{"id":260657,"date":"2023-02-21T05:20:43","date_gmt":"2023-02-21T11:20:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/?p=260657"},"modified":"2023-02-21T13:50:45","modified_gmt":"2023-02-21T19:50:45","slug":"paddy-power-attacked-over-spurs-ad-that-mocks-autism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/paddy-power-attacked-over-spurs-ad-that-mocks-autism\/","title":{"rendered":"Paddy Power Attacked Over Spurs Ad that \u2018Mocks Autism\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

A Paddy Power<\/a> video advertisement that mocks fans of English Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur<\/a>, or Spurs, has been denounced by two UK charities for also making fun of autism.<\/p>\n

\"Paddy
The \u201cSpurs Fan Center,\u201d above, is a safe haven where Tottenham supporters can go to feel better about themselves in Paddy Power\u2019s ad. But it\u2019s mainly about Arsenal. (Image: Paddy Power)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The two-minute video, titled “The Spurs Fan Center,” imagines a fictional \u2018Spurs Sensory Center,\u2019 where fans of the club can go to work through their misery over their lack of trophies. Inside, we discover the center is largely devoted to memorializing the misfortunes of hated local North London rival Arsenal<\/a>, historically the more successful team.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt would be a pretty [expletive] short experience if it was just about the good times at Tottenham,\u201d explains the center\u2019s manager.<\/p>\n

We\u2019re not totally obsessed with Arsenal. We have a whole section dedicated to Spurs and their recent achievements,\u201d<\/strong> he adds, as the camera follows him toward a small washroom with three pictures hanging on the wall.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

One bears the title \u201cFirst football stadium with a cheese room.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDrink it in. Take your time,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Despite being one of the EPL\u2019s so-called \u201cBig Six,\u201d Spurs has won just one trophy — a League Cup — in the past 30 years.<\/p>\n

\u2018Not a Punchline\u2019<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Tim Nicholls, head of influencing and research at the National Autistic Society, doesn’t see the funny side of the betting operator\u2019s skit.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe honestly have no idea what Paddy Power thought the benefits of making this film were,\u201d he told The Athletic<\/em>. \u201cWe\u2019re really disappointed they used the term \u2018sensory room\u2019 as part of a cheap jibe.<\/p>\n

Sensory rooms are not a punchline \u2014 they\u2019re an important way to support autistic people and their families to attend big sporting events, like football matches,\u201d<\/strong> he added. \u201cWithout that safe and calming space, they might find the noise and large crowds completely overwhelming.\u201d<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Nicholls praised the recent work undertaken by EPL clubs to make their stadiums more accessible for autistic people and their families.<\/p>\n

\u2018Poor Taste\u2019<\/strong><\/h2>\n

All 20 EPL clubs have sensory rooms, which allow autistic people to watch the action through a window in a safe and calming place where they won’t be overwhelmed by crowd noise. This is something that should be \u201capplauded not mocked,\u201d Nicholls said.<\/p>\n

Level Playing Field, a charity campaigning for inclusivity for disabled fans, said in a statement that the ad could be seen as being in \u201cpoor taste,\u201d and could undermine the hard work done by the clubs.<\/p>\n

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It\u2019s not the first time Paddy Power has found itself in hot water over an ad spot. The company holds the record for the UK\u2019s all-time most-complained-about advertisement. In 2014, during the Oscar Pretorius murder trial, the betting operator offered odds on the result, plus a \u201cmoney back if he walks\u201d promotion.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Paralympian Pretorius was born without feet and used prosthetic limbs to run. He was ultimately convicted of the murder of his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, and sentenced to 15 years in prison.<\/p>\n

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