have now. Like it kind of took someone to do it. I mean, just everything he did, like the situps on

his driveway that's my quarterback. He just was so you just had to look at what he was doing and his celebration since he just puts so much thought in it, and he like to leave props. He was putting props places that He's like, I'm gonna score in this end zone and I'm gonna pick this prop up. Like it takes so much confidence too. It's like a new age Babe Ruth. It is. Yeah, he just, uh, he cracks me up and so like he like gave football a personality. I feel like like he's one of the people who

truly helped give football a personality, and I really love that. Like, I mean, it's just so fun like and obviously even if you're like a die hard fan or a casual fan, like you can point to like him if somebody asked you about celebrations, like he's just a staple. Yeah, I remember getting because I played football for nine years, but

I never watched it. And I think, to me, I mean, on a very like basic dumb brain level that I have, I just thought, like every obviously every NFL play is a human feat but it just looked all the same to me, Like a tackle look the same, like a cash look the same. But then yeah, seeing t O like what is he gonna do? Was always like I would tune in and that was like one of the first jersey. Him and Chad Johnson were first jerseys that I wanted to get when I was a kid. Those

were the celebrators. So my pick, uh and ah, I love how you said that we do lean into certain sports quite a bit or favorite them. Um, so I'm gonna go very c J pick NICKI Young his missed shot celebration. So, like we all know Steph Curry as the guy. You know, he's known for shooting at three and then turning around and not even looking at it going He's just that confident. But Nick Young, this is two thousand fourteen, so I don't even think this death

stuff even caught on. But he shot it and then he turned around and put his arms out and then I feel like he also like heard it miss and then turn around was like dang it. But I just love like he was committed to every single motion of that play. And again we talked about like this, these celebrations being extension of personality. Man, if you were to like guess, like, okay, one NBA player to ever do this, who would you guess? And it would Nick Young without

a doubt. And that was like one of my my favorite memes, Like it's a it's it's a gift that is used for anyone trying to look cool and failing, and so it's almost, yeah, it's a bad celebration, but also aid, yes, I mean I think the football equivalent is doing that sort of like slow or like funny dance into the end zone and then having the ball stripped from you or like you don't end up scoring, but like you when you celebrate and then the touchdown

gets called back, which I've seen. Actually, the saddest one of that I couldn't even think of is I hope I feel like it's probably well I compared your listening in but I want to talk about Clenton Nelson, No he's not on my list to is my only footballer. Okay, good so Quenton Nelson. Um, he scored a touchdown, it got called back, but they had a phenomenal celebration where he did a keg stand and I loved it because

obviously on brand for an offensive lineman. Um. Somebody literally played the keg which I mean amazing um, and it got called back, which is really sad, and I don't know if they ever got a chance to do it again. So I do it. It is fun to how there's like teams that get really into it, Like the Seahawks are really good, the forty Niners are Like. There are entire teams that you're like, oh, I wonder what they're gonna do, And I do love that the Colts and I think some of it is t y, but I

think some of it is. The younger guys too have like fully been we're going to be a celebration team, and I'm like, I love rooting for a celebration team because it's just more fun to watch too. Um. Okay, let's take a quick break and then we'll be right back. Okay, and we are back with our number two picks for greatest celebration and c J did pick a basketball player who actually did not score for his first pick. Um

just wanted to read CJ. Is I just you know, sometimes you have to do a refresher Like Fiance, they always play the last episode like they go to commercial and then they play the scene before the commercial. It's like, we just saw it. Keep it moving, Nigeria. I want to go not Everyone is like you were your fast forwarding through commercials or like, So we were on this road trip this past week and Megan won't sit through

a fifteen second ad read on a podcast. What she'll do is for a full minute, hit the fifteen second fast forward and then miss it and then go back and then keep doing it until you find a spot. And that is longer than they add read. Okay, but that is also a thousands to present me. And we're like, I have like premium everything just because I cannot sit through the app. I can't do it, cannot do it.

I had regular Hulu until like a year ago, and our friend Lisa, who's been in the pod, was like, what do you do, Like you have a brand new car, just buy Hulu without commercials, Like give it up? And I'm like, you're right, You're right, And then I get so like irrationally mad at the few shows that like still have commercials even if you opt out of commercials.

