After she pulls and twists me like a taffy machine, she tells me I probably shouldn't run for the rest of the day.
Good advice. Which, of course, I ignored. I hadn't run yet, so I kinda had to.
So the run was short, and slow, and thanks to a schedule as dense as room temperature Osmium, it was also in the dark.
Being mentally numb after my Osmiumy* day, I was relying on the run to inspire me with something to write about.
It didn't.
So instead, I'm going to step up on this bully pulpit and preach to 7-Eleven.
Ahem...
I heard a couple day ago that you decided to discontinue your primary sponsorship for the talented IndyCar driver Tony Kanaan.
And then I find out that you have decided to become an associate sponsor for one Danica Patrick.
I know economic times are tough. Slurpee sales are probably sliding. Big Gulps and those hotdogs on rollers probably aren't flying out the doors, either.
But that doesn't mean you should turn stupid.
You were covering the car, and the chest, and last weekend even his adorable young son, and had become synonymous with likely most popular, fan friendly, and media friendly driver in an up-and-coming series. My 17 year old daughter, for example, is a die-hard TK fan. At her insistence, we go to 7-Eleven and buy Slurpees, and gas, and snacks, and Big-Ass mugs with TK on them. She wears her 7-Eleven replica team shirt to races. She notes when the time is 7:11.
Note that she's not a fan of 7-Eleven. She's a fan of Tony and she supported 7-Eleven because you were associated with him. Now, she wouldn't use your restroom.
Were any of you at Indy this year? Tony overcame 2 crashes to qualify, barely. There were TV shots of him in the garage, doing what he could to help his team make repairs. You could feel the fans, in the seats and on TV and Twitter, pulling for him. When he made the field, the cheers were extra loud, because we'd all been holding our breath. And there was 7-Eleven, with all of that feel-good TV time.
At the same qualifications, your new girl, Danica, was roundly booed. Booed. Booed because she chose to blame her lackluster qualifying effort on her team. TK received wild, enthusiastic cheers, not to mention unbridled support and good will. Danica was booed. I have been to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on many, many, many days, and before that, I'd never heard a driver booed.
During the race, no one who was there, or watching on TV, could keep their eyes off of Tony, and the 7-Eleven car, as he charged from the back to the front, eventually running second. When he took second place, you could hear the roar of the crowd over the cars. And he did it squarely in the middle of the TV shot.
After the race, when he got out of his car, he got a bigger ovation than Dario Franchitti. You know, the guy who won the race. That's because race fans love Tony Kanaan. These are the loyal fans. The ones who support the people who support their drivers. Not the ones who tune in to see if that girl from the Maxim spread has passed anyone.
Well the good news is that if she blames her team and crew again, your logo won't be nearly as conspicuous, with all the classy Go Daddy branding. Can you name any other associate sponsors on her car? Me either. That's ok, I'm sure you'll sell a lot more frozen burritos and swimsuit issues with a stand-up of Danica by the check-out.
Oh, and I'm going to try really hard not to perpetuate that nasty rumor that 7-Eleven store manages routinely pee in the Slurpee machines. I'm like 53% sure that's not true.
Good running,
Doug
*Osmiumy is fun to say... try it... Oz-Me-Yum-Me. See? Fun.
Numbers: 1.4 extremely tentative miles.
Great post, Doug... I don't remember reading a post so good explained as yours about a driver.
ReplyDeleteYou sayed every thing so clear! The word that best match on 7-Eleven attitude is "stupid"...
But Tony have a lot of fans because of every thing he does inside the track and outside it as well... So he has every thing he need to keep attracting our fan eyes and therefore the sponsors investment...
Good luck, Tony!
Sorry about my english... I'm from Brazil and still trying to improve it.
Marcelo.
Typical blame it on Danica rant. You should get your facts straight. 7-11 was an associate sponsor of the #7 car this year, they just didn't drop TK as primary and pick her up as associate. Here is something for you to think about. What if 7-11 asks Danica to run the 7-11 colors for a race next year. Sucks to be TK now doesn't it. If he spent half the time he spent criticizing DP looking for sponsors he wouldn't have this problem would he?
ReplyDelete@Marcelo - Thanks, man.
ReplyDelete@ Anonymous - 1) You're correct. 7-11 will "continue" as associate sponsor. My mistake. 2) "Typical blame it on Danica rant"? Really? Do most Danica rants start with a taffy pull metaphor? I don't blame Danica at all. I respect her driving (esp. last wknd) and her ability to attract sponsors and wear a bathing suit, but I'm not a fan. Used to be, until 2010 Indy quals. Would be interesting to see if 7-11 would pony up the dough to push GoDaddy off the car. Read it again. I blame 7-Eleven, not Danica. And I wager TK will land on his feet, or more appropriately on his rear, in a good seat. Regardless, thanks for taking the time to read.
ReplyDeleteFair enough Doug. After reading it again, you don't actually blame her. As far as TK goes, I don't think he will be getting sponsored for a top tier team. He may find a ride with someone like Panther but after his antics over the weekend I don't know. He admitted not racing Dario for the lead while Power was in the race and then he races his teammate dirty at the end of the race. The entire Penske team was pissed at him. Who would want him for a teammate after that?
ReplyDeleteYou know I used to like TK before he took every chance he had to bash Danica.
Nice blog and thanks for replying to my not so friendly post in a civilized manner.