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Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
The 8 irritating 2025 NBA playoff ads that won't stop airing, ranked
On some level, I understand why a league like the NBA would want to keep a tight rotation of commercials for the playoffs. In the same fashion that a head coach of an NBA team keeps a tight playoff rotation, you want your best players (commercials) getting as many minutes as possible to maximize your chances at winning (getting revenue). That doesn't excuse the fact that the NBA has somehow managed to piece together the most annoying possible commercial rotation for the playoffs ... for the second straight year! And the worst part is, if I weren't writing this article, I wouldn't have even been sure about what products were being sold to me in these ads. So, while making me gradually lose my mind, are they having the intended effect of making money for these companies? I have my doubts about that. Let's take a look at the heart of the NBA's 2025 playoff commercial package and rank them by how irritating, frustrating, and utterly grating they all are. I guess I find this one technically less objectionable than the others on this list because Barkley is a magnetic personality. At least he's entertaining. At least he's got charisma. And when you watch this ad the first few times, it is actually kinda funny. But integrating some Barkley-centered generative AI that is somehow accurate about everything concerning the Chuckster? Are we sure that's an accurate portrayal of generative AI? Sure. This commercial actually debuted in 2024, but that hasn't stopped the NBA or Kia from drilling it into our heads during this postseason. It's not even really all that annoying compared to some of the top choices above. Still, I tire of watching Draymond Green stare at and confront a wolf. What does that have to do with a car? Someone explain it to me like I'm five. Don't worry, I'll wait. Look, I understand. I know Aerosmith is an incredibly popular band. But whose idea was it to make one of the most famous songs of a group that peaked roughly half a century ago the seeming theme song of these entire NBA playoffs? Who is this for? Does the NBA even care about catering to a younger audience anymore? Are we really leaning into nostalgia that much? It's so silly and cringe to me. I didn't include a specific video example because there are just so many different versions with different NBA stars. Again, here we have another older ad that didn't debut during this postseason. Which, at this point, I wish the NBA hadn't recycled it. So, let's be clear. Tommy Richman's "Million Dollar Baby" song is a banger. It is decidedly NOT a banger when I have to hear it seemingly countless times during every playoff game. This commercial has ruined the song for me. I need a cleanse from it. At this stage, it's apparent that the Oklahoma City Thunder and AT&T might usually make one of the year's most irritating commercials if they get together in the spring. One year after the disaster of "What a Pro Wants," we have Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, and Chet Holmgren mistakenly not coordinating the same outfit together. And you guessed it, they were "Thunderstruck" about it. If only they had AT&T, this wouldn't have happened, apparently? Mhmm. I love Will Ferrell. I still use PayPal on occasion. I do not love them together here with Ferrell singing a high-pitched parody of Fleetwood Mac's "Go Your Own Way." And I particularly dislike how this commercial features various people getting frustrated about Ferrell's singing, as if it were a tacit acknowledgement of how annoying people find this commercial in real life. Is that supposed to be funny? How meta. (Exasperated, gathering the words) WE GET IT. THEY WERE TEAMMATES IN COLLEGE AND IN THE NBA AND NOW THEY'RE NOT. STOP USING THE CORNY CHARLIE PUTH SONG FROM A VIN DIESEL MOVIE. SO FUNNY. (Exhales) Gah. OK, I feel better. This commercial in itself isn't necessarily the most annoying, even though I'd love to not hear BigXthaPlug's "The Largest" for a while after this. It's more about the timing and who's featured. For the life of me, I cannot believe that Jalen Green, an overrated shot-chucker propped up by some corners of NBA media because he was a No. 2 overall pick, got this prominent of a spot for the playoffs. Who did Wingstop think Green was when they booked him for this ad? Do some people really think Green is a "star," instead of a flashy offensive black hole? I've learned so much during these playoffs. This article originally appeared on For The Win: Ranking the 8 incredibly annoying 2025 NBA playoff ads that won't stop
USA Today
20-03-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Your March Madness bracket is probably terrible but that's OK
Your March Madness bracket is probably terrible but that's OK This is For The Win's daily newsletter, The Morning Win. Did a friend recommend or forward this to you? If so, subscribe here. Have feedback? Leave your questions, comments and concerns through this brief reader survey! Now, here's Mike Sykes. Good morning, Winners. Happy March Madness day. That also means this will likely be the most chaotic day on the sports calendar. You've probably filled out a bracket in anticipation of this day. No, scratch that — you've probably filled out a few brackets. You've done all the research and made all of your picks. You're probably very confident in at least one of those brackets. My friend. I'm here to tell you that your bracket probably stinks. I know, I know. That's heartbreaking. Because you put in quite a bit of time on this. You dotted all of your i's and crossed all of your t's. You did the job. The problem is it doesn't matter. Because, inevitably every year, there's always some randomness that you can never account for that comes along and completely busts your bracket. REMEMBER: No bracket can ever really be perfect. Well, it can be. But it's so improbable it'll never happen. Someone will lose on a half-court buzzer-beater. A team will fumble the ball away with a chance to win a game. Some higher seed will inevitably drop the ball and get blown out along the way because they underestimated an opponent. You know it's going to happen. You just don't know which team it'll be. And you know what? That's totally OK. It's March Madness, folks. They don't call it that for nothing — the madness is what it's all about. The only thing we should be rooting for today is chaos. Not only because it's fun but also because it always inevitably wins the day. It's quite literally the most dependable force of the day. Well, that and the seemingly unending commercial breaks that play the same three ads on a loop. I still haven't gotten that "What a Pro Wants" commercial out of my head yet. Anyway, when you accept that, the tournament is so much more fun. So print that bracket out. Rip it to shreds. Take the pieces and ball them up. Fire them into the nearest trash can. That's the best thing you can do for yourself today. Take my advice and enjoy the games for what they are, folks. Cue the music The other best part of the month? Hearing this song playing on repeat over and over again. CBS's March Madness theme will never get old. Nostalgia, man. Isn't it something? Right now, as this music is playing, I feel like I'm sitting in my high school English class, secretly watching games on a tube TV. This takes me back, man. It's awesome. Does it coincide with heartbreak? Yes. Absolutely. But that's part of the process, folks. Embrace it all. Kansas fans, you'll love this USA Today's Mark Giannato asked an AI to predict how March Madness would play out this year. It made Final Four picks and also picked a champion. You'll never guess who it picked. I'll let Charles tell you: "Its Final Four? That would be No. 1 seed Houston (cool, but Gonzaga potentially looms in the second round!), No. 2 Alabama (seems reasonable), No. 2 Michigan State (makes sense) ... and No. 7 Kansas. Now: the Jayhawks are a traditional blueblood program. But this year? They're coming into the tournament having lost three of their last five. They're a No. 7 seed. And AI has them winning it all in this scenario." This is probably not the best advertisement for AI. But, hey! At least it's thinking outside of the box. The problem is it's also thinking it's still 2022. Quick hits: Jackie Robinson deserves better ... The Lions suggest a huge NFL change ... and more — Jackie Robinson's history being erased by the Trump administration shows that nothing is sacred anymore. This is sad. — The Lions' suggested NFL rule change would make divisions pointless. Robert Zeglinski explains. — Here's Tyler Netunno with the best Round of 64 bets for the men's March Madness tournament. — Prince Grimes wrote about Stephon Castle's Rookie of the Year case in the latest edition of Layup Lines. — Barack Obama is still making bracket picks. Here's another bracket for you to copy. — Blake Schuster put together watchability rankings for the tournament. He says, "You're welcome." Thanks, Blake. That's a wrap, folks. Thanks for reading. Enjoy the basketball this week. -Sykes ✌️