I'm like, why why? Yeah. I do want to also bring up that I just we got panned Express last night after we got back from the road, and so we had fortune cookies and I just found on the ground c J's fortune that was in his fortune cookie and it says share your witty humor with others. That's what I'm saying, I mean, and then it has like a little I always think you should this should be your next um tattoo because Panda Express is written underneath it you pand Express it is it is pretty great.

And I had just put I tweeted the stupidest joke ever. I said, more like crabber and good because I had just eaten a lot of crabber and coons. And then I opened up my fortune cookie and said this, and I was like, you know what, I gotta I gotta keep going on my instinct. My instinct is great, and mine says it's okay to say sorry. And I was like, fuck you, pand Express, that's an insane like I oh, I wish I could go back in time and switch

our fortune cookies at the last second. Alright, alright, okay, so um okay, agge, we are a number two picks. You lead us off. Okay, my number two is actually it's a tie, um and it's a tie between um we Actually you just mentioned it. It's a tie between teams because not pick just one, and so by tie is the Vikings and the Seahawks. And I think that exactly what you were saying. They are all in on celebration. They are celebration teams. They are wildly creative. And so

I will list a few of my favorites. Now, Seahawk the Bye Bye Bye phenominal really great. Everybody can identify that like such a win. They did the new the new edition dance. The amount of practice and coordination, I I just like, I cannot even um. They did I believe mining for Gold against San Francisco, what I mean savage. And then also they've done I mean there's probably a million more. I'm not even this game, but they've done surfing,

love surfing. They did one where they were doing they were like an orchestra, but then all of a sudden it morphed into everyone doing the macarena. I want the storyline, like I need to know more. I love the Seahawks celebrations, and then the Vikings were my second choice. Um. Specifically, the two that stand out to me are definitely Limbo Um,

which they took from I believe, like a soccer team. Um, but I love that they brought it to the NFL, And then the duck duck gray duck because it's playful, it's nostalgic, it's easily identifiable, and also like a shout out to the local jargon because most people call it duck duck goose. In Minnesota, they call it duck duck, gray duck, And so I felt like it was also like just a celebration where they're you know, they're from in their home. So that burger stuff with cheese, Oh

that thing is good. Um yeah. I remember seeing the Seahawks do so much choreography and being like, I hope they win because if they lose, and their coaches like you guys spent forty five minutes on an eight count of bye bye bye, like when we could have been watching film, Like you almost have to be a team that's good to fully be all in on celebrations because if you're under five hundred but you're doing choreograph celebrations at practice, they're gonna be like, guys, we gotta get

drills down before we're doing uh, you know, like a toe heel. It's like the first touchdown of the game and you celebrate and then it just goes downhill from there. Like then that celebration feel like almost loses, like it's shine. Yeah. It's so funny too, because like the Seahawks used to be this like beast mode team where it was the defense was really intimidating and cool and like bad asks him punch you in the face and they're gonna and yeah,

and they're still cool. They still are very good. But now it's like, yeah, we're gonna have a little fun, so we're gonna do dances as well. When you see Lebron, right, Lebron is like super cool, but when you see him like being like kind of goofy. I don't know why, but like he makes being goofy cool, like it's a more cool. And when he's care me it's cool. They're like you're a giant jacked man. Anything kind of looks cool. You know. I tell you Ja that all the time.

It's like, baby, just get ripped and then anything's cool you do. I'm trying. I just want to be considered cool, but you're so cool. I'm now noticing your shirt, to which I'm sure is going to come up. Okay, okay, so um my number two pick again in this classic realm. If I had to point to a specific one, I can, but it is the Tiger Sunday red sure fist pump

like there's pins made after it. The twenty nineteen Masters when when the comeback like he does sort of like a double flex and then it was a really I thought it was such a heartwarming, nice moment because they flashed back to his first Master's win and he's hugging his mom and his dad, and in twenty nineteen he's hugging his mom and his children, and it really felt

full circle. But when you see Tiger in that red shirt and when he gets at fist pump, it's like, you know, we want, Like that is it signifies, Oh, I just want And it's like so masculine for like golf, you know, you just put it in and it's a put is like truly just like tapping a ball into a hole and he's able to like get his whole

body going, and golfers have celebrated. I remember when Phil Mickelson finally won a major and it was a huge as very much Peyton, get the monkey off your back, and he just like jumped up in the air kind of like he was a bridesmaid and made to do it. And it's like, oh, yeah, Tiger does make golf so much cooler by just like being there and being who he is. Because if any of the other golfers did that, it would feel very all lives matter. But Tiger doing it,

