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Prichard Colon on ESPN’s Outside The Lines

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by Marc Londo and Mohamad Elmahmoud


Pictured: Prichard Colon. Fairfax, Va. October 15, 2015 Photo: Patrick Smith

ESPN’s acclaimed investigative documentary series Outside The Lines is set to feature Prichard Colon on Monday at 1 PM Eastern. Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) in sports has become a focus of national discussion and Colon’s case has created a call in the boxing community to closely follow safeguards that should already be in place. Prichard Colon has been in a coma since October 15, 2015. His last steps out of a boxing ring were his last steps. Outside The Lines promises to take viewers beyond those last steps into a dark world that surrounded the Colon family when Prichard lost consciousness. The OTL series has been widely recognized for its coverage of pressing issues in the sports world. It’s won numerous Emmys and in 2013 a story on the NFL concussion crisis, titled NFL at a Crossroads: Investigating a Health Crisis, won the Peabody Award.


Pictured: Prichard Colon jabs Terrel Williams. Fairfax, Va. October 15, 2015 Photo: Patrick Smith

Monday’s feature on Prichard Colon extends the series probe into the life threatening risks that athletes in combat sports may not fully comprehend. Colon certainly wasn’t ready for the effects of the more than 30 illegal rabbit punches his opponent Terrel Williams landed to the back of his head. There’s an implicit understanding boxers have with officials in the ring that transforms the randomness of a fight into a regulated sport. It was under those parameters that Colon consented to be in the ring. It was a lack of adjudication of the rabbit punching by referee Joseph Cooper that left Colon vulnerable to the illegal blows. OTL takes viewers through the predicament Colon found himself in.


Pictured: Terrel Williams looking to throw. Fairfax, Va. October 15, 2015 Photo: Patrick Smith

Due to the events of that day, the World Boxing Council instituted aPrichard Colon Rule, which stresses as a Zero Tolerance standard for the officiating of rabbit punches. It’s unclear if it’s improved officiating. In a recent Showtime bout between Marcus Browne and Thomas Williams Jr., Browne teed off on a kneeling Williams with a hard left hand to the back of the head. It prompted the referee to give Williams 5 minutes to recover before the fight was allowed to go on. It was a brief period of time that gave many in the audience time as well to recall the impact those punches had on Prichard Colon. One avid boxing fan, actress Rosie Perez, immediately signed on to twitter and warned, “He should take the full 5 minutes. Very dangerous punch. Remember #PrichardColon?! @ShowtimeBoxing #BrowneWilliams #boxing


Pictured: Rosie Perez tweets her concern. Photo: Twitter

Outside The Lines has become an effective outlet of activist media in sports. Its recent coverage of the Baylor scandal helped bring about positive change in that environment. Their focus on the Colon case should also serve as a call for meaningful change in a sport that is regulated like the Old West. On October 15, 2015, there were many safeguards that should have been in place. When Colon got sent to the floor by a flagrant rabbit punch after numerous fouls in the bout, referee Joseph Cooper could have stopped the fight at that point. In the chaos that followed the knockdown, he was checked by ringside Doctor Richard Ashby and told him he felt “dizzy”, the back of his head was hurting, and he felt he could go on. Ashby overruled obvious signs and critical symptoms associated with damage to the area around the medulla oblongata, one of which is impaired vision, and erred with the courage of the fighter.


Pictured: Terrel Williams lands a rabbit punch to the back of Colon’s head. Photo: NBC

It was an impossible predicament Colon was in. None of the officials in, and around, the ring took seriously the scope of damage he was incurring as he continued grabbing the back of his head. The Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation (DPOR) chief official supervising the bout, David Holland, told Colon and his corner that he better stop faking or he would be disqualified. Then, when Williams again knocked Colon to the canvas with a rabbit punch, ringside officials turned a blind eye. It was the last punch Colon would ever get hit with in his boxing career. A ruled-legal rabbit punch. Could that punch have been the coup de gras that led to his persistent vegetative state? As he left the ring, Prichard had to be held up by his Father, Richard, and his trainer, Pedro Diaz. He couldn’t make it back to the dressing room on his own power. Moments later he would collapse in a pool of his own vomit.


