Having your marriage proposal cruelly rejected would be bad. Having it cruelly rejected at a live basketball game in front of tens of thousands of people would be even worse. Like "testicles caught in a piece of rusty farm equipment" worse. Take note.


This also "happened" (I'll explain the quotes below) at a Houston Rockets game. Notice Tracy McGrady's nervous, tittering laugh. If anybody knows what it's like to receive a brutal ego-ectomy in front of a stunned basketball crowd, it's T-Mac.


Before you start feeling too badly for these hapless and forsaken men, check out this entry at the Museum of Hoaxes. It appears that Local 6 -- also known as WKMG-TV Channel 6 (the CBS network affiliate for Central Florida) -- investigated the first video and discovered that the tragedy had been faked. According to Local 6, the proposal was nothing more than "an Orlando Magic marketing ploy to spice up the NBA experience." Mmmm, spicy! Brett Edwards of FanHouse uncovered that the proposal at the Rockets game was also staged.

A similar hoax was perpetrated at a Washington Wizards game in 2004. In fact, the Wizards PR department was so geeked that they proudly issued a press release about it: "Conceived in mischief, and executed without flaw, the Washington Wizards Game Operations department pulled off the prank of the year, simultaneously bewildering and wildly entertaining thousands that could not believe their eyes."

Hoo, boy, those NBA marketing teams are some HI-larious dudes and dudettes. I can't wait to see how they manage to raise the bar from this work of genius. Staged heart attacks? Fake animal rampages?! NBA action...it's FAN-tastic!

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13 Comments:
Anonymous Anonymous said...
Wow. Talk about low entertainment. They really can't do better than THAT?

Is there a sizable fraction of people out there who enjoy utter humiliation? Because I feel like I'm missing something.

Anonymous Anonymous said...
I'm hoping for ANIMAL RAMPAGES!! LOL

Blogger Unknown said...
Bawful, I am a little upset to have not heard anything about the olympics basketball. No worst or funny moments there. We look to you Bawful to find the humor in these things. Give us a post. The people of the world want one. Comment about Ricky Rubio and how though he may be good, Pistol Pete and he shouldn't be mentioned in the same breath.

Anonymous Anonymous said...
I witnessed some stage shenanigans at a Bucks game last season. It was announced over the PA that it was some lucky kid's birthday and that Buck's mascot Bango had a cake to give to him. Bango went running through the arena trying to find the kid. He then proceeded to run up some steps to reach the higher level seats and ended up tripping over a step, launching the cake into some poor, unsuspecting lady's face. Laughter filled the arena.
This was obviously staged. What kid would want to sit through the second half of a Bucks game with a big-ass cake on their lap?? I mean, sitting through a Bucks game is hard enough as it is.

Anonymous Anonymous said...
I heard the Heat are going to have some great entertainment for the fans this year. Rumor has it that they are going to try to do better than a .183 win percentage this year!

Unfortunately for the Knicks, Isiah Thomas is gone, so no fan entertainment this year in the Garden.

Anonymous Anonymous said...
The only staged "event" I've been actually amused by at a sporting event: the Hornets mascot pretended to have a beer chugging contest with an "opposing fan", pulled open the front of his pants, and emptied an entire beer down them. It was never repeated, alas. Perhaps the family-going folk didn't like.

The worst thing about having season tickets is you start to call B.S. automatically because you realize there are repeat people in the dance-offs and stuff.

Anonymous Anonymous said...
Man, a ball club resorting to fake marriages as a way of increasing audience, what in the world is going on? I understand semi-nude hot girls dancing and jumping and all, but if I truly wanted to watch poor acting I'd just watch some 80's mexican soap opera. C'mon!

Anonymous Anonymous said...
Um... I came to Basketbawful today so I could see some huge boobs. Am I in the wrong place?

Anonymous Anonymous said...
hahaha notice at 1:30 some badass fan hands him a beer!

Anonymous Anonymous said...
Next thing you know some moron in a Bull suit will start firing T-Shirts at the opposing team out of a cannon at NBA games...

Waitaminit............

Anonymous Anonymous said...
I can't believe you created that post without mentioning this (even if it's unrelated to bball):

http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/tv_and_radio/article2943339.ece

Blogger Mike Wolfson said...
I was at a Nuggets game (2 years ago), and the same thing happened. I was gullible, and fell for it (feeling bad for the guy). My friend assured me that it was staged, and until now, I didn't fully believe him. Now I do.

Also, was at a Suns game, and another proposal was going in the stands. When the woman saw that she was on the big screen, she started dancing, and enjoying her time in the spotlight. Her boyfriend kept trying to get her attention (to ask the big question), but she kept brushing him off (she wasn't about to lose her time in the spotlight). Eventually, he got her attention, asked, and she said yes. It was very funny.

I don't think this was a hoax, as we saw her after the game, and congratulated her (and she seemed genuinely happy). But she might have been continuing the charade.

Anonymous wedding proposal said...
what a mess ways to propose ever!