Michael Jordan Embarrasses Byron Russell Once Again
by Casey Jones
Columnist, Salt Lake Tribune
The pick-and-roll, the box-and-one, the triangle-and-two. Now brash Brandt Andersen, owner of the Utah Flash franchise in the NBA Development League, has added a new term to the basketball lexicon — the bait-and-switch.
A record crowd of 7,542 got duped last week by Andersen. They crowded into the McKay Events Center in Orem expecting to see a one-on-one basketball game featuring NBA Hall of Famer Michael Jordan at halftime of the Flash home opener. Got a Jordan look-alike instead.
Without lifting a finger or speaking a word Michael Jordan once again embarrassed Byron Russell. There were 7,500 fans who got duped by Brandt Anderson and Byron Russell, but Michael wasn’t one of the suckers. He was above the scam promotion from the very beginning. Shucks, and Anderson so wanted to play with the big boys.
Jordan is so above this kind of malarkey this whole episode may never have even made his radar screen, but if he has heard about it he is probably enjoying a big laugh. Laugh, hell, he’s probably hooting about those wannabes in Utah. That was the easiest one on two he has ever played. At the end, the ‘no show’ was the only one with any dignity.
It was the start of a season that Andersen promises will be filled with promotions and fun. Next week the Flash will give away free “I got punked by Brandt Andersen” T-shirts and Andersen will personally poke the first 50 fans in the eyes, assuming that many show up.
Folks are angry. Apparently Andersen — hilariously, his business motto is “Trust must be earned” — was unaware that it’s not nice to play your fans for fools.
When the hoax was revealed, the crowd booed. Some airmailed their complimentary T-shirts to the gym floor. And thousands showed Andersen their heels as they headed for the exits.
It started out as an honest attempt to put fans in the stands and give former Utah Jazz player Bryon Russell a chance to settle a score. Russell was covering — I use that term loosely — Jordan when His Airness hit the series-winning shot in the 1998 NBA finals. When Jordan mocked Russell during his Hall-of-Fame induction speech this summer, Andersen tried to arrange the mano a mano matchup, offering the winner $100,000 for the charity of his choice.
Russell was game. In fact, he was part of the con. But Jordan, apparently, was not.
Andersen pleads innocent to fraud. He never said that Jordan would show up. He only said that Jordan didn’t say he wouldn’t.
But Andersen did hire a Jordan double and a couple of burly body guards, and created buzz by staging “Jordan sightings” around town on game day. Claims he was conducting research on viral marketing. His hot-airness even posted video on YouTube of the counterfeit Jordan eating lunch at Mimi’s Cafe in Orem.
Comments were mixed on Andersen’s blog, where he delivered a but-ridden apology.
“TERRIBLE, TERRIBLE HOAX,” wrote one couple, who could use some Prozac.
“Who cares. Funny on us,” wrote a laid-back lady who has plenty.
Admittedly, there are meaner things you could do. You could hype Free Admission Night, then make fans pay to get out. Or you could say, as Andersen did, that you’re going to build a five-star hotel and a 12,000-seat arena in Lehi, then don’t.
There are also better promotions.
For example, Andersen could wrestle a bear. I bet a lot of people would turn out to root for the bear.
Or he could pit Max Hall against Utah Ute fans in a beer-throwing contest.
Or make people spin around 10 times then try to make a layup. Now that would be funny. The video could go viral.
Andersen is trying to atone. He says he’ll refund the price of the tickets.
But he also needs to make amends to charity. Andersen should donate the $100,000 to a worthy cause.
Casey Jones is a member of The Salt Lake Tribune editorial board. His e-mail address is cjones@sltrib.com