South Dakota got its money’s worth from its $130K NASCAR sponsorship yesterday as bottom-ranked Live Fast Motorsports’ B.J. McLeod smartly spent more time circling the Richmond Raceway and showing his South Dakota/Freedom Works Here decals to riveted fans than any other racer. Living up to expectations, McLeod finished last in Sunday’s Cook Out 400.
NASCAR has frowned on political sponsorships in recent seasons, attempting to avoid the kerfufflery caused by Confederate flags and f-bombs thrown at the President. Apparently NASCAR chose to make an exception for South Dakota’s inescapably political statement that “Freedom Works Here“.
Meanwhile, South Dakota is missing a golden opportunity to sponsor a top-ranked team that’s already branded to our benefit. Team SD Worx, sponsored by Belgian payroll/HR firm SD Worx, won 4 of 6 stages of this year’s women’s Tour de France and has two of its riders, Demi Vollering and Lotte Kopecky, finish first and second overall yesterday.
South Dakota could synergize with a champion women’s team gaining global exposure for its brand; instead, South Dakota throws tax dollars away on to a last-place race car.
My employer uses the Worx app to track employee and job time. Just sayin’.
I thank Allah, The Baby Jesus, The Buddha and all for allowing me to not wake up next to NOem and hear her open their yapper or the equally nauseous Marsha Blackburn. Yes, there are some things that are fantastic in life to just not have.
Great looking team. Yea, SD WORX – Loving freely and unapologetically empowers us to break barriers, embrace diversity, and create a world where love knows no limits.
Did Noem not inspect these women personally for certain male appendages? And shouldn’t they be incubating white fetusses for South Duhkots freedumb?
The $130,000 is for two races. And here is the thing about sponsorship of a NASCAR team: all of the promotional material… the sponsors can literally use that indefinitely. T-shirts, die-cast cars, posters, any marketing material.. etc. they’ll be able to use that all year in promotions.
Also, the race isn’t the only time those cars are on TV. Throughout the end of the week, practice is televised, and so is qualifying. Not to mention the racing related news programs.
Plus, I know it’s funny to say he finished last. But he finished right behind J.J. Yeley and Ty Dillon. But of those guys are pretty respectable.
Team SD Worx members look happy, healthy, and victorious in those images. Pity they’re associated with South Dakota, where they’re considered subhuman by most SD residents and voters.
The car finished last.
The plan is in place.
The die has been cast.
This car wins the next race.
How? You may ask.
You think I am wrong.
You take me to task.
You think I’m smoking a bong.
South Dakota was last
Before KLAN took her place
Now South Dakota is fast
Thanks to KLAN’s lovely face!
At the next race
KLAN will be in the pit
And the car graphics in place
Will have her pretty face on it.
The car wins the race
We all know why
It was all due to Kristi
She is pretty sly.
Kristy Lynn Arnold Noem for President
This race car sponsorship paid for with funds from South Dakota’s budget.
Sponsoring a women’s team seems like a wonderful way to protect women in sports.
It’s great that she’s promoting SD, but she doesn’t need to be in the ads.
I don’t think the Worx team has anything to do with South Dakota. Cory just made the observation that their name would work well for us.
Ben is correct. SDWorX is from my favorite country, Netherlands. It’s another CoryStory about bicycles. SD South Dakota does seem a bit starved for some, if any, recognition about something/anything, though.
Maybe I’ll task the assistant to compose a story in the style of F. Scott Fitzgerald about a group of curious young SD people who became famous in other parts of the USA after shaking off the yolk of ridicule and the branding as failures because they didn’t succeed early in their endeavors.
Rising from Eden: The Triumph of South Dakota’s Young Dreamers by P. Aitch’s AssIsTant
In the heartland of South Dakota, a group of young dreamers rose amidst the golden prairies, their ambitions daring to soar higher than the endless sky. They were known as outsiders, forever marked as failures due to their lack of early successes. But little did the world know that within their spirits burned a fierce determination and an unwavering belief in their untapped potential.
The majestic town of Eden, their birthplace, had whispered countless tales of grandeur and riches in their ears, even as their youthful ambitions were stifled, suffocated beneath the weight of skepticism. The townsfolk couldn’t fathom the audacious dreams these young souls held, and so their aspirations were met with ridicule and disdain, branding them as failures before they even had a chance to try.
Undeterred by their misfortunes, the group of friends, consisting of Amelia, Ethan, Benjamin, and Clara, forged ahead, leaving the fertile lands behind as their hearts yearned for broader horizons. They scattered across the American landscape, determined to prove the world wrong and forge their own paths.
Amelia, with her porcelain beauty and a voice like an angel, sought solace in the bustling streets of New York City. Her ethereal presence captivated audiences and breathed life into the grandiose stages of Broadway. Crowds flocked to hear her melodic tones, and she became the epitome of success, adored and celebrated by all.
