Miss this, and it's G-E-I-C-O

Spelling animal names is sooo 2008. Or at least since somebody's boss stole their brilliant idea to to buy the name of the game (traditionally H-O-R-S-E) played during NBA All-Star Weekend. The players will shoot to avoid elimination, which is now spelled G-E-I-C-O.

From USA Today:

Sports are often made for TV. And TV is made for advertisers.

So it shouldn't surprise — especially as all sports are scrambling to find new places to hang "for sale" signs given the current economy — that the NBA's first H-O-R-S-E contest won't use those letters.

As that contest joins dunking and three-point shooting contests as part of TNT's NBA All-Star Weekend coverage, the as-yet unnamed three contestants — who'll be overseen by an NBA ref — will play G-E-I-C-O. As in the insurance company that will be the event's unavoidable sponsor. (Suggestion: The winner then takes on the famous ad lizard to really drive home the brand awareness.)

Yeah, they found a way to take the advertising dog-and-pony show that is the NBA and put a brand name on something else. Brilliant.

Quite frankly, I do follow the NBA and I didn't know there was a HORSE competition (for kids who didn't grow up with a basketball hoop in the driveway, one player makes a shot, usually ridiculously hard, and everyone has to replicate it or else get a letter. Spell the name of the game, and you lose). But hey, the stars will be out in Phoenix to see it, and Geico's obviously getting free PR from bloggers (like the Sporting News, where I heard about this).

Just please, please, please, keep the googly eye money out of it.