February 02, 2005
TBS is in trouble, and rightly so:
He's known for Yogi-isms, but Yogi Berra doesn't want to know from Yogasms. The Yankee legend has filed a $10 million lawsuit against Turner Broadcasting Systems for using his name in a "hurtful" advertisement for its "Sex and the City" reruns — an ad that "created a false image of [Berra] that is both contrary to his personality, lifestyle and character as well as abhorrent to him personally." The ad, which appeared on numerous city buses and billboards and in magazines around the world, features what the suit calls a "rather provocative" photo of "Sex" star Kim Cattrall's promiscuous "Samantha" character and reads, "Yogasm: a) a type of yo-yo trick b) sex with Yogi Berra c) what Samantha has with a guy from yoga class." It then urges readers to tune in to TBS for reruns of "Sex and the City." But the suit filed in Manhattan Supreme Court says the superstation never asked the 79-year-old Hall of Famer for permission to use his name — and he wouldn't have given it if it had. "Plaintiff is a married man and has children and grandchildren. He is a deeply religious man who has maintained and continues to maintain a moral lifestyle, and has a spotless reputation for integrity, decency and moral character," the suit says. "The direct reference to the sexual act made in connection with Mr. Berra . . . engenders a moral taint that has damaged his otherwise spotless reputation."It is unbelievable that they would run an ad like this without the consent of Yogi Berra, and I hope we wins his lawsuit and the ads are taken down (although I do find 10 million a bit steep). Not only does this ad taint his good name, I also find it completely inappropriate for buses and billboards. But Yogi rocks and his response to this situation confirms it...even if he was a Yankee.
