Athletic Aesthetic

A Year for the (Face)Books

a Facebook News Feed-style year in local sports review

Luc Anthony |

There are plenty of ways to recap a year. Top 10 lists. Chronological paragraphs. Fast-edited video vignettes. Therefore, the challenge at Athletic Aesthetic was to find a way to review 2008 in a way never before attempted, at least not in the pages of Volume One. I have found such a way: a Facebook News Feed.

The idea was inspired by a posting you can find at mcsweeneys.net, featuring Shakespeare’s Hamlet re-written in the form of a Facebook News Feed. Immediately recognizing excellence where I see it, I knew I had to, uh, rip off this idea for one of my columns. It was September, and I had the perfect topic: the then-ongoing collapse of the Milwaukee Brewers from a formerly solid playoff berth. Alas, the Brewers had to ruin my column idea by coming back from the edge of the abyss and winning the Wild Card slot, but that only meant the Facebook column could be used for a bigger and better topic – like a year-in-review.

Therefore, I now present the last year-in-review you will read about 2008; except, imagine you’re reading this once you’ve logged into Facebook. Read along, check out the status updates, see who became friends with whom, who wrote on others’ walls, who joined which group, and more from the social circle that was 2008 in Wisconsin sports:

    January 13: The Green Bay Packers love snow, and are looking forward to another Ice Bowl next week.

    January 20: Plaxico Burress wrote on Al Harris’ Wall: “I’d write more, but I’m busy trying to catch my 12th pass.”

    March 1: Memorial Old Abes Hockey are the champions, my friend.

    March 4: Brett Favre hates goodbyes.

    March 6: North Huskies Boys Basketball wonders why do we always run into people from Wauwatosa when we go to Madison?

    March 8: Eleva-Strum High School joined the group “Same-Season Football & Basketball Title Winners” (1 member).

    March 15: Flambeau Girls Basketball joined the group “Three-Peat” (26 members).

    March 28: The Wisconsin Badgers Mens Basketball Team became a fan of “Stephen Curry.”
    May 19: Luc Anthony joined Facebook.

    May 19: The UW-Eau Claire Blugolds Softball Team ARE NATIONAL CHAMPIONS!!!!!

    June 26: Richard Jefferson joined the group “ Official Milwaukee Bucks Facebook Group” (683 members).


July 2: Aaron Rodgers was tagged in an album: “NFL Quarterbacks Who Had To Follow Legends” by Sports Illustrated.

    July 3: Brett Favre says, on second thought...

    July 6: CC Sabathia is now friends with The Milwaukee Brewers.

    July 14: Brett Favre is now friends with Darrell Bevell and Brad Childress.

    July 16: The Green Bay Packers don’t like Purple People Eaters trying to eat our players.

    July 26: The Eau Claire Crush are attending the event “Elite Bowl I.”

    August 5: Brett Favre is no longer in a relationship with The Green Bay Packers.

    August 6: Brett Favre is in a relationship with The New York Jets.

    September 14: Ned Yost has no idea.

    September 15: Ned Yost is no longer in a relationship with The Milwaukee Brewers.

    September 28: The Milwaukee Brewers are attending the event “2008 MLB Playoffs.”

    November 6: Hobbs Ice Center wants to know where the Sawblades went.

    November 22: The Wisconsin Badgers Football Team beat Cal Poly, baby; we’re goin’ bowlin’.

    December 10: CC Sabathia is now friends with The New York Yankees.

    December 18: Bret Bielema is attending the event “Let’s Get 3,000 Tickets Sold For The Champs Sports Bowl.”

    December 28: Green Bay Packers Fans wrote on The Detroit Lions’ Wall: “O-And 16 O-And-16!”

    December 29: The Green Bay Packers is well at least we have Aaron Rodgers.

    December 30: The Minnesota Vikings commented on The Green Bay Packers’ status: “he he he he he ...”