The Milwaukee Bucks new partnership and ticket-sales gimmick is just weird.
Bizarre.
Ironic. Strange. Likely unprecedented in the history of sports. Remember when the Milwaukee Bucks made the playoffs for the first time since forever a couple years ago and they had the “Feer the Deer” slogan?
It was cool because it rhymed and it made think of Milwaukee Bucks as fierce, strong animals not to be taken lightly. A mascot to be reckoned with, those specimens of local wildlife. Well, now they’re working with people who specialize in actually KILLING that wildlife. They’re partnering with those who DESTROY the real life version of their mascot.
From the Milwaukee Bucks official website:
As the fall hunting season ramps up many hunters have bucks on their mind, and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) does too. To get into the spirit of the season the Milwaukee Bucks and the Wisconsin DNR have partnered to create a ticket deal exclusive to Wisconsin’s 1.5 million hunting or fishing license holders.
Anyone with a Wisconsin hunting or fishing license is eligible for discounted tickets on select November home games at the BMO Harris Bradley Center. In addition, each ticket purchased through the DNR Nights program will include a free regulation blaze orange Bucks winter hat
This exclusive promotion includes a discounted ticket and blaze orange Bucks hat for $18 in the upper bowl and $35 in the lower bowl, a savings of up to 40 percent. License holders can take advantage of this program by visiting Bucks.com/DNR.
Doesn’t this seem odd to you? Why would a team celebrate/partner the very predators of what their mascot means? I’m not a member of PETA or anything, and I’m writing this to call out the killers of Bambi’s Mother or anything. I have no problem with hunters, they’re cool. I just think it’s bizarre on a level of say, the Detroit Tigers partnering with big cat poachers. Or if the Alabama Crimson Tide, with their elephant mascot, decided to offer a special ticket deal to ivory hunters? Wouldn’t you find that odd?
Paul M. Banks is the owner of The Sports Bank.net, an affiliate of Fox Sports. He’s also a regular analyst on news talk radio stations across the world; with weekly segments on NBC and Fox Sports Radio. Follow him on Twitter (@paulmbanks) and RSS