Fan relates making TISC cameo, made possible by donating to The V Foundation
in support of The V Foundation
ESPN’s Corporate Citizenship and Audio departments have teamed up with The V Foundation for Cancer Research on two online fundraising initiatives, with 100 percent of the direct cash donations going towards life-altering cancer research.
The ESPN Omaze Sweepstakes features a lucky winner and their guest having the opportunity to appear in a “This Is SportsCenter” commercial alongside a professional athlete and be a VIP at both a Monday Night Football game and College GameDay of their choice. Fans can enter for the chance to win with a minimum $10 donation at omaze.com/ESPN.
ESPN Radio’s 12th Annual ESPY Day Auction showcases more than 100 items including tickets to prime sporting events, autographed memorabilia, unique experiences with athletes and celebrities and behind-the-scenes experiences with ESPN Radio’s Mike & Mike. For the full list of items and experiences in this year’s ESPN Radio ESPY Day Auction, click here.
Throughout ESPY Day, viewers and listeners will be encouraged to donate to The V Foundation for Cancer Research by calling 800-4-JimmyV or visiting www.jimmyv.org. The second annual ESPY Day in 2015 raised more than $3.85 million. The ESPY Day initiative expanded ESPN’s 23-year effort to help find a cure for cancer, and to date, ESPY-related fundraising efforts over the last 12 years has raised more than $26 million for cancer research.
Fans love ESPN’s vast library of “This Is SportsCenter” commercials. Putting athletes in silly situations not only provides a good laugh, but also highlights how successful ESPN’s flagship program has been at marrying sports and personality.
Knowing how much people enjoy watching these commercials, imagine having a cameo in one!
Ray Scheaffer won the opportunity to be featured in a “This Is SportsCenter” commercial through ESPN’s Annual ESPN Day Auction in 2014 and found himself a part of golfer Jordan Spieth’s recent spot (embedded above), filmed in Los Angeles in February 2016.
“The experience was outstanding and the money goes to a great cause,” said Scheaffer, a CPA with Abbott, Stringham & Lynch in San Jose, Calif.
This year’s ESPN Omaze Sweepstakes prize includes the “This Is SportsCenter” cameo appearance, a tour of ESPN’s headquarters, a $250 ESPN store shopping spree and a pair of tickets to both a Monday Night Football and College GameDay game of their choice. Fans also can participate in ESPN Radio’s 12th Annual ESPY Day Auction to bid on unique sports experiences and memorabilia.
“Ray was a pleasure to have on set – he was excited, curious and the perfect amount of starstruck,” said ESPN Marketing Manager Riki McDermott. “It was great getting to meet a fan like Ray who contributes to great causes like the V Foundation. We’re looking forward to the next fan we get to host!”
“As far as sports experiences go, I don’t know if anything could be more unique than appearing in a ‘This Is SportsCenter’ commercial,” said Welles Wiley, associate manager, ESPN Brand Marketing. “From Tiger Woods to Wayne Gretzky to Steph Curry, you never know who is going to appear in our next commercial, and this is a chance to appear right alongside a star athlete.
“Every ‘This Is SportsCenter’ shoot is truly special – watching the athletes work with the director to find the perfect comedic delivery yields a ton of hilarious outtakes that don’t make it past the cutting room floor,” Wiley said. “[Winners] definitely come away with some great stories to tell.”
