Imagine your heart being at the mercy of the 15-20-6 Flyers.
No, I'm not talking about the stress that comes with being a Flyers fan. I'm talking literally.
The Flyers, in partnership with a local nonprofit, are donating defibrillators to local youth communities. That's the good part. The bad: They'll only do it with an overtime win.
OT is underway at @WellsFargoCtr...Let's grab that second point! #CGYvsPHI pic.twitter.com/WmVBcLtueO
— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) January 5, 2019
Defibrillators cost about $1,275.
The promotion caught the attention of many when their Saturday matchup against the Flames went to overtime, although the promotion has been going on for nearly a year. The Flyers lost the game, so they presumably did not donate the defibrillator.
Sorry, St. Monica School.
The Flyers are 1-6 in overtimes this season, and have let two additional games go to shootouts, which don't count towards the promotion. That's quite a few defibrillators left on the table.
Congrats @NHLFlyers on shootout victory. Next time, let’s win in sudden death so we can donate an #AED. #PHLvsNYR #Flyers pic.twitter.com/KTPh7JhAIe
— SIMON'S Heart (@simonsheartorg) December 24, 2018
The usage of "sudden death" in the promotional graphic might seem like an unfortunate coincidence, but it looks like it was meant to be an intentional pun. The Flyers used similar wording in their announcement for the partnership:
"Every year, 350,000 people die from sudden cardiac arrest in the United States - it's the #1 cause of death for adults and student athletes. It impacts hockey at all levels, and because of this, the Flyers and Simon's Heart are launching the Flyers GotAED Overtime Challenge to raise awareness about sudden cardiac arrest as well as to reduce sudden death among student athletes in the community."
As expected, fan reaction was ... not good:
Next promotion: "12 year old Joshua Richardson has been missing for 4 days and his family is distraught. A Flyer's OT win tonight will see him delivered safely back home!"
— Joey Di Franco (@joeydifranco) January 6, 2019
This is a terrible “promotion.” If not for the #AED where I was 9 years ago I would have died. I shudder to think about someone at that school, adult or child, who was dependent on a win — and the Flyers LOST last night. So what now?
— Eric Rothenberg (@erothenberg) January 6, 2019
Cool now you’re actively hurting kids. Send one to the school if they lose, at least play the odds.
— KentDkosia (@KentDkosia) January 5, 2019
Lol, your OT struggles are literally putting kid’s lives at risk.
— Pantsasnapkins (@pantsasnapkins) January 5, 2019
Why not just donate the AED instead of putting a weird requirement on it?
— Blake Eason (@BlakeEason) January 4, 2019
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@shuabert / TWITTER[/caption]
What could have been a great partnership and move by the organization managed to be a PR nightmare.
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