#WeeWeedUp
Smartest man in the room is not amused by this boy's shenanigans.
Posted on 04/08/2015 10:45:43 AM PDT by drewh
Guess how much ESPN is worth these days…
A) $10 billion B) $25 billion C) $50 billion
If you answered C, you win a gold star…which is about all that 12-year-old Sam Holtz of Illinois will take home after winning ESPN’s bracket challenge. One problem: Said challenge is supposed to pay $20,000 and a trip to Maui to a randomly-drawn winner among the top 1%. But because Sam is only 12, he’s ineligible to be considered for the prize.
Rules are rules — that’s understood. In this case, Sam used his Dad’s email address to enter his picks. But ESPN could slam-dunk this situation in a hurry by simply stating while the sixth grader isn’t eligible for his winnings now, he can use the money–put away in a trust–to apply toward a college education or trade school at age 18. As for the trip, that too can be used upon graduation. It almost makes too much sense…
How awesome was Sam’s bracket performance, by the way? He missed only six games on the entire bracket – and scored a perfect 100 percent on games played in the Sweet 16, Elite 8, Final 4 and the Championship (a 68-63 Duke win over Wisconsin). But instead of paying him in some capacity, the Chicago Tribune reports SportsCenter offered to let him anchor an episode of the show. His mother told a local paper (The Daily Herald) she plans on keeping Sam home from school today because ESPN (and other outlets) are begging for interviews. In other words, the network plans on exploiting the situation–which it will portray itself otherwise as doing cool stuff for the kid instead–that will be of little cost to the most profitable channel in the history of television.
“I’m irritated,” Holtz told the Daily Herald. “Yes, I’m still proud of my accomplishment, but I’m not happy with the decision.”
Nor should he. ESPN had a chance here to take an awkward situation and turn it into PR gold. Instead, they blow an easy layup on their way to looking like the cheapest rich guy on the block.
“The great thing is that this kid beat all these experts out there,” ESPN spokesman Kevin Ota explains. “He beat all of our commentators, all these celebrities, all the college experts. That’s what makes this so awesome. The prize really is secondary.”
When you’re worth $50 billion, maybe a mere $20,000 and a trip to Maui can be characterized as “secondary.”
He lied about his age?
Think of all the good will they could get out of this by doing something like “this sets no precedent in the future and in all likely hood we will not allow underage winners in the future, however we have decided to place 20k into a college savings account that will be accessible when he turns 18.”
if he is not eligible then he is not eligible
were the rules legible?
The idea that someone who is not eligible can get their prize held for them and pick it up in 6 years is ludicrous.
He should have just lied about his name, his parentage, his country of birth and his citizenship and he would have been okay.
why?
Can a 10 year old win the lottery?
Quit being a whining liberal,the kid learned a lesson worth more than 20k,liberals only ignore rules when it suits them or the people they support.
Think of all the BAD precedents this will set, when there will be tons more underage contestants who will cite this as an example of why the rules don’t apply to them.
#WeeWeedUp
Smartest man in the room is not amused by this boy's shenanigans.
Question #1 for me is what is law concerning minors participating in sweepstakes / gambling? The ESPN rule may be a CYA measure if it’s illegal.
Of course, no mention of any existence or lack thereof of any such law.
ESPN, owned by DISNEY................................
Sure - they can set themselves up so that the rules never apply, and they can never enforce them. The kid violated the rules when he signed up. Therefore, legally, he was never an entrant.
“Rules are rules — that’s understood.” Apparently not, by the kid or this writer.
Or a least a family vacation to DisneyWorld..
no disaster here. He lied. He cheated.
1) Rules are rules. If he’s ineligible, he’s ineligible. period.
2) However, since he used his father’s email to register, I don’t see why ESPN doesn’t take the least PR-damaging move and declare the father the winner, with the wink-and-a-nod that the father actually submitted the entry and just had his kid make the picks. Unless there’s a legal issue I’m not aware of, that is.
Probably found out the kid is a Christian
They’ve got more than a PR problem if they payout an underage participant. Those rules exist primarily for ESPN’s protection, that way nobody can decide they’re letting minors gamble. Cash payout prizes and minors don’t mix.
Dear Mr. Holtz:
We regret that the rules prohibit us from paying the winnings to a minor. However, in lieu of that, we will make a donation of a similar amount in your name to a charity of your choice.
Please let us know to which charity you choose to have this amount go.
Sincerely,
ESPN
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