The NBN Staff takes a stab at comparing some of our favorite athletes and TV show characters. From killing zombies to parenting teenage girls, these characters are almost as wide-ranging as the Northwestern people we chose to compare them to.
Carl Grimes from The Walking Dead and running back Justin Jackson
By Andy Brown
Carl Grimes is one of the most gripping characters to watch on AMC’s The Walking Dead. A pandemic of biblical proportions forces him to assume more responsibility than any prepubescent boy in an apocalyptic universe should ever have to. Most of the time, he helps lead his crew of survivors effectively, and he does such a good job of knocking off zombies, kicking ass and taking names that most people tend to forget he’s barely old enough to grow peach fuzz.
Naturally, the Northwestern athlete who reminds me the most of Carl’s character is freshman running back Justin Jackson. There have been several times this year when the ‘Cats’ offense has borne a resemblance to a hesitant group of survivors surrounded by a herd of the hungry undead. But Jackson has donned the proverbial cowboy hat and bailed his older buddies out time and time again, making Madden-like spin moves and bouncing off tacklers to breathe life into what has been, at times, a dormant offense.
Sometimes perhaps, in post-apocalyptic Georgia and on the football field respectively, Grimes' and Jackson’s elders might express concern that they want some of the spotlight for themselves for a change. To these concerns, Carl might respond, “This is important. I'm going to do this. And I know how I can. You can't stop me.” Or as Jackson said after the Wisconsin game, "[Yeah, I think I can continue to put the team on my back and kill walkers*] if they need me to. I'm just going to prepare each week like I have been and hopefully keep getting better." The parallels are uncanny.
*quote embellished for parallel effect
Leslie Knope from Parks and Recreation and lacrosse attacker Kara Mupo
By Daniel Hersh
No matter what kind of crazy goal Leslie, the main character of Parks and Recreation, has while running the Parks department of Pawnee, Ind., she always finds a way to make it happen. Whether it’s creating a memorial for Lil’ Sebastian, Pawnee's beloved pony, or sorting out the all the logistical issues that came about while planning the Harvest Festival, she overcomes all sorts of obstacles to make it a success. She always sticks up for the little guy and doesn't let a detail go unnoticed. Plus, she's great with friends.
Just like Leslie, Mupo has some crazy goals, except, for Mupo, she literally scores amazing goals on the lacrosse field. Sometimes she spins, sometimes she jukes. Sometimes she just runs right by the defender, but no matter what, she finds a way to get to the cage. The only knock on Mupo is that she doesn’t have Ron Swanson as her sidekick. Now, a Mupo-Swanson tandem on the lacrosse field would be enough to make even the toughest defense cringe.
Walter White from Breaking Bad and defensive coordinator Mike Hankwitz
By Jasper Scherer
I mean, come on. They might as well be the same person.
Hankwitz, Northwestern's defensive coordinator, presumably doesn't live a second life as the head of a major drug empire, but the parallels between himself and Breaking Bad's meth-cooking protagonist villain are still pretty uncanny.
Appearance-wise, they might as well be twins. The bald head, same facial hair arrangement and wire-rimmed glasses — it's all there. Hankwitz just has to start wearing a Heisenberg black hat on the sidelines.
When Walt tells a few other meth dealers to "stay out of my territory" back in Season 2, you can almost hear Hankwitz saying the same to opposing Big Ten offenses. (Okay, not really, but maybe if you had watched that episode right after Northwestern held Wisconsin to 14 points on Oct. 4, you could imagine NU's defensive coordinator in Walt's place...if you tried really hard.)
In other words, Mike Hankwitz is the danger.
Claire Dunphy from Modern Family and Chris Collins
By Austin Siegel
My sister and I went through a pretty serious Modern Family phase in high school, and, to be honest, the show still has a special place in my heart. Claire Dunphy was always one of my favorite characters, because she’s a loving mother who will do anything for her kids. In other words, she’s totally Northwestern basketball head coach Chris Collins.
Think about it. Collins is bringing in his first ever recruiting class this year and it’s a big one. He’ll have to be the team Mom and give his freshman players guidance or maybe even a shoulder to cry on. What if Vic Law’s having trouble with a bully at school or Johnnie Vassar needs advice about a “crush"? What if Bryant McIntosh needs help picking out a Halloween costume the same time Scottie Lindsey has a piano recital?
I’m just saying, Coach Collins is going to have his hands full this year. But if he ever needs advice, he can just watch a little Modern Family and let Claire Dunphy show him how it’s done.