twodoebs
Random Thoughts From Our Random MindsMonday, November 01, 2010
The Extra Point: Consol Energy Center
By: DoebetteThe Extra Point: Consol Energy Center
Pens' official soda hard to swallow
The Consol Energy Center will not serve Coke or Pepsi, but instead offer cola drinkers a fourth-string alternative: RC Cola. I wouldn't have believed it unless I saw the picture with my own eyes: a Consol concession stand with a huge RC Cola logo adorning the drink stand.
Let's see if we can put this in perspective. If each cola were a Pittsburgh sports team, Coke and Pepsi are the Steelers and the Penguins and RC Cola would be the Riverhounds. Who are the Riverhounds? Exactly. (For the record, the Riverhounds are the semi-pro soccer team that plays their games at a high school stadium.)
After all this is the same low-level drink that was skewered in 1997 by the satirical newspaper "The Onion," which imagined the drink maker celebrating its 10th sale.
"Employees at Royal Crown Cola are jubilant in the wake of the 10th product sale in the company's 68-year history. 'This is a historic day for RC Cola,' Royal Crown CEO Tad Lipscomb said."
Advertisement
Ouch.
It's no wonder the Pens tried to keep this quiet. The deal - a multi-year pact with the Dr Pepper Snapple Beverage Group - was actually announced back in May. I'm conspiratorially guessing was a purposefully let's-stay-under-the-radar move because it's almost as if the team was trying to keep things quiet - ala the Pirates and contracts for general managers and skippers. In fact, the official Penguins press release about the exclusive drink deal buries the RC bombshell till the very end.
"Pittsburgh Penguins fans and other Consol Energy Center patrons will be able to select from more than 30 beverage brands from the Dr Pepper Snapple Group when Pittsburgh's new arena opens this year," the press release reads. "Top-rated brands such as Dr Pepper, 7-Up, Hawaiian Punch, Sunkist Orange, A&W Root Beer, Canada Dry Ginger Ale, premium Snapple teas and juices, Venom energy drink and two types of bottled water - Fiji Water and Deja Blue - will be among the offerings, which will vary throughout the arena."
It's not until the very last paragraph (274 words into a 291 word press release) that RC Cola is even mentioned.
"Other Dr Pepper Snapple Brands include RC Cola and Diet Rite Cola, Mott's, Schweppes, Squirt, and Welch's."
Conspicuously absent from this later mention of "Other Dr Pepper Snapple Brands" is the phrase "top-rated." I believe that's known in the industry as damning with faint praise.
So what could possibly encourage a club as first-rate as the Penguins to enter into a Faustian deal with a fourth-rate drink? The only logical explanation I can come up with is that Sidney Crosby demanded the arena serve Canada Dry Ginger Ale (being a gold medal Canadian and all). And in order to serve Canada Dry, the arena had to serve RC Cola, too.
That has to be the reason. No other explanation makes sense.
**********
Archives
April 2005 May 2005 June 2005 July 2005 August 2005 September 2005 October 2005 November 2005 December 2005 January 2006 February 2006 March 2006 April 2006 May 2006 June 2006 July 2006 August 2006 September 2006 November 2006 December 2006 January 2007 February 2007 March 2007 April 2007 May 2007 July 2007 August 2007 September 2007 October 2007 November 2007 December 2007 January 2008 February 2008 March 2008 April 2008 May 2008 June 2008 July 2008 August 2008 September 2008 October 2008 November 2008 December 2008 January 2009 February 2009 March 2009 April 2009 May 2009 June 2009 July 2009 August 2009 September 2009 October 2009 November 2009 December 2009 January 2010 February 2010 March 2010 April 2010 May 2010 June 2010 July 2010 August 2010 September 2010 October 2010 November 2010 December 2010 January 2011 February 2011 March 2011 April 2011 May 2011 June 2011 July 2011 August 2011 September 2011 October 2011 November 2011 December 2011 January 2012 February 2012 March 2012 April 2012 May 2012 June 2012 July 2012 October 2012 December 2012
