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NBA team gives lucky child a PlayStation 5, then takes it away backstage [1]
['Grant St. Clair']
Date: 2024-12-21
I get that the new console generation is expensive, but this feels excessive. At a recent home game, the Charlotte Hornets hosted a "special segment" in which a few children selected from the audience received various goodies including a signed jersey and a PS5, presumably because no one has ever been excited to receive an Xbox. The moment was, by all accounts, heartwarming, and was shared on social media by a friend of the grand-prize PS5 winner:
You guys want to see a cheap sports organization?
In this video my best friend&his nephew get called onto court for a special segment where they gift the kid a PS5 publicly… w/cameras off they TOOK IT AWAY and gave him a jersey.
😂 Take a bow @hornets… crushed the kid pic.twitter.com/mcj5hhsuM5 — USMNT_STAN (@StanUsmnt) December 17, 2024
…Except for the fact that Santa Hugo is evidently more of a Grinch type. Once the exchange was done and the cameras were off, the PS5 was reportedly taken right back, presumably so the mascot could go back to playing The Last Of Us backstage. While this bit wasn't captured on camera, the team nonetheless fessed up, putting out a statement that tried to handwave the whole thing away as a skit:
During last night's game there was an on-court skit that missed the mark. The skit included bad decision making and poor communication. Simply put, we turned the ball over and we apologize. We have reached out to the family and are committed to not only making it right but to exceeding expectations. We will be providing the fan with the PS5 that he should have taken home last night along with a VIP experience to a future game. Out goal is and will remain to elevate the guest experience for every person that enters Spectrum Center, and to show out fans how much we appreciate their relentless support.
Is it really a skit if no one involved is informed? At least it was made right with an actual, non-skit PS5 gift, and the VIP ticket isn't bad either. Given that Charlotte Hornets majority owner Gabe Plotkin is estimated to be worth about $400 million, though, surely they could have just given the thing away in the first place.
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