Another week, another “This is SportsCenter” commercial from ESPN. This time, they’ve dug deep in the barrel of wacky mascots. What happens when you imagine the sports world as one giant office job? TV magic, that’s what.
College athletics are king in the south. Everyone knows that. Some schools define southern culture and life. However, no one has a mascot as southern as the Delta State Fighting Okras.
During ESPN’s showing of the College Football Playoff National Championship game, we got to see the grumpy vegetable go through a performance review.
Spoiler: he doesn’t play well with others.
Delta State University, located in Cleveland, Mississippi is a special little school. They technically aren’t the Fighting Okras. But, unofficially, that’s the school’s preferred mascot. Originally known as the Statesman, students began championing the okra mascot in the 1980s.
That might be the best part of these commercials. They can introduce you to new teams and sports. Young fans don’t know all the things that you pick up on from just watching sports. So, there is something fun about discovering something new through a skit like this.
Now, they are forever enshrined with their own “This is SportsCenter” commercial. How about that?
‘This is SportsCenter’ Returns
This is the second of what is hopefully many more “This is SportsCenter” commercials to hit our televisions. The Fighting Okra makes this one of the most fun in recent memory. Fun fact, Luisa Harris, the first and only woman to be drafted in the NBA, played for Delta State back in the day.
So far, we have this 30-second spot, and another one featuring the USWNT. Soccer stars were seen eating orange slices – basically an American tradition at this point. Of course, they didn’t know that the Syracuse mascot was standing right behind them. Awkward.
ESPN knows that they have something great with these commercials. Fans have always had a lot of fun with them. Now a new generation of sports fans can grow up with their own set of “This is SportsCenter.”
What do you think about the new edition of “This is SportsCenter,” Outsiders?
