Sprite Step Off

[Cambist]

True. Fortunately, this was a textbook case of whining after a loss.

Had the Omegas won over SAE and Sprite decided that there was a scoring error and awarded both first place (after a bunch of folks (white and black) protested)....I'm sure we'd be having a much different conversation.

[Troopa1911]

That must've been one hayle of an "Scoring Error" because the AKA didn't place...did they?

[DamieQue™]

Feb 25, 2010 14:11:12 GMT -5 Cambist said:

True. Fortunately, this was a textbook case of whining after a loss.

Had the Omegas won over SAE and Sprite decided that there was a scoring error and awarded both first place (after a bunch of folks (white and black) protested)....I'm sure we'd be having a much different conversation.

Well, I think we can agree you certainly feel it is whining after a loss. I can assure you that my argument would be 100% the same if Sig Eps had won this contest using Alpha Steps over a Alpha team with a more proficient and more creative show (a scenario which more realistically mirrors what actually happened). And I would be no less aggressive decrying it. I can only hope that your argument would change but I guess that's neither here nor there.

Your hypothetical tells me you put no stock in the princple that an imitator cannot be better than the creator. And if you don't, you'll never agree with any subsequent conclusion (especially if you believe commercialism is inevitable)

[Cambist]

An imitator can be better than the creator...if we are discussing entertainment value. Does the creator still maintain value? Of course. But I can't say that in matters of competition, the original is always better than a copy.

This was Sprite's and MTV's competition. They did not have greek judges. Had the AKA's won and Sig Ep won over the Alpha's using Alpha steps....no, I wouln't have been all over the message boards saying that it was an outrage. Of course, I would be in the minority.

We made stepping mainstream and were all for it....until now. The commercialization of stepping occured because we thought we could make money if was made commercial. We took it to the mainstream by putting on shows on mainstream campuses and in many cases allowing everyone on earth to step in an effort to bridge gaps and bring folks into our world.

[FatalDST]

SEE MY SIGNATURE. VOTE FOR LIL FATAL PLS!

THAT IS ALL

[Alc 06]

Feb 25, 2010 15:29:39 GMT -5 FatalDST said:

SEE MY SIGNATURE. VOTE FOR LIL FATAL PLS!

THAT IS ALL

What if there's a scoring discrepancy?

[FatalDST]

I dont care what place im in, I just want the cash anyway! Formula aint cheap and WIC said no ! LOL

[Troopa1911]

I just heard they both will receive $100K.

[FatalDST]

Re-vote! I put the wrong kids's link on my siggy.. i dont know how that happened!

[Robelite]

This is sad. I agree with Cam on this. This says alot about US.

I really am disturbed by this recent turn of events. I'm really going to be curious to see the reaction of my folks when a situation similar to this occurs and the results are reversed. Sprite needed to have stuck to their guns on this situation y'all...I'm sorry that's just how I feel.

I asked when the debate about this step show first started (seemingly years ago now,) what was the difference between this and "Stomp The Yard," that so many folks were thrilled about....because it brough stepping into the mainstream. Folks, we've been wanting the rest of America to see us step and stroll for years. Why the griping now?

With that being said, they should probably never have this thing again, and likely will not!

[Prissy New Year!!!]

Feb 25, 2010 14:11:12 GMT -5 Cambist said:

True. Fortunately, this was a textbook case of whining after a loss.

Had the Omegas won over SAE and Sprite decided that there was a scoring error and awarded both first place (after a bunch of folks (white and black) protested)....I'm sure we'd be having a much different conversation.

I rarely disagree with you Cam, but here goes....

It is not whining when the competition was clearly not judged or decided fairly.

For me it is not just about the AKA's of Tau chapter being cheated. There was also a SGRho chapter who was unfairly eliminated due to a scoring discrepancy, and that was in AKA's favor. I believe it was the Alpha chapter Sorors, not sure of the SGRho chapter.

It seems to me like Sprite, MTV and your "yard stomping" frat who produced the show picked the teams that they thought would make for better TV.

This was not fair to the teams that followed the rules and practiced hard, thinking that they really had a shot. How many sororities were unfairly eliminated so that ZTA could be moved along? This affects all of the competitors, not just the Tau chapter Sorors.

We should have never participated in this in the 1st place. A few people called it early on, this was not going to end well, but I still would have hoped that at a minimum, teams would have been judged fairly and the end was not decided before all of the competitors hit the stage.

We all know that a company the size of Coca Cola or Viacom would not go back and change the results 4 days after the contest ends if there was not some real shady business going on.

Reposting the Sister to Sister article to back up my statements about the contest being rigged.

