That's What they want you to think
Opening kickoff, 1999, I have waited for this day for three years. The Cleveland Browns are back. As I sit like a vegetable in front of the TV waiting for the kickoff, I am thinking of whom I should thank for the return of my beloved team. Should I thank Paul Tagliabue (commissioner of the NFL), Michael White (mayor of Cleveland who lead the protest to bring them back), or should I thank the owners of the other teams who voted to bring the Browns back to Cleveland? Broadcaster's voice takes me out of my daze and brings my attention back to the game. Then Mr. Voice- you know the guy who has the golden voice that could make cooked feces sound good- comes on and says," This kickoff is brought to you by Visa: 'It's everywhere you want to be.' Also brought to you by Office Max: 'We go to the max for you.' And the Ohio Lottery: 'Do you feel lucky today?'" Then comes another three minute commercial break that states the same things that Mr. Voice previously stated, but in a much more drawn out and extended form. It is now 1:07p.m. and I am still waiting for the 1:00p.m. Opening Kickoff. I wonder if the game would have started by now if it weren't for all of these lousy commercials. Are
It amazes me to see the ways that advertisers try to appeal to sports fans no matter what they are selling. How many football fans go to Office Max on a regular basis? I will bet not many, considering that a majority of fans have the more physically oriented jobs such as factory work. "According to a report by Street & Smith Sports Business Journal, crowds at the Trans World Dome for Rams games are: 67 percent adult men; 58 percent white collar; 76 percent ages 18-49(Stallman 1)". They still try to tug at our 'fanatic strings', stating that we will save more time and money by going to Office Max. On one commercial, a boss asks his employee to spend the rest of the day out buying office supplies. Well, the guy goes to Office Max, finds everything that he needs in a short time, saves money, and with the extra time and money can now go to a baseball game instead of shopping. This commercial is a stretch to say the least. However, the next time that a baseball fan considers going to buy office supplies, they will remember the Office Max commercial. That is what the advertisers hope for anyway. There are even ads that contradict the event that they promote. "Set in Denver's Mile High Stadium, the 30-second spots feature sports anchor Dan Patrick recounting tales of Denver Broncos quarterback John Elway (Consumables 1)." You see a famous athlete, such as John Elway, sitting back, enjoying a nice, cold, and refreshing Coors Light. This beer will make you a hero, is written all over this ad. But I highly doubt that the beer itself led John Elway to two Super Bowl victories, in fact beer is bad for your health and therefore if you want to be a successful athlete you should stay away from beer. The image is what they are selling, not the beer. They want you to remember that Coors Light is the beer that John Elway drinks when you are torn between brands. They also remind us of his success and popularity, as if to say that you could be that too. Many images are pushed at the consumer during the course of the game, and most of them include supermodels, beer, and cars. The audience that they a
Some common words found in the essay are:
Ted Turner, Office Max, Tsiotsa Advertising's, Stotlar Johnson, Games Visa, John Elway, Ohio Lottery, Coors Light, Terrell Davis, Cleveland Broadcaster's, john elway, office max, coors light, office max commercial, commercial break, light beer, successful athlete, max commercial, pope 4, coors light beer, office supplies,
Approximate Word count = 1426
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)
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