Kris Bryant takes bus ride with billy goat in new Red Bull ad
Hats off to the marketing team at Red Bull for being armed and ready with this gem of an ad featuring Chicago Cubs phenom Kris Bryant.
The ad humorously depicts Bryant’s time “down on the farm” in Iowa and the anticipation in Chicago for his major-league debut, which took place this past Friday at Wrigley Field.
[Yahoo Sports Fantasy Baseball: Sign up and join a league today!]
Red Bull went all out with the Iowa stereotypes, showing Bryant milling around a real farm and hitting baseballs into a cornfield a la the baseball classic “Field of Dreams.” At one point, Bryant even attempts to milk an obviously uncooperative cow.
Watch those hind legs, buddy.
Overall, though, the three-minue ad, which could also be described as a mini-mockumentary, was a home run.
Especially with the guest appearances from lifelong Cub fan and Smashing Pumpkins’ front man Billy Corgan, former Cubs player Ron Cey, legendary Chicago Bears coach Mike Ditka, and current Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah.
[Check out Big League Stew on Tumblr for even more baseball awesomeness.]
Noah actually had the best line, describing the 6-foot-5 Bryant as a “miniature person.” Noah stands 6-foot-11, so he’s one of the few who can get away with that.
Of course, the big payoff to the ad the infamous “Curse of the Billy Goat,” which has supposedly haunted Cubs fans since 1945. The final scene shows Bryant boarding the bus to Chicago with a goat from Iowa in clear defiance of said curse.
That’s storytelling at its finest.
BLS H/N: Eye on Baseball
More MLB coverage from Yahoo Sports:
– – – – – – –
Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Townie813