The 2020 clusterfu……um, I mean, recap
Tags: 2020, Covid 19, Surreal, Year In Review, Freelance Writing

Photo credit: KC Green

Raise your hand if just reading that title made you exhausted.

That has been 2020 in a nutshell. EXHAUSTING.

And yet, I am trying my best to recap the most memorable moments from the calendar year that is sure to be discussed in classrooms for decades to come. This includes everything from the world of politics, music, pop culture, Black Twitter (Google it if you’re confused), sports and everything else in between. Some of this you will know, some of this you forgot and some of this will be new information to you.

I will try to start at the beginning and keep it brief but, this is 2020, unconventional is the new normal.

COVID-19

I mean, obviously. The most infamous acronym number combination ever and the most polarizing human topic since 9/11. The virus caused the first global pandemic in a century and flipped the world we once knew on its head.

“Social distancing” will forever be in the lexicon and who knows the next time you will see someone in public without a mask or face covering. Some feel it is fake, some believe it is legit. Some get scared to leave their house due to high case numbers, some think there is a high recovery rate and aren’t worried. Craziest thing to me is, this is a year recap and as I write this in late October, we’re no closer to the end than we thought we would be in March.

Update: As of mid-December, vaccines are here. Not too many are thrilled to take it. Yet, so many Americans want to “go back to normal". So, good luck making that make sense.

Sports are postponed

Courtesy of Silver Screen and Roll

Whenever there has been a crisis or a horrible happening in the country, the one thing that citizens could turn to for a release were sports. Think about what baseball did right after 9/11 or how the inaugural game for the Vegas Golden Knights held even more meaning after the tragic October 1st shooting.

With a pandemic though, sports wouldn’t be a escape, but instead a health risk to the athletes and the fans. The postponement was so abrupt and sudden, no one really knew what to make of it. Eventually sports would return with the NBA, WNBA, MLB and NHL able to finish their seasons in isolated bubbles. But there is still concern about how the NFL and college football will be able to. IF they’re able to.

The Tiger King

You just asked yourself, “That was this year?!” Yes all you cool cats and kittens, yes it was.

Life in this country changed right around St. Patrick’s Day weekend as everything shutdown and people were wondering, “Well what the hell are we gonna do now?” Enter Exotic Joe and Carole Baskin!

The Tiger King premiered on Netflix on March 20th and what ensued in that documentary was nothing short of madness; unique (huge understatement) characters, espionage, grooming, animal attacks, suicide, a three way marriage, music videos, polygamy, death threats and one unsolved murder.

If you ever want to characterize the oft-used term “what the fuck?!”, The Tiger King is perfect encapsulation of that phrase. Oh, and yes….Carole Baskin killed her husband. We all know it.

Kamala Harris

There was so much speculation about who Joe Biden would choose as his running mate. We knew it would be a woman but whom? Rumors were rampant; some said Elizabeth Warren, some were confident in Keisha Lance Bottoms (mayor of Atlanta) and for whatever reason some even thought Bernie Sanders would get the nod.

In the end, Harris, a former California senator, got the call. And in doing so became the first Black and Asian woman VP-elect ever. Yes, she has a checkered past politic-life wise but what politician doesn’t? She isn’t the perfect candidate and there never will be one. The significance of her nomination and election is still very important.

Black Lives Matter

That phrase caught on after the acquittal of George Zimmerman who murdered Trayvon Martin in Florida in 2012. When it caught on, it was an extremely controversial statement. Many read it as “Black Lives Matter ONLY” or “Black Lives Matter MORE” when those extra words were never added by anyone. It was still controversial in 2016 when Colin Kaepernick began to kneel while the country’s anthem would play before games.

But on Memorial Day, with most of America and the world at home because of the pandemic, everyone was FORCED to see the inhumane and despicable murder of George Floyd. And in the aftermath, companies, corporations, athletes, celebrities and other public figures weren't scared to say that Black Lives Matter. Protests sparked up globally under this umbrella and Black people were not the only ones marching nor proclaiming this once controversial phrase.

Meet, Zaya Wade

While the trans community has made strides in terms of being accepted, the acceptance has mainly been with adults. But when it came to a 12-year-old (now 13) girl saying that even though she was born as a boy that she now identified as a girl and wanted to be referred to as a such, the outrage was sparked. Add to it that her parents are high-profile, one a soon-to-be basketball Hall of Famer and an acclaimed actress, who fully supported her, the outrage grew louder.

But with the poise of a woman three times her age, Zaya stood firm on who she is and could care less about what anyone thinks. This forced a serious conversation involving the trans community, the Black community, acceptance and can kids under 18 really make life-altering decisions.

