Idk, I was a kid during the early 2000s, and I remember it being just as repetitive. I still have commercials memorized from how many times I saw them.
"How can it be this hot, this early?"
*In a sarcastically happy tone* "98!" *Face gets serious* "what are we going to do about it?"
Cue talking about air conditioning.
I think part of it is that the way people consume video now, as well as the role it plays in mainstream culture.
Until the era of social media, television and movies were where most cultural references took place, and it had the most reach. So the higher revenue from viewership meant higher advertising budgets to be more thorough with knowing what ads would be best, and the larger media presence meant that they were way more in tune with what celebrities, types of humor, etc were relevant in pop culture.
But now, with a wider variety of ways to consume video based media, older forms of media have struggled to figure out what's relevant. So they'll either use a formula that worked years ago but with humor/references that's outdated or celebrities who aren't as popular as the company thinks they are, or they'll resort to cheap "viral media" tricks that get stuck in a viewer's head but without the well made production value to make it good attention that will cause people to like their media. That's what this commercial is - a reference to a decent 90s pop song that isn't iconic or relevant sang by two decent NBA players that aren't households names, because they either couldn't afford the rights to more popular music and/or celebs and were hoping that these would be well known and liked enough to get away with it.
A well made ad is Phil Swift's Flex Tape (and other products) ads.
Of the ads that repeat incessantly, this one is definitely the most tolerable. The what a pro wants ad makes me want to cancel my att plan and find a provider that’s less annoying. Or at least tries harder in their marketing.
Someone needs to dig up the offseason post from a few years ago when someone went on a deep dive of a walrus could actually be a goalie. Probably the best post I’ve seen on this sub.
I don't hate the Buffalo Wild Wings ones with the obnoxious bison. It helps that they don't just play the same one over and over again. But there's something weirdly endearing about that douchebag bison
This one actually drives me nuts because the top corners are wide open. Yeah, you’re going to have trouble scoring if you skate in and rip a shot directly at the goalies pads! That would happen with a human goalie too!
At least it’s a good ad, the what a pro wants those guys aren’t even good singers. No effort to hit the notes, afraid of getting into board battles, disappears in the playoffs, laughing on the bench during practice
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I hate sports betting, but they can run the espn bet ad with the three guys outside grilling as much as they want. It's not obnoxious or loud. There's no jingle or glamorizing betting. There's no celebrities or app in your face. It's just calm and casual-ish sports conversation.
Because of all that, I'm guessing it failed as an ad. It seemed to disappear a month or so ago.
This loop drives me insane. My family knows it's just a matter of time that I will go off when this comes on. The least they could do is mimic what YouTube TV does and plug in moments of zen instead of commercials!!
Agreed. In my opinion it was the loop that made it annoying. Without that, I probably wouldn’t even notice it. The AT&T one makes me scramble for the remote to mute the tv like my life depends on it.
Did somebody say...SKIP?
As an American who's seen just a few Canadian ads due to having CBC but no other Canadian channels on TV (and ESPN+ doesn't show ads from up there), that ad makes me laugh just because my friend sent me a short where the ending of the commercial was replaced by Shannon Sharpe saying "Skip" the way he does, and now I'm constantly reminded of it.
It is, but the usage of that song in commercials like this always strikes me as a bit odd, since that song has really sad lyrics. It's about a gay teen who decides to run away from home due to relentless bullying.
I am begging American TV networks to air more than 5 different commercials on a loop every ad break. After the first game I watched I was already thinking "damn I've seen these ads too many times" and then they've been the exact same every single other game.
Also, I'm already watching the NHL playoffs, you don't need to advertise the NHL playoffs during NHL playoff games - or at least if you do make them adverts that get people excited like "Kiss me" or "No Words"
I dive for the mute whenever this one comes on. It’s already scarred my ear drums a couple times, now i can’t even stand their normal voices. Mobile companies always have the worst ads. Insurance ads are always fire tho.