You're like, yes, great, love it. I feel like to golf is like such like a it's kind of like a subtle rate. Yeah. And so would you just see him punch like all of that like penned up, like keeping it down and chilling in Like when you see that, it just feels like almost like a police of energy like he did it, and like it's it's perfect and I have to want like it's it's such a natural.

Like I mean, even as a kid, I remember my brother's making fun of me once because my mom said I could do something, and I go yes, and I like did that like kitching, and it's like it's dorky, but it's your natural like inclination if you're just trying to do a contained celebration. But I wonder if now

he's like, well, this is my thing, I gotta do it. Yeah, I mean for for being a kid, like when we go out and try to be like our favorite athletes, like for Jordan's it was putting your tongue out and playing basketball, but like I remember playing golf for one summer and kids were doing that, and so like it is really I just feel like some of these athletes who become stars, they have one built in naturally in them, like not only are they good, but then they can

do this significant, iconic celebration that's just like every brand that they endorse, just their eyes lap and goes that's it. The tiger pump, I mean like Aaron Rodgers, but is like discount double check. Yep, that's ours, all right, my number two pick. We're talking about iconic is and I gotta I gotta watch more these these fights uh to completion. But like Muhammad alive knockout Sunny listed in the first round.

We all know the picture He's standing over Sunny liston who was just knocked cold on the ground, and he kind of has like the tiger kind of like arm hook and he is yelling at just like taunting him, but like not just like taunting him and you suck blah blah, but just I can't. I think he's like, get up. No one's gonna believe this, even though it's on TV. That's what they said. He he was saying.

But he was just like in that moment to have kind of the presence of mind to just still be clever and act as if like it wasn't hard to knock him down. And I remember my friend had the picture of the photograph blown up on his wall and we used to just stare at it and I was like, Wow, to be as good at something and to have that confidence and to have that wit all in the same moment is one of the most badass things I've everseen. So um, Ali, I almost almost knocked out my microphone.

So funny maybe talking about like how cool and badass and then you hit your own podcast Mike, because I get passionate and I'm just like that and start fumble the microphone. But Ali, and probably not Eiven his best celebration, but Muhammad Ali is one of the greatest performers to ever live. Was sunny, Okay, I don't know, oh dear, al Right, well, let's hope. I hope we watched the and when we were the King. When we were Kings, Ali two, he in his knockout punch on George Foreman.

He hit him and he was falling down, and he would have been legally able to punch him again to make sure, but Ali said it was he liked the aesthetic of him slowly falling, So I mean he didn't punch him again, And I'm like, yeah to me again, that's like Ali is a creative director as well, loving the aesthetic, the fact that that's like how you, you know,

control your career and your place. They're like, oh yeah, I want to because I love the aesthetic and also like the sheer violence that's happening, you know, like a man is falling down in his because he's just been beaten. Alright, let's take a break and we'll be back with our number one picks. All right, and we're back a j You said you've listened to some episodes before, so you we're gonna have you go last is our big finale. So Megan, how about you give us your number one

pick for groups. So, in typical fashion, I have lots of honorable mentions. Um Ocho Sinko, as we've mentioned. I mean yeah, him and TiO kind of go hand in hand. I remember I loved his putting. I thought that was like so funny to do that. Um yeah, he just he's a classic too. Ums my favorite like Bold Bold celebrations, which is when he made his own Hall of fame. I mean, yes, the confidence that you have to exude to be able to do and then execute like just perfection.

