 Calvin
Ayre Targets Crack Houses, Abandoned Row Houses for
MMA Campaign
Dana White has
referred to Bodog Fight founder, Calvin Ayre as
"That criminal". And while we still haven't
been able to obtain that criminal record
which typically establishes someone as a felon, could it
be that Ayre is trying to cater to this seedy
element in society...the drug pushers, the corner
prostitutes, the vagrants, the gang bangers?
Has White set a light
bulb in Ayre's head. Suddenly it appears that
BodogFight posters have been propagating in every
"crime ridden' neighborhood around NJ.
Sports911.com
recently scoured the worst neighborhoods in and
around New York City and discovered BodogFight
posters everywhere, all of which were advertising an
upcoming fight in one of the nation's most run down
cities, Trenton, New Jersey. (See:
Bodog Fight: Eddie Alvarez VS. Matt Lee).
But for every crack
infested block, BodogFight also has posters
plastered in and around more vibrant up-and-coming
communities like those in Lower Manhattan and
Washington Heights.
"This is basically
a bombardment of the New York City area in the form
of branding," says Payton O'Brien, Senior Editor of
Sports911.com. "It's not so much that Calvin
Ayre and the Bodog Fight crew are trying to attract
crackheads and gangbangers to become part of their
fan base. It's more about where they are
permitted to place these posters."
 Obviously,
BodogFight posters won't do anything to cheapen a
neighborhood full of crack houses as opposed to being plastered along a tree-lined street on the
Upper East Side where rents start in the $2000 a
month range.
(left: Calvin Ayre
poses with Sports911.com reporter Anna Lexington
during the Bodog sponsored Lakers Casino Night last
year. Lakers owner Jerry Buss was recently
arrested for a DUI. THAT CRIMINAL Paris Hilton
was also partying with Ayre during Casino Night.
So essentially, Casino Night could very well have
featured more felons and criminal elements than say
a corner of South Trenton, NJ.....technically).
South Trenton is
home to The Sovereign Bank Arena (also referred to
as the Mercer County Arena), a $53 million, 8,500
seat arena that is home to the Trenton Devils of the
ECHL.
The Arena opened on October 6, 1999 with a World
Wrestling Federation event. Since opening, the Arena
has hosted over 1200 events with over 4,000,000
guests attending and has hosted such shows as Cher,
Bruce Springsteen, World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE),
Shania Twain, Keith Urban, Elton John, Ringling
Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, Britney Spears,
Lord of the Dance, Luciano Pavarotti, Champions on
Ice, Barney’s Musical Castle, WWE Smackdown, The
Harlem Globetrotters, Target/Smucker’s Stars On Ice,
Creed, Elton John, 98 Degrees, Matchbox 20, Tool,
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, and The
2004-2005 Kelly Cup Champion Trenton Titans (now
Trenton Devils) ECHL Hockey Games. .
The arena held the first and second rounds of the
2006 NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 2000 and 2001 Northeast Conference men's
basketball tournaments were held there as was the
2003 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference men's
basketball tournament. The 2009 edition of the MAAC
tourney is scheduled to be held there as well.
The Arena seats approximately 8,100 for hockey and
other ice events, 9,000 for basketball, and up to
10,000 for concerts, family shows, and other events
which makes it the largest arena in Southern New
Jersey. The facility has 1,150 private club seats as
well as 34 private luxury suites and is the largest
arena in Southern New Jersey. Located in
Mercer County, the Arena draws on a captive audience
of over seven million people within a 40-mile
radius.
This heroine
addict never heard of Bodog Fight or that
criminal.....errr...that entrepreneur, Calvin Ayre,
until posters began showing up in his neighborhood
put up by the boys from
WickedChopsPoker
who live just down the street.
The arena is located next to, and served by, the
Hamilton Avenue station on NJ Transit's River Line
and New Jersey Route 129.
For anyone wishing
to stay the night, The Marriott Trenton at Lafayette
Yard is just a half mile away from the Sovereign
Bank Arena and it should be pointed out that this is
literally the ONLY place to stay when visiting
Trenton. All other hotels charge by the hour,
if you know what we mean.
For anyone coming
by car, Langhorne, Pennsylvania is just across the
border (5 minute drive). Bring the kiddies.
That's where Sesame Street Place is located.
So you can see Elmo get tickled and Eddie Alvarez
knock someone out all in a single week. How's
that for a vacation.
BodogFight: Eddie
Alvarez VS. Matt Lee is happening July 14.
---
Christopher
Costigan, Sports911.com
Originally
published June 22, 2007 10:47 pm ET
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