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Takes

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Big CatBig Cat

Mets GM Brodie Van Wagenen intentionally leaked that Yoenis Cespedes was missing to spite him

He knew that Cespedes packed up his shit and left because he was opting out but he used to be Cespedes's Agent and so he's pissed that Yoenis ended up signing with Roc Nation. And so now he's like feeding all this shit into the media... first thought if somebody just ditches the Mets you don't immediately suspect that they're dead.

While never explicitly proven as a malicious leak, the timeline of Van Wagenen's statement vs. Cespedes' representative notifying the team was highly contested and widely viewed as a PR disaster.
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PFT CommenterPFT Commenter

James Dolan staged the handshake with Spike Lee to create propaganda for the Knicks

I wouldn't put it past James Dolan. I would not at all this happens at all the time in spy movies and TV shows where you send somebody up to get long-distance snapshot of right looking like something inappropriate is happening and boom. You've got the propaganda right there.

While never proven as a 'staged spy operation', Spike Lee himself claimed the photo was a misleading attempt by Dolan to save face, making PFT's analysis of the PR tactic quite accurate to the situation's optics.
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Big CatBig Cat

Tony Grossi shouldn't be fired for his hot mic comment about Baker Mayfield, but he should lose his 'word privilege' and not be allowed to talk.

He called him [Baker Mayfield]... 'and all we got was a fucking midget.' That was a direct quote... fire him? I don't want anyone fired. I don't want to get... we're not trying to fire someone just for one mistake... I actually think what needs to happen is that he just is not allowed to talk anymore. Tony Grossi. Just completely no more words ever... someone else can talk for him. He sits in the room and listens to everybody else and not open his big trap.

Grossi was suspended but not fired, though Big Cat's satirical punishment of 'word privilege removal' obviously didn't happen.
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Big CatBig Cat

If you are a man with a fat face, you must have high-volume hair to distract people from your cheeks

If you're a bigger guy, you need to have your hair have as much volume as possible to hide the fact that you have a fat face. When you put on a hat, it always makes your face look fatter. All the focus goes to your fat fucking cheeks. So you need to have hair, just crazy hair, to take away. Hair and beard are a fat guy's best friend.

This is subjective grooming and fashion advice.
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Big CatBig Cat

If you are going to threaten someone on Twitter, you should give your home address, not your team's facility address

My problem with what [Jermaine Whitehead] did. Not that he threatened people... My problem is he said meet me at this address and then gave the facility address. If you tell someone to meet you somewhere, it has to be your house, right? Man up.

This is a humorous take on 'internet tough guy' etiquette.
Win
Big CatBig Cat

NFL players shouldn't be allowed to claim to have a broken hand on social media if it's not on the injury report

He's joking, playing with a broken hand? Because that's something you should actually be able to tell everyone like, 'Hey, actually I have a broken hand.' [If he's not on the injury report] Freddie Kitchens might be in trouble.

The NFL has strict injury reporting rules; failure to report a known injury like a broken hand would lead to fines.
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Big CatBig Cat

The controversy over Jeremy Pruitt grabbing a player's facemask is a 'nothing' story

As somebody who got grabbed by his facemask by his high school coach, I feel like I am obligated to talk about this. I think since it happened to me it needs to happen to everybody else... this is the most nothing story of all time.

This is a subjective opinion on the severity of a sideline interaction.
Loss
PFT CommenterPFT Commenter

Texas should trademark 'Horns Down' to sue people instead of complaining

Texas should just trademark the phrase 'horns down' and the motion 'horns down'. That way when everybody does it, they can actually sue them instead of just crying about it.

OpinionCFBMediumSarcastic
The university never trademarked the 'down' version for litigation purposes.
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Big CatBig Cat

Jon Gruden uses helmet stickers at the Senior Bowl because he can't remember players' names

Jon Gruden clearly is doing this because he can't remember anyone so he's like... just marking everyone with a Raider tag because he was not going to remember who he liked or not.

