ridiculous if you ask me- way too much commercialization in sports nowadays. TNT Sells Out H-O-R-S-E to GEICO http://nba.fanhouse.com/2009/02/06/tnt-sells-out-h-o-r-s-e-to-geico/ Posted Feb 6th 2009 10:30AM by Will Brinson (author feed) TNT finally ceded to Bill Simmons' demands this year, offering up a game of H-O-R-S-E at the All Star Game festivities. The competitive game is a throw back to every playground and childhood basketball memory. Despite some giving the network a hard time for going this direction, a game of H-O-R-S-E is awesome for everyone. Well, unless they try to ruin it with corporate sponsorship. Which is what TNT appears set on doing. Because they're not playing H-O-R-S-E anymore; now it's G-E-I-C-O (via FirstCuts). As that contest joins dunking and three-point shooting contests as part of TNT's NBA All-Star Weekend coverage, the as-yet unnamed three contestants - who'll be overseen by an NBA ref - will play G-E-I-C-O. As in the insurance company that will be the event's unavoidable sponsor. (Suggestion: The winner then takes on the famous ad lizard to really drive home the brand awareness.) Actually, if they brought out the GEICO gecko, that would be kind of awesome. Or the pile of money with squiggly eyeballs. What would not be awesome is selling a childhood dream (Larry Bird, Michael Jordan, and a heap of thousand island dressing started this thing way back when) down the river for a few bucks. Look, I understand that the economy stinks that everything needs to be sponsored (this is why Sportscenter has the Coors Light Cold Hard Facts Sponsored by GMC, of course) but at least keep the integrity of the game intact and let it be TNT's HORSE presented by GEICO. Then, instead of selling all our souls, just have a commercial every 12 seconds (fit it in between the Closer, perhaps?) where the gecko and the pile of money with eyes play G-E-I-C-O against each other.
So you think the sports industry should only be concerned with entertaining fans? I don't see anything wrong with it. NBA is a business, what do you expect? Seems like the article was written by someone who considers HORSE to be a friggin sport.
we all love nba basketball. whatever keeps the nba in business is good for the fans. more power to them for finding a way to earn a ton of extra cash.
All-Star Weekend could use some "Around the World" love too; it would be better than that stupid NBA/WNBA combo game they play.
How is horse an insult? It's not like the game is S-T-U-P-I-D. Perhaps they should have gone with gecko instead of geico to keep with the animal theme.
The message of this thread is: Horse should be more than just a game to us, it is connected with our childhood and the fun that it gave. Think about the memories we have on that game. I remember. It was great having to play that game with my friends and even the new guys in our neighborhood. Now, corporate America is tainting those childhood memories. I know, business is business. But it's just sad to see the games that we've played just being "sold" like that .
I bet you guys are pissed off that its called the Sprite Dunk Contest, the T-Mobile Rookie Contest, or the Playstation Skills Challenge, huh? This is not new folks... And it does not change the game at all. Find something else to complain about.
Whether it is a big deal depends on how you look at it. Imagine some 10 yr old talking to one another, let's go out and play GEICO. Imagine they changing the name basketball to TOYOTA, let's go out and play toyota. No big deal because it's the same game, isn't it?
Thats not the point...the point is that we all grew up playing horse. I never recall playing a dunk competition against friends or playing a rookie contest against neighborhood kids. I just think the name change in this situation is lame.
