By Brittany Burke

Driving up Ella Grasso Boulevard, it’s hard not to notice the latest addition to the CCSU sports complex, and no I’m not talking about the continual soccer field construction; I’m referring to the brand new East Side sponsored billboard.

The construction trucks and multiple piles of dirt are nothing in comparison to the billboard, one may be in eye sore, but the other is just heinous. The sports complex renovations are temporary, but how long will the football field be associated with this ridiculous billboard?

If you haven’t driven past the football field in the past week, then you probably wouldn’t know what I’m talking about. To be honest I didn’t hear of the billboard going up until I logged on to my Twitter account, but since hearing and seeing it, it’s become the main topic of a few conversations.

If you think I’m being too harsh of the newest sponsors, then take the time to see for yourself, because as of last week the street side of the scoreboard became the new home to an advertisement for New Britain’s East Side German restaurant.

I didn’t get the chance to see the ad until Friday afternoon, but I admit when I did get the opportunity, all I could do was shake my head and literally laugh out loud.

The ad boasts the restaurant’s “Ticki Tocki, Ticki Tocki, Hoy, Hoy, Hoy” slogan synonymous with the establishment  in a background of purple. Flanking the ad in blue and white is the CCSU emblem with the phrase “Proud Sponsors of CCSU Athletics” strewn across the top.

It is apparent that CCSU was given a lot of money to have that billboard put up, which is no doubt good for the athletics program, but that doesn’t necessarily make it right. I understand that the school needs and welcomes new sponsors, and a New Britain staple such as East Side, is good for the city and CCSU community, but do we want a billboard that gets laughed at to be the first thing visitors see as they pull into Blue Devils territory? What’s intimidating about a purple and yellow billboard? Not much.

It would have been more appropriate to display a billboard that says “Go Blue Devils,” like the fence banner opposed to a sponsored billboard. We want to welcome people to the CCSU campus, not distract them, which is what the billboard is doing,  though I admit there is a silver lining to this beyond the school’s monetary gain.

When I heard that an East Side sign was going up I immediately thought of the woman in the stereotypical bar maid outfit, holding the two pints of beer, like the other ads scattered around Connecticut. I don’t know who chose not to go that route with the CCSU billboard, but I commend them on that choice. While a memorable form of advertisement, someone flaunting beer would not make sense on a dry campus, and is more ridiculous than what is there.

Not only do I want to know how much CCSU was paid, but when did East Side became a proud sponsor of CCSU? As far as I can remember I have never heard East Side announced in the list of game sponsors.

So why the billboard? Why not follow suit like the other sponsors and have a simple sign with the restaurant name along the field fence? I suppose if you have the money to stand out you make sure that you do…and East Side has definitely accomplished this.

I admit, it’s good to see new sponsors support CCSU athletics, getting the community involved was in fact one of the main initiatives for this new season, but the sight of it is definitely something to get used to.

Consider yourself warned.