Purely a subjective/comedic interpretation of a coach's behavior.
Win
Big CatBig Cat

Derrick Rose's 'kill yourself' comment was not a slip of the tongue

Derrick Rose said, 'everyone that thinks that it's going to stop, kill yourself.' ... He then doubled down on it. He said, 'like I said before, kill yourself.' ... When you say it twice, you don't get the slip of the tongue tag. When you double down, the slip of the tongue doesn't work anymore.

The transcript of the press conference confirms Rose said it twice, making the argument that it was intentional at the time a logical one.
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PFT CommenterPFT Commenter

If I am ever on fire, do not piss on me to put it out

I want to say for the record, if I'm ever on fire, don't piss on me. No, just remind me to stop, drop, and roll. It's not going to help unless you're Peter North and have a stream like a fire hose. It's not going to put out the fire. You're just going to be pissing on me as I burn to death.

Scientifically, unless the volume of liquid is sufficient, it wouldn't be effective, but this is a comedic preference.
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Big CatBig Cat

It is great for golf that Patrick Reed is a villain everyone hates

Patrick Reed, though, he is the bad boy of golf. And I love this because this just keeps his street cred just keeps going up, up, and up. Everyone hates him. Guess what? It's fucking golf. ... It's actually great to have a bad guy in golf.

This is a subjective opinion on the entertainment value of a player, though Reed remained a controversial figure for years.
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PFT CommenterPFT Commenter

Jimmy Garoppolo dating a porn star is like a pro-am for sex

Jimmy Garoppolo is so confident in his sex abilities, he's doing a pro-am right now. He's playing with a pro... Jordan reached the mountaintop in his chosen profession and then he chose to go try to compete against the best in another profession.

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Big CatBig Cat

The best Hall of Fame strategy is to tell them to purposely mess up your plaque so it goes viral

If you ever get inducted into a Hall of Fame, tell them to purposely fuck up your plaque to start... have it go viral and then they'll fix it. But everyone talked about you.

In the attention economy, this logic is sound, but it's ultimately an opinion on strategy.
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PFT CommenterPFT Commenter

I am way better looking than Ed Sheeran

I'm way better looking than Ed Sheeran. A million percent... The dude can't even pee next to me.

This is entirely subjective and a comedy bit.
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Big CatBig Cat

Donte DiVincenzo's old tweets aren't problematic because he was only 13

Dante DiVincenzo... some of the tweets are deemed problematic. Now, I want to make it very clear. I don't think any of these are problematic. ... It's also a 13-year-old that, like, is stupid. And if you remember when you were 13, you were a dumb fuck, too.

A matter of opinion regarding social standards and maturity.
Loss
PFT CommenterPFT Commenter

If your name is 'Big Baby' Davis, you shouldn't be allowed to be charged as an adult in court

Also, we'll have to ask our lawyer about this, but if your name is Big Baby, can you really be charged as an adult?

OpinionPop CultureMildSarcastic
A person's nickname has no bearing on their legal status as an adult in criminal court.
Void
Big CatBig Cat

Canelo Alvarez eating steroid-tainted meat is a genius PR move to cover up doping

Canelo Alvarez, who tested positive for steroids. And he said it was actually because he was eating too many Mexican cows. ... I actually think this played. ... That's actually a smart thing to do is you just go in the off season, eat Mexican cows, and then when you get busted, be like, well, sorry. All I did was eat Mexican cows.

The 'tainted meat' excuse is a recurring and often mocked trope in sports doping cases.
Win
Big CatBig Cat

Lonzo Ball needs to fix his shot after losing to Bow Wow

If you lose to Lil' Bow Wow with no shoes on, you have to then go fix your shot. ... I know everyone says, oh, don't mess with Lonzo's game. [But] you have to then go fix your shot.

Lonzo Ball significantly reworked his shooting form later in his career, particularly with the Pelicans and Bulls, becoming a much better shooter.
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Big CatBig Cat

Everything Marcus Peters tweets is excusable because he admitted he is 'hella dumb'

It's a disclaimer on everything Marcus Peters said. He says, 'I'm hella dumb.' Everything he says after that point, you cannot hold it to him. Everything else is just a prank... You can't get in trouble for quoting a song. You can't get mad at art.

