Answering the Critics December 4, 2006
Posted by JP in : My Super Proposal , trackbackI’ve noticed that a lot of people who come to this site or hear about my efforts seem to think that the Super Bowl proposal is a scam in disguise. I want to try to answer all of the most common questions I get about that and lay this issue to rest.
Question: Are you for real? How do we know for sure?
It’s strange to try to justify one’s existence, and it’s not easy to prove when you’re trying to keep your identity hidden. However, I’m working on it. First thing is that I’m trying to get a donation to the Vanderbilt Children’s hospital in the website’s name so folks will, at the least, know that I really do plan to give this money away. One issue is that many of the “donations” have come from folks who made those donations as “commitments,” predicated on my actually doing the proposal and then they’d have links on this site. But, I am going to take as much of the actual dollar donations that have been sent and get those to Vanderbilt ASAP - they can’t help me nearly as much as press and links to the site. Hopefully, this can help to prove the site and myself to be “for real.” One other thing is that I have actually met and talked to some folks about this and they’ve written about the project or are helping out. In particular, Joe Morin, who actually flew out to meet me (and see for himself if I was “for real”). So, if you believe those people, maybe that can put some extra trust into it.
Question: Isn’t donating money so you can buy a Superbowl ad is a terrible waste of charity dollars?
As I’ve mentioned in the past, the money at this point is going directly to the Children’s Hospital in Nashville. I never wanted to profit from this endeavor, just show my girlfriend how much I love her and give her a grand proposal. Thus, your donations are, actually going to one of the most worthy causes I can imagine - helping to research childrens’ diseases and cure them.
Question: Is this a scam for a clever advertiser like those lonelygirl15 videos?
No. Absolutely not. There’s no big company backing my efforts - right now it’s just me and a lot of very friendly folks from all over the web who’ve contributed their time and efforts in the hopes of seeing me succeed.
Why do you have a PR company listed on your contact page?
Mostly because they volunteered, but also because Joe (Joe Morin, the guy who’s thrown himself into this with great zeal) felt that we needed someone who could get back to press contacts about the site and the goals in a timely and professional manner - something I can’t do myself. This week I’m on two different radio shows and, fingers crossed, might have an interview, too.
How do you expect to succeed? It seems impossible.
In all honesty, when I started, I felt that way, too. I thought it was just a wild gamble and something I could joke about with my girlfriend (i.e. “I love you so much, honey, I tried to propose on the Super Bowl”). But, as time went on and it picked up buzz and donations and now support and press, too, I started to think that it just might be possible. If it is, I’ve got to give this my best shot.
If you’ve got other questions about me or the proposal or anything else, please just ask in the comments. I can’t check the site all the time, but I’ll do what I can to make sure that everyone gets a real answer.
Comments»
Hey–saw the blurb on the latest (12/18) ESPN the Magazine on page 38. Awesome!
Me too! I heard about this in the ESPN mag and thought I’d check it out. Sure sounds like the biggest idea I’ve ever heard of.
Lots of luck.
Hey, what if an NFL star heard about this? That could possibly launch you to front-row status. I highly recommend you watch “My Date With Drew” - a documentary about a random guy trying to get a date with Drew Barrymore. The word of mouth concept seems similar to your story.
Hi! Sandra from Sweden here!
I just wanna wish U good luck with your upcoming proposal.
Hopefully you get yes as an answer
Hi! I’m also from Sweden and I read about you in the papers today. I want to wish you good look with this thing. Hopefully you get the money you need and hopefully you’re girlfriend says yes to your proposal (well, who wouldn’t say yes to a proposal like this?!). This is a very crazy idea, but it’s also a very cute thing to do. Good luck!
First….You’re an idiot.
Second…. I doubt she’s that special.
Third……If you can’t afford the ad by yourself, you shouldn’t do it.
Last, but not least…. If she does marry you, let her handle the finances.
Groom-to-Be…
I wish you SO MUCH luck and think she will just buckle at the knees when she finds out all you’re trying to do for your proposal.
I also want to tell you that you have a lot of support coming from me. My husband and I recently started a Web page to raise money for a personal issue we’re facing. We’ve received incredible support worldwide, national media exposure, and some very generous donations. We’ve also received a little bit of criticism, just as you have. I say, keep your chin up and keep moving forward. It takes the crazy ideas to really ever make anything happen!!
[…] The whole thing was super coordinated, with press releases and TV and radio interviews, leading many to assume it was a would-be viral marketing hoax, but the guy maintained steadfastly on his blog that he was legit. […]