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Hector Lionel Colon Rivera Professor Madeleine Vala English 3103 October 29 2013 Real Men !l"ing and #ll $hat %a&& '(t)s !rida" night "o* can either see a +road,a" harness -alf*nctioning or "o* can ,atch real -en fl" ' reads this offensive .e, /or0 Cit" advertise-ent for Madison 12*are 3arden and their bas0etball tea- the 4nic0s5 $he advertise-ent ,as obvio*sl" referring to the -*sical 617ider8Man9 $*rn Off the :ar0; ,hose high fl"ing st*nts have res*lted in the in<*ring of several actors5 (ronicall" #-ar=e 1to*de-ire the 7la"er feat*red in the ad ,as in<*red hi-self at the ti-e of its release >E1P.?5 (t all goes bac0 to the g*" code 6the -ore sha-e a -an brings *7on another the -anlier he beco-es; >Colon 2?5 +" clai-ing that +road,a" -ale 7erfor-ers are not real -en the" see- to heighten their -asc*linit" b*t ,hat the" are reall" doing is ins*lting one of ./C)s oldest traditions and de-onstrating <*st ho, threatened the" feel b" the-5 (t <*st co-es across as a re7*lsive act of des7eration and 7roves ho, insec*re the" reall" are li0e -ost 6real; -en tend to be5 Men in sho, b*siness have for long been erroneo*sl" referred to as 6sissies; -ainl" b" athletes and traditional -acho -en5 @hat athletes don)t see- to *nderstand is that s7orts too are a for- of entertain-ent b*t *nli0e the arts one in ,hich "o* eAhibit "o*r training as o77osed to a final 7rod*ct5 (n other ,ords the ga-e is basicall" a ,or0

Colon 2 o*t5 $he tr*th is that +road,a" 7erfor-ers are -ore than ca7able and do ta0e on the 7h"sical activities eAhibited b" 7la"ers on the co*rt the" certainl" do feel 7ain as ,ell5 $he difference is the" do it before the a*dience arrives5 # 7erfor-er can not sho, 7ain on stage no -atter ho, -*ch he is h*rting5 $he ,or0 of a 7erfor-er in a ,a" is ver" -*ch li0e that of a chefB the -ore 7re78,or0 he does on a 7late the less "o* see in the final 7rod*ct5 # great 7erfor-er doesn)t let the a*dience 0no, ho, -*ch ,or0 he has 7*t into his 7erfor-ance on the contrar" he -*st -a0e it loo0 eas"5 #thletes in the other hand do loo0 li0e the")re ,or0ing hard and 2*ite 7ro*dl" eAhibit their 7ain5 .o, if according to the sacred r*les of -anhood enforced b" o*r societ" a real -an -*st not cr" or sho, his e-otions 7erfor-ers are in -an" ,a"s -ore 6-anl"; than athletes5 (t ,o*ld be interesting to ,atch a bas0etball 7la"er atte-7t -*lti7le grand <etCs or 7iro*ettes D la seconde ,hile s-iling and landing gracef*ll" li0e so -an" 7erfor-ers on +road,a" do eight ti-es a ,ee05 Enless the" had 7revio*s <a&& or ballet training the" co*ldn)t and the" certainl" ,o*ldn)t loo0 gracef*l ,hile doing it5 $hat)s beca*se in dance ever" little ste7 "o* ta0e re2*ires intensive and 7ainf*l training5 (n order to ac2*ire fleAibilit" dancers are 7*t thro*gh co*ntless ho*rs of so*l cr*shing 7o,er stretching ,hich ,o*ld eAtract tears fro- even the to*ghest of -en5 Male dancers are the ones that do the lifting and -ost of the ver" 7h"sical <*-7s ,hich -eans their training needs to be even -ore rigoro*s5 +eing strong is not a choice if the" are serio*s abo*t dancing the" <*st have to be no -atter ,hat it ta0es5 Of co*rse ,hen the ad refers to 6real -en; it doesn)t -ean athletic or even

Colon 3 strong it -eans stereot"7ical5 # -an co*ld have the abilit" to score -*lti7le 7oints on a bas0etball ga-e b*t if he has to do it ,hile ,earing a cost*-e or singing he s*ddenl" does not a77ear to be that strong an"-ore5 (t)s the ,a" o*r -ind has been ad<*sted to thin0 and 7recisel" ,hat the ad eA7loits5 (t ta0es advantage of the fact that the" 0no, -ost of their fans ,o*ld agree ,ith it5 $here)s so-ething abo*t a bas0etball *nifor- one g*esses that -a0es 7la"ers feel li0e the" co*ld get a,a" ,ith -*rder ,hich the" *s*all" do eAce7t for this ti-e5 @e)re all acc*sto-ed to s7orts advertise-ents being offensive or arrogant b*t there ,as so-ething abo*t this one that raised -a<or disg*st5 1o -*ch so that the Madison 12*are 3arden 7eo7le ,ere forced to ta0e the- do,n according to E1P.5 6$he ad ,as si-7l" bad <*dge-ent on o*r 7art @e=re in the 7rocess of having thei--ediatel" re-oved5 @e a7ologi&e to an"one ,ho ,as offended5; # -ob of angr" +road,a" fans straight and ga" ali0e -an" of ,hich considered the ad to be ho-o7hobic as ,ell too0 to the -essage boards and social net,or0s to eA7ress their disg*st5 %onathan Higbee ,rote in (nstinct -aga&ine9