WAP

Yeah, seriously. It was a hot button topic for about 15 minutes but those were some significant minutes. If you have ever listened to a Cardi B or Megan Thee Stallion song, nothing about WAP should've surprised you. And yet, it probably did anyway, lyrically and visually. But the news really started where it always starts with women in entertainment: Must they be so vulgar?!

Never mind that men, for DECADES, have been misogynistic in all forms of entertainment. Never mind that men, for DECADES, have bragged on their sexual conquests over women and their….sexual abilities and parts. Women just can't do it just because. Bullshit. WAP is a dope song, creative music video and keep that same energy next time you hear a man bragging on his….hell, I’m gonna say it, his dick. Let Cardi and Meg be great.

The Houston Astros cheating scandal

Just so you know, I am writing this as a Dodgers fan. In 2017, I was beyond excited that the Dodgers made it back to the World Series for the first time in 29 years. We were matched up against the Houston Astros who, in their own right, were a damn good team. What ensued was the greatest World Series I had ever seen. Two heavyweights trading back and forth but when it ended, we didn’t come out on top. I was sad but not out because I knew we’d be back and we lost to a better team.

But while watching Game 5 of the series, which was played in Houston, something seemed off to me. While the Astros were good, they were hitting EVERYTHING off our pitchers including Clayton Kershaw, who had dominated them in Game 1. And those hits were home runs on top of that. I didn’t think too much of it following the game and the series.

In November 2019, former Astros pitcher Mike Fiers, played the role of whistleblower, telling in detail how the Astros utilized their sign stealing system in the 2017 season. But it was in January 2020, when MLB’s (Major League Baseball) investigation had confirmed what was alleged: The Houston Astros cheated in their 2017 “championship” season.

The reaction was as you would think; anger, outrage, peers calling them cheaters and frauds. Then the venom became worse when MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred only penalized the team with a $5 million fine, a loss of draft picks and the manager and general manager being fired. No current players were punished and their World Series title was not vacated.

VERZUZ

Courtesy of @verzuztv on Instagram

The saying goes, boredom brings forth the highest creativity. Okay, that’s not a saying. At least not one I’m aware of. But in speaking about the VERZUZ movement this year, that fits.

Hip hop producers, Timbaland and Swizz Beatz got on Instagram Live and decided to have a battle of catalogs one random night in March during the beginning of the pandemic. The viewership went through the roof and everyone wanted more. The flood gates had opened.

Soon, the producers introduced the world to VERZUZ, a online webcast company that they started and the dream matchups were on; Erykah Badu vs. Jill Scott, Babyface vs. Teddy Riley, Snoop vs. DMX, Patti LaBelle vs. Gladys Knight, Nelly vs. Ludacris and so much more.

This was a celebration of urban music and the artists that sang, rap, wrote and produced it. And for the Generation X and Y-ers, we love it. And just for fun, go on Twitter and search VERZUZ and enjoy the debates.

Wildfires

Yes it seems that California has wildfires every year but this year was different as everything in 2020 was. Not only was there a wildfire in California but it was reportedly a result of a gender reveal gone wrong. Then the fires spread up the state and affected neighboring states like Oregon, Washington and Nevada making the air quality incredibly toxic and the views looking like something out of an apocalyptic movie.

Oh and the wildfires weren’t just here. Australia was greatly affected as well. The fires started in late 2019 but they continued into March 2020 and proved to be just as deadly. 47 million acres were burned, 34 people were killed and thousands of wildlife were displaced in the fires.

OnlyFans

No, this website did not get its start in 2020 but it damn sure became a known commodity this year.

OnlyFans was a website created in 2016 by Tim Stokely in London, England. It was created for creators to use a subscription based service to showcase……whatever they chose to show.

By 2019, OnlyFans became known for regular people who created accounts to make adult content but it was still pretty taboo for the most part.

This year saw celebrities like Tyga, Chris Brown and…..sigh, Bella Thorne make accounts. As well as your average Twitter or Instagram follower. Now, OnlyFans isn’t ONLY for adult content or sex work. That’s just what it became known for.

And in the process, turned the porn industry on its head. The site made the creator the powerful one and gave them carte blanche to create their brand however they want, at whatever price they want.

Notice though, I kept saying site. Not app. Yeah, there isn’t an app. Weird.

Harvey Weinstein got locked up, Jeffrey Epstein’s expose doc premiered on Netflix and Ghislaine Maxwell was arrested

For years, there were allegations about Epstein and Weinstein engaging in forms of sexual abuse and assault. These allegations prompted the #MeToo movement that started in 2017.

From then until now, Jeffrey Epstein is deceased, the documentary detailing his sex crimes from the survivors premiered on Netflix, Weinstein was charged and convicted on a rape and criminal sex charge on February 24th and due to the aforementioned documentary, the world was introduced to Ghislaine Maxwell who worked with Epstein in acquiring his victims and groomed them. She is currently facing six charges of sexual grooming after being arrested on July 2nd.

