DEATH OF THE WORD "BALLIN"

Head Writer


Derek Alan West



Welcome back, this week we're finishing up our Misused/Overused slang series with a word that could have been buried somewhere with jimmy Hoffa circa 2008..."Ballin". It's not so much that I don't care for the word, as much so that I feel it should only be reserved for the times when you are in fact Ballin'.





look at his concentration.....amazing



I place the blame for the words surge in popularity solely on the shoulders of Jim Jones. The word had of course been around before his 2006 mega hit "We Fly High (Ballin)" from his album Hustlers P.O.M.E. but it was after that when we started to see parents, children, grandmothers, and even WWE wrestlers not only use the word in everyday life, but also the "hooping" gesture.

The origin of the word obviously comes from the sport of basketball and is used to imply a vast amount of wealth. Like that of what an NBA player would receive from his players contract, endorsements, etc. the issue here arises when the word is applied to situations that are not Ballin'.....at all.



"I was at the club last night son! Ballin out of control! It was $2.00 shots and $1.00 bottlenecks kid! Balllliiiiiinnnn! *makes hooping gesture*



got the new stunna shades on kid....uh oh.. "BALLIN!!!"



No, that's not Ballin. That's drink specials at the club to get people through the door. Youre not Ballin because you managed to drink a little more for a little less cash. The whole idea behind Ballin is to not even be worried about the cash you're blowing. So by definition you're the opposite of Ballin because you waited until discount night to hit the town.



Now some would argue that Ballin is relative. What may be Ballin to one person might not necessarily be Ballin to another. For instance if you work a 9 to 5 type job, bringing in let's say $400 a week, then maybe to you, blowing $200 on a night out is what you would call Ballin, and in that instance, I'd say...no. You're wrong. You can't be Ballin on a budget. You simply either are, or you aren't. And let's be real, the majority of us are not.

The one thing I will say about it is that it's a nice dream. It's something to aspire to I suppose. To not have to worry about money. To go out and blow an insane amount of cash on a good time with your homies. We're all in love with the same idea for better or worse. My point is don't make the mistake of projecting yourself to be something you're not. There are people Ballin in the world, ballers. Professional athletes. Rappers. Celebrities. But we can't all be those people. Sometimes it's just best that we be ourselves.



see this counts.... halfway



So the next time you're at the strip club with that $100 worth of ones in your left pocket, and your $40 worth of drink money in your right one, do yourself a favor, and do jot scream out "BALLLLLIIIINNNNN" because you're not. Youre just some dude in a strip club with $140 and light hatred of women you'll never be able to afford.

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