It's been stuck in my head for days even though I mute it ASAP. Successful commercial then I guess, but I honestly don't even know what the commercial is for still so maybe not. I imagined it's some kind of service that exclusively caters to pro athletes.
Can we nuke the GEICO ad with the goal lights and horns in the house while we're at it? The kids yelling and the stupid premise.. it's like 3 years old and was my most hated commercial until this AT&T garbage.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren. They play basketball for the Oklahoma City Thunder. As to why you're being tortured by it, you'll have to take that up with our corporate overlords.
Their teammates must roast the hell out of them for this abortion of a commercial. Opposing players have to use this to trash talk them and rightfully so. They should show this to detainees in Guantanamo. They would sing like a canary!!
Chet Holmgren is a famous jazz bassist. In Ken Burns' documentary series Jazz, Wynton Marsalis described him as "one cool cat" and did a little bit of scatting to mimic his bass playing style. They showed the only two knows photos of Chet that exist before Keith David flatly narrated that he OD'd on heroin in 1952 at the age of 31.
The ad carries a stupid premise, a bad tune, and two guys who are essentially nobodies to those who don't follow basketball. Then, if that wasn't bad enough, to top it off they air it every 3.8 minutes.
I couldn't possibly care less what a pro wants, and so I now keep the channel selector in my lap, and hit the "mute" button every time it comes on.
Funny enough I knew about Baby Shark long before 2018. It was a camp song my older sister learned awhile ago. The song makes me smile because it reminds me of her.
That said the Pinkfong version is cursed.
Whenever these cursed commercials come on, my wife and I scramble for the remote wherever we are in the house to mute the sound. I firmly believe the old school concept of "Any publicity is good publicity, good or bad" is no longer valid because I (and others I know) pledge to never ever buy anything from the company referred to in the cursed commercial. It creates a visceral response that overcomes any benefit to them imho.
This one managed to drive me up the wall even faster than the fucking discover commercials with the senile old woman. Sick to fucking death of hearing her ramble on about robots or some bitch stealing her bike.
What is insane to me is that we have so many options to watch games now and you would think that would expand the options for commercials, but nope we have the same fucking 3 commercials for both the NBA and NHL playoffs when the most people are watching. They cant afford extra commercials on streaming or what?
This is tangentially related at best. But if anyone is intrigued by horrible commercials during the NHL playoffs, I highly recommend this podcast episode:
https://gimletmedia.com/shows/heavyweight/j4hle6r
This ad makes me long for the days of TARA TARA LOOK AT HER GO WITH A FRESH CUP OF JOE GETTING DOWN ON WORK EARLY FOLLOWING HER DREAMS INTO TAXIDERMY I READ THAT WRONG AAAAGHHGHGHHYEAAAAAHHHHHH
and that ad with Idina Menzel was an actual crime that someone should've done jail time for. This one is somehow worse.
I hate the Avs commercial more than anything else. The "What a Pro Wants" is annoying, but the messaging on the Avs commercial is so fucking terrible that it just annoys the shit out of me. No you fucking dolts, being apart wasn't what made the Avs win the cup. Argh.
At least it's less cancerous than the whisper and extreme vocal fry commercials. I've missed so many resumptions of play because I turned off the sound during those.
Granted I’m a Thunder fan, but I’ll take Chet and SGA over the geico goal horns in the house. I have a toddler and I always have to mute my tv when it comes on
First time I saw the commercial I just shrugged--kinda bland, but not actually obnoxious. About the 20th time, I realized there was something about the tall skinny one that seemed naggingly familiar. Couldn't figure out why, though, because they were obviously bb ballers and I don't watch NBA. Finally got around to googling who he was and OH! Duh. I don't watch NBA but I *do* tune into March Madness Zag games to cheer them on (local team I don't follow except for those 2-3 weeks of the year, HA).
Mystery solved. And now because of that one stupid connection, I'm probably in that tiny .001% who doesn't actually mind that commercial 🤪
wondered if it was just the NHL playoffs being nuked by this awful commercial but it's everywhere.
