c


Leigh Brown

Nicole Williams

Writing I

November 24, 2010

Will Green Win Eighteen?

The Boston Celtics were able to achieve seventeen NBA championships and are now on

the pursuit to get their eighteenth. There is a commercial that mostly airs on sports channels such

as ESPN, Sportnet, and Comcast Sports Network that is all about the Celtics and what they need

to do to win the banner. The Celtics has a team of fifteen and the commercial shows twelve of

them. The only three that are left out are the rookies, Avery Bradley, Semih Erden, and Luke

Haranquody. This commercial gives the viewers a sense of what the Celtics are all about and the

ad attempts to persuade the audience to go out and buy some tickets to a game. The

advertisement gets the viewers interested in the team¶s ability to win by showing impressive

players such as Rajon Rondo multiple times, and successfully conveys the message to the

audience that they should buy some tickets to a Celtics game.

³It¶s all about future,´ ³It¶s all about energy,´ ³It¶s all about team,´ and ³It¶s all about

green´ are statements in the ad that will hopefully impact the viewer. This advertisement exists

because it is attempting to get the audience to go see the Boston Celtics. It is mostly aimed at

people who are already into sports and who are watching sports channels. This ad implies that

the Celtics will do whatever it takes to win their eighteenth banner. Their faces show

determination and that they are serious about the game. Some of the audience may be confused

because you do need to understand some intertextuality. The commercial starts off by explaining

what will be included in order to win the eighteenth banner and then it continues to say, ³It¶s all
 c



about eighteen.´ If an audience member does not know that the Celtics already have seventeen

banners, then they will not understand the meaning in this quote. During one interview, Hailee

Hurwitz, a personal friend, questioned, ³What is eighteen?´ She understood that the Celtics were

a basketball team but she had no idea that they were trying to achieve their eighteenth win. The

commercial uses pathos which means it is trying to persuade the viewers with the players¶

emotions. All of them look dedicated and determined. This gives the audience hope that if they

buy tickets to go to a game then they will see the team win, because they understand from the ad

how passionate the players are about being successful. The Celtics obviously enjoy defeating

other teams and one article says, ³What the Celtics always do is let people know about it when

they are successful´ (Bullpet para5).

This commercial uses many techniques to make it stand out and be interesting. Repetition

is frequently used during the advertisement. The players are speaking about what it is to be a

successful team and to be able to win. Some of the lines are repeated. This absolutely drills what

they are trying to say into the audiences¶ minds. They mention the words desire, green, and fire

twice. They exclaim, ³It¶s all about eighteen,´ four times in the commercial. This shows that the

main idea is obtaining that eighteenth banner. There are close up shots of the players saying what

it takes to win this year and the background shows scenes from previous games in which the

players are demonstrating their basketball skills. These background shots show how talented the

Celtics players really are. The ad uses a ³rule of one third´ technique. This is so the viewer

focuses on what the player is saying but they are also able to easily see the impressive

background. One background scene is a picture of Pierce and Allen hugging. This shows that the

players care about their team and are willing to express their emotions towards one another.

Another one is showing Kevin Garnet being a power forward and hitting the ball away from the
 c



opposing team. One other impressive scene is of Rajon Rondo stealing the ball away from his

competition. He is so intense that he throws himself on the court in order to get the ball. This

brings me to conclude that Rondo is one of the best players on the team and is very talented.

The advertisement shows Rajon Rondo the most out of any other player. He is in four

close-up shots and four background shots also. This is Rondo¶s fourth year in the NBA, and it is

clear that the twenty-four year old has been successful because his salary is currently $9,090,911

(ESPN). Rondo was a great addition to the team, especially during the 2008 NBA

championship. Rondo started in all twenty-six of the playoff games and ³In the Celtics¶ final

game, Rondo had 21 points, eight assists, seven rebounds, and six steals as Boston defeated the

Los Angeles Lakers at home for the 2008 NBA Championship´ (È


 
 
 

para12). Rondo is one of the greatest point guards in the NBA and is especially praised for his

assists. One example of this is in an article that reads, ³Rajon Rondo out-dished an opponent for

the third time this season. Last night he beat the Wizards in assists, 13-12´ (Murphy). Rondo is

as fast as lightning, extremely skilled, and so popular that most people can recognize him, even if

they are not a huge basketball fan. He is very talented and ³«has been razzling-and-dazzling

µem since the end of his rookie season, and he just keeps getting better and better´ (È





 
 Para13).