Pictured: Prichard Colon grabbing is head after a ruled flagrant rabbit punch. Photo: Patrick Smith

This expose marks the first public appearance of Prichard Colon since that day. The Colon family has struggled with the decision to allow Prichard to be seen publicly in his present condition. He took so much pride in his fans, and the family has been mindful of how he would want the public to see him. The passage of time has given them more to reconsider. Prichard hasn’t stopped fighting since he stepped out of the ring in Fairfax. And if there was ever a time that he has needed his fans it is now. Outside The Lines has been granted full access. ‘The greatest’ Muhammad Ali shook up the world on many occasions in the ring but it was his struggle with Parkinson’s disease that revealed his humanity to the world. For those that know Prichard Colon, the parallels are great. Their flamboyance in the ring was betrayed by the conditions that took away their ability to express themselves.


Pictured: Prichard Colon is helped out of the ring by his father Photo: Patrick Smith

Yet, underneath the still exterior, is a heart that keeps a strong and steady beat. Prichard Colon is still with us. His first public appearance in over a year should speak loudly to us all. After watching Outside The Lines on ESPN, perhaps we should take to twitter like Rosie Perez and tell the world what we think. Remember #PrichardColon?!

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LIVE NATION CONCERTS PROMOTES JENIFER SMITH TO HEAD OF URBAN TOUR MARKETING

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Today Live Nation announced Jenifer Smith has been promoted to Head of Urban Tour Marketing & Strategy. She will lead Live Nation’s Urban Tour Marketing team supporting all marketing efforts for their roster of R&B and Hip-Hop tours within the Concerts division.

Live Nation is dedicated to helping artists connect with their growing global fanbase, and Jenifer will be working across some of the biggest names as well as rising stars across R&B, Hip-Hop and Rap that Live Nation promotes, including Beyoncé, Jay-Z, Drake, The Weeknd, Travis Scott, Ms. Lauryn Hill, Kendrick Lamar, J. Cole, H.E.R., A$AP Rocky, Lil Baby, Alicia Keys, Young Thug, Jack Harlow, and many more. Smith most recently launched and supported all global marketing efforts for the Fugees Reunion tour celebrating the 25th anniversary of their iconic album The Score.

Jenifer will be developing and building out the Urban Tour Marketing team as one of the fastest growing and most popular sectors in the industry only continues to dominate the global market. Moving forward, she will be leading marketing strategies for Live Nation’s wide range of hip-hop and R&B artists across touring and key festivals. 

“Whether it’s artists or our own internal team, Live Nation is always investing in people we believe in,” said Omar Al-joulani, Head of Talent & Touring for Live Nation Concerts. “Jenifer has been an incredible leader at Live Nation, and we are confident her strategic focus and experience will do big things for every artist working with our Urban marketing team.  ”

Prior to joining Live Nation 2 years ago, Jenifer was a Tour Marketer at AEG Presents & Goldenvoice for almost a decade where she worked across all genres of live from Urban, Pop, Rock, and Comedy shepherding marketing efforts for the Rolling Stones, Charlie Wilson, Melanie Martinez, Ali Wong, Anthony Hamilton, Bianca Del Rio, Jim Jefferies, Pod Save America, and the XSCAPE reunion tour. Prior to her time at AEG Presents, she was at ICM Partners in the concerts division for 3 years working with Caroline Yim, Zach Iser, Roberts Gibbs and Dennis Ashley with clients including Beyoncé, Drake and Mary J. Blige.

This post appeared first on www.livenationentertainment.com

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Remembering the TV & Radio Broadcast Legend Larry King

Larry King was perhaps the most prolific interviewer of all time. He has passed at 87.

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Larry King became the name associated with interviews, broadcast journalism, and suspenders over the course of his career which spans from the last 1950s until now. His life may have ended on January 23rd, but his legacy will last far beyond that.

