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Columbus, Ohio's Sid Blair is an Internet sensation after photos of him posing with plumber's cracks at the largest
constructed Magic: The Gathering (MTG) tournament went viral.
"The photos originally were not planned," said Blair, 23. "The idea came to me after I saw the opportunity to create
something great."
The three-day card game tournament last week in Richmond, Va. had more than 4,000 participants, with at least 15
unsuspecting visible cracks of the upper buttocks.
"They did not know I was taking the pictures. They did, however, sign a publicity waiver that said that there will be
extensive media coverage of the event," Blair said. "A few people have said they were one of the people depicted in
the photos. I have yet to have any real negative feedback from any of them."
Blair captured most of the photobombed self shots using his phone's timer and a few were taken by random people at
the event. Within 24 hours of him posting an Imgur link entitled "Grand Prix Richmond Crackstyle" via his Reddit
account Monday, the post traveled far and wide across the web.
Blair said his post on Reddit is the fourth most 'upvoted' link of all time. A story also ran on Time magazine's website
and it was posted on Sports Illustrated magazine's website.
"On one hand it's really cool that people thought what I did was, at least, interesting. It's very fulfilling. It's surreal to see
myself on the front page of time.com though," he said. "I have been getting a lot of friend requests and stuff from
people I don't know and it's kind of nerve wracking."
Within two days the Imgur album reached 1.3 million views, the Tumblr album received more than 100,000 notes and
the numbers continue to increase.
In addition to Time and Sports Illustrated, the photo gallery has also been mentioned and displayed on The Daily Dot,
Buzzfeed, Complex, Uproxx, The Chive, A.V. Club, Huffington Post, College Humor and various comedy-related online
outlets. Even NBC's Seth Meyers briefly mentioned the post Tuesday during his Late Night with Seth Meyers'
monologue (6:20).
"This whole 'being the most famous person on the Internet' thing is pretty crazy," Blair said.
The viral post has received some backlash with Blair being called a "bully" for his actions; the comments formed into
rumors that he is temporarily banned from future Magic gaming events.
"As of right now, I am not banned," he said. "A lot of people within the magic community want me to be banned for life
for what I did. A ban would make it so that I couldn't play in any sanctioned tournaments. I don't think Wizards
(the company that creates Magic) is trying to censor me, but I don't think that banning me is the right way to go."
In a Reddit thread, Blair wrote that the post is "part funny, part social commentary and part PSA." He explained,
"I am not making fun of these people for dressing the way they are... It's not about being fat, it's about having your ass
exposed to thousands of people and not having the courtesy to pull your shirt down or pull your pants up."
With hindsight, Blair said he doesn't regret the post. "I would do it again, but maybe somewhat differently," he said.
Considering the post has gained most popularity in the comedy vein, Blair said his favorite comedians include Richard
Pryor and Dave Chappelle.
At the age of eight Blair started playing MTG, but stopped when he moved away from the local hobby shop he went to.
Two years ago he revisited the card game and has since played on a regular basis.
"I have played in a lot of tournaments, although not as large as this one was. I range anywhere from winning the whole
thing to doing very badly," he said.
At this particular tournament, Blair said he performed poorly. "I am new to the format and I didn't know what to expect.
I didn't do too bad, but I eventually dropped the tournament to see how my friends were doing."
Blair plays every MTG color deck (red, green, black, blue, black), but likes black the most. "It makes you think about
the game differently. You look at everything as a resource, including your life total," he said.
His favorite card: Vampire Nighthawk. "He is a 2/3 Flying, Deathtouch, Lifelink creature for three mana, which is pretty
above the curve," Blair said. "He doesn't do anything fancy, he's just a efficient dude and I can appreciate that."
In addition to playing Magic with friends, Blair is also an area underground hip-hop artist known as OB1 and part of
Columbus' rap duo Fresh Breeze Movement with Delaware, Ohio's "Kid Marvel." OOTB reviewed Fresh Breeze
Movement's 2011 debut album.
"At first I wasn't going to try and promote my music because that's not what the post was about, but so many people
started comparing me to Action Bronson that I figured I should throw it out there and see what happens," Blair said.
"Now, a lot of the websites featuring my pictures are calling me a rapper."
Despite his photographic series connecting Magic: The Gathering with gluteus maximus' cracks, Blair insists the game
is not abnormal and remains conventional.
"Even though this happens, you should still play Magic. It is a sweet game that is full of normal people," he said.
Blair said he will be opening a card shop soon in Columbus at the corner of High Street and Hudson Street.
UPDATE
Blair was contacted by DCI, the official sanctioning body for competitive play in Magic: The Gathering, and has been
banned from Magic play for 18 months.
Regarding the accusations of Blair being a bully, he released this statement to OOTB:
"I had no idea how much publicity this would receive. I didn't intend to shame anyone, nor did I intend to make the
community seem like it isn't as amazing as I know it is. Magic has been a large part of my life. I understand where
some people are coming from and I sympathize. I simply did not expect this album to blow up like this. I was messaged
by multiple people who claim to be in the pictures, and all of them agreed with my intention. I've also received multiple
death threats, from the very same community that has vilified me for what they consider bullying. As much as I
understand the community's point, it's shocking to go to my Inbox and read 100 harsh insults an hour."
A change.org petition has been established at this link addressing DCI: "Retract your decision to ban redditor OB1FMB
from Magic: The Gathering events."
constructed Magic: The Gathering (MTG) tournament went viral.
"The photos originally were not planned," said Blair, 23. "The idea came to me after I saw the opportunity to create
something great."
