2014 FIFA World Cup: Team Japan flying to Brazil in Pokemon plane
By Dan Zinski
Team Japan will be making quite the impression when they arrive in Brazil for the World Cup, zooming into the airport in their plane covered in Pokemon characters. Not geeky at all Japan. A plane covered in Pokemon characters? No, no one will wonder about you after that.
More from World Cup
- USMNT news: Berhalter announced, Adams to Villa, Pepi to PSV
- USMNT news: 3 managers Americans should have hired instead of Gregg Berhalter
- USMNT news: Berhalter returns, Balogun to Inter, Altidore to Greece
- USMNT news: Vieira next head coach, Adams to Liverpool, Cowell to Europe
- USMNT news: Pepi to PSV, Richardson to the US, Brooks safe
The Pokemon tie-in doesn’t end with the plane. Pikachu is actually the official mascot of the Japan national football team, and there’s tons of World Cup merchandise available with Pikachu emblazoned all over it, including jerseys.
Obviously this is a good marketing gimmick if you want to get younger kids in Japan into the World Cup. At the same time, I’m not sure how I would feel if I was on the team and had to fly in a plane covered in Pokemon characters. I might feel like, I don’t know, my manhood was being stripped away a little bit?
It’s not exactly great for intimidation factor, let’s be honest. The other teams aren’t going to be shaking in their boots after seeing the Pokemon plane. More likely they’ll be chuckling to themselves.
I can already hear the Pokemon fans out there getting all angry at me, accusing me of denigrating Pokemon. Well relax, card-game-playing nerdboys. I’m not ripping Pokemon. I don’t care about Pokemon. I’m just wondering about the wisdom of flying your national soccer team around in a plane that’s all decked out in Pokemon images. I’m wondering what that does to mojo.
It just can’t be good for mojo, I’m sorry.
Like FanSided on Facebook.
Follow Dan Zinski on Twitter
Subscribe to the Fansided Daily Newsletter. Sports news all up in your inbox.