If you haven’t heard by now, the sisters of Zeta Tau Alpha are the baddest steppers in the land this year.


ZTA, a White sorority, pulled off a major at the Sprite Step-Off Challenge over the weekend. The newcomers beat out Black greeks from Alpha Kappa Alpha, Alpha Phi Alpha, Delta Sigma Theta, Omega Psi Phi and Phi Beta Sigma to take first place and a check for $100,000.

Although stepping is largely a revered tradition among Black fraternities and sororities, it’s not like the judges just handed Zeta Tau Alpha the top prize. From their initial try-out to the finals, those girls came hard. Of course it doesn’t hurt that their stepmistress has a background in choreography.



“They blew us away,” said Rob Hardy, the producer of an MTV 2 series about the Step-Off. He told S2S that after seeing the sorority’s audition there was no way they couldn’t have let the ladies compete in the big show.


[LogAKAlly <3'n Keef]

I have avoided this thread...but I will say this:


I know how to handle this...



They need to get STRAIGHT HOOD!

HeeHee.

[Kyng of JDs]

exalt

[Julie Art]

Coming back in to say Sorors Logakal and Prissy, along with Kyng, Damie, and Voudo, I love yall man, real talk.

[Alc 06]

Feb 25, 2010 16:22:14 GMT -5 FatalDST said:

Re-vote! I put the wrong kids's link on my siggy.. i dont know how that happened!

So it begins lol

[Prissy New Year!!!]

Feb 25, 2010 17:43:27 GMT -5 Julie Art said:

Coming back in to say Sorors Logakal and Prissy, along with Kyng, Damie, and Voudo, I love yall man, real talk.

[Kyng of JDs]

Feb 25, 2010 17:43:27 GMT -5 Julie Art said:

Coming back in to say Sorors Logakal and Prissy, along with Kyng, Damie, and Voudo, I love yall man, real talk.

back at you JA

[LogAKAlly <3'n Keef]

I WUB YOU TOO SOROR!!!!

TY KYNG.

;D

[Bunny Hop]

Feb 25, 2010 12:31:58 GMT -5 DamieQue™ said:

So...

Following the logic being espoused now... as long as someone throws money at us, we're powerless to avoid participation. If MTV came to individual chapters and said, "we'll pay you $100,000 if you let us document your intake process" then it's just going to happen. I mean if we make it popular they're going to do that too, and commercialization is simply unavoidable.

Gotcha

You sure aren't powerless but people continue to make the choices to participate in dayum near anything to get some cash. MTV can come to yall all day and throw money and prizes and you could still say no (and people have not been saying no).

[Bunny Hop]

Feb 25, 2010 13:46:56 GMT -5 Cambist said:

Perhaps a bunch of Black folks bytching IS enough to force a consideration about marketing directives.

*shrugs*

Pretty much. This isn't about righting some wrong it's about making people happy and giving them what they want. Sprite wants to make sure folks are happy so they'll keep buying their products, having them sponsor events (so they can advertise) and ensure that the Black folks will support this event next year.

Besides this sure isn't the first time Black folks bytched and moaned about something and it got changed.

[Troopa1911]

I just heard that the Deltas and SGRho's and gonna file suit against Sprite in district court in Atlanta today.







































































I'm joking

[Bunny Hop]

^^^^LMAO

[FatalDST]

I was about to say I dont doubt it... LOL U silly Troop


I personally dont know what to say about the sit-chee-ation... i dont know if WE are sore loosers or if they rigged fucked up the scooring for real or what....

[Prissy New Year!!!]

Feb 26, 2010 9:15:44 GMT -5 FatalDST said:

I was about to say I dont doubt it... LOL U silly Troop


I personally dont know what to say about the sit-chee-ation... i dont know if WE are sore loosers or if they rigged fucked up the scooring for real or what....

So far 2 of the judges (Monica and Chili) have gone on record stating that they gave Tau chapter almost perfect scores and they were surprised when ZTA won. I believe that it was rigged, not just in the finals but throughout the whole process.

Think about it though, if the results were legit would the Coca Cola Company come back 4 days later and announce co-winners? We are not talking about Ray Ray's Rib Shack and Car Title Pawn; this a huge multinational corporation. They know the results were shady and they want this to go away.

There is no real way to right this wrong because even though it is clear that my Sorors were the winners, we/they have been called whiners and sore losers by folks who I would think would support us.

The MC at the event insulted my sorors' and complimented the white girls for having real hair. Not only that he vocally pumped them up and told the crowd to give them more applause.

It kind of feels like a betrayal that goes much deeper than the results of a step show when we don't have our black men stand up for us....but that is a whole 'nother subject.

