https://www.rafikohan.com/slideshow daily 0.75 2017-01-12 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5845fe312994ca8815329658/1483815869197-27WC3RWR7O32V6R8P69P/IMG_1625.JPG Notes from the Road - January 12, 2015, AT&T Stadium (Arlington, TX) In town for the college football championship game between Ohio State and Oregon, I meet Gibby (pictured on the left) in the parking lots outside of AT&T Stadium. "Be honest, be honest," he spit-screams, pointing into the distance. "That's the biggest fucking stadium you've ever seen." A 1992 graduate of Ohio State, Gibby tells me he lives outside of Cincinnati with his wife and two kids, and his family occasionally allows him to travel to watch his team play. "She understands what's more important," he says of his wife. "You gotta lay that out, otherwise you get divorced." Along with Gibby, who is here with his 82-year-old mom (pictured on the right), I am drinking beer with a few other OSU fans. One expresses confidence that Ohio State will win, but Gibby mishears him at first. "What?! Oh, I thought you said, 'no way they'd win.' I was about to punch you through this truck, and I can do it. Trust me." As it gets closer to kickoff, Gibby's mom is anxious about making it to the stadium on time, and she doesn't want to walk. "I don't want to be stuck here without transportation," she says. Gibby tells her not to worry, explains he has arranged for a golf cart to drive them over. But she appears skeptical. When Gibby offers his mom a high five, she leaves him hanging.   https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5845fe312994ca8815329658/1483815869197-27WC3RWR7O32V6R8P69P/IMG_1625.JPG Notes from the Road - January 12, 2015, AT&T Stadium (Arlington, TX) In town for the college football championship game between Ohio State and Oregon, I meet Gibby (pictured on the left) in the parking lots outside of AT&T Stadium. "Be honest, be honest," he spit-screams, pointing into the distance. "That's the biggest fucking stadium you've ever seen." A 1992 graduate of Ohio State, Gibby tells me he lives outside of Cincinnati with his wife and two kids, and his family occasionally allows him to travel to watch his team play. "She understands what's more important," he says of his wife. "You gotta lay that out, otherwise you get divorced." Along with Gibby, who is here with his 82-year-old mom (pictured on the right), I am drinking beer with a few other OSU fans. One expresses confidence that Ohio State will win, but Gibby mishears him at first. "What?! Oh, I thought you said, 'no way they'd win.' I was about to punch you through this truck, and I can do it. Trust me." As it gets closer to kickoff, Gibby's mom is anxious about making it to the stadium on time, and she doesn't want to walk. "I don't want to be stuck here without transportation," she says. Gibby tells her not to worry, explains he has arranged for a golf cart to drive them over. But she appears skeptical. When Gibby offers his mom a high five, she leaves him hanging.   https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5845fe312994ca8815329658/1483816064644-7RIIUI5LD4UNCOPYHUIA/IMG_5318.JPG Notes from the Road - September 19, 2015, Michigan Stadium (Ann Arbor, MI) A sea of maize and blue, as seen from the press box at Michigan Stadium, aka The Big House, so named for its official capacity of 107,601 and its standing as the largest stadium in the United States. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5845fe312994ca8815329658/1483815890940-BTLAKESNFAFO3MIQX617/IMG_2556.JPG Notes from the Road - March 6, 2015, Barclays Center (Brooklyn, NY) "I have at least 30 to 40 superstitions," says Bruce Reznick, a longtime Nets fan better known as Mr. Whammy for the hexes he places on opposing free-throw shooters. "I got it from my mother." When I meet Bruce—pictured with his wife, Judy—he's enjoying a pregame meal of salmon sushi. I ask if eating sushi is a superstition. "This is lox," Mr. Whammy corrects me. "It's raw lox." Says Judy, "To us, it's like lox with rice." "This is the only thing we'll eat, usually." "Also the turkey, the turkey you like." Mr. Whammy concedes, "They have great turkey." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5845fe312994ca8815329658/1483815968920-S62J62XG17NJ5Z0057EP/IMG_2912.JPG Notes from the Road - April 15, 2015, Quicken Loans Arena (Cleveland, OH) Outside Quicken Loans Arena, toward the end of a Cavaliers game, I sidle up to Maurice Reedus, Jr., aka Sax Man, a local Cleveland legend, while he sets up to play for passing fans. Pretty soon my attention turns to another man lurking on the walkway, though, one of Sax Man’s old college classmates, dressed in a blazer and mock turtleneck (not pictured here; I took his photo but he made me delete it). The man introduces himself as Star and tells me he’s a pimp. This intrigues me, because I don’t often meet pimps. I ask Star what exactly he does, wanting to understand the logistics of pimping. How does one pimp, I wonder? “That’s they business. They hos!” he says, explaining that his women typically find their own dates, but he can hook me up, if need be. Regretfully I decline. Ask again about his role in the operation. “Whatchoo mean my role?” You’re the pimp. “Yeah.” So they just report to