Blogs & Comment

ESPN and the gentleman’s sports wager

New ad shows that losing money on college football could be the least of your worries.

Every sports fan has been there. You really think your team is going to win this time. Obviously you’re always hoping they’ll win, but this time you know it. In fact, you know it so well that you’re willing to go beyond a simple $5 or $20 bet and get creative. This is the kind of “gentleman’s wager” that isn’t sullied by the presence of bookies or any other official gambling outlets. No, this kind of reputation-at-stake, heart-on-your-sleeve bet can only be validated with one thing: the handshake.

This new commercial by director Aaron Stoller and Wieden & Kennedy, New York for ESPN, promoting the network’s college football coverage, illustrates what happens when you’re just totally and completely wrong, wrong, wrong.