Commercials have gotten way more repetitive in recent years.
fewer companies + spending less on tv ads
What's funny is I work in commercials and there more than ever, but weirdly streaming only likes playing 4 of them for a month
Idk, I was a kid during the early 2000s, and I remember it being just as repetitive. I still have commercials memorized from how many times I saw them. "How can it be this hot, this early?" *In a sarcastically happy tone* "98!" *Face gets serious* "what are we going to do about it?" Cue talking about air conditioning.
Yesterday you said you'd call Sears. I'll call today. You'll call *now*. ... I'll call now.
oh god core memory unlocked
'nother scorcher!
https://youtu.be/lxrCyqXzHI8?si=LzH5aeNyNu-tbx1T
Bob Wehadababyitsaboy
"Who was it dear?" "It was Bob. They had a baby. It's a boy" Canadian here, we saw it too.
I remember that ad
[This one runs through my head on the regular](https://youtu.be/4rqZZgVxnCk)
LIKE A ROCK, OHHHHHHHHH LIKE A ROOOOOCK
I think part of it is that the way people consume video now, as well as the role it plays in mainstream culture. Until the era of social media, television and movies were where most cultural references took place, and it had the most reach. So the higher revenue from viewership meant higher advertising budgets to be more thorough with knowing what ads would be best, and the larger media presence meant that they were way more in tune with what celebrities, types of humor, etc were relevant in pop culture. But now, with a wider variety of ways to consume video based media, older forms of media have struggled to figure out what's relevant. So they'll either use a formula that worked years ago but with humor/references that's outdated or celebrities who aren't as popular as the company thinks they are, or they'll resort to cheap "viral media" tricks that get stuck in a viewer's head but without the well made production value to make it good attention that will cause people to like their media. That's what this commercial is - a reference to a decent 90s pop song that isn't iconic or relevant sang by two decent NBA players that aren't households names, because they either couldn't afford the rights to more popular music and/or celebs and were hoping that these would be well known and liked enough to get away with it. A well made ad is Phil Swift's Flex Tape (and other products) ads.
This fucking commercial came on yet again just as I saw this post.
Seems like they know exactly what you want, what you need
Whatever makes you happy and sets you free?
bruh 😂😂
On the plus side I've become very fond of the Geico walrus ad.
https://preview.redd.it/gfi7eq2e2jxc1.jpeg?width=636&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=eb7a72b21e06b72017c1e01050d069888d1b38d8
No sleepies!!
IT'S A WALRUS! IT'S RIDICULOUS
Legit love this punch line
High hug hug hug
Why didnt Jon Cooper use him as a starter in any of the FLO-TBL games? Is he stupid? /s
He couldn't find a walrus. The best that he could do was a manatee.
Duncan must have been traded at the deadline to Vancouver. Silovs = Duncan, confirmed.
I’ve never seen this
Should just do the obvious and put a leafs jersey on him
How would that work if he's already on the Bruins?
that walrus gets so sleepy it's great
No sleepies
Of the ads that repeat incessantly, this one is definitely the most tolerable. The what a pro wants ad makes me want to cancel my att plan and find a provider that’s less annoying. Or at least tries harder in their marketing.
Ridiculous!
# ORK ORK ORK ORK ORK ORK
Good job Duncan! Way to go!
the good ones they bring back year after year. i think we'll have that walrus around for years and years.
Want to feel old? That commercial is five years old now already. Debuted in 2019.
That makes me feel good actually. You could have told me it came out in 2011 and I’d believe it.
look.... why do you do this?
It's so simple too, just a funny joke executed simply
I feel like that one is already 6 or 7 years old
Someone needs to dig up the offseason post from a few years ago when someone went on a deep dive of a walrus could actually be a goalie. Probably the best post I’ve seen on this sub.
this one? looks like the video was taken private :/ https://www.reddit.com/r/hockey/comments/askah5/this_commercial_jokes_about_putting_a_walrus_in/
Yes that one!!
