Fox Sports needs to pay up!

[bgwfreak]

http://www.charlotte.com/mld/charlotte/sports/columnists/scott_fowler/15448166.htm

 

The Carolina Panthers' most famous fan just got run over by Fox Sports.

 

It wasn't pretty, and it wasn't fair. Fox Sports did a bad thing to a good man on national TV Aug. 24, and I'm furious about it.

 

The good man's name is actually Greg Good. But if you know him at all, you know him as "Catman." He sits in a front-row end zone seat at every Panthers home game wearing an electric blue wig and a black-and-blue cape.

 

With just under two minutes to go in the Panthers-Miami Dolphins exhibition, Good was under the impression Fox Sports was about to give him a new car. The network's announcing team had promoted the free car giveaway on air at the end of the third quarter.

 

Instead, sideline reporter Tony Siragusa handed Good a toy car.

 

Good, believing the toy was a symbol for the real thing, said on-camera to Siragusa: "Thank you! Thank you very, very, very much -- it's a blessing and a prayer answered!"

 

But Fox Sports was playing a joke. And it wasn't funny. It was badly planned, poorly executed and outright mean.

 

Siragusa walked away shortly after the interview, leaving Good bewildered and upset.

 

"I thought I had won a real car," Good said.

 

Fox officials debated this issue among themselves Tuesday after I brought it to their attention. Ultimately, all they have offered Good is an apology.

 

That's lame.

 

To make things right, Fox Sports should buy Good a car of his choice. The money would never be missed for a network that pays the NFL billions of dollars to telecast games. Fans are the NFL's lifeblood, and Fox just humiliated one on national TV for no good reason.

 

Good, 49, lives in Winston-Salem. He's a college graduate with three children who works with troubled kids for a mental health agency. He drives a 1991 Chevrolet Astro van with 130,000 miles on it.

 

After reviewing the tape Tuesday, I believe Fox Sports tried to trick viewers into staying with the meaningless exhibition with its fake "car giveaway."

 

Said Fox Sports spokesman Tim Buckman on Tuesday night: "As far as we know, Mr. Good hasn't contacted anyone at Fox Sports about this. We would welcome an opportunity to speak to him and offer an apology for any misunderstanding."

 

Misunderstanding? Who wouldn't have misunderstood?

 

Let's go to the tape and listen to on-air comments from the announcing team of Dick Stockton, Daryl Johnston and Siragusa while remembering that producer Bob Stenner had ultimate control of this telecast.

 

With 2 minutes, 37 seconds left in the third quarter, Johnston made the first mention of the car giveaway.

 

Said Johnston: "Now all you fans out there, you might be thinking, well, the starting units are out, we might change the channel. ... We're going to do something special to try and keep you here tonight. We're giving a car away tonight."

 

With 1:56 left in the fourth quarter, the giveaway comes up again.

 

Stockton: "Someone's going to get a car tonight, Daryl."

 

Johnston: "Hopefully, Tony has assembled all the criteria, and he's got a worthy selection down there."

 

Siragusa: "I'm looking. I'm looking."

 

After a Miami kickoff return, the camera flashed back to Siragusa on the sideline. He was standing close to Good.

 

Siragusa introduced Good, asked him to scream for the Panthers and then said: "The car is coming in right now. Here it comes. Beautiful. It's white. It's a Porsche."

 

Then Siragusa handed a small toy car to Good.

 

Good thought it was a symbol of what he would get later, which is why he looked so happy, he says now.

 

On-air, Siragusa asked: "Do you have a car?"

 

"I need a car so bad," Good said. Siragusa also said that Good, who is 6-foot-4 and weighs 340 pounds, would need "oil" or "butter" to fit into the car.

 

A few seconds later, Stockton returned to the game by saying: "So our lucky fan is going to drive off with a new car. First-and-10 at the 28."

 

Good is a huge fan. He was part of an exhibit on superfans a few years ago at the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He bought Panthers permanent seat licenses on the first day they were available. He has his own bobblehead, which he financed himself.

 

"It's a limited edition," he said, chuckling. "There are 1,000 of them, and I've still got 600 of them bobbling around the house."

