---abum---

On 19 Jan 2007 02:29:07 -0800, "earl" <earl_the_habs_fan@yahoo.com>
proclaimed:

There's a difference between an icon and a brand. Gretzky is so
easily recognized because of the fact that his strangely rodent-like
face and unnaturally white teeth have been splattered over TV and
magazine ads for the last two and a half decades.

Gretzky is a corporate product and his influence on this country is
that he has gotten millions of Canadians to buy a certain kind of gas
or eat a certain kind of donut or whatever. Gretzky is the NHL's
version of synergistic marketing, he has helped many different
businesses link up under his image and sell their crap to all kinds of
different markets--most of companies have been US companies with
subsidiary branches in Canada. I personally don't want to define my
Canadian identity by what products I buy or what clothing I wear on my
body. I'm getting sick of people saying that a product like Gretzky
or a place like Tim Hortons is what Canada is all about. It's
pathetic to believe something like that.

If it weren't for all of this commercial hype, I don't think anyone
would remember Gretzky's face. Let's face it, the guy may have scored
a lot of goals, but he has all the personality of a sack of flour.
The guy is blander than unbuttered toast. I don't think anyone who
didn't watch baseball would be able to recognize a picture of Hank
Aaron, for example. Not to take anything away from Aaron, who is
obviously one of the great players of all time, but I can't picture
what he looks like because he was never marketed as a product.

Gretzky meant something to Canada once, but this was long ago
perverted into a big cash grab by every group Gretzky whored himself
out to. I have no respect at all for the guy. Plus he put together a
just awful team at the last Olympics--I mean, who the hell sends Doan
to the games?

Adam.