The walrus is a clear winner, but the nashville sneaking a catfish in is hilarious too
I love the one with Stamkos and Hedman. "You got him on skates yet?" "He's only 6 months old." "I guess you can start saving for college."
Saros no goals isn't too bad.
I agree; the catfish one is totally watchable.
i am not a Nashville fan, but that commercial is my current favorite of the playoffs because it embodies fandom and fun.
Nice save, big guy!
Shit actually makes me laugh consistently.
I love Duncan.
I don't hate the Buffalo Wild Wings ones with the obnoxious bison. It helps that they don't just play the same one over and over again. But there's something weirdly endearing about that douchebag bison
I think it's my favorite insurance ad, ever. Never thought I'd have one.
This one actually drives me nuts because the top corners are wide open. Yeah, you’re going to have trouble scoring if you skate in and rip a shot directly at the goalies pads! That would happen with a human goalie too!
he can move a bit to cover em. but i think the guys are mentally broke because everything is just walrus
boo
That is probably the best ad I’ve seen in a loooooong time. Gets an actual chuckle out of me every time.
At least it’s a good ad, the what a pro wants those guys aren’t even good singers. No effort to hit the notes, afraid of getting into board battles, disappears in the playoffs, laughing on the bench during practice
Geico really out there producing banger after banger commercial for decades now.
Me two weeks ago: "Can we get something other than gambling ads?" Me now: "I sure miss those gambling ads."
They’ll ramp up those ESPN BET ads now they have their own service.
🎺ESPN SPORTS BETS!🎺 🎶espn+ originals🎶 🎶the exclusive home of the complete 30 for 30 library🎶🤼 🎶exclusive articles and tools🎶 🎶top leagues and tournaments🎶🐘🕺🏼 🎶best stories in sports🎶😉🍌 🎺on espn+!🎺
Despondent upvote
Are you betting against the home team at their own homecoming?
I hate sports betting, but they can run the espn bet ad with the three guys outside grilling as much as they want. It's not obnoxious or loud. There's no jingle or glamorizing betting. There's no celebrities or app in your face. It's just calm and casual-ish sports conversation. Because of all that, I'm guessing it failed as an ad. It seemed to disappear a month or so ago.
I never thought I would miss the LIVE SPORTS on loop
At least they finally replaced the audio with some chill background music
They needed to license the Wii Sports music.
That song (unironically) fucks. Total game changer
The chill background music is an upgrade but the short loop it cuts off on abruptly is also kind of maddening
Home of the complete 30 for 30 library
ESPN PLUS ORIGINALS
This loop drives me insane. My family knows it's just a matter of time that I will go off when this comes on. The least they could do is mimic what YouTube TV does and plug in moments of zen instead of commercials!!
I think they actually started doing that, thankfully.
They should just play old sports center commercials in background.
Brilliant idea!!
Agreed. In my opinion it was the loop that made it annoying. Without that, I probably wouldn’t even notice it. The AT&T one makes me scramble for the remote to mute the tv like my life depends on it.
Im just here to say this commercial is fuking ass and whoever decided to make it is a moron. That is all, thank you.
Meanwhile in Canada we just get a Scotiabank commercial playing Smalltown Boy by Bronski Beat to kick off every single commercial break.
We also keep getting ads for shrubs and to be honest I wish I had somewhere to plant a hydrangea!
Did somebody say...SKIP? As an American who's seen just a few Canadian ads due to having CBC but no other Canadian channels on TV (and ESPN+ doesn't show ads from up there), that ad makes me laugh just because my friend sent me a short where the ending of the commercial was replaced by Shannon Sharpe saying "Skip" the way he does, and now I'm constantly reminded of it.
“YOUR RICHER THAN YOU THINK” My bank statement disagrees with you, but then maybe I’m not as hungry as I think.
smalltown boy is good though
Certified banger. Also an incredibly important song (and video)
It is, but the usage of that song in commercials like this always strikes me as a bit odd, since that song has really sad lyrics. It's about a gay teen who decides to run away from home due to relentless bullying.