I don't like proper humor. You should, but when it comes to NFL celebrations, I love prop humor. That is my exception. Honestly. I like to judge the pantomime propping more even more so, and I feel like sometimes you're not confident in your object work if you're lying props. So I mean object work that's like a real thing and improps like I'm not. I I always like, you know, go to the opening the cabinet. Some of these men

and women they're very they've got great object work. They could absolutely go to Second City and make the main stage. I think, Okay, my favorite sort of league celebration. I love that the winning hockey team gets the Stanley Cup for the entire summer and they pass it around player to player. I think that is like one of the

coolest traditions. It's also very disgusting now, um when you think of it in like COVID times, because I think what they do is like have sex next to it, fill it up with beer and drink out of it. Who knows what they're doing. They eat cereal lot of it. But it is like so cool that it just gets like passed around. I love that. I would want it fully sanitized before it got to me. But I think it's so cool that these men, you know, get to take it to small villages in Russia and just do

whatever the funk they want with it. Um. And then also honorable mention is Jr. Having his shirt off the entirety of the summer after the Calves winning. Did he have a shirt off at the White House? Like, okay, he had a shirt on at the White House, maybe that was the exception, but he he just took his shirt off and didn't put it back on. So iconic that they made a Jr. Sleeve tattoo shirt that you can buy. Um. I posted a picture this week. Someone thought I was wearing one, and I was like, now

I wish I was wearing one. Um, so I will be buying one. So happy to see him. I know CJ just got a new JR. Lakers jersey. Would you call that a waste of money? For sure? But that's my husband. That's what I've signed up for. Okay, um no, my pick Okay, So my pick is a female athlete US Women's World Cup, Brandy Chastain ripping off that jersey after just a nailing the penalty kick. And this was something that like, oh, I think it put female soccer

on the map in the US. It was like an act of such joy and aggression and fun and it was also something that you see the men get to do all the time, and she did it and and there was nothing like scandalous about it, but people still got mad. I remember people being like, oh my gosh, like there are, yes, there are like events as a child that I look back on now being like why were people Like I remember my parents being like who cares?

This is awesome? And then you would like hear on the radio, you know, corn eaters being like, okn't believe she took her shirt off. So it was like it kind of was like divisive, which I always love. The New York Times called it the most iconic photograph ever taken of a female athlete. There's a statue of it now in Pasadena. The game is like, Pasadena, we can go. I'm guessing yeah, we can go look at it. But like so she said that, like when she like, people

are like, why did you do it? Why didn't She's like, oh, I wasn't even thinking. All I was thinking is this is the greatest moment in my life. And and I think you see that in her face, and it's just so cool and it's giving me chills. I just I love to see women just be like, you know, we're so rarely allowed to do that, and in sports to see it, it it was just so badass and cool and

I love her forever for its great. Yes, that that actually was going to be my like sneaky honorable mention because I grew up playing soccer, Like I played soccer my whole life. I played travel soccer. I played UM soccer in high school UM for a bit, and that team was like my idols at the time, and like that home. It just I mean, you said it perfectly, but it just that will live in my heart and like it's my favorite energy. Like it's just it's yeah cool, all right. So as you can see I'm wearing on

a shirt you have to talk into the microphone. I have talked you into the microphone. I'm trying to look at I was taught to speak to people in their eyes. I'm now holding the microphone up to my face. Uh my. My number one pick is the Minnesota moon. Uh and what we don't need to talk about a lot because I know it is sort of a controversial topic in

the NFL. But two thousand four wild card game Vikings versus Packers, Randy Moss scores a touchdown and then he mimes mooning the crowd, which I think it is, you know, yeah, I think now it's it's it's not so so bad, but I just thought it was. It was really cool. I Mean I really loved Randy Moss back then, again a player who had such personality that showed in his game and then off the field too. Like I also

just loved his giant afro. Like there were just so many moments and like visuals that made Randy so cool, but the Minnesota Moon was always such a bad, like no pun intended, badass thing that he did. So I had to get this shirt from my This is the first pick that I've ever had where I've worn the shirt during the episode. But yeah, this are these are the things I like to buy. I think it's like a really funny and cool So it was also one

that was very divisive. Do you have any honorable mentions, um, honorable mentions? No, not really, not that I thought Randy Moss was not someone that as a player we rooted for. I don't know, you know, we can It could be racial, it could be any number of things of just like, oh a man who just like is a badass and field school. I can see Indiana not liking that. And he's someone that I've like so enjoyed as a broadcaster and as someone um post career and yeah, to play

for the Patriots and they still love you. It's like, wow, you really are fun and cool. Yeah that that Randy celebration actually was in a response to the Wisconsin Marching Band. Yeah they had like they I forget exactly what they did, but they had things like printed I think on their drums um and they like it's like marching Man came out and that was like a the moon was in a response to that as a retaliation. I got to

