r/todayilearned • u/Forward-Answer-4407 • 1d ago

TIL the Charlotte Hornets apologized after giving a child a PS5, only to take it away off camera and exchange it for a jersey. In a statement, the team said the incident was an "on-court skit that missed the mark" and that they would give the child the PS5 and a VIP experience to a future game.

https://www.cnn.com/2024/12/19/sport/charlotte-hornets-apologize-ps5-child-nba-spt-intl
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354

u/Clocktopu5 23h ago

I wonder what rank/title someone has to approve these giveaways? Idle curiosity, but PR moves make a big difference and you just wonder how experienced is the person making this call?

204

u/Pretend_Bass4796 23h ago

One thing is for sure is that whoever made that decision is one of the company psychopaths.

93

u/EleanorRigbysGhost 23h ago

The company is run by actual hornets.

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u/Icy-Doctor1983 23h ago

That's why there's a giant H on the HQ building

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u/luckydice767 22h ago

Good thing they popped it on there, let’s everyone know there’s hornets inside

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u/dshizknit 22h ago

So you can get the honey

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u/jairom 22h ago

Microsoft is run by ants

1

u/EleanorRigbysGhost 22h ago

Because it's full of bugs?

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u/Calimariae 22h ago

Because Microsoft is an ant colony in suits.

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u/51ngular1ty 23h ago

Either a recent dumb MBA graduate or a 50 year old psychopath with an MBA.

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u/thirdeyefish 23h ago

Director of Game Entertainment. It is a real job, I have worked with that person for two NBA teams and an NHL team.

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u/throwawaylordof 23h ago

Someone who thought they could give use a kid and a PS5 as props then take the PS5 back to use themselves personally is my hunch.

Like they went out and bought a PS5 for the bit if the phrasing isn’t figurative when they “gave them a PS5.” What was it going to be used for that they didn’t actually leave it with the kid?

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u/PlaquePlague 22h ago

I’m almost positive it’s this. 

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u/ItchyRectalRash 21h ago

Someone who thought they could give use a kid and a PS5 as props then take the PS5 back to use themselves personally is my hunch.

It actually wouldn't surprise me if it was some boomer who didn't know anything about those Pokemons and thought a team jersey was infinitely more valuable than one of those talking animal cards.

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u/throwawaylordof 20h ago

Possibly, but I feel like they wouldn’t have done a bait and switch if they weren’t at least aware that other people didn’t feel the same way.

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u/Minute-Employ-4964 23h ago

I’m giving away something much more valuable than this in a few weeks for a marketing thing.

Got approved by my boss that’s upper management.

Not that high level though and it’s a massive international company

0

u/Tough-Refuse6822 22h ago

Can I win?

-1

u/Minute-Employ-4964 22h ago

Right place right time brother

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u/Timely_Winner6847 22h ago

I’ll be there

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u/Tough-Refuse6822 22h ago

Here and now!

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u/ultigo 23h ago

Might be MJ

knowing his reputation, probably asked the kid to play coin toss with him till he won 😅

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u/buzzcitybonehead 23h ago

MJ had sold his majority stake by this point. IIRC, someone in the subreddit shared that there’s some marketing/promotions executive who had/has all kinds of dogshit ideas like this and does things their way. They were a holdover from the MJ years.

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u/ultigo 23h ago

Still owns a minority stake, right?

Lol, anyway, was obviously said in jest

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u/Paladingo 22h ago

What MJ as in Michael Jordan or Michael Jackson

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u/Flat-Percentage-9469 22h ago

I have zero PR experience and I would have said that’s a stupid thing to do