The 'hella dumb' defense is not a recognized legal or PR standard.
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Big CatBig Cat

Ted Cruz only watches porn on Twitter to avoid his wife seeing his browser history

I just love the fact that Ted Cruz doesn't know that private browsing is a thing, so he watches his porn on Twitter to not get caught by his wife. That is the most quintessential Ted Cruz thing. He only watches porn that he can find on Twitter so that no one knows he's watching porn, and now everyone knows he watches porn.

This is speculative satire and cannot be proven as Cruz's official explanation was that an 'aide' made a mistake.
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Big CatBig Cat

Willson Contreras sliding into Mia Khalifa's DMs was just a man looking for a friend

He doesn't even need PR 101 because if you read the DMs, he's just looking for a friend. ... He said, 'I just want me friend.' ... So guess what? Willson Contreras, you're fine in my book.

Loss
PFT CommenterPFT Commenter

Deontay Foreman should become a Second Amendment activist to resolve his PR issues in Texas

This is a very on-brand thing in Texas, to have a gun. Everyone's got a gun in Texas. Just become a huge Second Amendment guy. Deontay Foreman should go into the Houston Chipotle with an AR-15 strapped over your shoulder. ... Then I'm sure you'll get all the NRA people just absolutely 100% having their back.

OpinionFootballFireSarcastic
Foreman did not do this. He eventually had the charges dropped and played for the Texans.
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Big CatBig Cat

Jamie Horowitz should have worn a hat to hide his large forehead

Jamie Horowitz... Definitely should have been a hat guy. Should have went with a big hat. He's got a large forehead, and I'm not saying that's why he got fired, but it's the Tom Crean, right? It's like you can't give them an extra reason to fire you... if you have a big forehead that just looks stupid.

Subjective fashion advice.
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PFT CommenterPFT Commenter

Sebastian Telfair should become a Second Amendment advocate to crowdsource his legal fees

Just become a big Second Amendment guy... If I know one thing about the Make America Great Again crowd, they will throw money behind people that they support. If Sebastian Telfair starts a Kickstarter online being like, my Second Amendment rights were infringed, he'll earn like $500,000 in legal fees overnight.

This is a hypothetical PR strategy and cannot be proven correct or incorrect.
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Big CatBig Cat

Kurt Eichenwald should embrace being the tentacle porn guy on Twitter

I think he just needs to own that block. He needs to be the tentacle porn guy. Just change your avatar to like an octopus... and just put your head right on top.

Eichenwald did not follow this advice; he continued to get roasted and eventually left Newsweek.
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Big CatBig Cat

James Harden can reset his entire image and 'bad boy' reputation whenever he wants just by shaving his beard

James Harden has an automatic out whenever he wants. He just shaves his beard and he's like, 'Who are you guys talking about? That other guy?'... I'm clean cut now, so turn over a new leaf. I've changed my whole image. That's actually a good way to, if you're a bad boy, just grow the beard out so that you can always get that get out of jail free and shave the beard.

Harden has never actually shaved his beard to test this theory, so it remains a humorous hypothetical.
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PFT CommenterPFT Commenter

The Dunk Contest is boring because there are a finite amount of body positions possible

It's not like the dunks aren't super impressive. It's just that we've seen every dunk. It's like watching porn. There's a finite amount of body positions that the human form can get into. Eventually, you just get bored with it.

This is a subjective opinion on entertainment fatigue.
Win
Big CatBig Cat

The Bruins firing Claude Julien during the Patriots parade is the greatest PR 101 move ever

The Boston Bruins who fired Claude Julien... The morning of the New England Patriots parade and held a press conference during the parade. That is the greatest PR 101 story of all time.

Firing a beloved, championship-winning coach during the height of a Super Bowl parade is a textbook way to minimize negative coverage.
Win
Big CatBig Cat

If a coach with personal issues wants to rehab their career, they should go work for Nick Saban

This is PR 101 in general for any coaches out there who might have a drinking problem... Lane Kiffin looking at you. If you want to be rehabbed, go to Nick Saban. Let Nick Saban scream in your face in front of the nation on Saturday afternoons on CBS... and you'll be back on track.

