Uh... what?
Despite the fact that tickets for the Big Ten title game sold out on the very first day, there is an ad on Craigslist that comes terribly close to implying that seat-fillers are needed for an event in downtown Indianapolis. On Saturday night.
The ad, titled “Event Seat-Filler (Indianapolis/Downtown)”, asks for people to... well.. it’s better just to read it for yourself:Saturday night event in downtown Indianapolis needs seat-fillers. Total number of seat-fillers needed will vary based on crowd.
Must tolerate loud noise and crowds. Must have red or dark green casual clothing to wear. Event will last all evening on Saturday night. All ages, sexes, races, etc.
Please use contact e-mail. Event planner will follow-up with exact details on location for staging of seat-fillers (additional information and instruction provided there).
Of course, it doesn’t make explicitly mention of the Big Ten championship game, but the context clues make it pretty easy to infer. Clay Travis of Outkickthecoverage.com replied to the ad and was told that he would be compensated $75 for his role as a seat-filler.
The Big Ten replied to OKTC that they were not associated with the ad, and released the following statement on their Twitter account:
“Fans, please be aware, regarding the Big Ten Football Championship Game, the Big Ten is NOT paying fans to attend.”
The whole thing could be a complete misinterpretation, or perhaps a hoax, but if there’s one thing that would be more embarrassing to the Big Ten than a half-empty Lucas Oil Stadium, it would be paying people to fill it.
But, I hear Kramer from “Seinfeld” is available if need be.
