The Dallas Mavericks franchise is very excited about the forthcoming Cooper Flagg-era. This is (almost) the moment we’ve all been waiting for. To their chagrin, however, it seems that some people are more than happy to remind them that this timestamp in the Maverick’s organizational existence can also accurately be labeled “the post-Doncic-era”. For the most part, the franchise’s ownership group and senior leadership have done a remarkable job of shrugging that label off, what with the NBA prospect
of the decade now at their disposal (not to mention a locker room boasting an elite front court ready to prove that defense can win championships).
But it can be hard to focus on your future goals when treacherous marketing schemes are being calculated to thwart your plans to move on from the past. Mike Curtis with The Dallas Morning News reported just this past Wednesday that “former Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic is featured in a national advertising campaign for the Overwatch 2 video game, with promotional billboards are [sic] popping up all around the country, including near American Airlines Center.”
Apparently, the digital ads were seen just steps from the AAC; as in, right around the corner from the entrance to the building. For clarity, we’re talking about massive digital media ads featuring Luka Doncic’s face (in Overwatch character as “Lucio”), looking (hilariously) formidable, with the caption “Cowboys Never Die” flashing conspicuously for his ex-employer’s viewing (dis)pleasure.
It seems that said employer didn’t like what they saw. Curtis reported that the team made an official request to remove the ads from their close proximity to their arena, while also expressly maintaining in their response to Dallas Morning News (as Curtis mentions) that the request to remove the ads “was not made by anyone within the Maverick’s ownership group or senior leadership.” LOL, suuuuure. It was Barry the hotdog vendor down in the VIP lounge. He got really upset when he saw that ad. And there’s zero tolerance within the organization for anything that upsets Barry…
At any rate, it’s certainly an interesting placement. It seems as if the marketing team for Overwatch 2 has a hunch that the target demographic for their Doncic-featured advertising campaign can be reached right there by the Maverick’s arena. Who would’ve thought?