look up more exactly what happened. But it's funny because that wasn't just like an out of nowhere thing, like he was responding to something, which I think is all interesting spin on this story now. And I think you know, I remember in the article Joe Buck apparently I called

it a disgusting act. But I feel like if you hear the back story on that, it's like, man have so much thought is put into that that it's but he's kidding, like it's fully and if he's big pulling his pay ups down, that's not even a big deal. I would be remiss if I didn't mention. Also, the Lamba Leap. I love the Lambo leap. I love hearing stories about it. James Jones was like, oh my god, once I did the Lambo leap, an entire beer got dumped on my head because people are just so excited.

But then he's like, then I'm just drenched in beer for the rest of the game. I love when guys can't make it up there like everything about it is like that is probably one of the most classic. We do this always here and it's there's and it and it really when you see people do other places, you're like, something doesn't feel fully right like it it's so packers centric to me. Yeah, a j bring us home honorable mentions,

feel free to give us those as well. Okay, so first I'm gonna make it quick, but I'm gonna do an honorable mensic category to when people like fallout to things they care about in their celebrations. So my, um, that's everything from like Cassius Marsh does a taekwondo sack celebration because he used to do taekwondo as a kid. Um Marquist Goodwin does a long jump celebration because he's done the long jump. I like when people shout out

their babies. But Watson put a fullball shirt, put it up when pregnant, and then he actually did that when he's on the Patriots, got fined for it, and then obviously you know, the rules changed. So when he's on the Saints, um, he did it again because his wife was expecting twins and he did it and he held up two fingers. Um, everyone found out he was having twins, which I Devin Funchius has done it with like the

lack of my baby. But my favorite example of that is actually Dante Pettis on the forty Niners has two cats and he loves his cats, and his signature celebration is like like a cat, like cleaning itself, and that is I think it challenges traditional masculinity. It's meaningful, it's bold, um, but it's also like not like super distracting. I just to me, that is hilarious. Oh I love that one.

And then my like for real honorable mentions. Also, the Packers did a lunch line which like, um, the Titans did remember the Titans stands, I mean only pull that off perfectly. Um. But my like true winner here. Um. In modern day football celebrations is and it's also probably biased. But the Chicago Bears motown celebration, I thought it was super creative. They had basically away for everyone to be involved.

So Prince and Mukamar was the main singer. Who's got his mic, he's pointing his finger, He's owning the stage like the rest of the team behind him is doing this like shops thing. Um, so that meant like it wasn't just like a three person thing, like anybody like could get involved and be a part of the celebration,

which I loved. And then to me like almost like the very subtle hero of that celebration was Dion Bush runs in front of the camera and kneels down in front of Prince and like cheers like he's the crowd, and I just put the scene together, you know, And so I thought that and then that led to very similar to the Dack dance hashtag Bear sitting to anything, and it blew up and had this own like whole social media you know, then take on it, and I

think obviously the Bears have you know, not been you know, the best team for for quite a bit, but they were really that year coming back onto the maps like a true threat with you know, Khalil Mack and everything.

And so I thought, like, one beyond just being like, oh okay, the Bears are coming back, it was like we're coming back with a vengeance and you're gonna know also everything about us, like we're gonna celebrate the best, we're going to play best, we're going to like it just felt like they didn't just come back and like, oh we're gonna try. It was like we're gonna go all in on everything and like we're gonna get your attention no matter what we have to do. And so

that one takes it home for me. Did they do that one against the Lions. Yes, they didn't. That's because I'm like they play them twice and it feels like a dig at them m to be like we own no town. Actually maybe in the mo town, but we own it. Yes, they like they have done. Also, I feel like underrated because they weren't. I think it's a good last year. Obviously the year before, but that year

they really they pulled out all the stuffs. They were doing drills, they didn't work stuff, they did the Choco slide like they and then obviously Club Dub is like a permanent like for every win. I mean that is you know, they go back to their locker room after they win and there's lights, there's two scoballs, plastic music. I mean that could probably be you know, in this as its own entity, like just like you know, they branded this thing and they kind of own it, which

I just really love. Yeah, we really need like a hard knocks spinoff of just these see them in the meeting rooms planning, starting at the pitching process to the rehearsal, and then all the way to doing it in game. Oh my gosh, I wanted. I actually pitched a player once a celebrate ation and he loved it, and then he took it to his team and they didn't like it. They never did it, sad, But I really wanted a synchronized swimming celebration, so that'd be so good, so good.

