PaddyPower have decided to do a Pontius Pilot on all matters relating to Dennis Rodman and the North Korean Supreme leader, Kim Jong-un, following worldwide condemnation of the purge and execution of Jang Song Thaek.
There are whisperings of people who are scared of bringing children into this crazy world of ours, and just when you think it creates an even keel of sensibility, with jingle bells, presents and lip’s smacking underneath the mistletoe, it throws up another beauty of a plot to remind us all just how insane things can really be.
Dennis Rodman is one of the most controversial players to fall out of the National Basketball Association (NBA). His colorful, brash, couldn’t give a shit attitude, has propelled him from ball player to ‘B’ list celebrity, and yet, to this day, he remains the most high profile American to have met the North Korean Supreme leader Kim Jong-un, since the young man inherited the big red button from his father in 2011.
To understand this bizarre encounter we have to go back to Rome, and the hysteria surrounding the Papal appointment that ensued after Pope Benedict XVI decided to retire back in February 2013.
The Irish funsters, PaddyPower, decided to join forces with Dennis Rodman during their money back special: your money back if the pope’s black, and even drove Rodman around the Italian capital in an ersatz pope mobile in another brazen ad campaign.
The pair continued their relationship as Rodman took part in a series of visitations to the North Korean capital, where it is said he not only wined and dined with the Supreme leader, but also now classifies him as a personal friend.
The visitations continued as Rodman trained the North Korean basketball players in preparation for an exhibition game that is due to take place on 8th January 2014, where a selection of former NBA stars will take on a team from North Korea in celebration of the North Korean’s gaffers birthday.
The men in green put their full weight behind the game, in was first perceived to be nothing but a bit of fun; before the Supreme leader led a purge that resulted in the execution of his uncle, and second most powerful man in North Korea, Jang Song Thaek.
His crimes?
Well amongst them were allegations of dabbling in the deadly sin of gambling!
Unsurprisingly, PaddyPower, have recently announced that their sponsorship of Rodman’s visits has now ceased after, “ a reaction to the worldwide focus and total condemnation of the North Korean regime over recent events.”
The news comes after Rodman returned from his third visit to North Korea, where he had been enjoying a four-day visitation. Rodman was not prepared to comment when approached by the press upon his arrival, and it’s unsure whether the games will still go ahead without the full backing of Ireland’s finest; although something tells me if the Supreme leader wants a basketball game starring Rodman and the former stars of the NBA – the man is going to get that game.
