Fox Sports has unveiled “Striker,” the massive U.S. national team balloon the network will fly in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade as part of its World Cup promotions.
The network said the Striker is actually not a balloon but a “balloonicle” – a hybrid vehicle-balloon combination that is 25-feet long, 25-feet tall, and 10-feet wide and will show Striker executing a bicycle kick.
The balloonicle shares its name with the mascot for the 1994 World Cup in the U.S.
For Fox, the timing of the parade will be ideal. Thanksgiving is just one day before the USMNT takes on England in what is expected to be one of the highest-rated games of the World Cup. The U.S. kicks off the tournament against Wales three days prior to Thanksgiving.
“For decades, the FIFA World Cup and the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade have brought smiles to countless people across the globe. Fox Sports is proud to call in Striker, the U.S. soccer star, to celebrate the beautiful game with fans around the world this holiday season,” said Whit Haskel, senior VP of brand marketing at Fox Sports.
Striker will be part of Fox’s promotional vehicle for the World Cup, which has included two commercials with Jon Hamm playing Santa Claus.
The second commercial also contains a host of other big names, including Tom Brady, Mariah Carey, Ellie Kemper, and several members of the USMNT.
Fox Sports will carry all 64 matches of the World Cup in English on Fox, FS1 and streaming on the Fox Sports app.
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