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The Sprite Step Off competition has been a major bone of contention amongst members of historically Black Greek organizations after an all-White sorority won the challenge.
[Read: Video Coverage ~ Crowd Boo's ZTA Win + Drake Performance (Sprite Step-Off)]
After much debate and online speculation, Sprite recently released a statement backpedaling on the winners of the controversial contest stating that there was a discrepancy in the scoring of the contest.
Apparently the Zeta Tau Alpha’s did NOT beat the AKA’s
The Sprite Step Off was initially created as a way to recognize talented college students and give out scholarships to help support their higher education. If we put on some entertaining step shows and brought people together along the way, all the better.
After the National Finals Competition this past weekend in Atlanta wrapped, we got together to do our post-competition review and found a scoring discrepancy in the sorority results. After looking at it and looking at it AGAIN, we determined there isn’t a definitive resolution.
Sprite is all about preserving the honesty and integrity of this competition. Because the scoring discrepancy can’t be resolved and due to the really tight margin between the first and second place sorors, we feel that the only right thing to do is to name both Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Tau Chapter & Zeta Tau Alpha, Epsilon Chapter, co-first place winners of the Sprite Step Off.
With these revised results, we’re gonna increase Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Tau Chapter’s scholarship prize to $100K, consistent with what Zeta Tau Alpha also got for their first prize winnings.
Thanks again to everyone who helped make The Sprite Step Off happen. And to one last stroll in the name of unity..
In other words… they fucked up.
Props to loyal reader Tisha for the tip!
D9 got mad cause the white chicks just out worked them.Just practice
Steve Wonder could see that the AKA’s routine was much better than ZTA’s.
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This post was mentioned on Twitter by ATLien: Sprite Admits Step Show “Scoring Discrepancy” [STATEMENT]” http://j.mp/aN9VPD…
Political correct White America. This is a joke. Why the backpedaling? How could there be a scoring error? Where is proof of the error and why not show it if there was one? I am a Coca-Cola employee. Were they afraid of some of kind of backlash?
Skee Wee!! You better give my Sorors their money. And don’t make that mistake it again.
ATLien, thanks for breaking this story first, even before the AJC. YOU GO, Lois Lane.
@attorneymom Waving “Hey Soror”! I’m glad that our Sorors are getting the money they deserved BUT I don’t like this whole “co-champions” thing. I feel like we are being patronized. I will not be supporting this event next year. There should have been judges that were Greek. ZTA won because of their novelty. I was there for the entire event. All of their steps came from D9 organizations. They put on a good performance but they didn’t deserve to win.
Them white girls just did thier thang and they won fair and square.So let it be. Better luck next time to everyone else
What’s sad about this whole ‘appeasing’ decision is that the black sorors now feel vindicated, validated. The white women won that one, fair and square, but the white owned and operated Sprite Company knows that the best way to keep black women controlled(in this case their monetary support of Sprite) is to ‘validate’ them. The ish is a tried and true remedy that white society uses to control black women. “Let’s make them feel we care/find them attractive/etc., by validating them with an interracial themed movie; co-champions with our beautiful white women, etc.” And black women just Skee-Wee happily along. WOW! They’re laughin at y’all!
Its sad that Black women were crying and are actually happy with co-first place. It upsets me as a Black man that Black people can’t lose gracefully. The Zetas won the competition fair and square. If it was a Black team that entered a majority White competition, and they pulled this co-first place crap, Black people would lose their minds. We’re better than this. Give the White women their due and just practice harder next time sistas.
It is also sad that Sprite put out a statement “awarding” a tie. The white girls won and if you have class you come back next year and kick their ass not cry you were cheated!
Yeah, that’s it. There was a “scoring discrepancy.” We can’t tell you what it is or how it happened, at least until we make up something that doesn’t obviously sound like bull(#*$, so here’s an extra $50,000 that you didn’t earn. Now don’t steal our cars, okay?
Stay classy, Alphas. You just stomp your feet and boo and walk out every time things don’t go your way. Dat’ll teach dem evil wyte debbils!
Those white girls tore the house down and should have been allowed to walk away with the first prize. AKAs needed to have come with something a little more inspired than shaking their extensions and the tired rhytmn nation routine.
