We have reached a level of entertainment on par with the Roman Coliseum. We have senseless wars abroad, senseless politics at home, and senseless entertainment all around.
Submitted for your consideration, this promo for a local sporting event:
“Come out and cheer on your Knoxville Ice Bears on Guaranteed Fight Night. We guarantee all the fans in attendance there will be a fight whether it occurs during one of the three periods or during the intermissions. Bring yourself, your friends and your family to come find out what we have planned for you.”
Yes, bring your family, if for no other reason than to see a fight at a hockey game. Reminds me of that joke, I went to a fight and a hockey game broke out.
What’s next, a merger with Rasslin’ and possibly the Icecapades or some other ice show. Will we see Snow White duking it out with Little Red Riding Hood? Goofy and Pluto illegally checking each other? Rasslin’ with the Stars on Ice? (Well, that might actually have some socially redeeming value.) All of it family fun. And all for one, low admission price. Please pay these prices and pay no more.
Booker's Blog 
I’ve never understood why so many people take pleasure in watching other people try to hurt each other. It’s why I don’t watch football either.
Last time I went to a hockey game here in Knoxville, the price wasn’t so low.
I wonder if Tonya Harding was way ahead of you with respect to your speculation regarding what’s next.
While I respect the right to have a differing point of view I think its a bit biased when you dont include the entirity of the promotional script. Guarateed Fight Night, as it has been all 3 years of the promotion, is a match between two fans in Sumo Suits during the first intermission. It also ties in to the rest of the promotion convienantly left out of your quote where the evening and its many events were tied into raising money to fight cancer. Even the specialty jerseys worn that evening were utilized to raise money for local American Cancer Society relays. Is the promotion title done a bit tounge in cheek, sure it is. As you said it reminds you of a joke but before you crucify the barbarians take the time to acknowledge the good that was done with the same promotional theme.
While you have every right to your opinion its this type of stereotying and slanting of facts for a personal agenda that can cause more harm to todays families and children then an evening out at a hockey game.
Okay. Here is the full promo:
“Come out and cheer on your Knoxville Ice Bears on Guaranteed Fight Night. We guarantee all the fans in attendance there will be a fight whether it occurs during one of the three periods or during the intermissions. Bring yourself, your friends and your family to come find out what we have planned for you. Buy Tickets
Specialty Jersey’s will be auctioned off after the game. Contact Stacy Hall at the American Cancer Society by phone at 865-558-4053 if you are interested in purchasing tickets to help raise funds for American Cancer Society or visit http://www.relayforlife.org/downtownknoxville. ”
First, there is nothing linking the first paragraph to the second. Just because the second paragraph follows the first, does not mean they are linked. In short there is nothing in this promotional piece, which is from the Ice Bears web site, that lets somebody know. That means it is, at best, an example of poor writing.
Second, your argument is an old one that is called the-ends-justifies-the-means argument, an argument that has been used time and time again to justify a number of bad decisions and bad actions. In this case, because the money raised is going for a good cause, it is okay to promote fighting. That is an argument rife with faulty reasoning. I find nothing noble in promoting fighting, even fighting in padded suits, to raise money for cancer. I would not take my daughter to see it, and think there is little, if any, redeeming family value in it.
Third, having a wife who has gone through cancer treatments twice, I find nothing justifiable about this promotion.
You are right theres nothing connecting the two paragraphs… except the fact that it came from one selection about one evening. To even reach the page via the website you would have clicked for more information about ‘Guaranteed Fight Night’, therefore wouldnt common sense dictate the information presented pertains to that night? If I am writing a paper on World Hunger it does not require much thought to know that the paragraphs all relate to the same subject. Furthermore in a short marketing message no reasonable individual would expect a 5 paragraph essay with a main sentence, supporting paragraphs and a works cited page. That is asinine. At best, an example of argueing semantics when no further fault can be found to justify you in your picking and chosing quotes to promote your personal agenda.
Secondly no one promoted ‘fighting’ as you attempt to portray it. There were no photos on the page of players throwing fists. Additionally, while no one attempted to justify the use of sumo suit wrestlers fighting as a metaphor for fighting cancer are you really upset by two fans chest bumping each other till one falls? Really? Or is it simply a means for standing on a soapbox as a blogger attempts to shake a case of writers block?
Lastly, if you cant appriciate the fundraising efforts the organization made when reaching out to the American Cancer Society thats fine, but the several families and individuals that bought their fundraising tickets, made donations to have names on the jersey memorial plates in honor of loved ones and the memorial outside in the plaza appriciated it as did the the American Cancer Society who saw no fault in aligning themselves with the event. Not to mention the 4,000+ fans constituting the largest crowd of the season see fault with it.
We are not going to agree on this. Might, as in numbers, don’t axiomatically make it right. If that were the case, mob rule would be the norm, and fortunately, it is not.
And as for marketing writing. If that is how you wish to phrase it, fine. But that marketing writing played to a stereotype, i.e. come to a hockey game and see a fight. You accused me of stereotyping, but in fact, the entire promo, written in marketing language, hinges on stereotyping.
Defend it if you must, but don’t hide behind a good cause as justification for using stereotyping and the promotion of violence. Because, in the end, that’s what it is.