November 2020. As the NBA struggles to catch its breath after a season truncated by the pandemic, many teams are taking advantage of the moment to unveil new jerseys. After seeing these on Twitter, Detroit native Cochise Hardy, 38, thinks his franchise should follow suit.
This Pistons fan is tired of small alterations to the team’s jersey. When will there be more modernity?
” I was like, ‘Those are ripping’, ‘Those are ripping’, ‘Those are ripping’… I’m waiting for Detroit and they haven’t released anything. I decided I was going to call them. I can’t remember if it was night or day, but I called and poured out my heart. It was time to step up a gear“, this fan tells The Athleticwho reports this unlikely story.
He must therefore search on Google to obtain a telephone number. He finds one, he calls but no one answers. This does not discourage our man from leaving a message of more than a minute, in which he urges the franchise to move the lines, to be more dynamic and to be more “cool”. ” Call me back. Today Tomorrow. Remind me, I’m ready! “
A wishful thinking? No way. His message is heard by a ticket sales manager at the Pistons. He goes around the offices where we have fun with the frenzied diatribe of the fan.
Tyrel Kirkham, vice president of brand and marketing strategy, also sees a passionate love for the Pistons in this post. As the franchise prepares to release uniforms for future seasons, the manager wants everyone to keep Cochise Hardy’s words in mind.
The voice message that changes everything
” There was something special about that voicemail that was worth investigating. It has found its way to a wider audience. We laughed about it, but there was a serious nature to what he was saying. […] A huge inspiration was born from a simple voice message “, describes Tyrel Kirkham, who did not hesitate to use the vocal in question in the communication of the club.
Two years later, the Pistons unveiled this more modern “Statement” jersey, which bears the imprint of the fan in question. ” Knowing that red, white and blue will always be at the heart of what we do, we wanted to find a way to add a different element. Lots of things that Cochise had talked about, adding black, creating a more dynamic image of red and blue… “, continues the marketing manager whose creation has a minimum lifespan of two years according to the appreciation of the premises.
What does the main interested party, Cochise Hardy, think of it? ” When Tyrel called me and told me I inspired this shirt, I couldn’t believe it. It felt like Ashton Kutcher called me and I was on Punk’d (Editor’s note: American hidden camera show). I like to win and look classy doing it. It’s Detroit, it’s our thing. We have a different swag. These jerseys rock.“
Photo: Pistons