Too bad that the black audiences would rather reward mediocrity as opposed to talent.
What’s really sad is that there is a sense of entitlement in thinking that the AKAs should have won. Why? Just because they are black? Is stepping a genetic predisposition.
If you look the two clips you’ll see that the audiences lost their mind the whole way through the ZTA performance…
I am mad as a competition should be about inspiring your peers and competitors to be better. I am mad cause those white girls will always know that they whooped AKA ass the black audience couldnt take it!
I am mad cause everyone knows you dont get mad you get even…y’all shold have come back next year and smashed it…instead y’all looked like you were in pre-k!
I won’t refer to the ZTAs as the “White girls” because if it was vice versa I’d be pissed. ZTAs tore it down, bunch of sore losers.. Seriously, there’s aways next year but then again we have allowed those in power to tell us “awww you didn’t win? Ok ok, here you go, you won too.” as if we can’t take a beating, oh wait.. we couldn’t hence this nonsense. Ya’ll make ashamed especially during these times. What happened to the golden rule? Oh wait, all that gold was used to make fronts..
The ladies in ZTA put on an awesome show!!! It is sad to say that the rankings were overturned, because of some sore losers. Had another black sorority won the contest, this would not be an issue. We, as black people, are quick to scream racism. Looking over this situation, WE all need to take a closer look at ourselves. Is this indeed “reverse racism.” As a member of a black sorority, I am appalled that this has occurred. I pray that we can all learn from this. Talent is talent, whether you are black, brown, red, yellow or white!!!
That’s really sad that Sprite had to make up something to keep face. The ZTA’s really were stepping w/o all that talking and dancing. The AKA’s were not as good point blank.
I am glad a hispanic group did not enter the contest and won, then folks would have been in a pickle about whether to cheer or boo.
Seriously, the Zeta’s were better. The Alpha’s routine was not crisp, clean or creative. It was a rather boring presentation. The mixed reaction of the crowd and comments proves that out. And yes it is sad that Sprite bowed to “blacklash” to satisfy a few clueless and apparently lacking in judgement folks (college educated no less) Folks cheered the Zetas but when they won….. Come on sistahs, get yo s___t tagetha.
I don’t think most of the nay Sayers understand that their steps were not original (zeta). I think thus is the reason for the upset. I too think they did an amazing job but I saw so much d9 and not enough of what their org was. I saw none of their own ‘flavor’ so to speak. Going by this interpretation I don’t feel they shoud have placed first at all.
@Chaotik,
Really? Really? So coming out doing the Rhythm Nation routine was original? How many times we seen that? I’ve been going to step shows since ’94. And since then there has been no lack of Janet routines. Boring.
The crowd went crazy because of 1) the novelty of it all and 2) these girls really did put on a good routine. Their coordination was seamless, it went straight back to the classics of steppin’. Killed it!
Anyway, less extensions, more invention. Next year AKA, try something new. Also, the black tights look…tired. Step it up please.
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it is a shame that the ruling was overturned. as black people we ask for equal rights but yet to give it. if it really was a error where is the proof? them white gurls won.. get over it. I personally hope they win again next year for u haters can be mad all over again. go Zeta Tau Alpha
@lnp03…so you think Rhythm Nation is original? You must have slept through this competition or you must be blind. As noted several times above, Janet routines are over and tired. Great job ZTA’s…there will be haters, but it’s a shame people cannot lose gracefully. To AKA’s…get a new routine, practice and stop crying.
the pure imitation and rip-off act that the zeta group pulled is what annoys me…anyone who has attended a predom. white school where yt soro/frats rule the campus will tell you that steppin IS NOT apart of their greek culture..the hand signs they threw up reppin their soro was comical…pure imitation…and that is not to say that they weren’t good…they did their act very well but at the same time are you all really not going to acknowledge the fact that is was an imitation??..being that I graduated from a predom white institution it wouldnt surprise me one bit if yt soros jumped on this bandwagon and started having themed “steppin” parties..socials…etc….essentially mocking black culture…would you all be okay with that?
What a load of crap!
Bending over backward to apologize for some different colored people getting “their” money?
“..now we gonna fix it”.
On the other hand the people running it can’t seem to handle a simple sentence in English so maybe the math was too tough as well?
