A lot of people think they know what a parlay is. Perhaps you’re one of them. You’ve seen the odd group of sports enthusiasts playing cricket in the street. Or you’ve watched a family on holiday playing football in the back yard. Those are parleys. But did you really know what a parley was before this week?
Here’s the deal. A few years back, a funny thing happened on the social media.
One of the biggest and most well-known influencers in the UK, Bethany Mccullough (better known by her handle @bethanyMccullough), started to see lots of familiar faces in her Instagram feed. But rather than scrolling through her feed, she decided to look closer at the people she was seeing.
What she found was that her regular followers were creating and participating in a whole host of sporting events. Some were doing triathlons. Some were taking on running challenges. Some were even playing sports that Bethany had never even heard of. All across the country, people were getting involved in sport.
Bethany reached out to this community, and she created a way for them to come together. In April 2021, she launched the UK’s first-ever virtual running class called Run With The Mcculloughs. And that got people running. Fast.
Bethany’s followers, now known as the Mccullough Army (named after Bethany’s family dog who died last year), have just completed their first UK City Half-Marathon. Over 1,300 of them participated in the event, raising a huge amount of money for good causes. And that’s just the start of it. Bethany’s community is now gearing up for their summer holidays, and they’ve got loads of activities planned, including a virtual cycling race called the Heist – which was inspired by the classic film The Great Escape.
Parlays: From Instagram to the Park
Doing a parlay is, in essence, playing all the sports you can in a day. But it’s a bit more than that. It’s about creating memories and fostering community.
One of the things that make Bethany’s initiative so special is that it wasn’t just about getting people involved in sport. In true Bethany fashion, she saw it as a way of life and an opportunity to create lifelong friends. She wants her followers to see sport not as a chore but as a way of life.
“I want to create a space where people can come together, enjoy themselves, and have some fun,” she said. “We’ve seen the world’s worst sporting days, where clubs have lost sponsors, and fans haven’t bothered to turn up. So, for me, it’s about creating a space where people can have some fun, and also raise money for charity.”
Is doing a parlay a little bit like the famous Instagram sporty meme, “gramzack”? Maybe. But if you really want to get inspired, take a look at Bethany’s own Instagram feed. You’ll see that she doesn’t just enjoy creating memes – she uses them to encourage her followers to get involved in sport. And that’s one of the things that make her so relatable. This isn’t just a job to her. It’s a way of life. A way to create positive change and enjoy the process.
Why Is It Important to Have Fun During COVID-19?
The whole world has changed as a result of COVID-19. We’re now facing a new normal, one that doesn’t incorporate a lot of outside activity – especially sport. But it’s important that we don’t lose sight of the positive. During these challenging times, many charities have stepped up to help those in need – including sports clubs. And that’s a sentiment that we should all embrace.
It’s been a tough couple of years for British sport. We’ve seen major tournaments cancelled, and entire sports seasons abandoned. The demand for sport has decreased, and many sports clubs are now looking for ways to reinvent themselves. Clubs like Newcastle Falcons, for example, have completely transformed their approach to life during lockdown, and it’s paying off. In April this year, they became the first professional sports team to win a game after the lockdown – defeating London Scottish 22-0 in an Anglo-Scotch qualifier for the William Hill Scottish Cup.
Newcastle’s sports director, Barney McNeill, credits the team’s resurgence to a combination of factors, including the return of key players, and a sharp increase in participation among the club’s younger members. He believes that doing sport during lockdown has helped fuel their resurgence.
“We’ve seen a massive increase in participation among our younger players,” he said. “It’s a real positive for those individuals, and it’s also helped us as a group. We’ve had to adapt and change how we play and train, and it’s given us a new sense of vitality that has really helped us bounce back.”
Parlays Galore
If you follow Bethany on social media, you’ll see that she isn’t just in the UK – she’s all over the place. The community she’s created is international. People are currently participating in parlays in Australia, Canada, and Singapore. And the next race is already being planned for New York City.
Based on the sheer number of people participating in this unique sport, and the popularity of inspirational influencers like Bethany, it’s clear that the idea of parlaying has struck a chord. But what is it about these Instagrammers that has encouraged people to get involved in sport during lockdown?
Bethany’s own Instagram account is a mix of lifestyle shots and practical advice. She frequently promotes sporting events and encourages people to get involved. In fact, she even offers guidance to people who want to start their own sporting groups. It wouldn’t be a stretch to say that she’s helped create the community of today’s parley enthusiasts.
It’s not just about the encouragement she gives – the account is also filled with amazing memes, some of which are linked to sporting events. The account is a goldmine for those who love memes and sporty jokes.
Another big name in UK sport who has inspired people to get involved is Kelly Holmes. She’s a former world-class hurdler, and now one of the leading figures in the country. She regularly promotes sports events in her Instagram bio, and has over 40,000 followers. And what’s her favourite way to encourage people to get involved? Hurdling!
“I love animals, so I always use my Instagram to highlight some kind of animal charity,” she said. “I think people really love that. It encourages them to get involved too – even if it’s just to support a good cause.”
Create Your Own Meme
Have you ever seen a meme unfold before your very eyes, and you don’t know what it means? You know the kind of thing – a scene from a film, an everyday occurrence which gets suddenly and unexpectedly converted into a funny photo, with a strange caption that makes absolutely no sense?
If yes, you’re in luck. Because here’s the deal. There’s a whole universe of memes out there, and chances are, you’ve never even heard of a lot of them. Here’s a handy guide to creating your own meme. All you need is a smartphone, a laptop, and you can start creating funny images that will stick around for decades.
The first step is to search for an image on Google. Whether it’s a still from a famous film or an iconic scene from a TV show, there will be countless memes out there that you can use. Just remember: the more popular the image, the more potential it has for becoming a meme.
The next step is to find a funny or interesting quote to go with the image. You can find plenty of memes with quotes in the sidebar of your favourite Reddit forum. Or, if you’re doing this on your phone, you can simply type in a search term, like “Covid love memes”, and you’ll instantly be presented with a wealth of humorous and entertaining memes relevant to the pandemic.
The final step is to join a forum. There are hundreds of subreddits where you can find people sharing their own memes, and often these communities are completely dedicated to a single topic. If you’re lucky, the person who runs the subreddit will even allow you to create your own meme as part of the community (more on this later).