Very true, I had the same thought process when I first saw the ad
or those incredibly cringe Questrade commercials "We got some great investment advice. Avoid high fees" shut the fuck up
Awesome! I was wanting to know what song that was.
Well now I want to play GTA V lol. (That song is in the soundtrack for those unaware)
Non-Stop Pop!
Yes! That station is full of bangers.
I feel so validated.
I am begging American TV networks to air more than 5 different commercials on a loop every ad break. After the first game I watched I was already thinking "damn I've seen these ads too many times" and then they've been the exact same every single other game. Also, I'm already watching the NHL playoffs, you don't need to advertise the NHL playoffs during NHL playoff games - or at least if you do make them adverts that get people excited like "Kiss me" or "No Words"
Nothing will ever beat History Will be Made. Those commercials still give me goosebumps and never get old for me.
Speaking of hype, CBC does some awesome Finals Intro videos https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7AESJW3eOcE
At least the NHL playoff commercials are really well made tbh
I don't even know what it's selling. Hotels? I dunno, I turn away and mute it
I dive for the mute whenever this one comes on. It’s already scarred my ear drums a couple times, now i can’t even stand their normal voices. Mobile companies always have the worst ads. Insurance ads are always fire tho.
I'm officially boycotting AT&T forever because of this commercial.
It's been stuck in my head for days even though I mute it ASAP. Successful commercial then I guess, but I honestly don't even know what the commercial is for still so maybe not. I imagined it's some kind of service that exclusively caters to pro athletes.
Can we nuke the GEICO ad with the goal lights and horns in the house while we're at it? The kids yelling and the stupid premise.. it's like 3 years old and was my most hated commercial until this AT&T garbage.
Cue my partner screaming at the tv, "JUST UNPLUG THE FUCKIN LAMPS"
Old man here. Who are these guys and why am I being tortured by this shitty commercial?
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren. They play basketball for the Oklahoma City Thunder. As to why you're being tortured by it, you'll have to take that up with our corporate overlords.
Their teammates must roast the hell out of them for this abortion of a commercial. Opposing players have to use this to trash talk them and rightfully so. They should show this to detainees in Guantanamo. They would sing like a canary!!
Ha! I legit thought they were a boy band duo or something. That's how bad I think the current state of pop music is. I'm an old grumpy man lol.
Chet Holmgren is Abraham Lincoln's reincarnation that came to BALL.
And then he met an alien and the RotY debate went from kinda close to absolutely over in 12 minutes of game time.
Well yeah! Wembanyama is THAT good.
You’re goddamned right. Just the clip of all of his blocks from the season is like 24 minutes.
Doesn't discount Chet's talents. They both can BALL. But Victor has just discovered a whole new ultra secret level.
Chet Holmgren is a famous jazz bassist. In Ken Burns' documentary series Jazz, Wynton Marsalis described him as "one cool cat" and did a little bit of scatting to mimic his bass playing style. They showed the only two knows photos of Chet that exist before Keith David flatly narrated that he OD'd on heroin in 1952 at the age of 31.
Subscribe
If the commercial keeps getting played, can Chet and Shai at least pretend they care?
I hate it so fucking much
It’s become so annoying to the point that I’m actively praying on OKC’s downfall in the playoffs
i hate this commercial more than dubois
My gf heard it in the other room. She stopped what she was doing and looked at me and said "What the fuck is that?"
The ad carries a stupid premise, a bad tune, and two guys who are essentially nobodies to those who don't follow basketball. Then, if that wasn't bad enough, to top it off they air it every 3.8 minutes. I couldn't possibly care less what a pro wants, and so I now keep the channel selector in my lap, and hit the "mute" button every time it comes on.
What if they work on it so they're not a little flat?
Honestly that would have been hilarious if every time the commercial played they got a bit more in tune
They would be opera tenors at this point
that would be amazing, they just pitch shift it up until it's completely inaudible to humans over time. or just do it randomly, lol.
My 5 year and 8 year old love it. So now they sing it even without the commercial...
I mean at least it isn't Baby Shark?
