upworthy

nfl

Cursive is a fading art.

If you're on TikTok, you've more than likely seen "The Cursive Challenge," at some point over the years. Parents–and even teachers–get the Gen Z-ers in their lives to attempt a style of writing that is no longer taught in many schools.

The videos range from people who are truly earnest in their attempt at the challenge to those who are hilariously baffled by the fact that cursive writing even exists at all. One such person was Chaun Domingue (@Chaundomingue on TikTok), who tries to get his Gen Z daughter to pass the test. He gives her a handful of words, and she gives it an honest try until she adorably devolves into a giggling fit. He then shows her how it's done.

@chaundomingue

@maggles_77 trying to write in cursive. 🤣

Even celebrities have gotten in on the fun. On the Cincinnati Bengals TikTok page, a handful of NFL football players give it their all. Handed just a whiteboard and an erasable marker, they're asked to write "Bengals" in cursive. While the first player tries, we hear someone admit, "I haven't written in cursive since, like, fifth grade." They're good sports (of course), and some do a decent enough job, but for the most part, it's a "B" followed by unrecognizable squiggles – which gives everyone a good-natured laugh.

The comment section had some notes. One points out that Chase Brown "had the biggest smile on his face like he was so proud of his work." Another notes that "Mac (Hippenhammer) just adding a bunch of extra end letters."

@bengals

Well… they tried 😅 #cursive #handwriting #nfl #bengals #dailychallenge #itriedmybest

The style of writing remains a hot topic. Over on the Southern Living blog, writers Valerie Fraser Luesse and Zoe Gowen make a case for the style in "5 Reasons Why Everyone Should Know Cursive." The gist of the post, at least for the writers, is that cursive writing is a nostalgic tradition. "Cursive is a lost art. Scratch that. It's an art. It's not lost quite yet. When you write in cursive, you are encouraged to embrace your creative side."

They also maintain that it's faster than writing in print and, quite simply, "It looks nice." "A flowing cursive is one step closer to the art of calligraphy, and it's a necessity if you want to sign your name in a formal fashion."

But many on Reddit seem conflicted. On the subreddit r/stupidquestions, someone essentially asks why we stopped teaching cursive. The top comment answers pragmatically: "Because it’s hard to read, and with the onset of everyone using technology, with the fonts we have on the screens in front of us, it’s just what we’re used to now. Calligraphy is an art, and there are plenty of calligraphy artists online making videos of their work." But they add a hopeful note: "For what it's worth, they still teach cursive in schools, at least in Australia. And GPs (general practitioners) the world over are keeping cursive alive, too."

Another Redditor agrees: "I wrote in cursive until teachers asked me to stop in 7th grade. Students would exchange work and grade each other, but apparently, a number of students had complained they couldn't read my cursive. Even knowing cursive, I struggle to decipher the handwriting from the colonial era. If I am looking at primary sources, it's easier translating ancient Latin than reading English from a personal letter of a 17th-century politician."

cursive, gif, handwriting, cursive writing, calligraphyRed Nails Thank You GIF by Hello AllGiphy

This person adds a technical explanation: "Because today, we have pens which can be lifted without dropping ink, which would screw up writing. Technology evolved, and we adapted to use the fastest way, which is not cursive but some kind of hybrid."

However, some still prefer it. "I'm probably one of the few people who finds it much easier to write in cursive, probably because I was never taught to write in print. For context, I went to primary school in France in the 2010s. I'm not sure if they still teach it now, but I think the majority must still do."

This comment surprisingly got some negative feedback: "Many U.S. states now require cursive as part of the elementary school curriculum. Good! Why? Because it's a 'grown-up' skill that should be a normal part of a child's social education – like self-feeding, potty-training, and self-dressing. Also, because cursive writing is expressive and beautiful. Print is common and clunky. And, as a poet once put it, 'If eyes were meant for seeing, then beauty is its own excuse for being.'"

Family

Man has a 'word of advice' for all the dads mad about Taylor Swift being at NFL games

Swift's name has become synonymous with the Kansas city Chiefs. Some dads can't get on board with it.

@curmudge_john2.0/TikTok

One dad is encouraging oterh dads to "embrace" the Taylor Swift NFL phenomenon,

Since Taylor Swift and Kansas City Chief player Travis Kelce began dating, the pop star has become a football staple.

You’d be hard pressed to go online and not see some kind of chatter about her game appearances—from the jewelry she’s wearing to the faces she makes to what she might be saying to friends during the match…it’s all the topic of conversation.

But not everyone seems to be pleased with Taylor’s version of the game. Specifically, “annoyed” men who seem to feel her very presence has ruined football as a “sanctuary from femininity.” Or the “dads, Brads and Chads” of the world, as Swift likes to call them.

Well, one man has a “word of advice” for all the dads out there threatened by the NFL’s Swift Era, especially girl dads: embrace it.

“A word of advice for all the dads out there, especially all the girl dads, the dads of teenage girls,” John R. says in a now-viral video. “This whole thing with Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift. You need to embrace it. You really do. Stop fighting it. Stop being a jerk about it. Stop saying that she's a distraction. All of that. Embrace it.”

For John, the reason behind this thinking is simple. “It's gonna be good for your relationship with your daughter.”

That was certainly the case for him. John shared how his own teenage daughters suddenly took an interest in the game after Swift got involved, which created more opportunities for bonding.