 

Good still believed he was getting a free car from Fox Sports that night and most of the next day, when he first contacted me in an exultant e-mail.

 

We are acquaintances. I met him in 1996, when Panthers wide receiver Mark Carrier befriended Good and handed him the football after Carrier scored a touchdown.

 

After e-mailing Good for details, I never heard back. Curious, I called him Monday.

 

Good teaches anger management to the troubled kids he works with, and he said he was going to try not to hold a grudge against Fox Sports.

 

But he believes he was made a fool of on national TV.

 

I know some would say he does that every Sunday by wearing his Catman getup.

 

But this was different.

 

Fox Sports did something bad to Good.

 

Something unnecessary and shameless.

 

And an apology isn't nearly enough.

 

 

I have to agree with the article. I think Fox Sports humiliated the guy and they should give him a car (a real one).

 

This really pisses me off.

[Wes]

That fucking sucks.

[BelizeIt]

This Fox story is reminiscent of a beer selling contest at the restaurant chain Hooters. Hooters told their Hooter girls that whoever sold the most beer in the month of April, would win a brand new Toyota.

 

Well when the contest ended, a Hooters rep showed up to congratulate the winning waitress (Jodee Berry) and give her the prize. Jodee was then blindfolded and led out to the parking lot. When the blindfold was removed, Jodee wasn't looking a a new car, but instead a "Toy" "Yoda" doll!!!

 

Needless to say, Jodee was unable to grasp the humor in the situation, and promptly sued Hooters and won!

[Jonathan]

To be honest, when I saw it on the telecast I thought Catman understood the joke. I think it would be nice if Fox Sports would buy him a car, but I don't really see it as an obligation. If not, maybe the team can. The guy has been the most dedicated fan of the organization since year one. The instant I saw him on TV I was like "holy sh** it's Catman!"

 

I remember the Hooters incident, and you would think the legal department at a company as huge as Fox would put a stop to something like that before it happened since there is a very clear precedent for a lawsuit. There was also an incident I recall where a radio station promised to give away a "hundred grand", but it ended up being the candy bar.

 

[CoasterFanatic]

If someone gave me a toy yoda for being the employee of the month (or whatever it was), I would seriously kick their ass.

 

// remembers the Hooters lawsuit

[Hercules]

You would kind of think that this isn't that big of a deal, but you have to stop and think about if you were the one that was misled and embarassed. I really feel for this guy. I mean, he really doesn't have a lot of money I'm sure. He probably just gets to go to all of those games for free because of his character. A friend of mine has an uncle that is the unofficial mascot of the Raiders and the president of their fanclub, and proud owner of a kick ass game and T.V. room that he calls the Raider Room. I think his character is called the Terminator or the Dominator (something like that, Raider fans fill me in) but the team flies him all over the place (he lives in New York). I don't know the perks for this guy, but I'm sure he gets some. Anyway, he is not a rich man I'm sure. He is a black man trying to make a living in the south. He loves his football team. He was misled and should be compensated for it. He was genuinly excited to be getting a new car, and now is embarassed. I actually really feel for the guy.

[CoasterFanatic]

Done deal!

 

www.charlotte.com/mld/charlotte/15454245.htm

[crispy]

thats awesome, good job Fox Sports

[BeemerBoy]

^ Well, a "good job" would've been giving him the truck without the mess they created. But, it's nice to see the public rallied behind him and forced the correct conclusion to the story.

[Wes]

How much you want to bet Ford gave Fox the car for free just to get publicity?

[BelizeIt]

^Hey Wes is that a , the glass is half empty attitude?

 

Remember Fox Sports is run by the Fox Media Empire, who have made it their corporate mission to promote the Democratic "Caring" agenda. I'm sure that Fox wanted to help out a "common man".

[bgwfreak]

Excellent!!!!

 

I'm glad that there is a happy ending to this story.

[Wes]

^Hey Wes is that a , the glass is half empty attitude?

 

Is there any other liquid-in-glass-related-attitude to have?

[ParkTrips]

Not on airplanes.

[Wes]

The shampoo bottle is completely empty.

[Jonathan]

Catman was just on the NBC kickoff show with one of his bobbleheads.