The online dating-hookup app Scruff has bought time on two 48-foot billboards that will greet visitors heading to the Super Bowl stadium today in Glendale, Ariz.
Scruff spent $3,500 for the billboards during Super Bowl week, and it appears likely to see an impressive return on the investment. About half a million people are expected to be exposed to the ads, and already Scruff has seen a 20 percent increase in new profile creations in the Phoenix area, compared with the same period last year, spokesman Daniel DeMello told Newsweek. Since the first of the year, the app has generated more than a million logins since in Arizona.
The billboards were designed as a way to honor gay sports trailblazers, Scuff founder Johnny Skandros told Reuters. "I think that people like Michael Sam, Kwame Harris and Jason Collins didn't only make it OK to be an openly gay sports player, they also made it easier for gay sports fans to feel a full part of their hometown team."
While I applaud the idea, the execution is lacking. For starters, the two models look more like they're dressed more for a rugby match than a football game and should be wearing football uniforms. And if the goal was to honor trailblazers, why not a billboard that featured these trailblazers? And "Play on our team" is more of a marketing pitch to join Scruff (which I have no problem with since it's their money) than a statement about supporting openly gay pro athletes.
My ultimate sports dream is to one day have the Super Bowl MVP turn to the camera as the confetti flies and announce: "I'm going to Gay Days at Disney World." Then we will truly have arrived.
