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Wouldn't it be funny...
In January of 1987, I (Manuel Morales) received a phone call from a local billboard company, inquiring if I would be interested in creating a NY Giants painting in support of their Super Bowl XXI quest. The painting was created in two days, then photographed, scanned, reproduced onto vinyl, and displayed 10 days prior to the big game. They later went on to win Super Bowl XXI.
In January of 1990, I contacted the billboard company to see if they would like to collaborate again to create another billboard. They agreed with the condition that the NY Giants needed to get to the NFC Championship game and win. The painting was created. However, the NY Giants playoff loss to the Vikings cancelled the project.
Later on in August, 1990, we decided to go forward with the creation of a second NY Giants billboard, since the artwork had already been created, and hopes were high as to the NY Giants Super Bowl XXV quest for the 1990 season. The inside joke at the time was - "Wouldn't it be funny if every time we did this, the NY Giants would go on to win the Super Bowl". What was then wishful thinking, later become reality!
The Legacy
Thus became the legacy of each time my artwork had been featured on a billboard in support of the NY Giants Super Bowl quest (Super Bowl XXI, XXV, XLII), they later went on to win the Super Bowl, a 3-for-3 winning record documented and licensed by the NFL as the "NY Giants Super Bowl Commemorative Series".
Note: The football player featured in each painting is not one specific player but a representative of the team since it takes a team to win.
A Gift Turned Away
After the second NY Giants billboard, I approached the NY Giants organization to see if they would like for me to create a third billboard for their team in the future. Their response was a "thanks, but no thanks". This correspondence set the stage for me to hand over the destiny of the 3rd billboard over to the fans themselves. As the saying goes - a gift turned away goes to the one that wants it.
The Return of Bill Parcels
When the two NY Giants billboards were created, Bill Parcels was their head coach. Then several years later Bill Parcels returned to NY as head coach to lead the NY Jets to the AFC championship game, at the time, not much thought was given to creating a third Tempt Destiny™ billboard.
Then came a discussion I had with my brother of wether I should create a third Tempt Destiny™ billboard and this time, do it for the NY Jets since Bill Parcels was now their head coach. In addition to that fact, Bill Parcels superstitious nature also influenced why I did not complete the Giants paintings as originally intended until "after" the NY Giants won the Super Bowl. The football in the paintings was to be silver to symbolize the team's Super Bowl quest. Instead, the footballs displayed on the billboards were outlined in brown (see Billboard #1 and Billboard #2).
This tradition is what makes these billboards Tempt Destiny Billboards – a unique tradition that was continued with the making of the 3rd billboard. The completion of the 3rd painting is on hold until the movie of this story is made.
TemptDestiny.com
What started off as a simple gift in support for the NY Giants has now come to fruition. The billboards, program, and web site name of Tempt Destiny™ was chosen because it best represents what this quest is all about. As define in Webster's Dictionary, Destiny - "that which determines events: said of either a supernatural agency or necessity; ultimate fate; fortune." To tempt such fortune is what being a champion is all about, hence, Tempt Destiny™.
I invite you to join with me and others to Tempt Destiny™ to repeat for a fourth time what was done three times before in hopes of extending the winning 3-for-3 Tempt Destiny™ billboard record to 4-for-4 in support of your team - BRING IT ON!
Tempt Destiny™ Logos
Now that you know the complete history of this program, it will help you to understand what the Tempt Destiny™ logos are about.
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Tempt Destiny™ Symbol:
The three dots represent the legacy of the three related Super Bowl victories to date. The dots and partial circle combined to form a question to the answer being sought at TemptDestiny.com. When the fourth billboard takes place, the circle will be complete and so too, the Tempt Destiny program. |
Can destiny be tempted by having history repeat itself for a fourth and final time, and if so, for which NFL team? The answer is being decided at TemptDestiny.com
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