Oh, you have to read this: The history and mystery of the high five

Image by Holtsman via Flickr
I thought this piece by Jon Mooallem from the Aug. 8, 2011 issue of ESPN The Magazine was going to be an uproarious pop culture romp with a tone to match the irreverence of the topic.


What I got instead was a dramatic tale of hoaxes, homophobia and fallen heros.

Oh, you have to read this:

"Magic Johnson once suggested that he invented the high five at Michigan State. Others trace it to the women's volleyball circuit in the 1960s. But the (Basketball player Lamont) Sleets story quickly shot around the Internet and into local newspapers, displacing, or at least undermining, all other claims.  Sleets was budging his way atop the high-five hierarchy.

When he answered my phone call, Sleets sounded tired. He was on his way to work, he said, and told me to try back at 4:30 that afternoon. So I did. But he never picked up my call again..."
Read the whole thing over on the ESPN site.

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