Back in 2004, there was a massive outcry after it was announced that Major League Baseball would place a “Spider-Man 2” logo on bases during a number of games. The promotion was scrapped almost as quickly as it was announced as traditional baseball fans cried out in protest of such an invasion of baseball’s purity.
Fast-forward to 2022 and we’re just throwing ads up in the literal strike zone. At least, that’s what happened momentarily during Saturday’s Bally Sports North’s broadcast of the game between the Minnesota Twins and Tampa Bay Rays.
Remember when they proposed putting ads on the bases and everyone freaked out? pic.twitter.com/kyt5fHd4Y3
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) June 11, 2022
Yes, that’s a Treasure Island Resort & Casino poker chip graphic seemingly acting as a sponsored strike zone. It’s essentially everything that traditional baseball fans have feared would happen.
We suppose that it’s one way to consider solving the epidemic of bad umpire calls we’ve witnessed recently. You can’t complain about a bad call that is impossible to see!
Now, this is where we point out that it was almost certainly a glitch, or at least, we’re really hoping it was. We can assume this because the poker chip appeared again later in the broadcast, and this time it had a mind of its own, following the action across the camera and even trailing players as they moved.
The Treasure Island poker chip does not sleep. It does not rest. It will find you. And it will hunt you down. pic.twitter.com/Ns1cXQ8Pyv
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) June 11, 2022
No word yet from Bally Sports North about what happened. Also, it remains unclear what the “correct” use of the Treasure Island poker chip graphic would be. Was it supposed to show up on the pitching mound like that Target logo? Was it supposed to only show up in a specific replay segment sponsored by Treasure Island? We’ll have to wait and see.
In the meantime, we can all enjoy the shock the horror that the graphic caused as it initially spread through baseball Twitter.
On the one hand, this has to be some kind of glitch. On the other hand … *gestures broadly at human existence*. https://t.co/ZN1xGgRVPw
— Dayn Perry (@daynperry) June 11, 2022
Ok, @Twins this is where I draw the line https://t.co/AsNDTGmW1f
— Keith Olbermann (@KeithOlbermann) June 11, 2022
https://twitter.com/UniWatch/status/1535705377240715272
This is one of the dumbest things I’ve ever seen https://t.co/TEZqlsMMzC
— John Healy (@jphealy) June 11, 2022
What the … https://t.co/jinA4edG2T
— Andrew Marchand (@AndrewMarchand) June 11, 2022
Kiermaier looks like Sonic losing rings pic.twitter.com/CCb3V6pTro
— CJ Fogler account may or may not be notable (@cjzero) June 11, 2022
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.