Seattle Sportsnet

Michael Scott

You all know Michael Scott. He’s the character played by Steve Carell on NBC’s The Office. The regional manager of the Scranton branch of Dunder Mifflin — a failing paper company — Scott is an oblivious egocentric who has few friends, a failed love life, little power within his company, an inflated sense of self-worth, and is willing to do anything and everything to get people to like him. Including lying.

Over the course of The Office’s six seasons, Scott has perpetuated his image by promising (and failing to deliver upon) surprises and raises to his subordinates, and most recently pledging the cost of college tuition to an entire group of teenagers, only to realize he barely had enough money to cover one individual’s books. And so it goes for Michael Scott.

That said, it’s not often that we find ourselves a real-life Michael Scott in the everyday world. Enter Brandt Andersen, owner of the NBA Developmental League’s Utah Flash.

Andersen, looking to boost attendance and increase revenues at his otherwise-irrelevant sporting event, promised Flash fans a show they would never forget. At halftime of the team’s opener on Monday, a one-on-one grudge match between Michael Jordan and former Utah Jazz forward Bryon Russell was to take place.

In 1996, Jordan took this now-infamous shot over Russell.

It was an idea that Andersen and the team had been promoting since September, when they offered $100,000 to a charity of the winner’s choice should the match take place. Back then, they actually had half the deal in place, getting Russell to agree to participate early on. Unfortunately, and not surprisingly, they never heard from Jordan.

That didn’t stop them from carrying out the hoax, however. Andersen even went so far as to hire a Jordan lookalike to roam around town and stir up attention in Orem, where the Flash play their home games.

It worked. Kind of.

Around 7,500 people showed up to witness the highly-publicized event, only to be disappointed when all they got was an NBDL game. The average attendance of an NBDL game is around 1,500.

After the game, Andersen apologized for his antics and maintained that the entire hoax was carried out in fun, teaching kids that it’s fun to lie in the process.

To atone for his actions, Andersen has promised free tickets to a future Flash game for all the people who attended Monday’s contest. Essentially the laptop batteries that Michael Scott purchased for his college-bound, tuition-promised class of kids.