unspOAKen Rules

In this episode, the whole squad (Alan, Aldo, Andrew, Jerome, & Mo) reflect on our experience of 2020 - the ups, the downs, the shallow, and the deep. We open up about each of our personal experiences during 2020, hopefully, putting the experience in hindsight. Enjoy!

This is a very special episode! We recorded this virtually using Zoom to assure social distance and, more importantly, we welcome back our brother, Alan! We take him right into the thick of things by discussing the unspOAKen rules of this global pandemic. In other words, what's there to say when it's pandemic rules aka when there are no rules!

A lot of time, sports, and moments have passed since our last episode. Most notably, we lost a legend and future legend of sports and humanity, Kobe Bryant and his daughter, Gigi.  We saw the Niner Gang make an improbable run nearly bringing a championship to the Bay Area.  Meanwhile our lives have continued in lieu of these events. There's been a whole lot of ups and downs, which lead us to a couple questions: 

In this episode, we debate an unspOAKen rule in sports: Getting older should not affect your fandom/emotional investment into a sport.

It's an unspOAKen rule for us not to talk about our money. For example, despite it being the obvious reason for the move, The San Francisco Warriors will never admit that a big part of their decision to leave Oakland was about money. So why is it that talking about money is taboo? And how - if at all - is this affecting our ability to see the value in ourselves, each other, and our culture? Though an episode about finances seems hella boring, we had a lot of fun recording this one and got to know who's the cheapest cheapskate between Mo, Drew, & Rome. Hint: It's Drew. This is season 2, episode 5 of unspOAKen Rules - the finances episode.

Why do dress codes exist? What is Oakland and the Bay Area's dress code? Who gets the authority to enforces the dress codes and why? In this episode we cover how dress codes affect sports, work performance, civic representation, and how it helps to identify who we are. Drip drip drip.

On this episode we welcome a tried & tested, Cambodian strong, Town Native, and friend Maurice aka "Slo Mo" to the podcast (and ladies he's single!). We start with a scenario, if you were to build the perfect bar squad choosing 2 athletes to form this squad with you, which athlete would you pick to be your wingman/woman and which athlete would you pick to have your back in a bar fight? 

Hint: Andrew's choices are especially terrible!

We then cover this episodes unspOAKen rule of, starting new relationships and how to sustain them. We delve into Oakland sports, work-life, and the unspOAKen rules of our personal relationships. 

We hope you swipe right and slide into our DMs (in Jerome's case, his Slack DMs)!

On Alan's final FINAL episode, we together as a squad of American minority men, speak to real feelings and tough conversations about the current state of American affairs; particularly the recent mass shootings (totaling 251 since the start of 2019). We speak to how technology creates surface level social obligation checkboxes, and how we, as social creates, have responded to try to find deeper connection and expression. This is a heavy one. 

p.s. Godspeed and raise hell, Alan!

In the last 225 thousand hours, we've gone through a lot of changes and goodbyes.  This episode covers unspoken rules of how we react to changes and goodbyes in sports (e.g.  NBA trades!), culture, work, and in life.  

Fun fact: We also reveal which star NBA player played only 6 minutes of professional basketball because he'd rather go to a dance club.

Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me - unless it's shitty words in the form of shit talk.  On this episode, we are joined by our lovely guest speaker, Cindy! We discuss the art and science of shit talk. Why do it? Who does it best? Are there boundaries? Ya mama.

At what point is it socially acceptable to leave a sporting event? What happens when you take edibles and watch the Warriors save our galaxy? What did Steph Curry and Under Armour do to piss Andrew off? This and more third-eye-opening topics coming your way from a kitchen in Oakland.