Geico Takes Sports Sponsorship to New Heights

Up until now, my favorite blatant sponsorship whoring was ESPN’s “Coors Light Cold Hard Stat.” David Garrard was a perfect 11-for-11 on third and short runs this season? Get. Out. Dude, let’s vent. ↵↵But that is no more, thanks to Geico, which has totally redeemed itself for the last two years of awful commercials with possibly the most brilliant sponsorship idea of all times. According to USA Today (via our brethren over at FirstCuts), the insurance company will not only sponsor the H-O-R-S-E competition over All-Star Weekend, they’re changing the name of the game:↵

↵↵⇥So it shouldn’t surprise -- especially as all sports are scrambling to find new places to hang “for sale” signs given the current economy -- that the NBA’s first H-O-R-S-E contest won’t use those letters. ↵⇥↵⇥As that contest joins dunking and three-point shooting contests as part of TNT’s NBA All-Star Weekend coverage, the as-yet unnamed three contestants -- who’ll be overseen by an NBA ref -- will play G-E-I-C-O. As in the insurance company that will be the event’s unavoidable sponsor. (Suggestion: The winner then takes on the famous ad lizard to really drive home the brand awareness.) ↵⇥

↵↵Better suggestion: After every shot one of the contestants successfully converts, have that annoying ass caveman come out, grab the mic, and yell, “That shot was so easy, a caveman could do it!” Get it!? That joke will never get old. (Note: Yes it will. And it has. Please, Geico, enough already with the Cro-Magnon. Watching him lose to Billy Jean in a match of tennis does not make me wanna save 15% on my car insurance.)↵