|
The Commercial Closet
 Long
before the debate began over a
Major League Baseball player coming out, and the impact that would
have on gays in commercial advertising, Larry Johnson won an ESPY
Award for his performance in a Converse commercial.
In drag. This
is just one of many commercials highlighted by The
Commercial Closet, a non-profit Web site educating about gay
images in advertising. Their "sports" section features
Larry Johnson, plus other commercials including openly gay swimmer Bruce
Hayes (right), openly lesbian Martina Navratilova, Tennessee Titan Jevon Kearse seemingly coming on to a TV repair man, Joe Namath
wearing panty hose, Mike Ditka being Mike Ditka, and Dennis Rodman being Dennis Rodman.
The site
also features an article,
written by founder Michael Wilke, praising the sponsorship Nike and
Guinness have offered the Mark Kendall Bingham Cup Invitational Rugby
Tournament and Festival and highlighting the sponsorship other
companies, like Powerbar and Coors Light, have offered gay sports
teams.
See
list of Commercial Closet's sports-themed ad NEW
ADS RECENTLY INCLUDED: The
old hidden ball trick
 A sexy woman (Los Angeles drag queen Karen Dior, former Miss Gay United States) struts into an empty, greasy diner.
She sits down at the counter next to a nerdy old man, who looks over at her happily. The bearded cook (Philadelphia Philly's baseball first baseman John Kruk) asks, "So what can I get you?"
The woman answers in a deep, macho voice, "Steak and eggs, rare." Anchors
in love
 In documentary style, the news director of ESPN's popular program "SportsCenter," Vince Doria, says to the camera, "People ask me all the time, 'How do you decide which anchors work together?' To be honest, it's an awkward process."
Doria continues, "Ultimately, you're looking for a good relationship." Referees
that skate together, stay together
 A man outside an arena tries to buy tickets to an event but the ticket agent says, "There's no hockey game tonight, the palyers are in Nagano," a reference to the winter Olympics.
Still, the buyer hears music inside the arena, which turns out to be two male hockey referees who are gracefully figure skating together as a "couple." ARCHIVED
ADS:
See
Larry Johnson in drag
 Basketball
star Larry Johnson of the Charlotte Hornets (now the NY Knicks)
appears in the spot as his Grandmama. "These are my new
shoes from Converse. They're so light and so fast, my grandmama can
whip you in them." The coincidentally gay/trans-friendly
tagline is: "It's what's inside that counts."
See
Martina selling cars
 Long
snubbed by advertisers that would have otherwise seized the tennis
star at her height of stardom, Martina Navratilova was finally
embraced by Subaru of America after the company began courting the
lesbian market in 1996. The TV spot includes Martina among other
female athletes with the "What Do I Know?" theme. The spot
includes golfers Juli Inkster, Meg Mallon and Olympic skier Diann
Roffe-Steinrotter. Each asks, "What do I know" about
performance, control, grip, etc. Martina gets the last word in, asking
"What do we know? We're just girls."
See
Joe Namath in panty hose
 With
a cymbol roll, the camera slowly pans up hosieried legs, then crosses
green satin shorts and the No. 12 football jersey, revealing famous
New York Jets team quarterback (1965-1972) Joe Namath. Namath
says with a slight Southern accent and a smile, "Now I don't wear
panty hose, but if Beautymist can make MY legs looks good, imagine
what they'll do for yours." As the spot closes, Namath gets a
kiss on the cheek from a young woman -- so we're not confused about
his sexuality.
|
