As washingtontimes.com is reporting, the United States Concealed Carry Association made an attempt to place the above ad in this year’s Super Bowl program. You would be forgiven for thinking that this was just another brilliant bit of Daniel Defense-style guerrilla marketing, angling for an inevitable rejection and running with it from there. Cynic that I am, that’s what I suspected. But when I reached out to USCCA editor Kevin Michalowski to get the story from the horse’s mouth, here’s what he told me . . .
It was indeed a genuine ad…. and genuine attempt to place the ad in the Official Superbowl Program. It was not a TV commercial… some people are confused about that.
We attempted to place a full page advertisement as a combination deal with the other national sports leagues including NBA, NHL and NASCAR. The representatives working with the Super Bowl Program objected to the gun on the model’s hip, the words “jail” and “violent” in the text of the ad and they did not like the full name of our company “The United States Concealed Carry Association” presented in the ad. The ad was directing people to a website where they could download a guide to personal safety. The NFL reps also wanted to have input on the landing page where the customers would sign up for the safety guide.
So, we removed those elements. We cut out the offending words, removed the gun from the photo and even changed our name to the commonly use acronym USCCA. After all of that, the NFL reps still rejected the ad, so we tried to tone it done again. It was then rejected without further comment.
I should point out that the NHL and NASCAR both accepted our ad without any complaints.
And here’s Kevin making the case himself:
[h/t SS]
Another reason why hockey is better than football.
Truer words were never writ.
i think ice hockey is a way better sport than football, but the nhl sucks. hard. maybe not quite as bad but the nfl, but theyre still no friend of mine.
The league may suck but most (not all, but most) NHL players are substantially better role models for our youth than the overwhelming Thug Life NFLers or NBAers, for that matter. Hockey is the best stick and ball sport, IMO.
The really sad thing to top it off is the NFL and NBA are then also not in the same league. The NBA has hit an all-time low over the last decade. The “thug factor” is unbelievable. What happened to the Michael Jordan’s of the sport????
And unlike some of my recent posts on other topics, I wish I could say I was being sarcastic . . .
Y’all are ignoring the 5-time champion Spurs, who are also community role models, and the winningest pro-sports team.
Hockey makes no sense to me when fights and goons are considered offense. Was hockey invented by a communist??? Win by any means necessary, especially if you can’t play the game in question. Fighters don’t interrupt their matches with hockey games, hockey should take the hint, eh?
What’s ‘football’?
Kids game using a big field of short grass. Has a bunch of useless brain damaged ghetto thugs standing around on it. GIve them your wallet and you can sit for several hours and watch the grass grow and occasionally the people on the field move around a little. Like soccer but with larger children and dreadlocks.
So they would rather I see some depressing Nationwide ad instead of this? Figures
Yeah-that Nationwide ad was depressing. Then again, aside from the Snickers ad with Danny Trejo and Steve Buscemi, the rest of them were either depressing, stupid, or downright repellent.
I dunno, we got to see a sniper in the Pierce Brosnan Hyundai ad
That loctite ad was the most repulsive thing I’ve seen since Janet Jackson’s nipple.
Or the scientology ad.
Religious controversy, sure we’ll take it! They have millions of dollars! A video trying to help people use their guns safely? None of that!
I have mixed emotions about USCCA. When I recently got in to personal protection a few years, I looked into this organization after an email solicitation. It was some free guides or the such. With the name ” United States Concealed Carry Association ” someone new into firearms would think this is an organization mainly focused on supporting rights, safety and proper use of concealed carry. Perfect at the time for a newbie like me. Turns out their main goal above everything else is to sell you insurance. I have NO PROBLEM if someone wants to sell you firearm protection insurance. Just don’t market it and choose a name as if it were something else. Maybe I’m being a little harsh but it wasn’t the experience I expected at the time.
I wondered how they got enough money for an ad in a super bowl flier.
They probably didn’t expect to get it there. Free publicity is what it’s about.
Google the owners name and you’ll se what he’s about.
Many fled when buying their “insurance” (it was not a true insurance product at that time, I don’t now about now) to continue to participate in their forums (and receive their magazine)–none of which was free as it was. The owner has always been a salesman, first selling investments like gold, and then branching out into other areas. It was a turn off. I see that that zebra hasn’t changed its stripes.
I always chuckle at the use of the word “product” when referring to insurance.
The NFL is a left wing organization as well as firearm ownership haters.
I couldn’t see NASCAR saying no to this. Half its fans are tooled up–alienating gun owners is obviously a bad idea for Redneck Ring-Around-The Rosie.
“Moms agianst whatever bs theyre about” I laughed
The NFL has to be against defensive gun use. They need to protect their players who most are just common street thugs.
As Rush learned when he tried to buy 20% of an NFL team and a torrent of lies and old Internet rumors got in the way, most sports writers and reporters are super far Left Liberals.
Ray
Of course the NFL is against gun ownership, imagine how many dead players there would be if their girlfriends could carry defensive firearms. Some teams would be decimated.
That made me lol
Remember, people like Paul Allen are team owners and give lots of money to anti-self defense groups. Sad, as I enjoy the Seahawks as a team, but I have to loath the owner.
Does anyone find it slightly hypocritical that a organization for Concealed Carry is using a “Model” that is obviously Open Carrying a hand gun, when so many Concealed Carry Groups have come out against Open Carry?
Look at the trouble we are having with it in Texas and all the Nay-sayers including the NRA, and before anyone says anything I do not support Kory Watkins tactics or the tactics of Open Carry Tarrant County, and what hell Open Carry Texas, whom I do support, is catching over wanting this simple more comfortable way of protecting my family and myself.
Support HB195 and SB11
USCCA is primarily a self-defense insurance company, not an advocate for carrying concealed per se.
Ok thank you for the Clarification.
Yeah they might remind the folks that a lot of NFL players are violent psychopaths. Gotta’ keep up the fantasy of a bunch of regular guys…
I always liked Nascar ads better, anyway.
I’m no fan of the NFL and no fan of gun biggots in general but the ad has nothing at all to do with gun safety. The immediately linked material from the ad has nothing to do with gun safety. Both the ad and the linked content do nothing but introduce this organization and lead to additional steps for them to gain more information about you and ultimately sell you something. I’d never heard of them so I followed down the rabbit hole for a couple of clicks until it became obvious that this is an organization engaging in what are to me questionable and misleading marketing practices.
They may well be an upstanding organization providing good training and/or insurance but their internet presence feels awfully scammy.