The last decade-plus has seen a ton of sports involvement from Canadian rapper Drake, from his role as the Toronto Raptors’ “global ambassador” to his involvement with other MLSE-owned teams like Toronto FC to his appearances with the Kentucky Wildcats and more. So it’s not surprising that amidst his feud with Kendrick Lamar, sports figures are taking sides, especially around Kendrick’s latest “Not Like Us” single. And the latest there came from the official English-language X/Twitter account of the Argentina men’s national soccer team after their 2-0 win over Canada (who Drake bet $300,000 on in this match) in the Copa América semifinals Tuesday:
Not like us, 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐮𝐬 🇦🇷 pic.twitter.com/Zoa4OTbgnK
— Selección Argentina in English (@AFASeleccionEN) July 10, 2024
That tweet, which had more than 32,000 retweets and more than 160,000 likes as of Wednesday morning, sparked a lot of comment. That included discussion of the bet, with many mentioning the “Drake Curse,” where many teams the rapper has bet on have gone on to prominently lose:
The curse of Drake is sports’ most powerful force since new-manager bounce. 🇨🇦 https://t.co/2MTj1mKlwi
— Men in Blazers (@MenInBlazers) July 10, 2024
You can’t convince me anyone has had a worse 2024 than Drake. Man is getting dragged by an entire country goddamn https://t.co/K6M6r2bsyO
— Chris De Silva (@cdesilva23) July 10, 2024
We have simply not seen a diss track with this level of global influence https://t.co/TH5pNw9Hsy
— Let me see you Push-a-Tee ♿️ (@teemadzika) July 10, 2024
Damn it reached the international level lmao https://t.co/Q2FOlxOAZ4
— Avery Owens 🌊 (@aveowens_) July 10, 2024
Drake wakes up catching strays daily now. https://t.co/kzRq1OkXyU
— Russell Varner (@rvarner) July 10, 2024
The reference here wasn’t universally praised, though, with others questioning Argentina’s use of this particular song. Here’s some of that discussion:
I know this particular post is shade towards Drake betting against them but non Black people using “Not Like Us” and not understanding the overall cultural context is about them has been hilarious yet unsurprising to see in person & media. https://t.co/cui04oiOIm
— Queer Latifah 🥂 (@TheAfrocentricI) July 10, 2024
The time has come to put Kendrick’s song to rest. When Argentina (Argentina!) think to use a cultural moment created by black people, it’s gone too far. https://t.co/x0rFWsE2ng
— Daniel Tiluk (@danieltiluk) July 10, 2024
It’s certainly interesting to see an official team account go at a celebrity fan this way. But it’s far from the first trolling from a team account. And, as mentioned, Drake has long been a significant factor in sports.
And this isn’t the first time “Not Like Us” has come up there. In particular, former Raptors’ star DeMar DeRozan appeared on stage at Kendrick’s “The Pop Out” concert while he played “Not Like Us” four times, and also appeared in the music video. DeRozan, now with the Sacramento Kings, said Tuesday he still loves Drake, but he sees Kendrick as close to family:
Asked DeMar DeRozan about his appearance in Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” video and if that signaled the end of playing Drake inside Golden 1 Center. pic.twitter.com/0cRtBImfQm
— Sean Cunningham (@SeanCunningham) July 9, 2024
In soccer alone, a call from Drake was reportedly an important part of convincing Jermaine Defoe to come to Toronto FC. He’s also shown up to help woo other free agents over the years, including Sean Johnson. And his October’s Very Own (OVO) brand launched a clothing line in partnership with TFC last year. And he certainly got himself involved in this match with that $300,000 bet. So it’s maybe not all that surprising that Argentina’s account had some thoughts on him afterwards.
[Fox Soccer and @AFASeleccionEN on X/Twitter]