MINNEAPOLIS— The Timberwolves’ victory on Sunday night, which sent the team to the Western Conference Finals, has put a spotlight on Minneapolis and the state.
Some of the attention was drawn by Anthony Edwards during a postgame interview with Charles Barkley on TNT.
Barkley said he hadn’t been to Minnesota in 20 years.
“Come along,” Edwards immediately intervened.
As it turns out, the three words mean a lot to the people of Minnesota.
“I think we all felt something in that moment,” says Jon Savitt, a comedian and lifelong fan.
Explore Minnesota has seized on the phrase to use as its new tourism slogan.
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‘We probably can’t afford it [Edwards] as a spokesperson, but this is the best we can get for it,” said Lauren Bennett McGinty, executive director of Explore Minnesota. “It’s not easy to do something so quickly in government, but if it’s this much fun and you want Make sure people see everything Minnesota has to offer, you make it work.”
Savitt also helped boost the state’s tourism.
He bought the domain name www.bringyaass.com and pointed it to the Explore Minnesota website.
“I think it gives all of us permission to say, ‘Yes, Minnesota is a place to be. It’s a place you want to come to, not just to live, but to travel to,'” said Savitt.
Fans agree that having a superstar like Edwards champion the city is special because Minnesotans can get a little defensive about where they come from.
“We are not flyover country,” Bennett McGinty said.
“It’s not just frozen tundra here.” Lifelong fan Brock Sullivan told friends in Boston.
“Minnesota is so often overlooked, so I’m excited that we have this opportunity on the national stage through basketball,” Savitt said.
Barkley also asked Edwards for restaurant recommendations during the postgame interview, sparking conversations on social media about where he should eat when he’s in town.
Explore Minnesota says it’s a perfect opportunity that has fallen into their lap to promote everything there is to offer.
David Schuman
