Minor league team builds promotion around Miss Universe gaffe
Whenever something noteworthy or buzzy happens in the sports or entertainment world, you can bet there’s at least one minor-league baseball team planning a promotion around that event.
We’re hear to tell what you already know, and that’s Sunday’s disastrous conclusion to the Miss Universe pageant in Las Vegas will be no different.
[Elsewhere: Barry Bonds says he wants to honor dad and Willie Mays in return]
Anyone who might be unaware of what happened probably isn’t reading this now, as we can only assume they don’t have internet access. Just to be thorough though, host Steve Harvey made the mistake of all mistakes, accidentally announcing Miss Colombia, Ariadna Gutierrez Arevalo, as the winner when in fact Miss Phillipines, Pia Wurtzbach, had been selected by the judges.
What followed were several painfully awkward moments as Miss Colombia’s celebration was cut short allowing Harvey to explain and then correct the gaffe, thus turning the crown over to Miss Phillipines.
The whole ordeal was cringe worthy, but nothing is too cringe worthy for minor-league baseball marketing teams. In this instance, the Frisco RoughRiders, a Texas Rangers minor-league affiliate, will be the first team to capitalize on Harvey’s monumental gaffe. On Tuesday, April 26, they will be hosting “Runner-Up Night” at Dr Pepper Ballpark to honor Miss Colombia and other famous or infamous second-place finishers.
“[We] are thrilled to announce a celebration of Miss Philippines Miss Colombia and other all-time great second-place finishes with “Runner-Up Night” at Dr Pepper Ballpark. The night will take place on Tuesday, April 26, which is the second game of the second homestand of the Riders’ 2016 season.
The RoughRiders plan to formally invite Ariadna Gutiérrez Arevalo, “Miss Colombia,” as a VIP guest for the night. Gutiérrez will enjoy a suite for the night and an opportunity to throw out the first pitch. The RoughRiders are also inviting Steve Harvey to serve as the on-field host for the evening.
Yeah, we don’t think Harvey will make it that night, but we wouldn’t be too shocked if a couple people from their planned invite list show up.
Among those expected to be invited are presidential bridesmaids Al Gore and Mitt Romney. From the sports world, members of the Buffalo Bills teams that lost four straight Super Bowls in the early 90s figure to be on the list. As does current Cowboys running back Darren McFadden, who finished second in the Heisman Trophy voting on two different occasions. Who knows, maybe the rest of us can petition for an invite too if we lose our fantasy football championship this weekend.
[Elsewhere: Marcus Stroman encourages Toronto fans to boo David Price]
Of course, like all such promotional events, this is all done tongue-in-cheek. But it also has us wondering who you think is the most famous second-place finisher or who you think should be invited to this event.
Feel free to weigh-in in the comments below or on Twitter @bigleaguestew.
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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