you? “Yeah. Heh, heh! If that’s what you call reporting to me.” I question why these women need him, why they would report to him, if they find their own dates. This seems to challenge the most basic principle of Star’s life, like asking why gravity keeps us in place. “They ain’t got no other goddamn choice but to goddamn report me!” he says. “They have to give me the money, because I take care of their motherfucking asses.” One more time I try to understand the logistics, asking how he got into the pimping business, to which he responds: “It got into me, and I didn’t let it go.” Tell me about the first time, I say. Star laughs. “You so crazy! Excuse me.” He takes a phone call, while another man, who I recognize as one of the panhandling regulars around town, comes up. He is a friend of Star’s and seems to be warning me off. “You asking a lot of questions, buddy,” he says. I explain I’m working on a book. He said, “You done wrote a book in the last ten minutes. This man don’t joke. I know him. He told you enough.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5845fe312994ca8815329658/1483815919700-HIJKQN519OX9IFA2AWQ3/IMG_3407.JPG Notes from the Road - June 6, 2015, Fenway Park (Boston, MA) This is the view from the field box of former Red Sox president Larry Lucchino, who invited me to join him for a Saturday afternoon game against the Oakland A's. The night before, sitting just a few feet away, a woman was hit by a shattered bat that helicoptered into the stands and sent her out of the ballpark with life-threatening injuries. When I ask a field-side security guard who worked the previous night's game if he had ever seen anything like that (fan injuries are a growing issue in MLB), he says, "Yeah, in my other job." And what's that? "I work in an emergency room." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5845fe312994ca8815329658/1483815935904-XRR34PXFYBDAOGJGQ7PE/IMG_3953.JPG Notes from the Road - July 11, 2015, Wrigley Field (Chicago, IL) This is Dave Davison. He is a Wrigley Field ballhawk. He waits beyond the ivy for batting-practice moonshots and in-game dingers. It can be slow going, especially since the Cubs put up a giant video board in left field and extended the bleachers over former sidewalk space. To kill time, Dave may have a beer (or two). Today, after removing the top and bottom of a Coke can, he wraps the remaining aluminum skin around a Budweiser. Just like that, he’s drinking Coke. Later, on his second (or third), the beer slips out of its camouflage container, exploding on the pavement. Dave turns his palms up bashfully. A passing security guard shouts, “You’re cut off!” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5845fe312994ca8815329658/1483815962313-YQL5RHJ0UA3CLWXFMUAZ/IMG_3908.JPG Notes from the Road - July 10, 2015, Wrigley Field (Chicago, IL) I don't know what's up with this guy -- but I love him. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5845fe312994ca8815329658/1483815989985-T2QA1MFM4E25JFZVMD0O/IMG_4290.JPG Notes from the Road - August 28, 2015, Arrowhead Stadium (Kansas City, MO) This is Bob Danley, standing in front of his Chiefs-themed hearse. (On the side, it reads: "Die Hard Chiefs Fans.") Bob used to work in a funeral home, he tells me, but that's not how he procured this vehicle. "This one I bought on eBay," he says. "It's a Buick." For Royals games, he drives an old ambulance. Why the emergency vehicles? "Because they are cheap!" he exclaims, adding: "And they are usually well maintained." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5845fe312994ca8815329658/1483815981513-H4B5R065CVUXVGJ05RIY/IMG_4284.JPG Notes from the Road https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5845fe312994ca8815329658/1483815999014-A8NNUN836B404E525OJM/IMG_5430.JPG Notes from the Road - September 20, 2015, Lambeau Field (Green Bay, WI) Chiefs fans aren't the only ones to roll up to stadiums in emergency vehicles. In the parking lot at Lambeau Field, there is a whole segment known as "ambulance row." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5845fe312994ca8815329658/1483816033097-QJFJL0I3X5VQG9LG45W7/IMG_4444.JPG Notes from the Road - September 2, 2015, Kauffman Stadium (Kansas City, MO) The KCrew is an all-female hype team for the Kansas City Royals. The room where they get ready for the game reeks of hairspray and homemade tofu. "Lot of estrogen in here," says a game crew staffer. At 25, a woman named Lauren is the oldest KCrew member. "I feel like a grandma," she says. When I ask if they get hit on often, she says, "Yeah, and it is never like, you are really pretty. It’s always like, “Take a selfie with me! This is my third beer! Crush a beer can on my face!” Will Lauren do this again next year? "Uh, no. But I don't regret it." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5845fe312994ca8815329658/1483816041894-LPSLKJ2R8D4XY6ZF4PXJ/IMG_4499.JPG Notes from the Road - September 4, 2015, Kauffman Stadium (Kansas City, MO) Sluggerrr is the mascot for the Kansas City Royals. He is often entrusted with infant children, much to his surprise. