A Moose Track
I come home from a game. I walk into the kitchen for something to eat. I go to the computer to check my e-mail, Hibachi and SLAM quickly. After checking the 'Bachi comments and responding to a couple of messages, I call up SLAM. And what headline do I see?
"You Say H-O-R-S-E, The League Says GEICO"
My heart dropped to somewhere around my navel, and I sighed angrily. They sold H-O-R-S-E. I'd never thought they'd do it. But they did. They have found a way to get money off of the name of HORSE! What is this? It defeats the purpose of the game! It's HORSE, not GEICO. That is completely wrong.
OK. I put up with the T-Mobile Halftime Report. I was all right with our "DCU Sideline Reporter Greg Dickerson". I let them have the Sprite Slam Dunk Contest. I let them do the Foot Locker Three Point Shootout without complaint. I let them get away with the NBA 2K9 Countdown To The NBA Trade Deadline. I even let FedEx sponsor the NBA International Players page without complaint.
But this was the last straw. They sold HORSE, a game that has forever been played on the playgrounds and for fun, one that will be played for many to come. And now, it won't be HORSE. It will be GEICO. And it won't be the same. As soon as I saw that, I considered boycotting watching it. I am still considering it. Considering it.
What if Dr. James Naismith--the father of basketball, and assumedly the ultimate purist-saw this? What is John Wooden saying right now? What would Arnold Auerbach say? It's disgraceful. They sold HORSE. They did it. And they won't stop. What will it be next? "The Salvation Army Charity Stripe" as the free throw line?
At this pace, they'll sell everything. I have learned to tune it out over the years, to roll my eyes and live and let live, you know? But they sold HORSE! The players will be spelling GEICO. It doesn't seem right. It isn't right.
It's sad. It's dishonorable. It's embarrassing. Shameful. Shameless. Sickening. I love the NBA and the game of basketball right now. But as I age and the advertisements get even more out of hand, I foresee that there is a chance that I would walk away from the NBA in a while. A long while. But when I can't put up with it anymore, I'll be done.
They need to do it for the love of the game. Purists are a scarcity right now, and trust me, I'm not one of them, I love the show of it, and the game of it. They do it for the money. And I understand, they need to get their dough in order to run. But they sold HORSE. Bad enough that ticket prices and souvenir prices are so high. They found a way to bring it to another level.
Let's hope it doesn't move up a notch. Step back and look at what you're doing, NBA, before you sell how a longtime favorite game is played.
--Moose
