Excedrin to sponsor Cleveland Browns ‘Perfect Season 2.0’ Parade
The over-the-counter pain reliever that bills itself as “the headache medicine” has taken a lot of the headache out of a parade planned to commemorate a possible 0-16 season for the Cleveland Browns.
In October, one fan of the Cleveland Browns decided that if he couldn’t celebrate his favorite NFL team’s victories, he would instead celebrate the team’s losses. His efforts have now snowballed into a full-fledged partnership with Excedrin.
Chris McNeil started a GoFundMe page for what he called the Perfect Season 2.0 Parade on Oct. 23 and set an initial goal of $10,000 for the event. Last month, he filed the necessary paperwork with the city government to hold the event. Unfortunately, the event was still about $8,000 short of its goal.
Excedrin, an over-the-counter drug produced by GlaxoSmithKline, stepped in to account for the shortfall on Wednesday, Dec. 6, by donating the rest of the money needed for the event, and thereby becoming the event’s official sponsor. In a press release, McNair spoke about the partnership.
"“I’m a lifetime fan of the Cleveland Browns and they have given me my share of headaches on Sundays (sometimes on Mondays as well) – but I’m not unique in that. Cleveland fans are passionate about this team even when the team literally gives us zero in return. That’s why I’m excited to have Excedrin sponsoring The Perfect Season Parade to help us Browns fans deal with the pain so we can focus on having a little fun Jan. 6th!”"
The frequency of 0-16 seasons in NFL history has been low, but this is the first time that a city-wide parade has been planned to commemorate the accomplishment. It was a rare opportunity that Excedrin couldn’t pass on, according to Scott Yacovino, Senior Brand Manager for Excedrin.
“All sports fans have felt a team, game or even single play-induced headache at some point. This season has been especially painful for Cleveland football fans. We want them to know we understand their pain and we’re here to help,” said Yacovino. “That’s why Excedrin is so proud to sponsor the Perfect Season Parade…supporting Cleveland fans’ attempt to embrace the silver lining and excitement around coming together to celebrate this historic ‘Perfect’ not-so-perfect season. It’s truly heartbreaking – and headache inducing – to watch your favorite team fall short, and we hope the headache relief we can provide will help make Jan. 6th memorable.”
Next: 10 craziest NFL fan bases
Now that the permits have been acquired and the event fully funded, it’s time for McNair and Excedrin to forge ahead with planning the event. What could be most interesting is whether or not Browns fans will actually root for the team to lose their final four games of the season in order to make the event truly deserving of the “perfect season” title and whether the Browns themselves will be involved. Either way, the partnership with Excedrin will make it a memorable event.