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5845fe312994ca8815329658/1483816044792-06L7N7WUWOP4JBVIQ1ZB/IMG_4530.JPG Notes from the Road https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5845fe312994ca8815329658/1484177689620-QOBZ6GQ9U1JD3XTE2IR9/IMG_3832.JPG Notes from the Road - July 7, 2015, Wrigley Field (Chicago, IL) Al Yellon is a regular in the Wrigley Field bleachers, where it is customary to throw back homers hits by the opposing team. This is his decoy ball, which he would throw back instead, if ever given the opportunity. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5845fe312994ca8815329658/1484177711878-XRVDWG4SNZO4WZRFRF73/IMG_6444.JPG Notes from the Road https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5845fe312994ca8815329658/1484180202669-UFZ4W0ZBZ5ZR35SHKX7N/IMG_6421.JPG Notes from the Road https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5845fe312994ca8815329658/1484180211013-RLS70QZGONOE9UZAKWJX/IMG_6436.JPG Notes from the Road https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5845fe312994ca8815329658/1484180232218-FBC5WMZIE5YIEY7BGN25/IMG_6749.JPG Notes from the Road - November 8, 2015, Superdome (New Orleans, LA) North of the Superdome you can find a whole bunch of Saints fans tailgating underneath the highway overpass. Here, chairs are set up in front of a TV and deejay stand, for those who won't be going inside the stadium when the game begins. https://www.rafikohan.com/photos daily 0.75 2017-01-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5845fe312994ca8815329658/1484836461532-5VDBIDQ0JSNEX46HC7KD/IMG_1799.JPG Photos - Rice-Eccles Stadium (Salt Lake City, UT) Home of the University of Utah's football team, Rice-Eccles Stadium hosted the opening and closing ceremonies for the 2002 winter games. It is also one of the most photogenic stadiums I've ever seen, thanks to the nearby Wasatch Mountains. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5845fe312994ca8815329658/1484836461532-5VDBIDQ0JSNEX46HC7KD/IMG_1799.JPG Photos - Rice-Eccles Stadium (Salt Lake City, UT) Home of the University of Utah's football team, Rice-Eccles Stadium hosted the opening and closing ceremonies for the 2002 winter games. It is also one of the most photogenic stadiums I've ever seen, thanks to the nearby Wasatch Mountains. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5845fe312994ca8815329658/1484780115127-HUR3DYDW0GYO04C0QDUF/IMG_5318.JPG Photos - Michigan Stadium (Ann Arbor, MI) Also known as the Big House, Michigan Stadium is the largest stadium in the United States with an official capacity of 107,601. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5845fe312994ca8815329658/1484780120523-ZSDX6Z2AKJI9CF9Y66B2/IMG_4742.JPG Photos - Michigan Stadium (Ann Arbor, MI) Although there are 400 students in the Michigan Marching Band —which has been around for 120 years— only 235 perform in the traditional football pregame. The rest will hope to have better luck in the following week's auditions. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5845fe312994ca8815329658/1484780624026-TRUO6D1EZRSFREB9GBMV/IMG_2771.JPG Photos - Petco Park (San Diego, CA) Military Opening Day is a longstanding Padres tradition. I spent the day with a group of Naval Aviators, who were supporting the pregame flyover. You will be unsurprised to learn that their favorite movie is Top Gun. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5845fe312994ca8815329658/1484780641199-MFAZZ3MG5OPRIFCDGOY0/IMG_3160.JPG Photos - Petco Park (San Diego, CA) The Padres often invite Marine recruits to Sunday home games, just before their graduation ceremonies. It is the first time the recruits wear their uniforms in public. Here, they are retrieving meal tickets from their socks. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5845fe312994ca8815329658/1484847628126-I14JFAE1IX38TI2178KD/IMG_3205.JPG Photos - Petco Park (San Diego, CA) From medical and fire concerns to security issues and clogged toilets, staffers inside Petco's Event Management Center keep a finger on the pulse of the ballpark. Here, they spy on a fan in the stands. Or perhaps they are birding. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5845fe312994ca8815329658/1484780631460-12NYWFFM78G6QBH13GPZ/IMG_2912.JPG Photos - Quicken Loans Arena (Cleveland, OH) After a Cavs game, Maurice Reedus, Jr., who is a local legend known as Sax Man, prepares to play for passing fans. On this night, I also meet a pimp named Star, who was Sax Man's college roommate. True story. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5845fe312994ca8815329658/1484780666368-I4HIJ9OFV0QBDTVFZVK2/IMG_3430.JPG Photos - Citi Field (Queens, NY) This is a look inside one of Citi Field's walk-in beer fridges. The Mets go through so much beer —often 800 kegs a game— that there is a crew whose only job is to go around changing out old kegs for fresh ones. No word on how one gets such a gig. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5845fe312994ca8815329658/1484780101014-JYVC3JMNT2CLEO4LET2X/IMG_3832.JPG Photos - Wrigley Field (Chicago, IL) At Wrigley, it is a tradition in the bleachers to toss back homeruns hit by any player on the opposing team. Savvy fans bring decoy balls to throw back instead. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5845fe312994ca8815329658/1484780686254-E5WKBTOH400JF5MY72CM/IMG_3909.JPG Photos - Wrigley Field (Chicago, IL) I saw this guy cruising around outside Wrigley Field, hawking sunglasses and umbrella hats. Beyond that, I don't know what his deal is. But I love him. