• Home
  • FIBA
  • EuroLeague
  • NBA/NCAA
  • National Leagues
  • Podcast
  • Features
  • More
  • Contact

Grimag

  • FIBA
  • EuroLeague
  • NBA/NCAA
  • National Leagues
  • Podcast
  • Features
  • More

Who wants to play against Maccabi?

October 7, 2008

Our friend Yarone Arbel from Israel has sent us a very interesting story about his favorite team, Maccabi Tel Aviv. We don’t know how many DVD players he got from their new sponsor for making us aware of this important news, but it is a very nice story for all teams playing Maccabi this season.

If you’re wondering which arena would be the favorite of Euroleague players this season, well, save your energy and time. Focus it on more productive issues, such as hacking Christophe’s computer (lots of videos and pictures he would rather avoid from public’s knowledge are just sitting there…), or practice your foreign-language skills in preparing for a visit to your favorite opponents in the upcoming Euroleague season. The answer is clear and simple: Nokia Arena, Tel Aviv, the legendary home of Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv.

Now some percentage of you may think you already know why I claim so. Some would think the very few weeks of cold weather, the nightlife, the local girls, the food and the great combination of all the above are enough to make you want to go there again and again. Others believe it’s the great atmosphere in one of Europe’s most legendary arenas, the warm fans who push their team until the very end but also know to respect a worthy opponent with applause to create an environment every player wants to experience. Well, all the above is true, but starting this season there’s one more reason, and it’s one lethal argument.

A bit of background first.

After more than 40 years, Maccabi and Elite, probably the longest partnership in the history of sports sponsorship, parted ways. Elite is a local sweets brand that, with the help of Maccabi, established its name outside the Holy Land as well. If you’re a chocolate fan, do try to snatch one of their creative or just very good products. A truly yummy experience.

This is also a good time to demand that the BallinEurope.com staff to investigate the connection between European basketball and sweets. (Elite, Ulker & Kinder are just few sweets brands who sponsor top teams…)

During all those years, right after team presentations at Nokia Arena in which the players exchange gifts, Maccabi’s opponents received a big box of chocolates. The first time it’s surprising, the second it’s tasty and refreshing, the third time it’s cool but when you’re Theo Papaloukas and visiting Nokia Arena for the eighth time and more, it gets a little boring, right?

Anyhow, this summer Maccabi and Elite separated, and the Israeli powerhouse signed a five-year deal with Electra, an electronics giant with a long list of products. The only problem was that most of them are a little too big to hand over as a small gift. Air conditions? Too heavy to carry. Elevators? cool, but the weight overage will kill you in additional charges for the flight home. Escalators? Very useful, but that’s probably not a good idea, either.

At some point the joke was that Maccabi’s gift would be a large poster of a lady named Carmen who carries a similar name, but at the end of the day, the people at Electra found a perfect solution.

Last Thursday the gift was presented to the public: a mini DVD player with 7″ LCD screen.

Go around 23 Euroleague gyms and try to find a cooler and more efficient pre-game gift than this.

The only problem Papaloukas faces now is what to do if, while watching the new Carmen Electra movie on his new Electra brand DVD player, he starts craving chocolate…

–written by Yarone Arbel

Oct 7, 2008ballineurope
Powered by Sidelines
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
This post was published on October 7, 2008
What's going on in Kaunas?Update on Zalgiris Kaunas
Comments: 1
  1. Teo
    17 years ago

    haha, that one left me smiling, especially after seeing Zohan and all the electronics stores…

    ReplyCancel

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

ballineurope
17 years ago 1 Comment EuroLeague, MoreMaccabi Tel Aviv
Recent Posts
Biggest WNBA Underdogs: Can Fever or Wings Pull Off July Shocks?
1 day ago
Salt Lake Summer League 2025: Team Breakdowns, Betting Angles & Final Forecasts
17 days ago
From Nolan Traore to Noa Essengue, we break down the top European prospects in the NBA Draft
Top European NBA prospects for the 2025 Draft
18 days ago
Categories
Recent Posts
Biggest WNBA Underdogs: Can Fever or Wings Pull Off July Shocks?
Salt Lake Summer League 2025: Team Breakdowns, Betting Angles & Final Forecasts
Top European NBA prospects for the 2025 Draft
Tags
EuroLeagueNBAYouTubeReal MadridCSKA MoscowFC BarcelonaFIBAOlympiacosPanathinaikosZalgiris KaunasACBSpainMaccabi Tel AvivRicky RubioTeam SpainLos Angeles LakersMontepaschi SienaPartizan BelgradeLithuaniaIrelandGermanyPau GasolItalyTeam LithuaniaTurkeyTeam FranceCaja Laboral BaskoniaLietuvos RytasFenerbahce ÜlkerGreeceJuan Carlos NavarroSerbiaSan Antonio SpursTony ParkerMinnesota TimberwolvesFranceEuroleagueDirk Nowitzkibasketball highlightsTeam RussiaALBA BerlinEuroCupDallas MavericksTeam USAEuroBasket 2011
Share
0
Facebook
ABOUT
BallinEurope.com was founded in September 2007 by Christophe Ney (who now runs the excellent scouting-themed website European Prospects) and Tobias Seitz, both then bloggers for FIBA.com with over 10 years’ worth of experience in the professional basketball world each. The mission then was to “provide a very unique perspective of Basketball in and about Europe.”
Most Commented
Why Andrei Kirilenko and CSKA Moscow must win the Euroleague
13 years ago
180 Comments
Euroleague Transfers Table 2008/2009
17 years ago
168 Comments
A week in highlights: Spanish block party, mighty Milos, Utah rap and some dude dunking in L.A.
14 years ago
139 Comments
Archives
Get In Touch

Email: emmetryan@gmail.com

Name: Emmet Ryan

2014 © BallinEurope. Join JCI Dublin