Portuguese TV Station Uses Iwo Jima to Advertise Ryder Cup

Posted Aug 20, 2008 4:04PM By Shane Bacon (RSS feed)

Filed Under: Golf, PGA

When one thinks of war images, nothing truly translates like that timeless Joe Rosenthal image of Iwo Jima. Six American servicemen took Francis Scott Key to another octave, raising our stars and stripes on Mount Suribachi during a battle that killed nearly 7,000 American soldiers.

So, when talking about the Ryder Cup, a golf event that brings tons of emotion between Europe and the United States, what could really get us Yanks a little hot under the collar? A Portuguese television station, Sport TV, using that fabulous image as a magazine ad, dogging the United States.

Thanks to Copyranter we have the full spread of the statue raising an 18th hole flag in the air with the dates of the tournament in the top left corner. This is disrespectful and ignorant on so many humanitarian levels, but let's just talk about golf.

The Ryder Cup is match play, so a lot of the groupings never even make it to the 18th hole. Also, Portugal, really? There has never been a Ryder Cup ever hosted in the country, not to mention there has never been an individual from the country on the team to represent the Europeans.

The ad is pointless and weak. You don't see the NBA advertising Carmelo Anthony dunking an atomic bomb on Hiroshima because it would be classless and ridiculous, so why in the world would a country so meaningless in an event like the Ryder Cup drop something so brash?

You're Sport TV, stick to soccer highlights and, umm, soccer highlights?

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

8-20-2008 @ 7:48PM

AW said...

Using the above image is absolutely unacceptable. The US team should demand that the ads be taken off the air, an apology issued and the responsible parrty fired. Failing that, the matches should be cancelled.

8-25-2008 @ 4:49AM

Sengo said...

oh man.....come and attack us.....we also have wmd :D

bunch of loosers

8-27-2008 @ 2:05PM

@lol said...

So much fuss because of this? American stupidity working...

God, please make a favour to human kind and die.

8-22-2008 @ 8:37AM

llk said...

not a big deal. who cares? we are such a nation of cry babies these days...those men who fought on iwo jima would probably think its funny and they would be sick to their stomachs when they see how many freaking pansies are crying all the time...since we are talking about golf,,i think the add is GREAT..the us golfers need to man-up, get togeher and get tough and kick some ass

8-24-2008 @ 11:46AM

tylor said...

are you guys going to cry? do you need a tissue? seriously, stfu. it's just an ad, it's relatively well done, and if you're going to get all worked up over it you might as well be bill o'reilly.

and your paragraph slagging portugal for not having any golfers on the ryder cup team is utterly pointless, people there still want to watch the damn thing. it's not a recruitment poster, genius.

this article epitomizes why the world perceives americans as a nation of self righteous cry babies who will step on anyone's toes that they care to yet whine and bitch when their toes are even approached. grow up.

8-23-2008 @ 1:52PM

Daniel said...

You seriously think that's disrespectful and ignorant? Then you go on to attack Portugal itself?

I'm sure if it was an American ad of a foreign war image, you yanks wouldn't get so ignorant yourselves about it.

8-24-2008 @ 4:20PM

Johnny said...

"This is disrespectful and ignorant on so many humanitarian levels"

Funny how it looks from the other side, huh? Usually it's you Yanks who are completely disrespectful and ignorant on so many humanitarian levels to everyone else on the damn planet. You're so blind to your own arrogance, it's quite amusing. But I digress, I should be focusing on golf. Back to watching the final round of The Barclays.

8-24-2008 @ 9:43PM

Cláudio Carvalho said...

"This is disrespectful and ignorant on so many humanitarian levels"

Should we talk about Guantanamo, Iraq, Vietnam?

_______________

Vou vos mandar com uma puta de uma bomba nuclear nos cornos!

8-25-2008 @ 1:57AM

Johny Beegohd said...

This is one of of those dumb news reports by people with really low brain cell count and far too many time on their hands. If we take a brief look at the ads on american tv networks we can find a lot more disrespectful and ignorant remarks to other nations. Nobody gives a rat's ass about it, but i guess in redneck country it's a one way street.
It's a harmless ad for crying out loud, grow up people.

8-25-2008 @ 5:04AM

slau said...

Please dont cry America :(

8-28-2008 @ 6:05PM

Bruno said...

Ah the american stupidity...one almost forgets about it sometimes...the world is falling apart precisely because of the wars you people take pride in having participated(and in which you are participating right now), and you get offended by this? ok...

you people fight for things much more ridiculous than a golf tournament and don't complain when they are advertised in your channels... so why bother about this?jesus christ...

oh and by the way, we may be a meaningless country... but what makes you retards so special? freedom?... the so called "american dream"?... yeah right!... word of advice...look at yourselves and your flaws first and correct them...then you can bitch around, like some of you are doing right now, about something so simple as a tv add...
you do not have the right to trash another country around, when the whole world(and I enphacize WHOLE and WORLD) thinks that the US are crap...

oh and back to we being meaningless...we do have something in azores that you people need to wage your wars...you're using it right now because WE let you...so back off!

8-25-2008 @ 8:40AM

João said...

Mr. Shane Bacon, I think your stance on this issue is correct. It is obviously wrong to use that image like this as it clearly holds historical relevance.
However, I think you should not generalize such an issue to Portugal as a whole. It is profoundly incorrect. Eventually that was something that came to you in the heat of the moment but still, it is hardly righteous.

Best regards.

P.S. - I'm Portuguese, a Golfer but not anti-American.

8-25-2008 @ 9:02AM

PROUD TO BE PORTUGUESE...

8-25-2008 @ 9:41AM

paperless said...

I don't think it's fair to say all americans are stupid just because of this article.

Just do not generalize, please.

8-25-2008 @ 10:06AM

My Self said...

Shane Bacon-Shame on You
Bacon?McDonalds?Cheese?

8-25-2008 @ 12:03PM

André Melo said...

El unico fruto del amor... es la BANANA! Es la BANANA!

10-20-2008 @ 11:28AM

John Fary said...

Sport Tv should stick with soccer highlights ? Sport TV is a pay-per-view network with 3 channels, covering all kind of sports, including soccer, basketball, handball, hockey, tennis, F1, Rugby, Golf, Wrestling, NASCAR, Extreme Sports, etc...

The network is eclectic, trying to reach all audiences.

By the way, a country is not meaningless, just because you can´t point it in a map...

Greetings

8-25-2008 @ 1:24PM

David said...

I agree.... is disrespectful and ignorant what we done with the statue, we might use a nuclear bomb next time... but maybe Japan wouldn't be so satisfied...

America you should shut up and cry, you send your troops to die in Iraq, vietnam, Golf and others ... maybe you should apologyze to the world and dig a hole to hide until dead....

" "This is disrespectful and ignorant on so many humanitarian levels"

Funny how it looks from the other side, huh? Usually it's you Yanks who are completely disrespectful and ignorant on so many humanitarian levels to everyone else on the damn planet. You're so blind to your own arrogance"

8-25-2008 @ 2:37PM

CB said...

And to imagine not so long ago all the muslim world was shocked because of some funny cartoons... and now you're behaving just like they did.

It really is a pittyful thing to do...