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5845fe312994ca8815329658/1484780167882-7HMMOS9N4EH96KLBLMV5/IMG_3407.JPG Photos - Fenway Park (Boston, MA) This is the view from the field box of former Red Sox president Larry Lucchino. Honestly, it's almost too close to the field. When my friend sneezed during the game, the A's manager said, "Bless you." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5845fe312994ca8815329658/1484780650579-XDBEP3SQT1MORV82PZWB/IMG_3279.JPG Photos - Fenway Park (Boston, MA) Urban gardens are an emerging trend inside pro sports stadiums. This one, on a rooftop at Fenway Park, is used to grow greens, some of which are served at the ballpark. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5845fe312994ca8815329658/1484780699921-A73YJASA0WKAXC00HW81/IMG_4069.JPG Photos - Turner Field (Atlanta, GA) In the summertime heat, infield clay can turn into concrete. Here, Braves grounds crewmembers water the dirt before a July home game. They are careful to not let the hose lie on the turf. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5845fe312994ca8815329658/1484780618598-P254ANSLPCO67XXCU30Q/IMG_2727.JPG Photos - Turner Field (Atlanta, GA) Professional stadiums do not grow their own grass. They buy it from sod farms. And when they're done with the old grass, it has to be placed somewhere, like this dumpster. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5845fe312994ca8815329658/1484780715442-P297N4DJ2A8AKF5OEWLL/IMG_4563.JPG Photos - Kauffman Stadium (Kansas City, MO) Mascot races are always crowdpleasers, even among the Royals' stuffy upper management. I was actually supposed to run in the hotdog race in Kansas City, but got bumped. So I ran behind them. Mustard tripped and fell. Relish won. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5845fe312994ca8815329658/1484780227892-9YYSHWBD916ZX92MGN09/IMG_4496.JPG Photos - Kauffman Stadium (Kansas City, MO) Every game, folks of all ages line up to meet Sluggerrr. The Royals mascot is beloved by fans. Or at least by most fans. In 2009, Sluggerrr detached a man's retina when he hurled a foil-wrapped hotdog into the stands. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5845fe312994ca8815329658/1484780705667-QWHPPIMHW7ZM86RPO0TQ/IMG_4515.JPG Photos - Kauffman Stadium (Kansas City, MO) This is my favorite photo. Sluggerrr and his handler (aka the "Lion Tamer") walk the back-of-house corridors to avoid being mauled by admiring fans. Anytime the fans see him, they descend like zombies. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5845fe312994ca8815329658/1484844063757-9XG58A5W3BGYPJWXTXEH/IMG_4333.JPG Photos - Arrowhead Stadium (Kansas City, MO) Part of the Truman Sports Complex, Arrowhead Stadium is one of the noisiest fan environments in all of sports. In 2014, Chiefs fans set a Guinness World Record for loudest crowd roar, clocking in at 142.2 decibels. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5845fe312994ca8815329658/1484780128551-FZTQS0S4Q7H1CMTOA5NE/IMG_5430.JPG Photos - Lambeau Field (Green Bay, WI) It is not uncommon for tailgaters to invest in old emergency vehicles. Why? Because they are usually cheap and well maintained. This stretch of the Lambeau lot is known as "ambulance row." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5845fe312994ca8815329658/1484780213643-791DPWK7HARNAT0GFP4H/IMG_6577.JPG Photos - AT&T Stadium (Arlington, TX) There are many works of art in and around AT&T Stadium. Here, you see Sky Mirror, a sculpture by Anish Kapoor. You also see a group of Cowboys fans, who, like a litter of newborn puppies, seem mesmerized by their own reflection. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5845fe312994ca8815329658/1484847948436-WL6UCZFODGBR63GTZZTJ/IMG_6641.JPG Photos - AT&T Stadium (Arlington, TX) The Cowboys control room is used for more than just football. "We've done everything from weddings to bar mitzvahs," says Dwin Towell, director of broadcast engineering. "We haven’t done a bris yet, but if we do, I am not putting it on the big screen." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5845fe312994ca8815329658/1484780239150-NCU8BU5H5VZIPQ1DRBLM/IMG_6749.JPG Photos - Superdome (New Orleans, LA) Before Saints games, tailgaters set up in the most peculiar places, like under highway overpasses. As you might expect, the Disney chair at the center is a place of great honor. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5845fe312994ca8815329658/1484780141889-G5673YY7N1V2MASVISWO/IMG_7398.JPG Photos - MetLife Stadium (East Rutherford, NJ) It is a powder keg of pregame adrenaline inside the inflatable tunnel during player intros. I'm really not sure how I wound up in here. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5845fe312994ca8815329658/1484780150930-09CDENKTPF5O8LJ6G1VF/IMG_7610.JPG Photos - Oakland Coliseum (Oakland, CA) A Raiders super fan, Gorilla Rilla is a front-row fixture in the fan section known as the Black Hole. Here, Rilla doesn't let his mask get in the way of a cold one. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5845fe312994ca8815329658/1484780738628-55IC8COVK98SJSPIXNK2/IMG_7583.JPG Photos - Oakland Coliseum (Oakland, CA) Many Raiders fans dress up for home games. But not this guy. This guy wears his normal clothes. