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   Secret Message Makes it into New Park

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Topic: Secret Message Makes it into New Park (Read 135 times)

Rhune
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Secret Message Makes it into New Park
« on: Apr 16^th, 2004, 7:53pm »

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Friday, April 16, 2004

Secret Message Makes it into New Park
By Darren Rovell
ESPN.com

Taking a page out of an old high school yearbook trick, an official with an animal rights organization successfully placed a hidden message in a brick on the grounds of the San Diego Padres new stadium, Petco Park.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) had a 12-word statement engraved in an 8-by-8 inch brick -- the commemorative bricks were offered by the Padres as part of a permanent display surrounding the team's new $411 million stadium.

The message reads, "Break Open Your Cold Ones! Toast The Padres! Enjoy This Championship Organization!" The first letter of every word spells "BOYCOTT PETCO."

"Petco Park might be the place where homers go to die, but PETCO stores are where animals go to die," said Dan Shannon, a PETA campaign coordinator.

PETCO, which has more than 650 stores in 43 states, sells animals as well as pet-related products. In January 2003, the company purchased the naming rights to the Padres' new stadium, a 22-year deal worth $60 million.

Earlier this week, Padres and PETCO officials discussed whether something should be done with the brick, but PETCO executives had no problem with it.

"If you walked by and read their message, you wouldn't know it had anything to do with PETA," said Don Cowan, PETCO's director of communications.

PETA, which objects to the sale of animals altogether, has targeted PETCO for months, written letters to Padres executives in hopes that they would cancel the naming rights agreement. They have also sent out monthly casualty reports citing animal deaths in PETCO stores to company officials.

PETCO officials contend that they have investigated some of the reports submitted by PETA and most, they say, are mischaracterizations. Since 1965, PETCO has adopted more than one million animals and over the past five years has given a total of $18 million to 1,900 animal shelters, according to Cowan.

Over the past month, Petco Park has generated 100 million online and broadcast media impressions for PETCO for mentions of the park's name, Cowan added.

PETA has been active in the sports world of late. In 2002, the Milwaukee Brewers denied PETA's request to include a vegetarian soy sausage in the Brewers' traditional game-day race of mascots, which includes a bratwurst, a hot dog, a Polish and Italian sausage.

Shannon said that PETA plans on sending letters to the two NBA Rookie of the Year frontrunners, LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony, advising them to turn down the award since it is sponsored by "Got Milk?," a campaign overseen by the California Milk Processors Board. PETA officials say they object to the cruelty that dairy cows endure as a result of their treatment by dairy farmers.

Darren Rovell, who covers sports business for ESPN.com, can be reached at [email protected].

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sweetmisery
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Re: Secret Message Makes it into New Park
« Reply #1 on: Apr 17^th, 2004, 3:03pm »

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Whats with Petco? Do they sell illegal animals or something? Or do those who protested are just afraid that animals dont get sold and die?

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Rhune
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Re: Secret Message Makes it into New Park
« Reply #2 on: Apr 18^th, 2004, 3:23pm »

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Well, you can count on PETA to take things to unreasonable extremes, but I think they are saying that the animals aren't treated well in some of the petcos, with things like bedding not being changed often enough for the small animals, etc.

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sweetmisery
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Re: Secret Message Makes it into New Park
« Reply #3 on: Apr 18^th, 2004, 4:35pm »

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hmmm... then I think they should have done it in a more simple way and talk to Petco owners and managers than attacking them as a whole. They can save more money, time, effort and can do more without trying to invite a lot of trouble.

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Rhune
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Re: Secret Message Makes it into New Park
« Reply #4 on: Apr 19^th, 2004, 5:45pm »

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PETA's style is more like running up and throwing animal blood all over you while handing your children a pamphlet with graphic pictures of dismembered animals while saying "this is what your mommy does!" if they see you wearing something they object to. I'm pretty sure the word reasonable isn't in their vocabulary.

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sweetmisery
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Re: Secret Message Makes it into New Park
« Reply #5 on: Apr 20^th, 2004, 3:58pm »

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I guess they invision a world that is very unreasonably and ideally crazy... Or as I said, they were trying to get attention and hoping to get sympathy of some environmentalists...

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Rhune
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Re: Secret Message Makes it into New Park
« Reply #6 on: Apr 20^th, 2004, 7:04pm »

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I don't think they were looking for sympathy, they were looking to do damage to Petco's business.

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sweetmisery
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Re: Secret Message Makes it into New Park
« Reply #7 on: Apr 21^st, 2004, 4:26pm »

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hmmm... maybe due to the lack of doing anything that people will notice? or do they just hold a personal grudge? Oh well...

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