Did The Browns Rip Off Their Schedule Release Video From Another Brand?
The NFL Schedule Release is like the Super Bowl for creative departments. Every year, all 32 teams try to outdo each other by unveiling elaborate videos that lay out the upcoming regular season schedule in wild fashion. But the Cleveland Browns' 2024 video might not have been as creative as they thought.
Their nearly four-minute video shows Browns players working and playing in a bowling alley. Some highlights include a player smashing a cake decorated with a Dallas Cowboys logo, mascot Brownie the Elf riding a mechanical horse (a "Denver Bronco"), and the guys polishing their balls with terrible towels to signify the week the Browns play the division rival Pittsburgh Steelers.
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But all of that is overshadowed by a cameo from bowling legend Pete Weber at the end of the video. The Browns players turn in disbelief as Weber walks into the bowling alley in slow motion. He is decked out in brown and orange apparel with "BROWNS" monogrammed across his bowling shoes as he strides up to the lane.
He even dropped his iconic line, "Who do you think you are? I am!"
Brand Accuses Cleveland Browns Of Theft
If that last scene looked familiar, that's because it's been done before. Last year, Mugsy Brand jeans shot a promo just like it. Not only did Weber star in the ad, but he also struck an identical pose while lying in front of a lane at the exact same bowling alley where the Browns' spot was filmed.
"Did the @Browns just steal our commercial?!" the brand posted on Twitter / X. "That's not very nice. We knew you were bad at football, but you're bad at marketing too?! Yikes."
Cael Schwartz — who works for Mugsy in growth and branding — doubled down on the accusation in a LinkedIn post: "The Cleveland Browns blatantly ripped our video. Like a lot. Complete copy. "Yesterday, the Browns (who are losers) released a video that features Pete Weber in the SAME bowling alley, with the SAME camera tracking, & the SAME shots as our Mugsy ad.
"We love Pete & we get it, big dogs gotta eat. But c'mon Browns. Be better. Come up with original ideas one time for me, National Football League (NFL)."
What do you think — coincidence or blatant copying?
On one hand, maybe it's just Pete Weber being robotic — performing his same schtick and repeating his same famous tagline for decades on end. On the other hand, the same pose, the same camera shots and the same bowling alley make the Browns look a little suspect here.
Regardless, Mugsy says they aren't pursuing legal action. They're just asking the NFL to purchase one million pairs of jeans. And at $118 a pop, that's quite the ask. Good luck with that, Mugsy.