I don’t think these people drive bling-mobiles either. I don’t mind if Ford curl with them, either. It’s all funtacular.

Now hurling on the other hand…there’s a by-god sport. It gets no better.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TmzivRetelE&annotation_id=annotation_177512&feature=iv

The same is true of Australian Rules Football too. I bet you couldn’t name anyone in the Geelong footbal club. However Ford have been major sponsor of Geelong for nearly 90 years in what is believed to be the longest running sponsorship in the world. The fact that the club has no profile outside Australia is not the point, the fact that Australian Rules is the most popular winter sport in Australia and Geelong are the best Australian Rules Team giving Ford positive and extensive television coverage very much is the point.

Marketing has to be tailored to the region. If anything this shows that Ford are making efficient use of their marketing dollar, not wasting it.

It is a fine TV sport as well, moreso than golf (retch). It is brutally strategic. Love the CBC coverage, which I’m happy to get living within a slapshot of BC eh.

–chuck

Made in Sudbury, my home town.
We played hockey in the back yard ice rink to the glow of the those metal pots you see pouring out the molten slag. The sky would glow orange for 15 minutes at which time we would need to wait for the next train in 30 minutes time.
And that was in the summer.

This is the trailer for Men With Brooms. The greatest film ever made aboot the sport.

http://www.reelzchannel.com/trailer-clips/14430/men-with-brooms-trailer

Yeah, but I bet she wouldn’t want a 260 pound linebacker coming at her at 18 mph while trying to make that shot.

It’s a great sport, and sponsorship is probably a pittance.

First of all, you have to be able to accurately and delicately deliver the rock down the ice with the right weight (force).

When you release the rock you give it a little spin, in one direction or the other depending on what you want to do. The stone can move significantly left or right as a result of this spin. This is the “curl” in curling.

Two of your teammates can sweep or brush the rock with their brooms (brushes now, really). Brushing makes the rock go further than it would if you didn’t brush it. However, it also reduces the curl so the rock goes straighter.

Some of the most delicious quandaries in sports happen when a rock is delivered in such a way that it’s barely curling enough but it’s a little too light. Sweeping it will get it further but straighten it out. And some curling shots are very very fine shots, where a tiny amount of error ruins the shot.

There is a good commercial on Canadian television with a woman curler going “Football is a game of inches. But I’m a curler. I wish we had inches.” Half an inch can ruin a shot.

It really is an interesting, strategic sport. It’s like golf – easy enough that anyone can be reasonable at it, but hard enough that very few will ever master it. And even those that master it will screw up some shots royally.

Geez, if you’re going to lampoon a “sport” that uses more drugs (alcohol, tobacco, cheezies, etc) than any other get K-Mart in the picture.

Hey, post a little Jennifer Jones too!

Bocce on ice.

With brooms.

Bocce on ice.

Did we watch the same NCAA tournament then? I could be wrong, but I think Howie Long is the new starting power forward on North Carolina…

Ford World Championships
Canada’s (Alberta’s) Kevin Martin rink is 10-0 preapring for this weeekneds play offs. Curling rocks!

Drink enough beer it is a hoot to watch.

It’s entirely possible that you get more bang on your ad buck than, say, Superbowl.