• by Sarah Mahoney  @mahoney_sarah, June 6, 2024

Brands aren’t always in a hurry to pile on sports wagers, but for Six Flags Entertainment Corp., the looming NBA finals seem like the ultimate win/win -- even if it involves some ritual humiliation for park execs.

Six Flags New England, the amusement park based in Agawam, Massachusetts, is a playground for many of the state’s young basketball fans. The Boston Celtics, eleven times champions, are favorites going into the championship. They face the Dallas Mavericks, who play less than 20 minutes from Six Flags Over Texas.

Marketers at both theme parks have cooked up a friendly wager with stakes that involve freebies for guests, fun food elements and some good-natured razzing of the park’s presidents.

“We’ve done these bets in the past,” Ray Sciarretta, marketing and public relations manager at Six Flags New England, tells Marketing Daily. “We are looking forward to this opportunity to pit ourselves against another park, bringing attention not only to ourselves but also to Six Flags Over Texas. Whoever loses, we’ll add a little extra surprise and delight for our guests.”

If Boston wins the series, Six Flags Over Texas will temporarily rename the Texas Giant roller coaster to the “Boston Giant,” give free admission to anyone from Massachusetts with a valid ID for a week, and send a care package of Chicken Fried Steak and Texas Chili to New England as well as serving the first 100 guests Boston cream pies.

And if Dallas wins? Six Flags New England will rename the New England SkyScreamer to Dallas SkyScreamer and give free admission to Texans with a valid ID. They’ll also send a spread of iconic Bostonian foods to the Lone Star location, including Boston Cream Donuts, New England Clam Chowder, and Boston Baked Beans. The park will greet the first 100 visitors on the chosen day with Dallas Pecan Pie.

Donuts and pies aside, the essential ingredient is park execs willing to risk a little razzing. If the Mavericks win, Six Flags New England president has agreed to be trailed around the park by a country-and-western band. And if Boston wins, Six Flags Over Texas president will have to endure the humiliation of a full day of Celtic bagpipers.

Sciarretta says that while such bets have done well in terms of generating earned media and boosting attendance, they haven’t exactly worked out for New England sports fans.

In 2019, the “sure thing” Boston Bruins lost to the St. Louis Blues, resulting in the president being trailed all day by a loud brass blues band. In 2022, when the Celtics fell to the Golden State Warriors, it had to temporarily rename a roller coaster to honor the California team.

The park isn’t buying any prohibitively priced ads for the NBA tournament. Sciarretta anticipates coverage of the bet from local TV and radio outlets. And, as it has in the past, he expects an attendance bump as a result: “It’s a good opportunity for people to come out and heckle a little bit.”