Our friend Yarone Arbel from Israel has sent us a very interesting story about his favorite team, Maccabi Tel Aviv. We don’t know how many DVD players he got from their new sponsor for making us aware of this important news, but it is a very nice story for all teams playing Maccabi this season.
If you’re wondering which arena would be the favorite of Euroleague players this season, well, save your energy and time. Focus it on more productive issues, such as hacking Christophe’s computer (lots of videos and pictures he would rather avoid from public’s knowledge are just sitting there…), or practice your foreign-language skills in preparing for a visit to your favorite opponents in the upcoming Euroleague season. The answer is clear and simple: Nokia Arena, Tel Aviv, the legendary home of Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv.
Now some percentage of you may think you already know why I claim so. Some would think the very few weeks of cold weather, the nightlife, the local girls, the food and the great combination of all the above are enough to make you want to go there again and again. Others believe it’s the great atmosphere in one of Europe’s most legendary arenas, the warm fans who push their team until the very end but also know to respect a worthy opponent with applause to create an environment every player wants to experience. Well, all the above is true, but starting this season there’s one more reason, and it’s one lethal argument.
A bit of background first.
After more than 40 years, Maccabi and Elite, probably the longest partnership in the history of sports sponsorship, parted ways. Elite is a local sweets brand that, with the help of Maccabi, established its name outside the Holy Land as well. If you’re a chocolate fan, do try to snatch one of their creative or just very good products. A truly yummy experience.
This is also a good time to demand that the BallinEurope.com staff to investigate the connection between European basketball and sweets. (Elite, Ulker & Kinder are just few sweets brands who sponsor top teams…)
During all those years, right after team presentations at Nokia Arena in which the players exchange gifts, Maccabi’s opponents received a big box of chocolates. The first time it’s surprising, the second it’s tasty and refreshing, the third time it’s cool but when you’re Theo Papaloukas and visiting Nokia Arena for the eighth time and more, it gets a little boring, right?
Anyhow, this summer Maccabi and Elite separated, and the Israeli powerhouse signed a five-year deal with Electra, an electronics giant with a long list of products. The only problem was that most of them are a little too big to hand over as a small gift. Air conditions? Too heavy to carry. Elevators? cool, but the weight overage will kill you in additional charges for the flight home. Escalators? Very useful, but that’s probably not a good idea, either.
At some point the joke was that Maccabi’s gift would be a large poster of a lady named Carmen who carries a similar name, but at the end of the day, the people at Electra found a perfect solution.
Last Thursday the gift was presented to the public: a mini DVD player with 7″ LCD screen.
Go around 23 Euroleague gyms and try to find a cooler and more efficient pre-game gift than this.
The only problem Papaloukas faces now is what to do if, while watching the new Carmen Electra movie on his new Electra brand DVD player, he starts craving chocolate…
–written by Yarone Arbel