Steve Sarkisian, Lane Kiffin, and many others successfully used Alabama as a platform to secure new high-profile head coaching roles.
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PFT CommenterPFT Commenter

Mark Wahlberg used his sick kid as an excuse to leave the Super Bowl early

That is an unbelievable story, the fact that he got exposed for leaving early and then threw his kid out there. ... The blame aspect is really strong in that.

While never proven to be a lie, the timing was incredibly suspicious and is a lasting piece of Wahlberg/Patriots fan lore.
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Big CatBig Cat

One of the only benefits of having children is being able to use them as an excuse to avoid events

That is like one of the only pluses to having children... is to basically be able to blame. I can't go to this because my kid is sick or I can't go to this. I got to put the kid down. It's like getting a dog. ... I got to walk my dog. I can't be over here.

Inherently subjective and personal lifestyle opinion.
Loss
PFT CommenterPFT Commenter

A real American stays inside on Sunday and watches the Pro Bowl

Hey, you know what it means to be a real American? You stay inside on Sunday and you watch the Pro Bowl. Yeah, you watch the Pro Bowl. You bet on the Pro Bowl. That's what an American does.

OpinionFootballMediumSarcastic
Watching the Pro Bowl is not a requirement or defining trait of American citizenship.
Push
Big CatBig Cat

Mark Dantonio's approach to fixing Michigan State's problems by 'firing himself' is a great PR move

Mark Dantonio... he fired himself, kind of. He said, to be honest with you, I've taken the approach of, hey, I'm a new coach coming in here. I'm going to fix the things that the other guy did last year... and that's how I'm going to take the approach.

The PR move was real; Dantonio did use this rhetoric. However, Michigan State only bounced back slightly in 2017 (10-3) before declining again.
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PFT CommenterPFT Commenter

The only way to get a minor celebrity to show up to your event is to give them an award

Here's a free trick. If you ever want a minor celebrity to show up at something that you're doing, just give them an award. And be like, hey, we're giving you an award.

Observation of how the PR and awards industry functions.
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Big CatBig Cat

Johnny Manziel needs to get sued or arrested every few months just to let us know he's alive

Johnny Manziel is being sued because apparently he broke some bartender's nose. Good to know Johnny Manziel is still alive. We need him to get sued or arrested every few months to let us know that he's alive.

This is a humorous commentary on celebrity news cycles.
Win
PFT CommenterPFT Commenter

Ryan Fitzpatrick's best PR move is having Geno Smith as his backup

I think he has the best PR 101 built in already, and his backup is Geno Smith. So the second they see the alternative, they're like, okay, Ryan, we forgive you for everything.

Geno Smith replaced Fitzpatrick later that season but immediately tore his ACL, forcing Fitzpatrick back into the lineup, which ironically proved PFT's point that the Jets were stuck with him.
Loss
PFT CommenterPFT Commenter

Ken Bone should immediately cash in and do a 'Prego porn' video

Ken is definitely going to get some propositions from a porn company to be like, hey... do you want to do some Prego porn? And you got to do it. Cash in. Just got to cash in.

Ken Bone did not do porn; he largely faded into obscurity after his 15 minutes of fame.
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PFT CommenterPFT Commenter

Chad Kelly's decision to not send Mia Khalifa a dick picture shows maturity

The fact that he did not send her a dick picture tells me that he gets it. He's grown up a little bit. So just like emphasize that fact. If I were him, I would have owned it.

This is a satirical opinion on 'maturity' levels in social media scandals.
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Big CatBig Cat

The US Basketball team should just say they were 'guys being dudes' to explain accidentally walking into a Brazilian brothel.

If the USA team wants to keep all their fans, they just say, listen, we're just guys being dudes. Finally a place where guys can go to a bar by themselves, not be hassled by women. We found it. The only spa in all of Rio de Janeiro that only allows men. And then, whoops, turns out it was a bunch of prostitutes there.

