In the spirit of Halloween, Phoenix Coyotes forward Raffi Torres and his wife, Gianna, decided to dress up as Jay-Z and Beyonce for a team party.  In an effort to resemble the popular couple as closely as they could, Raffi wore a New York Yankees hat, black sunglasses and a white T-shirt, while his wife wore a sparkling dress.  The couple also decided to paint their skin black, but that addition to their costume didn’t seem to sit well with some who have since claimed that the act of wearing blackface for Halloween is racist.

Individuals wearing blackface as part of their costumes has come under scrutiny in recent years, as many believe it brings back memories of a time when white performers used it to create a stereotyped caricature of a black person.  As for Torres, he was merely attempting to resemble his favorite musician as closely as he could, and did not intend for his costume to be viewed as racist.

The image of Raffi and Gianna in their costumes was posted on the Twitter account of teammate Paul Bissonnette.  With almost 160,000 followers, it didn’t take long for the backlash to start pouring in, sparking the following comment from @BizNasty2point0:

As far as everyone trying to call “Racism” because Raffi dressed up like Jay-Z can simmer down. He’s a huge Jay-Z fan.

The Coyotes have also responded to the matter, issuing the following statement in support of Torres:

“There was absolutely nothing racist about Raffi and his wife’s costumes. Raffi is a huge fan of Jay Z and his wife loves Beyonce. It was a Halloween party. The fact that this was reported is ridiculous. We will have no further comment.”

We couldn’t agree more with both Bissonnette and the Phoenix Coyotes.  If Torres was attempting to emulate the negative stereotypes many associate with black people while wearing blackface, then yes, this would clearly be an act of racism.  That was certainly not the case here, so everyone should stop the hating and enjoy the holiday.

One of my favorite parts about watching NFL games during Halloween weekend is seeing what kind of sexy costumes the cheerleaders are wearing when they take the field.  You can always count on spotting a sexy cat, a sexy Minny Mouse, and a sexy soldier.

One costume I didn’t expect to see was a sexy Elvis Presley, but this Titans cheerleader went with it and the result has me “all shook up.”

In an act of good faith, Zdeno Chara, Brad Marchand, Adam McQuaid and Jordan Caron dressed up in their Halloween costumes and paid a visit to the Children’s Hospital in Boston in order to cheer up some of the patients on Tuesday.  We aren’t quite sure who came up with the costume ideas, but somehow Chara was stuck with the pink bunny suit.  Perhaps it was the only costume that would fit the 6-foot-9 giant.

Whatever the case may be, the hospital may now need to open up a new wing for those suffering from nightmares induced by this frightening pink creature.

Hat Tip – [NESN]

Aaaaarrrrggghhhhh Brady!

Hat Tip – [Larry Brown Sports]

Tim Tebow has been a popular sports figure in the media this year and you had to assume several college football fans would take their shot at dressing up as the Florida Gators’ play-caller, but no costume seemed to share the same amount of creativity as this guy’s.

Yes, Tebow may be a virgin, but according to his depiction of the former Heisman winner, that hasn’t stopped him from receiving some oral pleasure from the media.  It looks as though this member of the press has a good hold on Tim’s Te-Bone.

And for the icing on the cake, check out the bible in his right hand.

Hat Tip Image – [HolyTaco]