King’s long-running program Larry King Live, for which he is most known, began in 1985 on CNN. In those days, CNN was a fledgling network that media magnate Ted Turner was attempting to push forward. King’s presence and popularity helped build the network into the news powerhouse that it has become today. Of the 60,000 interviews that King has done, 30,000 of them have appeared on CNN. The Guinness Book of World Records acknowledges King as having “the longest-running television show hosted by the same person, on the same network and in the same time slot” with 6,000 episodes of the show.

King interviewing the late Hank Aaron, who also passed this week.

Even after his separation from CNN, King was an active interviewer and host, branching into streaming services with Hulu and podcasts as well. A two-time Peabody Award winner, King is also a member of the Radio Hall of Fame and Broadcasters Hall of Fame. This is in part to his easy-going style. King could talk to anyone, and guests on the show ranged from political figures and celebrities to UFO theorists and psychics.

King was also involved in charity, founding the Larry King Cardiac Foundation. The foundation is a nonprofit that helps fund life-saving cardiac care for those that can’t afford it. King was also a survivor of heart disease, having survived a heart attack and quintuple bypass surgery. King’s matters of the heart didn’t stop there. He was married 8 times to 7 different women.

Larry King has done nearly everything you can in media. He’s been a radio and TV host, newspaper columnist, disc jockey, and even a color commentator for the Miami Dolphins. His collection of content is arguably the widest library of any interviewer in history and if you’re looking to hear someone speak, chances are they’ve talked to Larry King.

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At Home with TIDAL

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TIDAL TO LAUNCH FREE “At Home With TIDAL” LIVESTREAM SERIES

Concert Livestream Series Rotates Music Genre Daily Starting March 25

Global music and entertainment platform, TIDAL, is digging into its archives to provide music-fans free daily TIDAL-exclusive live streams, featuring a different genre each day. Beginning Wednesday, March 25 at Noon ET, the 12-hour daily livestreams will be available to members and non-members alike on TIDAL.com/AtHome.
The series will continue throughout the week and include past performances from your favorite artists within genres including Latin, Pop, Electronic, Hip Hop and R&B. The full schedule includes:

  • Wednesday (3/25) – Latin
    • Featuring Jennifer Lopez, Daddy Yankee, CNCO, Romeo Santos, and more
  • Thurs (3/26) – Pop
    • Featuring Lizzo, Rosalia, The Chainsmokers, Bazzi, Dermot Kennedy, and more
  • Friday (3/27) – Electronic
    • Featuring deadmau5, Daft Punk, Kaskade, Marshmello, Cashmere Cat,  and more
  • Saturday (3/28) – Hip Hop
    • Featuring JAY-Z,  J. Cole, Lil Wayne, Meek Mill, Gunna, City Girls, 21 Savage, and more
  • Sunday (3/29) – R&B
    • Featuring Beyoncé, Rihanna, Ari Lennox, Trey Songz, Jorja Smith, H.E.R, and more

The free live streams help music fans connect with their favorite artists, while still practicing social distancing. As everyone establishes new routines and norms for the foreseeable future, TIDAL has over 60 million tracks and hundreds of thousands of videos in its library and are committed to helping people through these challenging times. Whether it’s learning more about artists through docu-series and in-depth interviews, reliving some of the most iconic concerts, or hosting virtual dance parties with TIDAL-playlists, TIDAL has something for music lovers of all genres.

TIDAL is offering new customers a special limited-time offer of 4 months for any plan for only $4.00 now through April 15th – new members can redeem here: https://try.tidal.com/spring

About TIDAL
TIDAL is an artist-owned global music and entertainment platform that brings artists and fans closer together through unique original content and exclusive events.

Available in 54 countries, the streaming service has more than 60 million songs and 250,000 high quality videos in its catalog along with original video series, podcasts, thousands of expertly curated playlists and artist discovery via TIDAL Rising. With the commitment of its owners to create a more sustainable model for the music industry, TIDAL is available in premium and HiFi tiers—which includes Master Quality Authenticated (MQA) recordings as well as Sony’s 360 Reality Audio recordings.

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