By Lucas Lee ’21 and Matthew Lee ’21
The Ball’s are a basketball-oriented family who have made a name for themselves in the sports industry.  The family includes three young basketball stars, Lonzo Ball, LiAngelo Ball and LaMelo Ball.  Lonzo Ball was selected by the Lakers with the second pick of the 2017 NBA draft out of UCLA, and he has been receiving a lot of media attention from websites such as ESPN and Bleacher Report.  While the majority of his family is known to be loud and outspoken, he is seen as more quiet and humble about his success.  Perhaps even more famous than him is his outspoken father, Lavar Ball, who has made a reputation for himself with his bold statements.  While some may see him as a supportive father, others perceive him as arrogant and even delusional.  His second son, LiAngelo Ball, ran into controversy in China, as he allegedly robbed a Louis Vuitton store with two other teammates.  He was suspended from the UCLA basketball team, and Lavar Ball subsequently pulled him out so that he could play with his brother in Lithuania.
In a survey sent to the Middle School, 68 percent of respondents know of their family, and 73 percent of respondents do not think that they are worth the hype.
Much of the negativity towards the family is directed at Lavar Ball and his outspoken personality.
“The actions of Lavar Ball are ridiculous and immature,” Hayley Rothbart ’21 wrote in the survey.
Additionally, many students believe that Lavar’s talk is not only over the top but is also detrimental to his kids, in particular, Lonzo Ball.
“I think [Lavar Ball] should stop hyping them up because it puts pressure on his kids. Lonzo Ball would be considered great if his dad didn’t boast about him,” an anonymous survey respondent wrote in the survey.
While Lavar Ball may not be popular among students, most students see the kids in a brighter light.
“I think LaMelo, LiAngelo and Lonzo are definitely worth the hype. The are all phenomenal players and probably NBA prospects if they don’t get in anymore off court issues. I think Lavar has his reasons to be excited, however some/most of his behavior seems a little inappropriate,” Will Cramer ’22 wrote in the survey.
The Ball kids have a lot of potential to become excellent NBA players; however, their many controversies are off-putting, making them not Worth the Hype.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The Invisible Box Challenge is an optical illusion that became popular because of its difficulty to emulate.  This illusion has been floating around the internet for a couple years but has never been dubbed a challenge.  It finally went viral thanks to Ariel Olivar, a Texan high school cheerleader, who performed the stunt on the sidelines of a high school football game.  Shortly after, she had thousands of viewers attempting the Invisible Box Challenge and along with the few successful attempts came even more fails.
It appears that the person is stepping over an invisible box, but the trick is more complicated than that.  In a sense, it is just a one-legged hop forward.  To execute it, the individual puts their hand in the air and pats it, as if there is an invisible box that will step on it.  Then they raise one leg as if they are putting it on top of the box.  Finally, they jump off of their other leg higher than the leg on the box creating the illusion.
In an online survey sent to the Middle School, 51.65 percent of the 182 respondents said that the challenge is worth the hype.  This was one of the hardest trends of 2017 due to the jumping it involves, which has led to frustration with the trick and a negative view of the trend.
“I almost killed myself trying it the first time,” Sophia Evans ’23 said in the survey.
The Invisible Box Challenge received positive reviews only when the illusion was executed flawlessly, so the challenge is only Worth the Hype if it is performed perfectly.