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5845fe312994ca8815329658/1484784497978-YKEWCS1U34PB27KM1P4O/IMG_5169.JPG Photos - Silverdome (Pontiac, MI) To support the fabric roof of the Silverdome, air was pumped into the facility 24/7. In January of 2013, after suffering a large tear during an ice storm, the roof was deflated. I took a tour of the stadium in late 2015. It felt like walking into a post-apocalyptic wonderland. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5845fe312994ca8815329658/1484780585036-DC2MR4GHHJYEDH5HEDIH/IMG_5116.JPG Photos - Silverdome (Pontiac, MI) Here's a photo of some mold growing between the seats. It's amazing how much the stadium has deteriorated in just a few years, but I also find it to be strangely beautiful. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5845fe312994ca8815329658/1484780695157-P8ELT7UEEF4JUK5FX2PA/IMG_4016.JPG Photos - Stadium Court (Atlanta, GA) This is the showcase venue at the BB&T Atlanta Open, built into an empty lot at Atlantic Station. It may look permanent, but the stadium is temporary, constructed from completely modular parts. It will be gone in weeks. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5845fe312994ca8815329658/1484780607547-FZAN5GKPOTIRKJOFFXTT/20160220_134656.jpg Photos - Rutgers Athletic Center (Piscataway Township, NJ) Here, I am assisting arena superstar the Amazing Sladek with his "Tower of Chairs" halftime act. During the performance, I am pretty sure that I am going to kill him. 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Rafi Kohan Photo: Jordan Chamberlain https://www.rafikohan.com/writings daily 0.75 2023-08-09 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5845fe312994ca8815329658/1483637045415-DZX55WQBTOZAJD2KGSMF/mj-618_348_beyond-the-fringe-behind-the-scenes-with-the-nfls-regional-combine.jpg Other Writing - SPORTS & PROFILES https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5845fe312994ca8815329658/1483637073313-OJBMFSFDC4QGCSH1DSSL/news-and-politics-2012-02-mardi-gras-mardi-gras-628.jpg Other Writing - TRAVEL & ADVENTURE https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5845fe312994ca8815329658/1483637176021-VFDAEBS3ZR5C3V90P9EU/IMG_0052.JPG Other Writing - FOOD & BOOZE https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5845fe312994ca8815329658/1483724956570-ETCMZWEY7UH414U94H03/hebrew-hammer.jpg Other Writing - FEATURES, FUN & MISCELLANY https://www.rafikohan.com/about daily 0.75 2026-03-13 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5845fe312994ca8815329658/1580587079046-WVMG2E1D7ACK1JKPMDUQ/945874_10100191945731042_597566854_n.jpg About https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5845fe312994ca8815329658/b5334102-1d5c-4359-84b4-55a27aa85d8c/test+photo.jpg About Photo: Wesley Flowers https://www.rafikohan.com/sports daily 0.75 2023-11-27 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5845fe312994ca8815329658/a42916a9-f234-46d9-b31e-571111495546/images.wsj.jpg Sports & Profiles - Make it stand out “How Muhammad Ali Created a Trash-Talk Tradition” (adapted essay) - Wall Street Journal https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5845fe312994ca8815329658/b69a58dc-35cb-4173-94fb-9170b86d2cdf/1123_gatechbball01_oneuseonly.jpg Sports & Profiles - Make it stand out “Is Atlanta ready to love Georgia Tech basketball again?” (Damon Stoudamire profile) - Atlanta Magazine https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5845fe312994ca8815329658/11863bc6-6638-4ecf-82ec-8d5b3e298060/Steve+Smith+Sr+101923+gettyjpg.jpg Sports & Profiles - Make it stand out “Steve Smith Sr. Has Always Been a Master of Mind Games” - The Sporting News https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5845fe312994ca8815329658/1483648464198-0ULZWZFAS3A7EUU7LKI9/mj-618_348_beyond-the-fringe-behind-the-scenes-with-the-nfls-regional-combine.jpg Sports & Profiles "The NFL's Open Tryout: Behind the Scenes of a Regional Combine" - Men's Journal https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5845fe312994ca8815329658/1483648477910-DLXE7YHKYQBPM48Y7LGF/carmelo_nyofinal.jpg Sports & Profiles "The Importance of Being Melo" - New York Observer https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5845fe312994ca8815329658/1483648494313-H81UYHB8EN6D3L6VJZ87/web_pburkemurrayfinal.jpg Sports & Profiles "Andy Murray: Hit Me With Your Best Scot" - New York Observer https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5845fe312994ca8815329658/1483648504454-J7D2ZUW2J2B3MJ2NXVVL/120914_SN_bullpen1.jpg.CROP.rectangle3-large.jpg Sports & Profiles "Three Days in the Bullpen" - Slate https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5845fe312994ca8815329658/1495036115569-J6P09AE4D6SE7OBYTWC9/Oakland+Black+Hole Sports & Profiles "The Life (and Death?) of the Black Hole" - The Ringer https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5845fe312994ca8815329658/1483648880172-41XS3GUWSNJ0753C3RU0/isner.jpg Sports & Profiles "Now or Never for John Isner?" - New York Observer https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5845fe312994ca8815329658/1483719518506-FF3JK89XMZBAZYLP8YIT/blogs-the-q-liddell.jpg Sports & Profiles