10 Sports Stories That Were Almost Definitely Publicity Stunts
Tim Tebow to Major League Baseball? Come on—that has to be for attention, right? (Plenty of folks think so, anyway.)
Sometimes, things happen in sports that are so out there, it's hard not to suspect they might be orchestrated for publicity. When it comes to sports and entertainment, it can be difficult to separate the real and the fake.
Much like Kim Kardashian's feud with Taylor Swift or the aforementioned pop star's relationship with actor Tom Hiddleston, publicity-stunt theories abound with athletes just as they do with celebrities.
The following are 10 recent sports stories that sure seemed to be about attracting attention. Maybe they were and maybe they were not, but if one were a betting person, one might understandably wager on press-mongering.
Disclaimer: Obviously there is no solid proof any of these stories were fabricated, and those involved have not admitted to taking action to create publicity. It's just that from the outside looking in, it sure looks a lot like that's what happened.
Shoutout to Ryan Lochte and John Scott. Their respective stories were fantastic enough to be suspected of publicity-stunt status, but Lochte lost all his sponsors, and the NHL fought Scott's All-Star bid at most every turn. So, they're clear.
Josh Norman vs. OBJ Media Feud
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Look, Washington cornerback Josh Norman and New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. probably do have some actual beef based on on-field stuff—the December game that ignited their media feud was hella chippy.
The perpetuation of said feud, however, seems rather orchestrated.
Norman went on ESPN after the December game and called Beckham "OK," which prompted OBJ to respond on Twitter.
In July, Beckham told GQ (via John Breech of CBS Sports), "If I wasn't playing him twice a year, maybe people wouldn't bring it up as much. But now it'll be a lot more media attention for him, attention that I don't really look for, attention that I don't need. The reason he's become so relevant is because of me."
Norman responded, per Peter Sblendorio of the New York Daily News. "He's relevant because of a catch. But we're not gonna go there. I'm not into the war of words."
Right. Neither of them is into "the war of words." Sure seems like it.
One might go as far as to say most, if not all, public feuds are at least partly about players drawing attention to themselves.
A-Rod-to-the-Marlins Talk
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Alex Rodriguez has long been a magnet for publicity.
While his release from the New York Yankees was surely not a stunt—but rather, a savvy baseball decision in line with the club's recent youth movement—the chatter about A-Rod playing with the Miami Marlins sure seems like a media grab. A-Rod's own spokesperson said he would not sign with another team in 2016.
Though the Yankees retained A-Rod as a special advisor, and though he is 41 years old, he can technically sign with another team any time he wants. He has roots in Miami, and the Marlins lost slugger Giancarlo Stanton for the season due to injury.
In mid-August, Marlins president of baseball operations Michael Hill said the team would consider signing Rodriguez, and team president David Samson said pragmatically, "You wouldn't rule Alex out because he's Alex, and you wouldn't sign him because he's Alex," per Ken Davidoff of the New York Post.
And yet, the Yankees released A-Rod for a reason. He hit .200 in 65 games for the team in 2016. If the Marlins sign him in 2016 or 2017, it's not a stretch to think folks will cry "publicity stunt."
And whether they sign him or not, even talking about it seems a bit fishy, right?
James Harden and Khloe Kardashian
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Of course, Houston Rockets guard James Harden could have been dating reality star Khloe Kardashian for real. However, when a Kardashian is involved, the stench of publicity stunts is always at least mildly in the air.
The duo reportedly called it quits in February after several months of dating, and Kardashian implied Harden was unfaithful on her now-cancelled show, Kocktails with Khloe, on FYI (via TMZ Sports).
Of course, the Kardashian family has a long history of dating athletes, many of whom have shown a decline in production post-Dash. In that regard, it's hard to imagine an athlete dating a reality star just for press, but again, it's got to be considered as a possibility.
And if the relationship weren't entirely fabricated, let's agree the absurd fireworks birthday party was to get attention, OK?
Khloe was more recently linked to New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., but that really did just seem like the media blowing a few suggestive photos out of proportion.
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Brandon Marshall Challenges Antonio Brown
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This one actually seems fairly cut-and-dried.
In July, New York Jets wide receiver Brandon Marshall issued a challenge to his counterpart on the Pittsburgh Steelers, Antonio Brown, via Instagram video.
The proposed terms were basically whichever receiver recorded more yards in 2016 would have to hand over a luxury car to the other. In the video, Marshall stood next to a Porsche that, as it turned out, wasn't even his but instead a promotional item at Jets training camp.
Marshall told reporters, per Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com, "I just love competing. I love competition. There are games within the game, if you follow me."
Marshall could have been serious about a competition with Brown, but as Brown pointed out to TMZ Sports, via Fowler, "If he really serious, call me ... I'll gladly accept. Don't internet it."
The implication there was, clearly, that Marshall issued the challenge as a publicity stunt. And it sure seems like he did, right? Otherwise, indeed, why internet it?
Mayweather vs. McGregor Fight Talk
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Ever since Floyd Mayweather retired from boxing in 2015, it seems folks have been buzzing about a potential comeback. Notably, rumors of a fight against UFC superstar Conor McGregor have run rampant.
Mayweather himself perpetuated said rumors with a now-deleted Instagram post in May. And after McGregor's win over Nate Diaz at UFC 202, he told reporters, per Bleacher Report's Steven Rondina, "I've got to talk about what's next. I've got a lot of options, and some might not be in this sport."