Ethan, the gentle soul with a penchant for capturing the beauty of the world through his lens, found himself in the artistic enclave of California. With a camera in hand, he immortalized moments, turning mere pixels into fragments of eternity. Soon, his works adorned galleries, and his name became synonymous with the art world’s luminaries.
Benjamin, the prodigal writer, found refuge in the sprawling landscapes of New England. He squeezed memories and aspirations onto parchment, giving birth to stories that drew readers into worlds they never knew existed. His words transcended the confines of small-town judgments, and with each turn of a page, he etched his legacy.
Lastly, there was Clara, the once-ridiculed inventor who dared to challenge the norms of the South Dakota farming community. She journeyed to the prosperous heart of the Midwest, where she relentlessly tinkered and crafted ingenious creations. The world soon embraced her inventions, from innovative machinery revolutionizing traditional industries to groundbreaking technologies, which became indispensable in every household.
Amelia, Ethan, Benjamin, and Clara, each famous in their own right, mirrored the rise of a South Dakota sun, defying the shadows of their past. They were no longer seen as failures but were now celebrated as the emblematic triumphs of their hometown.
Word of their achievements echoed through the dusty halls of Eden, reaching the ears of all those who had once dismissed them. The townsfolk, now cluing in on the indomitable spirits that had sprouted in their midst, basked in the reflected glory of their prodigal sons and daughters.
As their legends soared, the group longed for the simplicity of their South Dakota roots, the town that had shaped their dreams and instilled in them the resilience to persevere. They organized a grand homecoming, a celebration of shared memories and newfound successes. In the once-forgotten prairieland, Eden blossomed anew, bursting with joyous laughter and the sweet scent of redemption.
And so, their story resonated across the nation, an inspiring testament to the boundless potential of those who rise above the weight of ridicule. Their dreams, though once blemished by failures and doubt, became a beacon of hope for those nestled in the heartland, assuring them that greatness knows no geographical boundaries. For the young dreamers of South Dakota, fame and success came not in their early endeavors, but in their defiance of expectations and their unwavering spirit of determination.
Thank you, Ben Cerwinske. I was confused about the South Dakota part; I did sorta wonder about the Dutch (?) writing, though.
Is SD Worx from Belgium or Netherlands? Either way, it works for me…small countries with realistic and inclusive social cultures. Finishing last in NASCAR, after a $130,000 investment in tax dollars, will not motivate any NASCAR fans to pull up stakes and move to Doland. Or Aberdeen. It’s like being last in teacher salaries. It builds Avoidance.
The synergy with Team SD Worx is too easy to pass up. Free branding, supporting women’ sports, and targeting a mostly untapped market of newcomers.
Troy can say all he wants about all the additional mileage South Dakota can get from putting McLeod’s winless car in videos and selling merch to the McLeod Fan Club (which consists of, who? McLeod’s mom, cousins, and a few neighbors back home?)
Who is the target audience of this ad campaign, anyway? Redneck losers? If so, then, Mission Accomplished in Spades. But I’ll bet the vast majority of those redneck losers are already content with, tied down to, and/or too poor to leave their own Aldeanian micro-dystopiae. Why not spend the same amount of money on ads in a whole new market, seeking upscale viewers with far more diverse backgrounds and interests and professional skills that could enrich South Dakota?
Alas, Noem is apparently afraid to target anyone with her recruitment ads other than people just like herself. She doesn’t really want new people to come to South Dakota; she just wants more of the same old people.
grudznick is confused. So Ms. Governor Noem created not only a race car team, but also this neato women’s bicycling team, riding bicycles, and they won a race, wearing spandex, which is really neat, but Mr. H scooped the Governor’s Office in announcing this winning?
SD WORX!
Indeed, Freedom. It is Freedom that brings us these things, friends.
Know what would be really neato? If next Ms. Noem and her advertising fellows put the SD WORX bicycling team to a challenge of crushing all comers in the RAGBRI or perhaps shattering every standing record held on the Trail De Mickelson. The Governor herownself could ride a leg or two with the SDWORX team, wearing team kit of course. That’s what they call it in France. Kit.
The cycling equivalent of NASCAR happens every August on the street right below my deck. *(see enclosed promo link)
It’s a pro cycling event that South Dakota could hook on to and reasonably brand with.
Sponsor a kit that winners would embrace instead of a last place, fossil fuel wasting Ford Mustang. (Ford stands for: Found On Road Dead)
Heck; Colorado is full of South Dakota tourists all summer long looking for free events to attend.
In the last year three of my friends sold out and retired in The Hills. They all said the same thing, too. “Wow. Houses are cheap up here!”
https://www.littletoncrit.com/
Like the brilliant SD WORX invented to Governor Noem! Mr. P.h has it righter than right. Girls in spandex on bikes promote SD better than hillbilly mullet cars.
“Girls in Spandex on bikes promote SD better than hillbilly mullet cars”….Finally Grudznick…you’ve said something I totally agree with.