Chuck Liddell's Last Stand" - GQ https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5845fe312994ca8815329658/25afc804-a8e5-49f8-b126-99501ce6db4e/lundqvist.jpg Sports & Profiles "Hammerin’ Hank Lundqvist" - New York Observer https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5845fe312994ca8815329658/2954c44f-c358-4e4c-98a4-2a0908c83f96/david-wright.jpg Sports & Profiles "David Wright’s Metsiah Complex" - New York Observer https://www.rafikohan.com/travel-adventure daily 0.75 2020-01-30 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5845fe312994ca8815329658/1483664758195-TBTCY45BVJ7LWXXHGBBD/news-and-politics-2012-02-mardi-gras-mardi-gras-628.jpg Travel & Adventure "From Beads to the Big House: Scenes From a Mardi Gras Ride-Along" - GQ https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5845fe312994ca8815329658/1483664880204-VHTCSM0GOF9YIZW7NKLP/bugatti.jpg Travel & Adventure "I'm Not a Car Guy, but This Vehicle Blew Me Away" - Town & Country https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5845fe312994ca8815329658/1483664736413-YNQ1ZUBNFNO9B1JEWNPB/route22.jpg Travel & Adventure "The Perfect Escape-From-NYC Road Trip" - New York Observer https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5845fe312994ca8815329658/1483664784746-FBN6BP5ZTXSXJ7P195NE/birders.jpg Travel & Adventure “Bad News Birders” - Men's Journal https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5845fe312994ca8815329658/1483664894727-WA3Y4O290QFSS4GDR32A/wilander.jpg Travel & Adventure "Mats Wilander, the Vagabond Tennis Pro" - Men's Journal https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5845fe312994ca8815329658/1483664898809-3JFF4FJURMK4L9ZTCNWW/superbowl.jpg Travel & Adventure "Exploring Northern New Jersey on Super Bowl Weekend" - Men's Journal https://www.rafikohan.com/food-booze daily 0.75 2020-01-30 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5845fe312994ca8815329658/1483715234553-RRLNSXTDJ9MY1IWRIZ56/jura.jpg Food & booze "The New Burgundy" - New York Observer https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5845fe312994ca8815329658/1483715394581-7SD7PPR7XSZWFLSUBLQZ/sake.jpg Food & booze "Why NYC (and Not Japan) Is the World’s Sake Capital" - New York Observer https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5845fe312994ca8815329658/1483715504602-H67AB0FWF3514Q6AZII6/champagne.jpg Food & booze "Don’t Fear the Champagne" - New York Observer https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5845fe312994ca8815329658/1483715619845-0Y6DZUCJKUAEL2XI84CK/vice.jpeg Food & booze "Adults with Candy" - Vice https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5845fe312994ca8815329658/1483715989887-C1BAKD3ZF6UYW5T0M2VO/meehan.jpg Food & booze "The Most Important White Rum Cocktail" - New York Observer https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5845fe312994ca8815329658/1483720727231-IAJTB2JPUHH7GY1MOJ7R/diamante.jpg Food & booze "Blowing Smoke with Boxing's Big Voice" - GQ https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5845fe312994ca8815329658/1483720818050-OQTOMHSFILC4RJKHGHZF/humidor.jpg Food & booze "More Than a Box" (a primer on humidors) - Wall Street Journal https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5845fe312994ca8815329658/1483716179444-DUDEQVVSEH7KW3CDWKNV/corsair.jpg Food & booze "Talking Hopped Whiskeys and Wimpy Americans with Darek Bell" - New York Observer https://www.rafikohan.com/features-fun-miscellany daily 0.75 2020-02-01 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5845fe312994ca8815329658/1483722746435-NPVBMD4MI3H76ZPZRPT9/ID.jpg Features, Fun & Miscellany "Me, Myself and My Stolen ID" - New York Observer https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5845fe312994ca8815329658/1483722771117-JEWNP0HIFBAMRM2M6694/Nico.jpg Features, Fun & Miscellany "Inside the Rule-Bending, Design-Forward, Anti-Corporate World of Two 'Cowboy Contractors'" - New York Observer https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5845fe312994ca8815329658/1483722842118-LPSBI5GYYKN4KV28P6WO/hebrew-hammer.jpg Features, Fun & Miscellany "The Hebrew Hammer: How an Orthodox Jew Is Scamming the Pants Off NYC’s Women" - New York Observer https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5845fe312994ca8815329658/1483723283370-PZQBQ7XPFN08DYIPMO5G/scrabble.jpg Features, Fun & Miscellany "Running the Urban Iditarod" - ESPN https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5845fe312994ca8815329658/1483726058433-T34PMN4W7OYHSFI6Q7X5/belle.jpg Features, Fun & Miscellany "Raging Belle" - New York Observer https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5845fe312994ca8815329658/1580420344296-VDNE3AD0BBRIZACEG7NT/main-Rafi-Kohan-stadium-workers-jobs-arena-culture.jpg Features, Fun & Miscellany “Secret Lives of Stadium Staffers” - The Post Game https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5845fe312994ca8815329658/1483723700628-U22IS9RDTFSTX4HMLQ4E/armie-hammer-details-cover-01.jpg Features, Fun & Miscellany "Hot Shots: Meet the Young-Gun Filmmakers Who Are Rebranding the Republican Party -- One YouTube Video at a Time" - Details https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5845fe312994ca8815329658/1580420556886-VDFTNYYUU3YAHHP71JHO/UCYMKRETKAI6PCP2XOBCURW2LM.jpg