The three-day card game tournament last week in Richmond, Va. had more than 4,000 participants, with at least 15
unsuspecting visible cracks of the upper buttocks.
"They did not know I was taking the pictures. They did, however, sign a publicity waiver that said that there will be
extensive media coverage of the event," Blair said. "A few people have said they were one of the people depicted in
the photos. I have yet to have any real negative feedback from any of them."
Blair captured most of the photobombed self shots using his phone's timer and a few were taken by random people at
the event. Within 24 hours of him posting an Imgur link entitled "Grand Prix Richmond Crackstyle" via his Reddit
account Monday, the post traveled far and wide across the web.
Blair said his post on Reddit is the fourth most 'upvoted' link of all time. A story also ran on Time magazine's website
and it was posted on Sports Illustrated magazine's website.
"On one hand it's really cool that people thought what I did was, at least, interesting. It's very fulfilling. It's surreal to see
myself on the front page of time.com though," he said. "I have been getting a lot of friend requests and stuff from
people I don't know and it's kind of nerve wracking."
Within two days the Imgur album reached 1.3 million views, the Tumblr album received more than 100,000 notes and
the numbers continue to increase.
In addition to Time and Sports Illustrated, the photo gallery has also been mentioned and displayed on The Daily Dot,
Buzzfeed, Complex, Uproxx, The Chive, A.V. Club, Huffington Post, College Humor and various comedy-related online
outlets. Even NBC's Seth Meyers briefly mentioned the post Tuesday during his Late Night with Seth Meyers'
monologue (6:20).
"This whole 'being the most famous person on the Internet' thing is pretty crazy," Blair said.
The viral post has received some backlash with Blair being called a "bully" for his actions; the comments formed into
rumors that he is temporarily banned from future Magic gaming events.
"As of right now, I am not banned," he said. "A lot of people within the magic community want me to be banned for life
for what I did. A ban would make it so that I couldn't play in any sanctioned tournaments. I don't think Wizards
(the company that creates Magic) is trying to censor me, but I don't think that banning me is the right way to go."
In a Reddit thread, Blair wrote that the post is "part funny, part social commentary and part PSA." He explained,
"I am not making fun of these people for dressing the way they are... It's not about being fat, it's about having your ass
exposed to thousands of people and not having the courtesy to pull your shirt down or pull your pants up."
With hindsight, Blair said he doesn't regret the post. "I would do it again, but maybe somewhat differently," he said.
Considering the post has gained most popularity in the comedy vein, Blair said his favorite comedians include Richard
Pryor and Dave Chappelle.
At the age of eight Blair started playing MTG, but stopped when he moved away from the local hobby shop he went to.
Two years ago he revisited the card game and has since played on a regular basis.
"I have played in a lot of tournaments, although not as large as this one was. I range anywhere from winning the whole
thing to doing very badly," he said.
At this particular tournament, Blair said he performed poorly. "I am new to the format and I didn't know what to expect.
I didn't do too bad, but I eventually dropped the tournament to see how my friends were doing."
Blair plays every MTG color deck (red, green, black, blue, black), but likes black the most. "It makes you think about
the game differently. You look at everything as a resource, including your life total," he said.
His favorite card: Vampire Nighthawk. "He is a 2/3 Flying, Deathtouch, Lifelink creature for three mana, which is pretty
above the curve," Blair said. "He doesn't do anything fancy, he's just a efficient dude and I can appreciate that."
In addition to playing Magic with friends, Blair is also an area underground hip-hop artist known as OB1 and part of
Columbus' rap duo Fresh Breeze Movement with Delaware, Ohio's "Kid Marvel." OOTB reviewed Fresh Breeze
Movement's 2011 debut album.
"At first I wasn't going to try and promote my music because that's not what the post was about, but so many people
started comparing me to Action Bronson that I figured I should throw it out there and see what happens," Blair said.
"Now, a lot of the websites featuring my pictures are calling me a rapper."
Despite his photographic series connecting Magic: The Gathering with gluteus maximus' cracks, Blair insists the game
is not abnormal and remains conventional.
"Even though this happens, you should still play Magic. It is a sweet game that is full of normal people," he said.
Blair said he will be opening a card shop soon in Columbus at the corner of High Street and Hudson Street.
UPDATE
Blair was contacted by DCI, the official sanctioning body for competitive play in Magic: The Gathering, and has been
banned from Magic play for 18 months.
Regarding the accusations of Blair being a bully, he released this statement to OOTB:
"I had no idea how much publicity this would receive. I didn't intend to shame anyone, nor did I intend to make the
community seem like it isn't as amazing as I know it is. Magic has been a large part of my life. I understand where
some people are coming from and I sympathize. I simply did not expect this album to blow up like this. I was messaged
by multiple people who claim to be in the pictures, and all of them agreed with my intention. I've also received multiple
death threats, from the very same community that has vilified me for what they consider bullying. As much as I
understand the community's point, it's shocking to go to my Inbox and read 100 harsh insults an hour."
A change.org petition has been established at this link addressing DCI: "Retract your decision to ban redditor OB1FMB
from Magic: The Gathering events."
Central Ohio man gains overnight Internet fame with photos
taken at Magic: The Gathering 'Grand Prix Richmond'
taken at Magic: The Gathering 'Grand Prix Richmond'
Written & Interview By NEIL SHUMATE | March 14, 2014 | UPDATED: March 15, 2014
Fresh Breeze Movement's Kid Marvel (Berez Jack Harris) and OB1 (Sid Blair).
