Kenny Mayne excoriates Yum! Brands for Kentucky Derby promotion

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/blog/index?entryID=2859977&name=mayne_kenny

Good piece by Kenny Mayne about Yum! Brands doing a disservice to the horses with its poorly thought-out promotion.

 

No real opinion other than I always enjoy the use of "excoriate."

 

I see Mayne's point ... and see Yum! Brands pulling this bonus pretty quick.

 

While I do like the idea of an ESPN head blasting a sponsor, I wonder if management would allow him to write this if the Four-Letter (and not NBC) paid the rights fees to televise the race itself.

 

Solid piece, especially if it's blatant when DOWN THE STRETCH THEY COME

 

Don't blame Yum!. They have to counteract Papa John's Stadium and its clearly visible presence from Churchill Downs.

 

If, IF, you are going to complain about that, isn't it just a minor extension of the greater evil of horses being ridden in competition in the first place?

 

Yeah, I don't see what he's so upset about. So it's apparently wrong for a jockey to go to the whip to try to win a bonus. Is it OK if two horses are neck-and-neck in deep stretch? (sorry, grew up a harness racing guy)

If you're going to argue it's wrong to use animals (and some would say abusing animals) for our amusement/sporting purposes/gambling interests/trying to win a corporate bonus, then I don't think you can be poetic about the spirit of competition and what a feat it is to win the Derby in the same breath.

And don't even get me started on the "prostituting Barbaro" nonsense.

 

Any word from the horses?

 

Neigh.

 

I'll set 'em up, you knock 'em down.

 

You rang?