The joy of the high-five
One of the greatest articles I've ever read in Sports Illustrated, about the joyful expression of sports elation and its possible function in winning.
"It began with Magic Johnson. Or Dusty Baker. Or perhaps a bunch of volleyball players. Which is to say that no one agrees upon the origin of high-fiving."
Ha!
Yes Eric, your post actually inspired me to go back and dig up this article. :)
A well told history of the high-five by the geniuses at Rabiolab is here.
"Now the high five, delivered without irony, is often deemed the pinnacle of dorkdom, at least in the real world. Sure, there is a National High Five Day (the third Thursday of April) and a Guinness record for fives delivered in 24 hours (5,000, by Dubliner Michael Cotter last year, topping the 3,131 by Blake Rodgers, who stood outside a Dunkin' Donuts in Providence and let loose upon unsuspecting customers in 2008). But the guy at the office who rises up for a high 10 after the earnings report? That's a guy you don't want to hang with at happy hour...
I'm sorry, did they say someone high-fived 5000 times in 24 hours?
Like a boss!!
I know that my sons love the high five. They use it instead of shaking hands right now.
Then whatever you do, do NOT show them this High Five montage:
And do NOT show them the How I Met Your Mother high five montage:
Instead, show them this High Five FAIL compilation:
I'm not THAT embarrassed to admit this: I suck at high-fiving and I always warn the people in seats near mine at sports venues about it.
No offense, but if you're bad at high fives, practice the passive high five:
You just kinda hold your palm up their and wait for the other person to hit it.
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