I never thought I would use the words “class”and “ESPN” in the same sentence.   It’s just not a part of my lexicon — until now.

 In the Sunday New York Times, ESPN ran a full page ad in the front section that caught my attention big time. Not only was the layout simple, clean and artful, but the message was stunning in its humility. Again, not a word I would associate with ESPN.

So much has been made about Michael Phelps and his incredible Olympic run.  And the rousing shots of him with arms in the air, cheering his gold medal wins, are being used as marketing fodder by a long list of brands and corporations. All that just makes ESPN’s creative approach even more impactful.

The ad is too large for our crazy office scanner to accept, so I offer you the top 7/8ths of the ad here — unfortunately missing the payout line which makes the copy truly brilliant.

The tagline says “FOR 9 NIGHTS, WE WEREN’T WATCHING US EITHER. ESPN”

Love it. Plus I hear they are considering a bid for the broadcast rights to the Olympics in 2014.

Class act, that ESPN.

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