this post was submitted on 18 Dec 2024
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The skit that "missed the mark" occurred in a break in play during the second quarter of Charlotte's game against the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday. The child was brought onto the court with Hugo, the Hornets' mascot, dressed as Santa Claus. After a letter to Santa requesting a PS5 was read out loud, a cheerleader came out with a bag containing the video game console.

The young fan was visibly overjoyed as he received the pricy gift. However, according to an online acquaintance, he was less happy when the cameras turned off and a Hornets staffer took it away, replacing it with a jersey.

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[–] LovableSidekick@lemmy.world 7 points 11 minutes ago

This means there was at least one meeting where this plan was discussed and approved by multiple staffers who have jobs and salaries and manage to find their way to work and back home at night.

[–] weew@lemmy.ca 12 points 1 hour ago

What fucking cheapskates.

Do they make their players turn out their pockets after each game in case they picked up some loose change off the ground too? Lol

[–] lorty@lemmy.ml 25 points 4 hours ago

I bet the price of that console was going to break their bank.

[–] DarkThoughts@fedia.io 81 points 5 hours ago (2 children)

Jfc... How much of a psychopathic piece of shit do you have to be, to hurt a kid's feelings like that?! I fucking hate people.

[–] Zementid@feddit.nl 1 points 15 minutes ago

Corporate America....

[–] possiblylinux127@lemmy.zip 11 points 4 hours ago

It reminds me of the Santa mall scene in a Christmas Story

[–] KingOfTheCouch@lemmy.ca 32 points 5 hours ago (1 children)

I mean I would get it if they had an empty box out on the court for the show, and then having to take away the empty show box... But they gave the kid a jersey instead? Wtf?

[–] LandedGentry@lemmy.zip 1 points 2 minutes ago

I don’t understand how what you’re describing is better. If you make the kid think he’s just gotten a PS5 then to take it away is incredibly cruel. Giving him a jersey is just insult cherry on the shameful cake. Unless I am misunderstanding what you’re proposing?

[–] NutWrench@lemmy.ml 113 points 7 hours ago (1 children)

The skit that "missed the mark" . . .

Quit sucking up to corporate America, yahoo sports writer. The Hornets farked up a simple PR event in every way it was possible TO fark up. They baited and switched a PS5 with a t-shirt and thought no one would find out about it.

[–] theangryseal@lemmy.world 71 points 7 hours ago

And they have so damn much money that giving him the PS5 would have been like you or me flicking a penny to the kid.

People suck sometimes, I swear.

[–] HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world 5 points 3 hours ago

they apologized or gave it back. this apology was planned.

[–] Cocodapuf@lemmy.world 15 points 5 hours ago

That sounds about right, I've never gotten anything nice from a hornet. The one time I did get something from a hornet, it was a painful disappointment.

[–] SplashJackson@lemmy.ca 18 points 6 hours ago (1 children)

Goddamn hornets, this is why everyone prefers bees

[–] TheGingerNut@lemmy.blahaj.zone 1 points 2 hours ago (1 children)

Speak for yourself. Bees are an invasive species given an unfair advantage through their alliance with humanity. If they aren't native to an area, they are a pest that competes with local pollinators and drives them toward extinction

[–] Soggy@lemmy.world 3 points 1 hour ago

describes every domesticated animal

[–] VanillerGoriller@sh.itjust.works 17 points 8 hours ago (1 children)

I wonder how it affected the kid. I don't know the grade school culture these days but when I was his age I think it would've earned sympathy points from the whole class and boosted his social ranking lol. As an aside I do not miss that aspect of school lol

[–] theangryseal@lemmy.world 32 points 7 hours ago* (last edited 7 hours ago) (1 children)

Man, I wish I had gone to your school.

I would have went back to school the next day and the kids would have presented me with two broken PS2s taped to a broken PS1 and giggled while singing, “I love your PS5, it makes me holler! Where’d you get it, Family Dollar?!”

Fat kid in the background with a Taz tattoo on one arm and a confederate flag on the other (at the ripe old age of 10) would have shouted, “LIKE HIS SHOES! AHAHAHAHAHA!”