“This past Monday, I went to a playoff game in single-degree weather, sitting on a pile of snow with our feet in ice. Our toes were red when we left, but I had the time of my life with my teenage daughter at a football game,” he said. And he even had the happy photos to prove it.

“Do you think that happens without Taylor Swift? You need to embrace it. Do it.”

@curmudge_john2.0 #greenscreen ♬ original sound - John R (Taylor's Version)

“My wife and daughter have watched more Chief games with me this year than all other years combined. Been married 16 years and my kid is 11,” one wrote

Another echoed, “My 20/17 yr old daughters now actively watch the games with me and ask questions. I’ll walk into traffic for Tayvis!!!”

A few even commented on how this was a chance for dads to show their daughters a world in which their own interests are respected.

“I’m so happy it’s made something that dads and their girls can enjoy together. Dads show their daughters how they should be treated. It’s important,” one person said.

Granted, not every man getting mad about the Swift/NFL phenomenon is a dad, and therefore might be unaffected by John and many others opinions. But on a certain level we can probably all agree that when people who are important to us suddenly take a genuine interest in our own passions…it’s a wonderful feeling.

As John so eloquently put it in a follow-up video, “I now have this thing that I love that I can share with the person I love more than anybody else on this planet. And it's amazing. It's one of the coolest things in the world.”

Yep, it doesn’t get much simpler than that.

Joy

'Sandlot' star Patrick Renna is now a dancing dad viral sensation on TikTok

Just when we thought "The Sandlot" couldn't give us anymore joy.

@patrickrenna/TikTok

He's always had moves.

You could say that Patrick Renna has found his niche in lighthearted sports humor.

Back in the 90s, the actor played the forever quotable character Ham in "The Sandlot,” followed by his role of a scene-stealing goalie in “The Big Green.”

And now, at the age of 44 and a father of two, Renna is still bringing a little laughter to the sports world…one dance move at a time.


Back in 2022, Renna and his two best friends —brothers Caige and Cru Moore—went viral for their interpretive NFL theme song dance, based on choreography created by other social media sensations Austin and Marideth Telenko (better known as Cost n' Mayor).

@patrickrenna Are you ready for some football??? 🏈 dc: @Cost n’ Mayor #football #dance #fypシ ♬ Best NFL Themes - DabKid99


The clip was so popular that the NFL on Prime Video’s official account reached out to ask why their theme song wasn’t included. Renna and the gang were ready to right the wrong.


According to an interview with Good Morning America, dancing on TikTok had been a suggestion of one of Renna’s Gen Z friends. Knowing he would never do something like that alone, he enlisted the help of Caige and Cru to make their “Chubby Ginger” dance crew.

They also get some choreography help from more dance inclined friends, of course. Like Renna’s childhood friends and actress Lynsey Moore, who “dumbs down” the moves and “yells at [them] for an hour straight to get it together and be in sync,” he told GMA.

Sometimes they even get help from mega pop stars like….I dunno… LIZZO.

That’s right. After the group’s "About Damn Time" routine got 10.7 million views, the singer reached out herself and offered to give them a hand on nailing some of the moves.

@patrickrenna Dreams really do come true #dance#aboutdamntime #fypシ ♬ About Damn Time - Lizzo

And hey, if you prefer to just bask in nostalgia, Renna also has a few videos reliving some of those fan favorite movie moments.

It’s always nice to see when the kid actors from our beloved childhood movies grow up to live healthy, wholesome lives. And Renna certainly seems to be one of those, happy to do whatever dance people throw his way…except maybe the truffle shuffle.

Joy

Family's reaction to finding out their daughter is the star of a Super Bowl ad is so wholesome

Diana Flores didn't tell her family she was the star of a commercial, only that she was in it.

Family's reaction to their daughter's Super Bowl ad is so wholesome

There's just something about seeing pride swell in a parent's face when their child reaches a dream they set out to achieve. It's something that moves people to tears in the best way, and watching the reaction of Diana Flores' parents is no exception. Flores is a 25-year-old quarterback for the world champion Women's Mexico Flag Team, Mexico's professional women's flag football team.

In the clip, we find out from the writing on the screen that her parents and sister are about to watch a commercial that Flores participated in. But the surprise was that she not only participated in a commercial, but that she was the star of the ad that would premiere during the Super Bowl, which aired February 12.



The NFL recorded the moment her family sat down to watch the video. In the commercial, Flores is giving what appears to be a pre- or post-game interview when the reporter attempts to take one of her flags. This causes Flores to dodge and juke the reporter and others as she runs across town. At one point she stops short of the edge of a tall building, which causes her mother, who's seeing the ad for the first time, to audibly gasp.

Once the commercial is over and the realization has set in, cue the tears. Her father's delight is barely containable as he beams with pride and says in Spanish, "You are the star."

Flores' mom's eyes are filled with tears as she tells the flag football star, "You told me you'd be in it, not that you'd be the star."

The video didn't end there, because the NFL was determined to make viewers ugly cry by continuing to film the family's reaction. But the thing that got me, as someone who was extremely close with their stepdad, was when her dad called her princess and said, "You are powerful...powerful." It was like suddenly my eyes were all blurry and something was caught in my throat.

But you don't have to listen to me. Watch the wholesome moment below and see if you don't feel a little verklempt.