Baseball Team Admits Viral Marriage Proposal Video Was a Hoax

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By Sam Laird2013-08-07 18:14:34 UTC

The video, which became a viral hit on the sports Internet, seemed almost too ridiculous to be true.

A young couple takes the field during a break in the action at a New Britain Rock Cats minor league baseball game. The man, dressed in a red shirt, bends to one knee and asks his blonde girlfriend to marry him. She stammers and stutters before finally blurting out, "I can't," as the stadium emcee tries to stifle giggles. The man runs away.

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Turns out the YouTube video, which has racked up more than 675,000 views since Saturday, was too ridiculous to be true — nothing but an elaborate "promotion," as the Connecticut team admitted in a statement posted to its website on Wednesday morning.

“New Britain Rock Cats games feature fun, creative promotions tied into every game, and micro-promotions between most innings,” Mike Abramson, the team's vice president of marketing, says in a press release. “After watching a public proposal, we talked about what would happen if the answer were NO, and how that might affect a crowd, and those viewing it after on video. We worked with two of our staff on the skit and executed a digital strategy to set the video on a viral path; we could not be more pleased with the outcome.”

This isn't the first time a minor league ball club has staged a tale of romance gone bad for Internet clicks. In May, the Fresno Grizzlies posted video of a funny kiss cam breakup, which was later revealed to be fake. But Abramson says the Rock Cats' failed marriage proposal video just goes to show New Britain fans have a wild and crazy hometown team.

“If anyone was offended by the promotion in any way we sincerely apologize; this endeavor was intended to entertain and remind fans you never know what you’re going to see at a Rock Cats game,” he explains.

What do you think — funny promotion or lame stunt? Give us your take in the comments.

Homepage image: Russ Glasson, Flickr

Topics: Entertainment, Sports