6$he ad ,hich insin*ates that +road,a" actors are not 'real -en' ,hile athletes are has left .e, /or0 ga"s and s7orts fans >and ga" s7orts fans? debating its 7lace in 20125 !orget the fact that <o0es abo*t the 17ider-an 7rod*ction >referenced in the ad? are soooo 2010B ()d love to see the 'real -en' of M13 .et,or0)s o*tdated i-agination don tights harness *7 and s,ing above a cro,d in one of the -ost dangero*s sit*ations to hit

Colon F +road,a" since H*gh %ac0-an)s one -an sho, ca*sed -ini riots in Hell)s 4itchen5 .o reall" ()d love to see that5 (n a "ear that has -ar0ed considerable and *n7recedented 7rogress in the ,ar against ho-o7hobia in s7orts >Chris 4l*,e for starters? this ad isGif not co-7letel" offensiveGla&" and not f*nn"5; Even if "o* do not find the ad to be offensive there)s also the fact that it ,as terribl" ill conceived5 !or starters even tho*gh at a first gli-7se it -ight see- li0e the" do the" do not have a clear target a*dience5 (t ,as -ost li0el" directed at the siss"8hating cro,d b*t then again those 7eo7le ,o*ldn)t be ca*ght dead in a +road,a" sho, an",a"s so it)s rather a 7ointless -essage5 #nd the 7eo7le ,ho ,o*ld have to decide bet,een a +road,a" sho, or a bas0etball ga-e obvio*sl" li0e +road,a" so ,o*ld the" a77reciate it being -oc0edH 1*re the ad is clever and catch" b*t it ,as a terrible b*siness decision in an" ,a" "o* loo0 at it5 (gnoring the conteAt the ad is itself is 2*ite handso-e5 $he color sche-e of blac0 orange and ,hite and -ini-alistic design -a0es it loo0 high end ,hile still -aintaining its edge5 1to*de-ire loo0s -enacing eno*gh to evo0e res7ect fro- the traditional -ale s7ectators ,hile ver" s*btl" eA*ding ra, seA a77eal5 #fter all the -en alone are not going to fill the stadi*-s5 Ho,ever there is in -" o7inion one -a<or fla, in its design the si&e distrib*tion of the font5 $he biggest ,ord in the ad is 6+RO#:@#/ ; ,ith 6RE#L ME. !L/ ; and 6($)1 !R(:#/ .(3H$; in second and third 7lace res7ectivel"5 (f one 7ass it 2*ic0l" those are -ost li0el" the onl" ,ords one

Colon I ,o*ld read5 #nother fact to consider is the contradictor" nat*re of the ad as the Madison 12*are 3arden does host concerts and -*sicals as ,ell as s7orting events5 (t even hosted Cir2*e d* 1oleil ,hich has 7lent" of fl"ing -en and in tights nonetheless5 @ho are the" co-7eting againstH Oh right <*st that e-ble-atic centenar" -*lti billion dollar ind*str" *7 at F2nd5 1-art -ove considering the -illions of to*rists that +road,a" brings into the cit"5 $o*rists that the" co*ld ta0e advantage of and often do5 (t sho*ldn)t -atter ho, the" get there the i-7ortant thing is that the")re there5 .e, /or0 Cit" is a brand the -ore the cit" gro,s the better for ever"one5 #ccording to the +road,a" Leag*e 6:*ring the 201082011 season the +road,a" ind*str" contrib*ted J1152 billion to the econo-" of .e, /or0 Cit" and s*77orted KL 000 <obs5; (n 2012 d*ring the season in ,hich the ad ,as 7osted 617ider8Man; alone the sho, the ad -oc0ed -ade J2 9F1 M90 in a single ,ee0 brea0ing the record for the highest single ,ee0 gross ever for a +road,a" sho,5 .o ,onder the 4nic0s ,ere envio*s555 :oesn)t this see- re-iniscent of high school9 $he school)s bas0etball teab*ll"ing and sabotaging the dra-a de7art-entH $he difference in this case being that a -*lti billion organi&ation is the one doing the b*ll"ing5 (t)s in ti-es li0e these ,hen one thin0s the ,hole ,orld is <*st li0e a high school5 $han0f*ll" not *nli0e in -an" high schools toda" tolerance and co--on sense are arriving at the scene5 $he fact that so -an" 7eo7le co-7lained and that M13 not onl" had to ta0e do,n the ads b*t also a7ologi&e sho,s that ,e are ,ell on o*r ,a" to,ards a -ore tolerant societ"5 +*t

Colon L tolerance altho*gh vital is not eno*gh to achieve tr*e e2*alit" for that ,e also need res7ect5 $hose in 7o,er sho*ldn)t si-7l" allo, or 7er-it 7eo7le to be different ,hile still feeling s*7eriorB the" sho*ld e-brace the- and feel e2*al as ,ell5 $hat)s ,hat it all co-es do,n to5 $he ad ,hile offensive gives *s a 7ers7ective of ,here ,e stand toda" as a societ"5 $here)s obvio*sl" a ver" long road ahead5 $he i-7ortant thing is that real -en have flo,n on +road,a" for 2*ite so-e ti-e no, and contin*e to do so5 .ot onl" on !rida" nights b*t K ti-es a ,ee0 ,hich is ,a" -ore than can be said for the 4nic0s5 #nd so it see-s the .e, /or0 Cit" <oc0s ,ill <*st have to settle ,ith their non eAistent recent victories for 7*blicit" and fight long and hard for another one5 #fter all 6$he s*n ,ill co-e o*t to-orro,; ,hile the cit" contin*es to s,a" along to the ever Ra&&le8:a&&ling :o Re Mi of the L*llab" of +road,a"5

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