You're with me, leather

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"You're with me, leather" or YWML as it is also known, is a phrase popular with sports website Deadspin, its readers and fellow sports bloggers, and has grown into an Internet phenomenon. The phrase gained widespread popularity after an anecdote was submitted to Deadspin on April 11, 2006, describing the use of the phrase as a pick-up line by ESPN anchor Chris Berman. [1]

Contents

"You're with me, ____," with other words or phrases inserted in place of "leather," is often repeated in response to news stories involving Berman. The phrase is also often used without context as a non sequitur, snowclone or an inside joke.

Origin

In a post by Deadspin assistant editor Rick Chandler, a source (whom site editor Will Leitch called "a respected journalist") claimed that in the mid-1990s, a friend of his was flirting in a bar with an attractive woman wearing leather pants and holding a leather jacket. However, his efforts proved unsuccessful when Berman, who was in Scottsdale, Arizona to cover baseball spring training, walked by and told the woman "You're with me, leather." The woman immediately got up and left the bar with Berman. [2]

During the 2006 NFL Draft, fan Aaron Ghitelman asked Berman whether he had ever visited Deadspin. Berman reportedly told the fan, "Why would I go and do that? That is such a stupid question. What are you, stupid? That is so stupid." [3]

In 2007, Berman said of the phrase and its popularity, "A lot of people are very mean-spirited, apparently. You're talking about something that happened nine years ago, some people want to dump on a guy that's been pretty nice to people for 27 years." [4]

Reference in mass media

References by current and former ESPN personalities

References in sports media

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References

  1. ↑ "He ... Could ... Go ... All ... The ... Way!". Deadspin. 2006-04-11. Retrieved 2006-07-24.
  2. ↑ Tom Hoffarth (2006-11-27). "The dubious dozen". Los Angeles Daily News. Archived from the original on 2007-01-10. Retrieved 2007-01-13.
  3. ↑ Espn: For The Record, We Don't Advise This
  4. ↑ From Pebble Beach: Chris Berman doesn't appreciate his place in cultural history, Morning Buzz - San Jose Mercury News February 9, 2007
  5. ↑ "Tony Kornheiser Is Into Leather". Deadspin. 2006-04-13.
  6. ↑ "'Countdown with Keith Olbermann' for April 26". NBC News. 2006-04-26.
  7. ↑ "Neil Everett's Death Wish". Deadspin. 2006-05-16.
  8. ↑ "Mickelson's final round blog". ESPN.com. 2006-06-19.
  9. ↑ "Bill Simmons SPORTSNATION Chat 7/12". ESPN.com. 2006-07-12.
  10. ↑ "Scott's Shots: The Boston Sports Guy: Revisited, Reinvented and Revealed". Bruce Allen Media LLC. 2005-09-30.
  11. ↑ John Woolard (2007-05-29). "Sports Byline USA". Sports Byline USA.
  12. ↑ Ted Miller (2006-04-29). "Can't see fun of draft day? You're not trying". Seattle Post-intelligencer.
  13. ↑ Tom Haffarth (2006-06-02). "Disney's Small World (Cup)". Los Angeles Daily News.
  14. ↑ Dan Wetzel (2006-06-29). "Winners and losers". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved 2006-07-10.
  15. ↑ "Hello, FSN Southwest!". Deadspin. 2006-07-24. Retrieved 2006-07-24.
  16. ↑ "YWML Suddenly Huge With 13-Year-Olds". Deadspin. 2006-06-20.
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