I interviewed a Celtics and non Celtics fan in order to see if the commercial made people

want to watch a game. Nicholas Milne has been to multiple games and he watches them on TV

every time they are on. Basketball is his favorite sport, and the Boston Celtics are his favorite

team. I asked him how this commercial made him feel and he replied, ³I get really excited when

ever I see it. I have faith in this team and they are defiantly capable of winning the championship

this year. I love going to games and I want to buy tickets every time I see this advertisement.´ I
 c



then asked Hailee Hurwitz, someone who has little interest in basketball, the same question. Her

response was, ³I don¶t really care about basketball but the commercial seems to be very

convincing. I would probably go to a game if someone would go with me just to experience it.´

These responses were no shock to me because I know both of these individuals very well.

Although both people have diverse opinions about basketball, they were still interested in

attending a Celtics game. They also both agreed that the commercial was well put together and

the players seem very determined to be victorious. This advertisement achieves its goal and

persuades consumers purchase tickets and attend a game.

Players are paid an enormous amount and this is possible because of their fans. I have

gone to many games and tickets can range anywhere from twenty to thousands of dollars. It is

said that the average amount of a Celtics ticket is $167 (Grillo para5). The games are even more

expensive when the Celtics are playing a good team and the audience expects to watch a

competitive event. An article in j    says, ³The average price for the Celts-Heat

game [was] $546´ (Grillo para6). This game brought in so much money because the Heat and the

Celtics are predicted to be the best two teams this year, and it was the opening game at the TD

Bank Garden. Fans go to games to support their favorite teams and players. Their money covers

the large salaries that the players receive ranging from $437,604 to $18,800,000 (j 


). This commercial convinces people to purchase tickets which helps the

National Basketball Association and Celtics team earn the money to pay their players with.

There is no reason why you should not air this commercial. It is persuasive and will

interest many of your viewers. Once the audience goes to 
  they see a common theme.

The pages on this website say the same lines as the commercial does. This, of course includes,

³It¶s all about eighteen.´ The Boston Celtics are a great team and the advertisement demonstrates
 c
 


their best qualities and skills. Since the commercial will persuade people to buy tickets the

Celtics will make a lot of money, and in return, your television station will be given a large

payment. There are many basketball teams and people are fans of different ones. Although there

are a lot of people who do not have the same confidence in the Celtics as I do, and do not believe

that they will win banner eighteen, or even that this commercial will sell any tickets, I¶m sure

that there are plenty of people who feel the same way as me. The Boston Celtics have what it

takes to win this NBA Championship and they will use their skills, determination, and teamwork

to achieve this goal. Get up and go buy a ticket to see it for yourself.
 c




Works cited

Bullpet, Steve. "Attitude Plays Big Part in Success."    . 13 Nov. 2010. Web. 19 Nov. 2010.

Grillo, Thomas. "Celtics' Ticket Sales Get Boost from LeBron James."    . 24 Oct. 2010.

Web. 19 Nov. 2010.

Hurwitz, Hailee. Personal interview. 18 Nov. 2010.

"HoopsHype - NBA Salaries - Boston Celtics."  j 
. Web. 19

Nov. 2010.

Milne, Nicholas. Personal interview. 18 Nov. 2010.

Murphy, Mark. "Garnett Earns Revenge."    . 18 Nov. 2010. Web. 19 Nov. 2010.

"Profile | Rajon Rondo."

 
 È


 
 
 . Web. 19 Nov. 2010.

"Rajon Rondo Stats, News, Photos - Boston Celtics - ESPN."  j   !
" # .

Web. 19 Nov. 2010.

$ %j%#& %'(. Perf. Boston Celtics. $ %j%  $ %  25 Oct. 2010. Web. 20

Nov. 2010.