This is a satirical PR strategy and not a verifiable prediction or fact claim.
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Big CatBig Cat

If you claim you were hacked after a scandal, you must lean into it with more fake hacks

If you are going to go the hacked route, you have to go farther down the rabbit hole of hacked. So you accidentally snap a picture of your penis, then you accidentally snap a picture of a swastika, then you accidentally snap a picture of like you throwing a rock at a pigeon and then you're like shit I got hacked.

Satirical PR strategy.
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PFT CommenterPFT Commenter

Draymond Green should sue Snapchat for entrapment

If I'm Draymond, I would consider suing Snapchat. They made an app that makes it really easy to send dick pics that disappear afterwards. So it's like entrapment.

Legal satire.
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PFT CommenterPFT Commenter

Players should be nicknamed 'Big Country' to improve their public image

Just give yourself the nickname Big Country because everybody loves Big Country no matter what sport you're in. Just be like, 'Hey, that's just Big Country, you know, having some fun before the game, y'all.' And people will be like, 'All right, that's good.'

This is a subjective PR strategy suggested for comedic effect.
Win
PFT CommenterPFT Commenter

Professional athletes should stay in their rooms and say nothing during the month of July to avoid headlines

Basically just don't say anything during the month of July. Like anything that any professional athlete of note has to say is going to become a headline story. So just just shut up. Just maybe here's what you should do. Just stay in your room. Lock yourself in your room. And just hang out there for a while.

OpinionMediaMediumSarcastic
The 'July sports vacuum' is a real media phenomenon where trivial stories receive outsized coverage.
Loss
PFT CommenterPFT Commenter

NFL teams will view Johnny Manziel as a nerd for playing Pokemon Go

Manziel was at a club. ... But he was playing Pokemon inside a club. And this is a pretty bad look for Johnny. ... well now NFL teams are going to be like, we don't want to hire him. He's a nerd.

OpinionFootballHotSarcastic
While Manziel never returned to the NFL, it was due to a myriad of personal and legal issues, not specifically a reputation for being a 'nerd' because of Pokemon Go.
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PFT CommenterPFT Commenter

UFC should start a drug-friendly 'Rogue Fighting League' on boats in international waters

Or it's my my third my third option here is you just start your own fighting league where like all sorts of drugs are okay you do a nine-sided ring instead of eight sides kind of one-ups ufc international waters so there's no testing right on boats yeah definitely on a boat

This is a satirical suggestion and not a real business plan.
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Big CatBig Cat

Johnny Manziel's NFL suspension is a PR victory because it keeps him relevant

He got suspended by the NFL for four games. And you know what? That's a great thing for him to have happen because Johnny Manziel, for the first time in a few months, is being talked about in the same sentence as the NFL... It's all good news when the NFL is suspending you because that means you still have a little bit of relevancy.

This is a subjective interpretation of PR value, though Manziel never actually played in the NFL again.
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PFT CommenterPFT Commenter

The best way to handle a PR disaster is to claim it was satire and that people are too dumb to get it

Another thing you can do now here's, I've learned this from experience. If you say something that's just extremely offensive and rubs people the wrong way, it's satire. Dick Vitale could have said the fuck you thing was satire. And you guys all don't get it. You're all dumb.

While many attempt this, it rarely actually ends a PR crisis effectively, though it is a common trope.
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Big CatBig Cat

Johnny Manziel should get fat to regain public sympathy

Fat Johnny Manziel is actually a good way to get some sympathy back... You can't... It's just different when you're fat. People won't call him a scumbag as much... You're lovable when you're fat.

Manziel did not follow this advice; he eventually opened up about his struggles with substance abuse and mental health in a more traditional manner years later.
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PFT CommenterPFT Commenter

People are more lovable when they are fat, and losing weight makes the public hate you

People who are fat are better. When Seth Rogen lost weight, everybody hated him. When Jonah Hill lost weight, everybody hated him. When you eventually lose weight, [Big Cat], you're going to be public enemy number one.

While anecdotal, there is a recurring pop culture trope about 'funny fat guys' becoming less popular after losing weight, though it's not a universal fact.

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