[DamieQue™]

Feb 26, 2010 13:19:38 GMT -5 Prissy New Year!!! said:

So far 2 of the judges (Monica and Chili) have gone on record stating that they gave Tau chapter almost perfect scores and they were surprised when ZTA won. I believe that it was rigged, not just in the finals but throughout the whole process.

The gall of you guys to believe that if you are the best you should actually win.

Think about it though, if the results were legit would the Coca Cola Company come back 4 days later and announce co-winners? We are not talking about Ray Ray's Rib Shack and Car Title Pawn; this a huge multinational corporation. They know the results were shady and they want this to go away.

In a second someone's going to call you a conspiracy theorist. I mean what evidence do you have except for judges questioning the outcome, the fact that the AKAs were better, and that Sprite has gotten all the free publicity they can stand? You take away that and you basically got nothing.

There is no real way to right this wrong because even though it is clear that my Sorors were the winners, we/they have been called whiners and sore losers by folks who I would think would support us.

A phenomena which I can assure you has not gone unnoticed by a number of us to our great dismay.

The MC at the event insulted my sorors' and complimented the white girls for having real hair. Not only that he vocally pumped them up and told the crowd to give them more applause.

Hadn't heard anything about this, but I have heard some anecdotes from the Delta team that was there that talked about special treatment of certain teams (the ZTAs specifically) that preceded the contest (it had to do with the Service Project). Again. Anecdote. Not fact.

It kind of feels like a betrayal that goes much deeper than the results of a step show when we don't have our black men stand up for us....but that is a whole 'nother subject.

While I know, at the end of the day we can all agree to disagree, I was kinda hoping for a more united front than what I have seen (on a number of different outlets). Please know though, that based on what I have seen, there is a fairly strong contingency that supports you and feels just like you do.

[Julie Art]

What Damie said, soror. Some people just don't understand, are clueless, or don't care (go back and re-read some responses, I'm SURE you will feel me once you do).
We can type/talk until we are blue in the face, fingertips numb, and it would still be the same.

[Prissy New Year!!!]

Feb 26, 2010 13:39:06 GMT -5 DamieQue™ said:

Feb 26, 2010 13:19:38 GMT -5 Prissy New Year!!! said:

So far 2 of the judges (Monica and Chili) have gone on record stating that they gave Tau chapter almost perfect scores and they were surprised when ZTA won. I believe that it was rigged, not just in the finals but throughout the whole process.

The gall of you guys to believe that if you are the best you should actually win.



In a second someone's going to call you a conspiracy theorist. I mean what evidence do you have except for judges questioning the outcome, the fact that the AKAs were better, and that Sprite has gotten all the free publicity they can stand? You take away that and you basically got nothing.



A phenomena which I can assure you has not gone unnoticed by a number of us to our great dismay.



Hadn't heard anything about this, but I have heard some anecdotes from the Delta team that was there that talked about special treatment of certain teams (the ZTAs specifically) that preceded the contest (it had to do with the Service Project). Again. Anecdote. Not fact.

It kind of feels like a betrayal that goes much deeper than the results of a step show when we don't have our black men stand up for us....but that is a whole 'nother subject.

While I know, at the end of the day we can all agree to disagree, I was kinda hoping for a more united front than what I have seen (on a number of different outlets). Please know though, that based on what I have seen, there is a fairly strong contingency that supports you and feels just like you do.

Exalt


and I never exalt you for anything, but I appreciate your passionate support.


I will be looking for an excuse to smite you soon as a way of restoring order to the universe...

[Cambist]

Sprite/MTV is going to make an offer to the now co-champions....

Real World Sorority House:
"From Alpha to Zeta"
(since they don't know that the Greek alphabet doesn't end with 'Z' )

These ladies will take on many challenges on several continents in order to earn money while they train for the 2nd Annual Sprite Step Off!!

They will live in the same house and be filmed 24-7.

**goes back to read the first few pages of this thread where he THOUGHT he predicted this entire shit show**

[Julie Art]

Feb 25, 2010 14:22:37 GMT -5 Troopa1911 said:

That must've been one hayle of an "Scoring Error" because the AKA didn't place...did they?

Just saw this, we came in 2nd right behind ZTA. They "say" the scores were very close between ZTA and AKA.

[Julie Art]

LOL @ Prissy! Noooooo, you can't smite him once he has given us his soooo passionate support! LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL!

You know, in all honesty, when I was in college the Ques where kicked off yard so I really had no interactions with them (even though I have older cousins that are Ques, like my parents' age older).

But, I must say since undergrad years, I have had more and from what I've witnessed on and off this board, I can see why Braka is so crazy for the Ques. All jokes aside.



Now Damie, I'on know about him ;D