[–] ivanafterall@lemmy.world 14 points 5 hours ago (1 children)

Then the kids would start stabbing each other over whether Ford or Chevy trucks are better.

[–] theangryseal@lemmy.world 7 points 5 hours ago (1 children)

Haha, you live around here?

[–] ivanafterall@lemmy.world 5 points 3 hours ago (1 children)

Might have to get more specific. For example, I recall a trailer park pinecone war that pitted kids from one half of the trailer park against those low-life bastards from the other half. I'm from the good half, obviously.

[–] theangryseal@lemmy.world 2 points 1 hour ago

Ooooh I got one better! My bunch had a chestnut shell war that pitted kids from one holler against another holler (hollow, but properly pronounced. :p). The smallest kid was captured and thrown into a pile of chestnut shells and kicked around until he was bloody from head to toe after the two groups formed an alliance against the weakest member.

That kid today is covered in tattoos from head to toe that look like a kindergartener drew all over him. Folks call him Gump. He is all sorts of messed up.

I ran when it started and the next day I heard, “Look at sissy over ‘ere. He ain’t got no scabs ‘cause he ran away like a lil queer!”

[–] Beacon@fedia.io 84 points 11 hours ago (7 children)

That's called theft. Legally a gift is irrevocable once it's given.

[–] dev_null@lemmy.ml 1 points 23 minutes ago

He was given an empty box for show, letting him keep it wouldn't make it any better.

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[–] ramenshaman@lemmy.world 77 points 11 hours ago (2 children)

I guess I'll continue not watching basketball or football or whatever

[–] RandoMcRanderton@lemmy.world 24 points 7 hours ago (1 children)

"Did you see that ludicrous display last night?"

[–] dumbass@leminal.space 14 points 7 hours ago

The thing about Arsenal is they always try to walk it in!

[–] MajorHavoc@programming.dev 10 points 6 hours ago

Yeah. Fuck this noise. I'm boycotting the Hornets. You won't catch me at a Hornets Football match!

[–] rottingleaf@lemmy.world 108 points 12 hours ago (10 children)

LOL. Cheap bastards. I mean, PS5 is an expensive gift, but not for such an occasion, no?

[–] CileTheSane@lemmy.ca 21 points 4 hours ago

If a PS5 is too expensive to give away, then don't pretend to give one away.

I feel like I shouldn't have to say this.

[–] Kalysta@lemm.ee 2 points 1 hour ago

Not expensive for a literal NBA team.

[–] DandomRude@lemmy.world 72 points 9 hours ago* (last edited 9 hours ago) (1 children)

Compared to the marketing expenses of even very small companies, a PS5 is so ridiculously cheap that these costs are not even worth mentioning.

[–] rottingleaf@lemmy.world 9 points 9 hours ago (1 children)

I meant expensive for a kid. Of course, yes.

[–] DandomRude@lemmy.world 21 points 8 hours ago* (last edited 4 hours ago)

Sure. But the Hornets aren't interested in the child, they're only interested in marketing. The only way I can explain this is that either some employee wanted the PS5 and just took it from the kid or the Hornets' marketing department thinks that even bad publicity is free publicity. Maybe they intentionally planned for the predictable media coverage on this matter because it also brings attention. If the Hornets wanted to buy this kind of exposure, that paltry $500 wouldn't even begin to cover it.

[–] ABCDE@lemmy.world 8 points 7 hours ago

Why? It's a few hundred dollars, not a car or something.

[–] Maggoty@lemmy.world 86 points 12 hours ago (1 children)

The team has revenue in the millions. They'd never have noticed the money. This should be in the dictionary under Penny Wise, Pound Foolish.

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[–] ShellMonkey@lemmy.socdojo.com 120 points 13 hours ago

I might suggest that the kid got a nicer present in the form of a reason to file suit against the team for the embarrassment and emotional distress. Using the kid for a BS publicity stunt is not acceptable.

[–] ByteOnBikes@slrpnk.net 144 points 14 hours ago (8 children)
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