New York City subway ads describing the New York Knicks as "hopeless" will reportedly be taken down, just one day after images of the train went viral.
The orange and blue train was part of Fox Sports 1s "Pick A Side" campaign which had both negative and positive reactions to various sports topics, including the state of the beloved Knicks. Images of the anti-Knicks side of the train started circulating yesterday afternoon, but truth is the other side of the train had the Knicks painted in a more positive light.
According to the NY Times, "The advertisements focused on hot-button sports issues, such as N.B.A. superteams, the trade of Kyrie Irving for Isaiah Thomas, the Michigan-Ohio State rivalry and whether Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., known for end zone antics, is a distraction for the team."
Some of the ads on the Subway read, "Things are looking bleak. They are the laughing stock of the NBA. They stink and they're gonna stink for a while. —Nick Wright" and "Sit here if you blame James Dolan."
Check out some of the pics of the anti-Knicks side, as well as the positive side, below.
https://twitter.com/_/status/915242815428464641
https://twitter.com/_/status/915031468040228864
According to ZagsBlog, Knicks owner James Dolan was "furious" with the advertisements and reportedly called Rupert Murdoch, who owns Fox, to complain. The ads will now be taken down.
Fox issued the following statement regarding their "Pick A Side" ad campaign.
Per Gothamist,
"Today, FS1 featured statements on a New York City subway car intended to reflect the distinct emotions and opinions of passionate sports fans," Fox said in a statement about the ad campaign. "We regret the tone and are removing the content in its entirety."
The Knicks fell to the Brooklyn Nets in their first preseason game last night, 115-107. The team will open up the 2017 regular season on October 19th in Oklahoma City against their former All-Star forward, Carmelo Anthony, as well as Russell Westbrook, Paul George and the rest of the Thunder.