Flyers feel the force
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| Photo by: Getty Images |
The Philadelphia Flyers posted images of Ilya Bryzgalov’s new Star Wars mask featuring Yoda, Darth Vader, and R2D2. However, Star Wars fans were miffed because Yoda was seemingly holding a red light saber, traditionally a symbol of the Sith Lords. Like, duh! The artist said he was simply going for an orange-ish color as a hint of the Flyers’ colors. Lucasfilm Ltd. got in touch with the Flyers as well and asked that the colors be changed to match the original look of Yoda in the Star Wars movies. The artist made the changes and gave Yoda the proper green-colored saber.
Fumbling the message
On the morning of the BCS National Championship Game, some Notre Dame and Alabama fans woke up to an email from Amazon.com congratulating their team on winning the game, despite the fact that kickoff was hours away. The email touted championship merchandise that was available. Amazon quickly apologized for the slipup, sending out a note that said: “Well, this is really embarrassing … we completely fumbled our congratulation email for tonight’s game.”
Rebel fail
A billboard to promote season tickets to UNLV basketball accidentally featured former Rebels basketball coach Lon Kruger instead of current hoops coach Dave Rice. The school attributed the mistake to the billboard company posting the ad before the school’s marketing department saw it. Kruger has long since moved on to Oklahoma. Rice rolled with the mistake, even finding the humor in the mix-up himself. “Hey, if Coach Kruger can help us sell tickets, great.”
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| Photo by: Getty Images |
A sausage walks into a bar ...
The Klement’s Racing Italian Sausage, part of the famous mascots seen at Milwaukee Brewers games, went bar hopping in Cedarburg, Wis., delighting patrons and posing for photos. The only problem: No one could say who was wearing the $3,000 costume, which had just been stolen from the city’s Winter Festival. A witness saw the 7-foot-long weenie walk out of the Milwaukee Curling Club’s Cedarburg location during a fundraiser on Feb. 16. The Italian walked into TJ Ryan’s bar in Cedarburg an hour later and also appeared around midnight at The Roadhouse Bar and Grill. A mustard company offered a year’s supply of mustard as a reward for anyone who returned the costume. In the end, the costume was anonymously dropped off at TJ Ryan’s.
That’s gonna leave a mark
During the Chevrolet Home Run Derby, the Oakland A’s Yoenis Cespedes blasted a pitch beyond the center-field wall, hitting a Chevy truck on display and cracking its windshield. Chevrolet officials were pleased to demonstrate that the “Like a rock” trucks could take a beating. Cespedes went on to win the Home Run Derby, and a Chevy Silverado truck for doing so, although not the one with the cracked windshield.
Gone with the wind
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| Photo by: Getty Images |
Progressive Field in Cleveland removed the corkscrew wind turbine mounted atop the southeast corner of the ballpark, only one year after it was installed. The Indians had agreed to host the new turbine to demonstrate their commitment to sustainability. However, it was taken down much earlier than planned because it was damaged, ironically, from the wind.
Bacon as bait
The women’s basketball team at Kansas State offered free bacon for fans who showed up in November for the team’s game against Tennessee State. The school originally ordered 75 pounds of bacon, but when word of the promotion spread on social media, the school increased the amount to 300 pounds.
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| Photo by: Tripp Mickle / Staff |
Marketing hits the skids
Charmin pulled into NASCAR’s Sprint Cup All-Star Race with a simple message: Stop skidmarks. The toilet paper brand cut a deal with Charlotte Motor Speedway to hang two enormous signs in the shape of men’s briefs with the words “Stop Skidmarks” above the Charmin UltraStrong logo and a trace of tire skidmarks. It was an attention grabber, to say the least.
Not leaving until we're heaving
The Rapid City Rush of the Central Hockey League held a promotion
for college-age fans: Students received buy-one-get-one-free ticket specials, and the chance to watch two-member teams from the South Dakota School of Mines & Technology and Black Hills State University compete in the “College Olympics.” During a race that included running on the ice, riding on a cooler and spinning around a hockey stick, each of the male students chugged four beers. One student vomited twice and the other male student vomited once, according to spectators. The spectacle angered some ticket holders, who said the stunt glorified inappropriate behavior. Said former Rapid City Rush general manager Tim Hill: “It was meant to be fun, but it went completely wrong.”
Jones scores and store pays up
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| Photo by: Getty Images |
Baltimore area company Gardiners Furniture offered a promotion in which all furniture bought between Jan. 31 and 3 p.m. on Super Bowl game day would be free if the Ravens scored a kickoff return touchdown at the start of the game or just after halftime. The company ended up giving away $600,000 of free furniture after Jacoby Jones’ TD to open the second half. Fortunately for Gardiners, it had taken out an insurance policy just in case the company lost the bet.
Black ice
The Chicago Blackhawks have started selling limited-edition vials of melted ice from their 2013 Stanley Cup season, with proceeds going to charity. Each vial of melted ice from the United Center costs $99 and includes an etched number of 1 through 2,013 and a certificate of authenticity.
Source: SportsBusiness Daily
