Anthony Edwards‘ viral “Bring Ya Ass” moment with Charles Barkley has become a new slogan for Minnesota's tourism agency.
On Sunday night, Edwards went viral after telling Charles Barkley to “bring ya ass,” in response to Barkley admitting he hadn't been to Minnesota in over 20 years. Explore Minnesota, the state's official tourism department, wasted no time adopting the phrase. According to a tweet from Axios reporter Nick Halter, Minnesota native and comedian Jon Savitt helped the agency by buying the domain www.bringyaass.com and redirecting it to the official website for Explore Minnesota.
When people click the link, they'll be taken to Explore Minnesota's homepage that reads, “Welcome to a state of possibility. Whether you're planning a visit or pondering a move, Minnesota is ready to welcome you. In other words….,” before scrolling down and seeing “Bring Ya A**” in big white letters.
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“In that moment, I think we all kind of felt something there,” Savitt said of Edwards' comment in a statement to CBS News. “I think it kind of gives all of us permission to be like, ‘Yeah, Minnesota is a place to be.' It is a place you want to come to, not just to live but to travel to….Minnesota is so often overlooked, so I just love that through basketball, we're getting this chance on the national stage.”
Explore Minnesota's executive director, Lauren Bennett McGinty, shared why they were able to launch the new campaign so quickly.
“We probably can't afford [Edwards] as a spokesperson, but this is as good as we'll get for that. It's not easy to do something that quickly in government, but when it's so much fun and you want to make sure that people see everything Minnesota has to offer, you make it work,” she said.
Minnesotans have a lot to be happy about with the Timberwolves‘ remarkable run in the 2024 NBA Playoffs. After defeating last year's champions, the Denver Nuggets, the Wolves will make their first Western Conference Finals appearance in 20 years. The team will be taking on Luka Dončić, Kyrie Irving, and the Dallas Mavericks with Game 1 starting on Wednesday night at the Target Center in Minnesota.
This article was originally published on Complex.com.
