FS1’s Knicks ‘Hopeless’ or ‘Hopeful’ subway ad campaign short-lived
Jeff Hornacek of the Knicks reacts against the Nuggets at Madison Square Garden on Friday, Feb. 10, 2017. Credit: Jim McIsaac
FS1, Fox Sports’ cable television outlet, built its daytime programming around debate and commentary, the edgier the better. But a new ad campaign for the channel edged across a line, offending the Knicks and perhaps some fans, and prompting an abrupt course correction Tuesday night.
“Today, FS1 featured statements on a New York City subway car intended to reflect the distinct emotions and opinions of passionate sports fans,” Fox said in a statement. “We regret the tone and are removing the content in its entirety.”
Subway riders late Monday and early Tuesday saw the word “HOPELESS” plastered on the side of some cars, between pictures of the Knicks’ Tim Hardaway Jr. and Joakim Noah, with an FS1 logo to the side, part of a campaign asking fans to “pick a side.”
Not everyone noticed that the campaign offers another side to the question, which is that perhaps the Knicks are “HOPEFUL” instead.
But it was the “HOPELESS” side of the argument that raised eyebrows, and perhaps even more so ads on the seats within the subway cars, with inflammatory side-picking such as, “Nothing will change until Dolan sells the team.”
Other seats read “Sit here if you blame Phil” and “Sit here if you blame Melo.”
The “HOPEFUL” argument featured a picture of Kristaps Porzingis, expected to be the centerpiece of the team after the trade of Carmelo Anthony. Some of the seats on that side read “So long, Phil” and “Porzingis was designed in a lab.”
Adam Zagoria of SNY reported on his blog that Madison Square Garden executive chairman James Dolan had called Rupert Murdoch, executive chairman of News Corp., which owns Fox, to complain about the ads.
Fox is not a partner of the NBA, whose national TV rights are held by ESPN and Turner.
The campaign also featured two sides of theoretical debate topics about the Giants’ Eli Manning and the Yankees’ Aaron Judge, which will also be removed from subway ads.
Neil Best first worked at Newsday in 1982, returned in 1985 after a detour to Alaska and has been here since, specializing in high schools, college basketball, the NFL and most recently sports media and business.