This year the Academy Award for Best Screenwriter went to an African-American for the first time. Did he earn it or was he granted the award BECAUSE he is black? This year the Academy Award for Best Director went to a woman for the first time. Did she earn it or was she granted the award BECAUSE she is a woman? In 2008 Barack Obama was the first African-American man to be elected to the highest office in the nation. Did he earn it or was he elected BECAUSE he is black?
That these feats were “firsts” for the groups that society puts these people in (black, female) IS a “novelty” in the purest definition of the word. But to dismiss these achievements as a novelty is to dismiss the hard work and dedication that led to these achievements.
To call the ZTAs achievement a “novelty act” that, as such, should not have won the competition BECAUSE they’re white is ridiculous at best, racist at worst. To say that a person inherently understands a particular culture because of the color of their skin is absurd. Culture is learned, adopted and internalized. And even if none of the ZTAs have learned, adopted and internalized “black culture” per se, they have shown a strong appreciation for and mastery of an art form that historically comes from “black culture”.
No one would have DARED dismiss Geoffrey Fletcher as a novelty and tell him that his award wasn’t earned because he didn’t hail from the “white culture” of Hollywood.
Obviously Sprite messed up and needs to clarify the rules if there’s gonna be a next time for this event. But drop the double-standard for equality and remember what the MC said: “Steppin’ is for EVERYBODY”. And so is the Presidency.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IoVbR0_efy4 here is the full version of the ZTAs of performance as winners in Houston regionals a full 10 minutes of stepping the judges and the crowd loved them and no booing
I love my ZTA
They feel they should be treated equally because of Obama’s "becoming-socialist" nation.
I’m a 42 year old black female. I read all the statements above and am ashamed. The ZTA’s beat the AKA’s plainly in my eyes and they were very entertaining.
How can you teach them steps, coax them into entering and then get mad at them for taking what you taught them and winning? We (black people)in this instance, sound no better than the rascists who protest EVERYTHING President Obama brings to the table. The Zeta Girls were good period!!!
We (black people) excel in every sport that was originally white, (baseball, basketball, football, tennis, golf etc) we even have people playing hockey now. As long as we excel, cool, but as soon as we fail OMG it’s a conspiracy. People please get real. All we ever do is whine and cry and blame someone else. ENOUGH! Remember YOU coaxed them into entering because you thought they would make a fool of themselves, but who is the fool now? In other words you wrote a check that your butts couldn’t cash.
This is not about being black or white, it’s about being good and that’s what the ZTA’s were. I pray they don’t enter again and just walk away with a well deserved victory. Your Sorority is supposed to show you how to have pride and dignity. There was nothing dignified about this especially your made up, pacifying co-win. You should be ashamed as I am for you. Better luck next year if our people don’t destroy this too! The time has come to Grow Up, Shut Up and Step Up (if you practice)! Build a Bridge and Get Over It!!!
I just want to say I am very disappointed and ashamed of the AKA’S. Surely you can’t be proud of yourselves. Co-winners?..More like sore LOSERS! Ladies you DID NOT WIN! Not many will recognize you as winners but has cry babies with very poor sportsmanship and not to mention showmanship. You would have received a lot more respect had you congratulated the Zetas and accepted your defeat like real women rather than spoiled brats. Do you really feel good about yourselves? I’m the mother of a 18 year old BLACK daughter who after reading about the behavior of you ladies has decided NOT to pledge AKA.
Thats the problem now, slowly white ppl move in on what is apart of our culture, and what makes us who we are.They are takin over everything and black ppl being as ignorant as possible, they will be full supporters of others comming in and takin over. Blindly..Just like music was stole away from us during elvis reign, dance is being stolen, and now step…
Okay so everyone is "scolding" the AKAs for what reason exactly? I did not see one YouTube video, one "accidently" published letter or boycott set off bye these AKA’s to say "take that back". If you should scold anyone… scold the Sprite Step show organizers/coordinators or whoever for annulling their initial decision. Sheesh.. No wonder why this world is so F-cked up. Congrats to all of the participants, everyone did a good job.
[...] year, the event was filled with controversy when Sprite admitted a “scoring discrepancy” after Zeta Tau Alpha, an all white sorority, won the traditionally Black step [...]