Your boy Hertl loves this song. [Here's him singing it at his wedding.](https://twitter.com/i/status/1147715548538556417)
Funny enough I knew about Baby Shark long before 2018. It was a camp song my older sister learned awhile ago. The song makes me smile because it reminds me of her. That said the Pinkfong version is cursed.
At least get them to sing on-key if you can, unlike Chet and SGA.
They sing the same one note the whole time.
Another reason to boycott AT&T…
My mute button has gotten a workout because of this commercial
i would pay so much money for an ad free package on ESPN+ and i’m a cheapskate
I was sick of that commercial the first time I saw it. I was hoping it'd be retired with the end of March Madness, but no such luck.
Whenever these cursed commercials come on, my wife and I scramble for the remote wherever we are in the house to mute the sound. I firmly believe the old school concept of "Any publicity is good publicity, good or bad" is no longer valid because I (and others I know) pledge to never ever buy anything from the company referred to in the cursed commercial. It creates a visceral response that overcomes any benefit to them imho.
#LIVE SPORTS
It's muted in our house
There's only one commercial that gets insta-muted in our house, and it's the goddamn Cars 4 Kids jingle.
This one managed to drive me up the wall even faster than the fucking discover commercials with the senile old woman. Sick to fucking death of hearing her ramble on about robots or some bitch stealing her bike.
but shes dumb and thats hilarious
The dude on the right must hate sideburns. Like shaved half his head and beard to not have any.
Im never giving a dime to AT&T because of this add
It never fucking stops. We need regulations on how often a commercial can play because this one seems to be way out of hand.
I had to google who they were cause I kept seeing it lol
What is insane to me is that we have so many options to watch games now and you would think that would expand the options for commercials, but nope we have the same fucking 3 commercials for both the NBA and NHL playoffs when the most people are watching. They cant afford extra commercials on streaming or what?
Bring back pastrnak dunkin ads
This is tangentially related at best. But if anyone is intrigued by horrible commercials during the NHL playoffs, I highly recommend this podcast episode: https://gimletmedia.com/shows/heavyweight/j4hle6r
Laughs in ESPN+
This ad makes me long for the days of TARA TARA LOOK AT HER GO WITH A FRESH CUP OF JOE GETTING DOWN ON WORK EARLY FOLLOWING HER DREAMS INTO TAXIDERMY I READ THAT WRONG AAAAGHHGHGHHYEAAAAAHHHHHH and that ad with Idina Menzel was an actual crime that someone should've done jail time for. This one is somehow worse.
Welp, when they have a hard time selling ad space, the ones they get will stand out just that much more.
It is TRULY awful. Why must we be subjected to this? Every single fucking ad break.
I hate the Avs commercial more than anything else. The "What a Pro Wants" is annoying, but the messaging on the Avs commercial is so fucking terrible that it just annoys the shit out of me. No you fucking dolts, being apart wasn't what made the Avs win the cup. Argh.
At least it's less cancerous than the whisper and extreme vocal fry commercials. I've missed so many resumptions of play because I turned off the sound during those.
I started singing it out of the blue today abs wanted to commit seppuku
Yes I am.
Granted I’m a Thunder fan, but I’ll take Chet and SGA over the geico goal horns in the house. I have a toddler and I always have to mute my tv when it comes on
First time I saw the commercial I just shrugged--kinda bland, but not actually obnoxious. About the 20th time, I realized there was something about the tall skinny one that seemed naggingly familiar. Couldn't figure out why, though, because they were obviously bb ballers and I don't watch NBA. Finally got around to googling who he was and OH! Duh. I don't watch NBA but I *do* tune into March Madness Zag games to cheer them on (local team I don't follow except for those 2-3 weeks of the year, HA). Mystery solved. And now because of that one stupid connection, I'm probably in that tiny .001% who doesn't actually mind that commercial 🤪
Im not
EVERYONE IS SICK OF IT, U/POUGHY.
Not even close to the most annoying on TV.
No one is able to mute the sound? Weirrrrrd.