So yeah, Jake the Dancing Kid.
I wasn’t planning on touching that article since I have mixed feelings about the whole thing, but now I don’t have to — YAYsports! did for me.
I know Jake the Dancing Kid is supposed to be cute, and I’m sure he brings the house down when he appears on PalaceVision, but the whole thing just strikes me as a little (pick one: odd/disturbing/weird/creepy). Skewer me if you want, but comments like these don’t help:
“A lot of people got on TV taking off their shirt,” Jacob said. “I thought, ‘I go to all the games; maybe they would show me a lot.’ ”
An idea was born, crystallized and put into action.
At some point, usually during the third or fourth quarter, Jacob removes his shirt, starts dancing, sometimes swinging the shirt, and the crowd roars for more.
Jacob came to the conclusion that fans get the most face time on the big screen in the second half, thus his reasoning for dancing later in the game.
It’s just all seems a little too calculated. I can’t fault the kid too much — he’s seven years old, remember — but it’s just a little depressing that he’s already found a way to game the system into turning him into a pseudo-celebrity.
He used to be just a novelty act at 4 Championship Drive, but now that his story has been splashed across the front page of the Detroit News, are we about to see a legion of copycats? I hope not. Maybe it’s me, but I think it’s time kids these days tried getting onto the big screen the old fashioned way, such as painting their faces or wearing big Afro wigs.
[Edit — here’s the little guy in action, courtesy of Need 4 Sheed]
1st-grader dances way to stardom at Pistons home games [Detroit News]
Jake the Dancing Kid is talking trash [YAYsports!]
[Insert Joke Here]
I hope Jake has to sit next to this kid in school next year.
little ninja was somehow more disturbing to me. he seemed like he really wanted to hurt someone- did you see how red his face got?
Of course his face is red — little ninja doesn’t enjoy the exploitation of shirtless children any more than we do, Julie.
I think that kid stole some of my moves. If he tries my patented floor-dive-spin-kick, I’m suing his parents.
“A lot of people got on TV taking off their shirt,” Jacob said. - Our society is in serious trouble when 7-year olds understand the basic premise of Girls Gone Wild.
“You know, there’s like a butt-load of gangs at this school. This one gang kept wanting me to join ’cause I’m pretty good with a bow staff.” …
I think it’s beyond disturbing, the father actually posted a message in the forum because he missed taping the game and he wanted the video.
I fear that Jake may succumb to the same pressure that ruined many a child star. What happens when he gets older and some other little kid is dancing with no shirt on, stealing his limelight? Is this how streakers are born?
It’s wrong. It’s even more wrong they show it on TV. It is disturbing. So are the Spare Tires. I’m sure a qualified psychologist could explain how this behaviour is textbook post-brawl fallout.