Me and one of my coworkers, Brendan, all the time we talked about wanting a hibachi grill celebration like the shrimp. Yeah, I just catch it in your mouth. Yes, I forgot. That happens a lot like when I was at the Pistons. Andre Drummond and I he we exchanged numbers and then at like two am one night, I got a text and it was Andre Drummond being like, have you seen

Game of Thrones? And I was like I have, and he goes, well, can you ask if when I dunk it, if they can play the Game of Thrones theme song on the JumboTron with a picture of my head on a dragon. And I was only there for it. Was like the first month of two and I was like, I can ask, and I asked and they were like absolutely not. But I was just like head on a dragon.

I love just the full planning and thought process that goes into that, and like them envisioning themselves in their heads, like executing all of like little you know, pieces that

go into it. It's so good. They're so they really are so creative and it goes back to showing like who they are, Like it's very like helmets off more than just like you know this like touchdown machine like just and in baseball, they have their walkout music that's sort of like and it's like with the ball, like whenever when you hear like a country song, you're like, Okay, I'm gonna go to the bathroom, don't need to see

this guy bat. But then I love when someone like walks out to like nas or like guns and Roses and you're like, oh more, there's like funny songs that

sometimes people pick. I guess, yeah, we didn't do a lot of but we we have no baseball, but we do like the baseball walkout song because I don't know, I'm just thinking about doing the Jose Batista bat flip um, but de started to keep it to football, but that you know, No, I do think baseball they got to expand their horizons, but they may not be a lot too. I don't know. Are you allowed to break a bat over your leg? I think, but whenever I see it,

it's like I would break my leg. Oh yeah. In the new Nike commercial they have somebody breaking a bat and then breaking a putter or like a golf club, and I'm like, if you broke a golf club over your I would die. I would be in the hospital, like Bo Jackson is doing. His leg is just like Mac Tree is too. Mac trucks as les. So that's sort of like a negative celebration, but it is cool as hell. Yeah, very cool. Um. All right, well a J, thank you so so much for coming on the show.

Where can people find you and your Mac and Cheese burner account? Um? Okay, so you can find me on Twitter and Instagram at a J underscore Curry Curry as in step Cury. No, we're not really you know, um and then also on TikTok at at a J. That's my subtle flex. It can't go away now out, it can't go I know I'll be so sad. And then you can find my Mac and cheese Aron on Instagram at Baby Got Mac with two y y NFL Disposables account at NFL Disposables on Instagram, where I post my

film shots from games. Oh yeah, you just have really cool and you and that's when you have like the vest on. I love seeing you in a vest a media vest Well, we're so excited I for, you know, fingers crossed getting to see funds stuff. Maybe they'll be Dr Fauci theme celebrations this year or who knows. You know, they're really going to have to put some thought in some heart into the celebrations this season. But thank you so so so much. We miss you. Thank you guys, seriously,

I'd like am so. I miss you both so much and I'm so glad that we follow each other on social and we can keep up. But I just miss seeing your faces and talking to you. And I'm glad that we got this and this podcast is phenomenal and um, I am just so lucky to be part of it. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Um. You can find c J at c J Toladanno and myself at Megan Gaily I am starting a UM NBA bubble show. I will be filming it in our backyard. I have a

bubble machine. That's as far as I've thought so far. C J has promised to not help me or contribute in any way, and I can't wait to see what that looks. I have no choice. I will be helping you. No, you will not be helping me. I've actually hired a producer, slash editor, slash friend who I used to work with at the NFL, another female content creator. And we don't need you, c J. Okay, so be looking for that the name who knows I may change it every week.

C J says that's bad for social media. I don't really give that that. Um and thanks to our producer Kurt and oh everybody stays safe. Where your mask be good, wash your hands became find Please be kind and rate and review and rate and review. We love you, guys, and we will see you next week. The Greatest is a production of I Heart Radio.