Tuesday (Marketing Madness) edition: Wha’ Happened?
Posted on March 18th, 2008 – 8:55 AMBy Michael Rand
Like so many things in life, March Madness would be much better if we could just enjoy it in peace. And, like many things in life, that ship sailed a long time ago. While the NCAA has long been about the grab for cash, not the purity of amateur athletics, each year at this time it seems like more and more entities are lining up with their palms out, hoping to snatch a little bit of the college basketball dollar. We blame the Internet. Sometimes we wish it would just go away, and the latest polls indicate there is a 60 percent chance of that happening. But we digress: If we have one goal this March, it is to not let Marketing Madness get us down. If we have two goals this March, it’s that one plus finding a place where we can get a shoeshine and a haircut while eating a sandwich — all three at the same time. But we’d really like to nail that first goal. Between dodging all this heart-attack snow (that apparently isn’t really coming after all), spending the next four days in St. Louis (NCAA wrestling coverage) and the final high school tournament of the season (boys’ basketball, starting March 26), we’re hoping to sail straight into the Final Four without being asked too many times to associate a particular car or sporting beverage with basketball via some inane play on words that took 10 people six months to create. We can only hope that you have the same luck. We’ll all need it if we are to enjoy these games together.
What else? First the Gophers men’s hockey team wins a huge and riveting series by using guts and heart; then the Gophers women’s hoops team gets an NCAA bid and the Wild gains a huge victory.
Get well, Tom Pohl.
Fasola-link! Curing your post-St. Patty’s Day blues.
10 Responses to "Tuesday (Marketing Madness) edition: Wha’ Happened?"
the Gophers men’s hockey team wins a huge and riveting series by using guts and heart
Here I thought they won due to pluck and moxie.
RE: rasslin’. St. Louis is an upgrade over Detroit, innit? Here’s hoping you and Tim McNiff don’t get into another rumble.
What’s worse, heart-attack snow, seizure hail, or athlete’s foot rain? Does the postal service still work during all of that?
Stu: St. Loo is a major upgrade over Detroit, mostly because I’ll be in an actual city instead of the suburbs, plus the hotel is a block from the arena instead of six miles away. That’s key for the 3-4 hour break in the day when a cat like me might watch a little hoops. I’m also told St. Louis has riverboat gambling. I’m intrigued.
Man do i envy you heading to the wrestling championships…. love to be there.
Well while the proprietor is in St. Louie, I’ll be sipping on some sysurp (is that how it’s pronounced) down in Mexico. I’ll make sure to let all the Locals know about the greatest sports blog on the internet.*
*Greatest sports blog on the internet that is affiliated with the Star Tribune and doesn’t focus on Baseball, Hockey, or Preps sports specifically.
Jama: “sizzurp” or “purple drank” is the preferred nomenclature.
The More You Know.
Thanks Stu, now I can fit in on my trip. Although I thought Purple drank was something Prince initiated all his lady friends with.
Turns out, going to bed at 10 also helps prevent hangovers. I can’t wait to turn 30 when things really start to get crazy.
While your shoeshine-haircut-sammich idea sounds good at first, I can’t imagine that hair clippings add much to the quality of a shoeshine, or, more importantly, the taste/texture of a sandwich.
Your hatred for marketing makes Corporate America Baby Jesus cry.