Features, Fun & Miscellany “The No. 1 problem for football fans? Finding a bathroom.” - Washington Post https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5845fe312994ca8815329658/1580420475507-747CVT2L8G2VH4K09WJS/ca-times.brightspotcdn.jpg Features, Fun & Miscellany “Op-Ed: Donald Trump’s cheap sports-venue patriotism comes without any pain or sacrifice” - Los Angeles Times https://www.rafikohan.com/travel-photos daily 0.75 2017-03-01 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5845fe312994ca8815329658/1483889976437-8KB5WDFTDZW78NGBZHO8/image-asset.jpeg Photos https://www.rafikohan.com/test daily 0.75 2017-01-08 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5845fe312994ca8815329658/1483815869197-27WC3RWR7O32V6R8P69P/IMG_1625.JPG test - January 12, 2015, AT&T Stadium (Arlington, TX) In town for the college football championship game between Ohio State and Oregon, I meet Gibby (pictured on the left) in the parking lots outside of AT&T Stadium. "Be honest, be honest," he spit-screams, pointing into the distance. "That's the biggest fucking stadium you've ever seen." A 1992 graduate of Ohio State, Gibby tells me he lives outside of Cincinnati with his wife and two kids, and his family occasionally allows him to travel to watch his team play. "She understands what's more important," he says of his wife. "You gotta lay that out, otherwise you get divorced." Along with Gibby, who is here with his 82-year-old mom (pictured on the right), I am drinking beer with a few other OSU fans. One expresses confidence that Ohio State will win, but Gibby mishears him at first. "What?! Oh, I thought you said, 'no way they'd win.' I was about to punch you through this truck, and I can do it. Trust me." As it gets closer to kickoff, Gibby's mom is anxious about making it to the stadium on time, and she doesn't want to walk. "I don't want to be stuck here without transportation," she says. Gibby tells her not to worry, explains he has arranged for a golf cart to drive them over. But she appears skeptical. When Gibby offers his mom a high five, she leaves him hanging.   https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5845fe312994ca8815329658/1483816064644-7RIIUI5LD4UNCOPYHUIA/IMG_5318.JPG test - September 19, 2015, Michigan Stadium (Ann Arbor, MI) A sea of maize and blue, as seen from the press box at Michigan Stadium, aka The Big House, so named for its official capacity of 107,601 and its standing as the largest stadium in the United States. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5845fe312994ca8815329658/1483815890940-BTLAKESNFAFO3MIQX617/IMG_2556.JPG test - March 6, 2015, Barclays Center (Brooklyn, NY) "I have at least 30 to 40 superstitions," says Bruce Reznick, a longtime Nets fan better known as Mr. Whammy for the hexes he places on opposing free-throw shooters. "I got it from my mother." When I meet Bruce—pictured with his wife, Judy—he's enjoying a pregame meal of salmon sushi. I ask if eating sushi is a superstition. "This is lox," Mr. Whammy corrects me. "It's raw lox." Says Judy, "To us, it's like lox with rice." "This is the only thing we'll eat, usually." "Also the turkey, the turkey you like." Mr. Whammy concedes, "They have great turkey." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5845fe312994ca8815329658/1483815968920-S62J62XG17NJ5Z0057EP/IMG_2912.JPG test - April 15, 2015, Quicken Loans Arena (Cleveland, OH) Outside Quicken Loans Arena, toward the end of a Cavaliers game, I sidle up to Maurice Reedus, Jr., aka Sax Man, a local Cleveland legend, while he sets up to play for passing fans. Pretty soon my attention turns to another man lurking on the walkway, though, one of Sax Man’s old college classmates, dressed in a blazer and mock turtleneck (not pictured here; I took his photo but he made me delete it). The man introduces himself as Star and tells me he’s a pimp. This intrigues me, because I don’t often meet pimps. I ask Star what exactly he does, wanting to understand the logistics of pimping. How does one pimp, I wonder? “That’s they business. They hos!” he says, explaining that his women typically find their own dates, but he can hook me up, if need be. Regretfully I decline. Ask again about his role in the operation. “Whatchoo mean my role?” You’re the pimp. “Yeah.” So they just report to you? “Yeah. Heh, heh! If that’s what you call reporting to me.” I question why these women need him, why they would report to him, if they find their own dates. This seems to challenge the most basic principle of Star’s life, like asking why gravity keeps us in place. “They ain’t got no other goddamn choice but to goddamn report me!” he says. “They have to give me the money, because I take care of their motherfucking asses.” One more time I try to understand the logistics, asking how he got into the pimping business, to which he responds: “It got into me, and I didn’t let it go.” Tell me about the first time, I say. Star laughs. “You so crazy! Excuse me.” He takes a phone call, while another man, who I recognize as one of the panhandling regulars around town, comes up. He is a friend of Star’s and seems to be warning me off. “You asking a lot of questions, buddy,” he says. I explain I’m working on a book. He said, “You done wrote a book in the last ten minutes. This man don’t joke. I know him. He told you enough.