The Last Dance

In March, no one quite knew what to do with themselves after things in the country shut down. Sure Netflix and Hulu were around but there wasn’t anything, sports related, to look forward to week to week and get excited about. Enter ESPN. In June, the much anticipated 10 part documentary “The Last Dance” chronicling the rise and, abrupt, end of the 90s Bulls dynasty, was scheduled to premiere.

But with America shut in indefinitely, there was a demand on social media to have the doc premiere earlier. ESPN heard it and obliged. From April 19th to May 18th, the country watched the backstory of one the greatest sports dynasties ever. How Phil Jackson came to be one of the best basketball coaches of all time, Scottie Pippen’s horrible contract in the 90s, Dennis Rodman’s Vegas trip and why Michael Jordan took everything personal. I mean, EVERYTHING.

It was the first during-COVID sporting event that truly brought everyone together from different generations.

Trump was impeached, then acquitted, then got COVID, then….he didn’t?

45 had quite the interesting calendar year. He asked Ukraine to help probe into Joe Biden and his son, Hunter over dealing they had with the country. For that, he was impeached in January. After the votes came in from the Senate, in February he was acquitted of all charges.

On October 1, he tweeted that he and the First Lady were indeed COVID-19 positive. And three days after that, it was reported that he does not have the virus anymore.

The Entanglement

As everybody was minding their own business this summer, August Alsina had not been heard from in some time. So he decided to change that and let everyone know that he and Jada Pinkett Smith, yes Will’s wife, had a thing going on and that he caught feelings and was in love. This also happened three years ago.

Following this random bombshell, of course everyone wanted to hear from the Smiths and fortunately Jada happened to have her own show, Red Table Talk on Facebook, for such a situation.

The episode that followed was….awkward to say the least but the silver lining in the interview was Jada’s INSISTANCE on calling her affair an entanglement. Which Will definitely was not feeling. But! We got a new word from it!

The Emergence of Tabitha Brown

In this viral era, the internet has made regular unknown people into stars. Some for infamous and despicable acts and some for just being loveable and having a personality that resonates with just about anyone. Tabitha Brown definitely fit the latter description.

Brown started rising to fame with her vegan cooking tutorials on TikTok and Instagram. The food looked amazing but it was her Southern accent, smile, soft-spoken tone and catch phrases (“Cause that’s my business” and “like so, like that”) that really left a lasting impression.

But the flowers for Auntie Tab were yet to come. As a result of her sudden fame, endorsements came, she became represented by the Creative Artists Agency, a powerhouse Los Angeles talent agency, acting roles became available and we were introduced to her beautiful family and husband. Imagine that, going viral by simply being a good person. Like so, like that.

Election Day

This election lived up to the hype and actually surpassed it. We had Arizona and Michigan turn blue, 300K ballots lost by USPS and Trump threatening to sue multiple states. And that was just the first night.

Then the election came to a standstill with Pennsylvania, Georgia, Arizona and Nevada (my current home) all holding the process hostage with counting votes quite slowly. Trump kept suing (with judges ignoring his lawsuits), Biden kept encouraging people to be patient and Trump’s supporters were telling Arizona officials to keep counting the votes and in Michigan, they were telling local officials to stop counting the votes. To say it was madness is like saying ice is cold.

But, when the dust settled and the votes were counted and re-counted and counted again, Biden is in and Trump is out.

Kobe Bryant

This story had to be last. It just had to be. I started to write the title as “The death of Kobe Bryant" but I couldn’t do it. Even reading back what I just said couldn’t write is difficult.

January 26th, 2020 rocked everyone’s world, it was immediately one of those “you remember where you were" moments and that date will never be seen the same again.

No need to go over what happened and how because we all know. As I write this in December, ten months after, it still doesn’t feel real. And it probably never will. But, unfortunately it is.

Families are missing a father, a sister, a mother, brothers, sisters, daughters and sons because of that fateful day. I miss him like hell and I never met the guy. May everyone that lost their life on that helicopter continue to rest in peace.

In Memoriam

Chadwick Boseman

John Thompson

Kelly Preston

Regis Philbin

Tommy “Tiny" Lister

Diego Maradona

Eddie Van Halen

Alex Trebek

Natalie Desselle-Reid

Sean Connery

King Von

Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Malik B

Naya Rivera

Jas Waters

Fred Willard

Charley Pride

Jerry Stiller

David Stern

Andre Harrell

Little Richard

Bill Withers

James Lipton

Ja’Net Dubois

Rep. John Lewis

And all those that passed from complications from COVID-19 this year.