Let's unpack that for a minute. First of all, the two athletes participate in different sports—Mayweather in boxing and McGregor in MMA. So right off the bat, the evidence for "publicity stunt" is pretty strong.
Second, Mayweather is technically retired, and thus, he gets far less hype than he used to as an active fighter. It seems logical he might want to drum up some chatter about himself, right? And McGregor, well, McGregor falsely tweeted he was retiring in April, effectively setting the internet ablaze.
These don't seem like two guys afraid of the spotlight. In fact, they seem to intentionally create it.
Jim Harbaugh's Public Satellite Camp Saga
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Michigan football coach Jim Harbaugh seems to relish media attention. Much of what he does looks to be clearly for that purpose—the rap video, the Drake-inspired tweet, etc.
So, one could wonder if any of his actual football decisions might be partial publicity stunts as well. For instance, Harbaugh has been engaged in a battle over satellite camps for most of the offseason. The coach publicly disagreed with Alabama's Nick Saban and the SEC as a whole over the right to host the camps.
Sure, the camps have recruiting benefits, so the entire thing probably wasn't just for publicity. Then again, did he have to tweet so much? Remember the infamous (probable) subtweet, "Does anyone find whining to be attractive?"
The public nature of the battle could have easily been part of Harbaugh's plan to either (a) Draw attention to his program (understandable), (b) Increase his chances of getting his camps or (c) Both.
Harbaugh responded to camp-related comments from Ohio State's athletic director Gene Smith, and Shawn Windsor of the Detroit Free Press ran a story titled "Jim Harbaugh hits target with his tweets—the media."
(Nodding.)
Nate Robinson's Seahawks Tryout
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Nate Robinson—who is 32 years old and has already played 11 NBA seasons—worked out for the Seattle Seahawks in June.
Head coach Pete Carroll said Robinson "looked really quick" and "caught the ball really well," per Sheil Kapadia of ESPN. However, he also called a switch to the NFL "all but impossible" and added, "I don't know if anybody could do it. But if anybody could, it might be Nate. He's that versatile an athlete and that great a competitor."
Robinson originally attended the University of Washington on a football scholarship, but a sport change at his age seems pretty unrealistic.
Indeed, Robinson told Abe Schwadron of SLAM he is still focused on a return to the NBA and added, "For me, just [the tryout] alone was enough for me as a former football player—and a dream come true because you know, not too many people get to say they worked out at the Seahawks facility."
So was the Seahawks tryout serious, just for fun, a publicity grab or what? The latter seems just as likely as any other explanation.
Madison Bumgarner Home Run Derby Rumors
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As far as pitchers go, San Francisco Giants ace Madison Bumgarner is a pretty decent hitter. In 67 at-bats as through Aug. 18, he has recorded 12 hits, including three home runs.
So it wasn't completely absurd when rumors began to fly about Bumgarner taking part in the Home Run Derby during MLB All-Star Weekend in July.
The pitcher told ESPN he'd be up for it, and Chicago Cubs ace Jake Arrieta chimed in as well, saying, "If he's in it, I want to be in it," per Scott Boeck of USA Today.
The MLB Players Association put the kibosh on the idea, and neither actually participated, which was probably logical given the risk of injury, overexertion and/or throwing off each team's pitching rotation.
And yet, it was fun to think about. Perhaps that was the point? Sports leagues are always trying to drum up ways to make their All-Star festivities more interesting, and this certainly did that.
Jimmer Fredette's 10-Day Knicks Contract
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Jimmer Fredette was a popular college basketball player at Brigham Young University and was drafted No. 10 overall in 2011. And yet, his NBA career has been disappointing—five seasons, four teams and never more than 7.6 points per game for a season.
Fredette signed a 10-day contract with the struggling New York Knicks in February. The guard went to high school in Glen Falls, New York, and, according to Ian Begley of ESPN, Knicks fans even chanted his name a few times at Madison Square Garden.
However, with just seven points in five total minutes, Fredette failed to play his way past that 10-day contract.
At the time of Fredette's signing, Steve Popper of the Record called it a "publicity stunt" and wrote, "So why is Fredette getting the chance now? The most likely explanation: It's the same reason Phil Jackson was named team president, the reason that Garden chairman James Dolan does everything at Madison Square Garden—to satisfy the masses."
Sounds reasonable.
Tim Tebow's Baseball Ambitions
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Tim Tebow has had quite the journey—from collegiate champion to NFL washout in just a few short years. And whether it was intentional or not, Tebow's name became synonymous with "publicity" somewhere along the way.
For instance, when the notoriously newsworthy Chip Kelly and the Philadelphia Eagles signed him in 2015—that had to be at least somewhat for the press, right? Making a splash?
Regardless, Tebow is back in the news again. And yet again, folks are probably wondering how legit his latest endeavor is.
In early August, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Tebow would hold an open tryout and invite all 30 MLB teams—that's right, MLB. Tebow is 29 years old and hasn't played competitive baseball since high school, but all of a sudden he's taking a shot at playing professionally?
Tebow's agent Jimmy Sexton said, per Schefter, "Tim's athletic ability, his work ethic, his leadership and his competitiveness were evident in football and will show in baseball. Knowing Tim's passion and desire, we won't be surprised by anything he accomplishes."
Hmm. Not convinced.
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