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5845fe312994ca8815329658/1483815919700-HIJKQN519OX9IFA2AWQ3/IMG_3407.JPG test - June 6, 2015, Fenway Park (Boston, MA) This is the view from the field box of former Red Sox president Larry Lucchino, who invited me to join him for a Saturday afternoon game against the Oakland A's. The night before, sitting just a few feet away, a woman was hit by a shattered bat that helicoptered into the stands and sent her out of the ballpark with life-threatening injuries. When I ask a field-side security guard who worked the previous night's game if he had ever seen anything like that (fan injuries are a growing issue in MLB), he says, "Yeah, in my other job." And what's that? "I work in an emergency room." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5845fe312994ca8815329658/1483815935904-XRR34PXFYBDAOGJGQ7PE/IMG_3953.JPG test - July 11, 2015, Wrigley Field (Chicago, IL) This is Dave Davison. He is a Wrigley Field ballhawk. He waits beyond the ivy for batting-practice moonshots and in-game dingers. It can be slow going, especially since the Cubs put up a giant video board in left field and extended the bleachers over former sidewalk space. To kill time, Dave may have a beer (or two). Today, after removing the top and bottom of a Coke can, he wraps the remaining aluminum skin around a Budweiser. Just like that, he’s drinking Coke. Later, on his second (or third), the beer slips out of its camouflage container, exploding on the pavement. Dave turns his palms up bashfully. A passing security guard shouts, “You’re cut off!” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5845fe312994ca8815329658/1483815962313-YQL5RHJ0UA3CLWXFMUAZ/IMG_3908.JPG test - July 10, 2015, Wrigley Field (Chicago, IL) I don't know what's up with this guy -- but I love him. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5845fe312994ca8815329658/1483815989985-T2QA1MFM4E25JFZVMD0O/IMG_4290.JPG test - August 28, 2015, Arrowhead Stadium (Kansas City, MO) This is Bob Danley, standing in front of his Chiefs-themed hearse. (On the side, it reads: "Die Hard Chiefs Fans.") Bob used to work in a funeral home, he tells me, but that's not how he procured this vehicle. "This one I bought on eBay," he says. "It's a Buick." For Royals games, he drives an old ambulance. Why the emergency vehicles? "Because they are cheap!" he exclaims, adding: "And they are usually well maintained." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5845fe312994ca8815329658/1483815981513-H4B5R065CVUXVGJ05RIY/IMG_4284.JPG test https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5845fe312994ca8815329658/1483815999014-A8NNUN836B404E525OJM/IMG_5430.JPG test - September 20, 2015, Lambeau Field (Green Bay, WI) Chiefs fans aren't the only ones to roll up to stadiums in emergency vehicles. In the parking lot at Lambeau Field, there is a whole segment known as "ambulance row." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5845fe312994ca8815329658/1483816033097-QJFJL0I3X5VQG9LG45W7/IMG_4444.JPG test - September 2, 2015, Kauffman Stadium (Kansas City, MO) The KCrew is an all-female hype team for the Kansas City Royals. The room where they get ready for the game reeks of hairspray and homemade tofu. "Lot of estrogen in here," says a game crew staffer. At 25, a woman named Lauren is the oldest KCrew member. "I feel like a grandma," she says. When I ask if they get hit on often, she says, "Yeah, and it is never like, you are really pretty. It’s always like, “Take a selfie with me! This is my third beer! Crush a beer can on my face!” Will Lauren do this again next year? "Uh, no. But I don't regret it." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5845fe312994ca8815329658/1483816041894-LPSLKJ2R8D4XY6ZF4PXJ/IMG_4499.JPG test - September 4, 2015, Kauffman Stadium (Kansas City, MO) Sluggerrr is the mascot for the Kansas City Royals. He is often entrusted with infant children, much to his surprise. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5845fe312994ca8815329658/1483816044792-06L7N7WUWOP4JBVIQ1ZB/IMG_4530.JPG test https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5845fe312994ca8815329658/1484177689620-QOBZ6GQ9U1JD3XTE2IR9/IMG_3832.JPG test - July 7, 2015, Wrigley Field (Chicago, IL) Al Yellon is a regular in the Wrigley Field bleachers, where it is customary to throw back homers hits by the opposing team. This is his decoy ball, which he would throw back instead, if ever given the opportunity. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5845fe312994ca8815329658/1484177711878-XRVDWG4SNZO4WZRFRF73/IMG_6444.JPG test https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5845fe312994ca8815329658/1484180202669-UFZ4W0ZBZ5ZR35SHKX7N/IMG_6421.JPG test https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5845fe312994ca8815329658/1484180211013-RLS70QZGONOE9UZAKWJX/IMG_6436.JPG test https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5845fe312994ca8815329658/1484180232218-FBC5WMZIE5YIEY7BGN25/IMG_6749.JPG test - November 8, 2015, Superdome (New Orleans, LA) North of the Superdome you can find a whole bunch of Saints fans tailgating underneath the highway overpass. 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