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Football

Nike, CBS File Suit Against USC

petecarroll.jpgNike and CBS have filed a class action lawsuit against USC’s football program, seeking damages for loss of income.

“The impending NCAA sanctions against USC football, which include a two-year ban from postseason play, will reduce the program’s visibility, and thus have a severe impact on the plaintiff’s bottom line,” the lawsuit states. “When the school violated the spirit of the NCAA’s commitment to amateur athletics, they should have considered how that act would impact the millions of dollars we have invested in their program.”

Pete Carroll, former USC football coach, contested the lawsuit’s implication. “The USC I know would never commit recruiting violations or pay our players in any way,” Carroll said, “because nothing is more important to us than our corporate partnerships.”

The NCAA has yet to comment on the lawsuit. “Our rules committee will review this case as soon as possible,” the league said through a spokesman. “Right now, we are preoccupied with completely destroying some conferences.”

Adtacular, Holiday Triumphs 2009, Pointless Nostalgia Video

Holiday Triumphs: More Adtacular! Halloween, 1985

Continuing my pointless quest to digitize every 80s ad I possess, I present this latest collection of commercials from The Vast and Dusty Scratchbomb VHS Archives. The latest batch comes from a tape with material recorded right around Halloween, 1985. Why am I presenting Halloween materials when we’re so close to Christmas? Because many of these ads have holiday relevance. And because I lump Halloween into that Drive To XMas Season. And because SHUT UP IT’S MY STUPID SITE OKAY?!

This first ad definitely has Christmas significance. In it, Alex Karras (aka Webster’s dad) informs parents that they better rush down to their local toy store NOW if they want to get some decent Transformers for the kiddies come December 25. This ad aired very close to Halloween, meaning there were at least seven weeks left until The Big Day. Just in case you thought retailers jumping the gun was a recent phenomenon.

It also features Webster’s dad lip syncing to “robots in disguise”, thus putting it in my top 10 favoritest ads ever.


Continue reading Holiday Triumphs: More Adtacular! Halloween, 1985 →

Holiday Triumphs 2009

Holiday Triumphs: Christmas Ads from 1985, Pt. 2–McDonaldspalooza

Truth be told, very few of these ads are strictly Christmas ads. Or even obliquely. But they come from the same VHS tape that spawned the first collection I posted last week, and I’d like to maintain the continuity implied by my previous post. It’s my own web-based form of OCD.

Also, this portion of the tape contained some true McDonalds gems from years past. Once upon a time, McDonalds didn’t just run ad campaigns. They were more like ad battle plans: attacks on every conceivable front, using every conceivable tactic, and about as devastating (to the arteries, anyway). There were show stopping dance routines, simplistic set pieces, and cutesy spots that tugged at the heartstrings.

Plus, tons of ads aimed squarely at children. Did McDonalds have qualms about pitching horrifically unhealthy food to impressionable tykes? No, no they did not.

But first, the adult ads. For some reason, a huge number of these spots are obsessed with the HOTNESS of McDonalds food. I don’t know if they were accused of producing lukewarm food, or if this was a particular issue at the time. (I vaguely recall a Time Magazine cover story from this era that wondered, “Are Our Fast Food Burgers Too Cold?”)

Regardless of the cause, in 1985, McDonalds wanted to make sure everyone knew how hot their food was. And just so nobody could miss the message, they created a commercials aimed at specific groups. Like this one, which is clearly pitched to people who love neon.


Continue reading Holiday Triumphs: Christmas Ads from 1985, Pt. 2–McDonaldspalooza →