The Detroit Pistons are trying to jumpstart the season and reconnect to its Detroit roots with a slick 1 minute, 30 second video that looks and sounds a lot like the Chrysler 200 commercial with Eminem during the Super Bowl in 2011.
It emphasizes grit and heart and the unpretentiousness of Detroit, just as Chrysler did.
Narrated by former Piston and past Detroit Mayor Dave Bing, the commercial, which is posted on the Pistons' website, intersperses video of the Pistons with gritty scenes of Detroit. A shorter, 60-second version aired as a commercial Saturday night before kickoff of the game between Michigan State and Oregon.
Obviously, because the Pistons for so long have focused on suburban fans with its arena being in Auburn Hills, the video also mentions places like Ferndale, Birmingham and Dearborn when it talks about the attitude of Detroiters. Rumors have circulated in recent times that the Pistons may eventually move back to the city.
"We're not sleek, shiny or delicate," says the voice of Bing in the video. "No, we're better than that. We're solid, sturdy, proud. "
"Detroit, to outsiders, it's an uncertain word," the voice says. "But to us it's our word."
"We know Detroit's not just a place. Detroit's an attitude. It's heart, hustle, drive. We don't care about being pretty. We're not sleek or shiny or delicate."
Our spirit is Detroit. And our team is the #Pistons. #DetroitBasketball http://t.co/OqBq5VAjEr https://t.co/jPu9Qv5MY4
— Detroit Pistons (@DetroitPistons) September 10, 2015
