This Time It’s Not a Game: The In-Depth History of GameTyme

Before my current writing life, there was The Hilltop, Howard University’s and the Nation’s Oldest Black Collegiate Newspaper, where many of the questions and themes I still explore first found their voice. What follows are my early published works, preserved in their original form.

From The Hilltop Archives

Originally published in The Hilltop, Howard University — March 5th, 2004

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This Time It’s Not a Game: The In-Depth History of GameTyme

My cousin had just moved here from North Carolina and I helped him get a job 

at a Popeye's in Silver Spring, MD; We were living on Kenilworth Avenue at 

the time. I had to pick him up late one evening and had no money (my cousin 

had a couple of dollars for gas) and no one to call on for help at that 

time. I said a prayer and stepped out on faith to pick him up from work. 

I was no less than a mile and a half away from his job and my car ran out of gas. 

I pushed my car backwards against the flow of traffic about a quarter of 

a mile to a gas station that I had passed up. When I got to the gas station 

I called a friend that lived about fifteen minutes away to see if he could 

help me out; he happened to be around the corner. He came over to the gas 

station and filled my tank up. I noticed that he was wearing a bracelet 

with the initials P.U.S.H on it. I asked him what it stood for and he 

said that it meant "Pray Until Something Happens." I was wearing a GAMETYME 

shirt at the time and pointed at the letters and said; God Answers Me Every 

Tyme. I then left the gas station and picked up my cousin.

-John Johnson, creator of GAMETYME:

Belief, Dedication and Perseverance 

That's how quickly inspiration can come. For John Johnson, an aspiring young mind, the words flowed just like that. Johnson was born in North Carolina, but proudly claims both Houston and DC. Creativity wasn't always that simple. 

He dropped out of high school and when most would have continued with complacency, he wanted more.

"I went to church trying to get my life right," Johnson confessed. "It was the winter of '96 and I was invited to the New Year's revival." 

Most Washingtonian and Baltimoreans will never forget the winter of '96. It went on record as the third and fourth worst storms in Baltimore-Washington history accumulating 17.1 inches in DC and 22.5 inches in Baltimore. It could have been the combination of the weather and the New Year's revival, but Johnson recalled being in church for a month straight.

 

That desire to go back to school burned within and he remembered hearing, "Having faith speak those things that be not as though they were."

He yearned to get back to having that solid foundation of an education institution and began speaking it into existence.

"My mother was like, ' you didn't take the SAT's so you'll have to go to a Montgomery College," said Johnson. 

He wasn't going to settle for a junior college, he was striving toward Maryland. 

In the spring of '96, Johnson made that trip to the University of Maryland to pick up an application so he could apply for the upcoming fall semester. Most students trying to apply for the fall semester 0f '96 had submitted their applications the previous fall semester '95. 

He was a little behind, but Johnson was determined. He wrote the necessary essays, completed the paperwork and within two weeks, he was accepted.

"That's one thing that really built my faith," admitted Johnson. "I saw people who on campus who knew I dropped out were and they were wondering how I got in there."

The Lord wasn't done using him. His acceptance to Maryland was only just the beginning. 

"While in church, I heard in my spirit that I was going to do something with clothing," said Johnson. He couldn't ignore the spirit and Johnson had planned to get into the apparel industry, but he didn't know where to start. 

Around this time WWJD wristbands and rubber bands were becoming popular among athletes. Not a bad way to go, all he needed was a name. 

His initial idea was GAMEFACE. He had the design and everything. It was going to be a silhouette of a face that would spell out GAMEFACE.

The only problem, the name "gameface" was taken. The Spessard Group, who made facemasks for lacrosse, softball and other sports, had licensed the name.

"I was crushed," said Johnson.

Back to square one. 

Again, his spirit came calling again with a name, GAMETYME. Him and his brother Christian Johnson began distributing rubber bands with GAMETYME written on them.

Again a problem, people would sport them, but after a while the ink faded and all that's left was a blank rubber band.

It wasn't until the 2002 NBA All-Star game in Philly when the woven GAMETYME bands debuted. 

Richard Hamilton was the first, Maryland's Chris Wilcox, Byron Mouton and Calvin McCall soon followed. Word caught fast as Moochie Norris, Lebron James, Bobby Jackson, Steve Jackson (Hawks), LaVar Arrington, Freddy Garcia (Seattle Mariners), Steve Francis, Cuttino Mobley, Match Lampe (Suns) and Omar Epps began rocking GAMETYME's colorful bands.

This past weekend in Las Vegas while the Johnson brothers were working hard trying to spread the gospel of GAMETYME, Russell Simmons, Kimora Lee and family were added to the list as the newest members of the GAMETYME family. 

It's not about to stop anytime soon; t shirt, hats and other apparel are in the works. John knows that 

the Lord is a powerful force, the only question that remains, what are you waiting for?

GAMETYME....