Pete Rose wins with Skechers ad during Super Bowl
Of the great athletes you expected to see during Sunday’s Super Bowl, Pete Rose probably wasn’t one of them. But there was baseball’s hit king at halftime, shilling for Skechers in a Super Bowl ad. It wasn’t the No. 1 ad of the year — heck, it wasn’t even brand new — but it got a huge new audience and probably gave them a chuckle.
The crux of the ad is Pete “being in the hall” in his Skechers. His wife ducks out of a door and tells him he’s “not supposed to be in the hall.” Every sports fan gets the joke — Rose is banned from baseball and thus isn’t allowed in baseball’s Hall of Fame, even though there’s a loud legion of fans out there who think Cooperstown is a sham without him.
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The ad was generally well received, even though it wasn’t brand, brand new. It debuted in September, getting seen in baseball circles but not getting this wide of an audience until now.
Even the Cincinnati Reds’ Twitter account gave Rose a shout out. That relationship can be a bit tricky since he’s banned for life from MLB.
Even if this didn’t win the ad meter or make the “best of” lists, it’s a good look for Rose. He’s having fun with his notorious status, even laughing at himself a bit. That sort of thing can even make a bad guy more endearing now and again.
Being in a shoe commercial isn’t going to get Rose reinstated or finally get him a plaque in Cooperstown. But as Rose prepares to participate in the 2015 MLB All-Star game in Cincinnati, every little step he takes back into the good graces of the public can only help his case.
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Mike Oz is an editor for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @MikeOz