Thursday's Admirals game is getting a good deal of attention, and it has nothing to do with hockey.
That night's promotion is doing what successful promotions should do -- get noticed and draw people to the event.
From the Admirals' website:
Michael Phelps has done a lot of things in his life that he is proud of. Eight Olympic Gold Medals from last year’s summer games is just the start of a long list of accomplishments that anyone would want to emulate.
Unfortunately, the limelight that currently shines on him is not for any of his athletic achievements, but for an act that is a bit more dubious. Thus, the Milwaukee Admirals present “Don’t Be Like Mike” Night at their game on Thursday, February 19th at 7:00 pm versus the Rockford IceHogs.
All fans who are graduates of a DARE program (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) can get into the game for just $2 by bringing their DARE graduation certificate to the Admirals’ office or the Bradley Center box office. In addition, anyone with the name Michael, Phelps, Mary Jane, Cheech, Chong, Weed (Wied) or anyone who has won an Olympic Gold Medal can also get their ticket for only $2.
“I, along with Nancy Reagan, want to encourage people to not do drugs,” said Admirals President Jon Greenberg. “As an organization the Milwaukee Admirals don’t condone or encourage the use of illegal drugs, including, but not limited to marijuana, or anabolic steroids for that matter.”
The Ads will also be giving away a weed wacker, courtesy of National Ace Hardware, that will be signed by the team and if the Admirals score with 4:20 left on the clock in any period one lucky fan will win a season ticket for the 2009-10 season. The number 420 is often known as the police code for illegal drug use.
Plus, to ensure that no one ends up in the same predicament as Michael Phelps, the team will provide a document shredder at the DigiCopy Information Table outside section 225 so fans can bring any embarrassing or incriminating photos to be destroyed.
While there's plenty of humor here, I think this promotion is at least a bit more meaningful than the Larry Craig "bobblefoot" giveaway by the Saint Paul Saints last May.
It has some redeeming value, though the message is lost a bit amid the week wacker, the document shredder, and all the other joking around.
Of course, this really isn't about raising awareness regarding illegal drug use. It's not about mocking Michael Phelps either, though the promotion certainly does.
It's about boosting attendance, pure and simple. Not that there's anything wrong with that.
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