VS.
This may be one of the greatest internet campaigns ever:
AT&T All-America Player of the Year
Let me hit the highlights:
AT&T announced today the winner of the 2007 AT&T All-America Player of the Year, the only major college football award chosen exclusively by fans. Fans across the nation have made their voices heard and voted Texas Tech wide receiver Michael Crabtree as the best college football player in the nation. Crabtree, the first freshman to win the award in its four-year history, put up astonishing numbers on an offense-rich team that went 5-1 while playing at home in Jones AT&T Stadium.Hmmm. I'm sure that the AT&T affiliation of the stadium name had nothing to do with the accessibility of player highlights on potential voters' phones, or the voting in any way. I'm sure all serious college football fans would rate a system WR in a gimmick offense (who helped his team to a 4th place finish in a division of 6) above a freakish talent (McFadden) who single-handedly kept his team respectable by nearly single-handedly beating the #1 team in the nation in a tumultuous year that ultimately saw the head coach resign.
"AT&T congratulates Michael on having a spectacular freshman season and for winning the AT&T All-America Player of the Year award," said Tim McGhee, director of National Sponsorships for AT&T. "We are proud to be able to deliver the technology that allows the fans' voices to be heard so that they can honor the player whom they choose. Our hats go off to the winner and the other nominees, and our thanks go to everyone who participated."
He received 49 percent of the votes to beat out an impressive field of nominees, including University of Arkansas running back Darren McFadden (31 percent), University of Florida quarterback Tim Tebow (15 percent) and University of Virginia defensive end Chris Long (5 percent).
Fans determined the winner by sending a text message from a wireless phone and casting their votes for the nominees. Polls stayed open until Thursday, Jan. 3. In addition, each vote received an entry into a sweepstakes to win a trip to the 2008 BCS national championship game in New Orleans on Jan. 7, where the official AT&T All-America Player of the Year announcement was made. AT&T customers were able to visit AT&T's wireless NCAA(R) Football Portal on their handsets to view video highlights of each candidate, retrieve photos, check scores, track their favorite teams and download school ringtones.
Yep, even fan polls in the purest form of sport remaining are subject to corporate politics. And lets not even start on why Tim Tebow is better.
1 comment:
When I was in third grade, my teacher did an end-of-year poll about who everyone thought was the nicest, smartest, whatever-est person in the class. It turns out I swept five major categories. My teacher actually told me this beforehand and asked if I wouldn't mind giving up a few of the awards to the kids who came in second place. I agreed to it, because after all, I was voted "nicest."
Now replace me in that story with Tim Tebow, and replace my teacher with AT&T. That's how I think Michael Crabtree got the award.
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