When it comes to Puppy Crawl, you can have a debate about it. That debate is: “was is is the greatest halftime show in Big Ten Tournament history? Or “was it the greatest halftime show in basketball history?”
One can’t say a lot good things about how the Illinois Fighting Illini played last night, in their 2023 Big Ten Tournament loss to Penn State. (We already covered that here and here)
However, we lots of wonderful things to say about Puppy Crawl, which was the halftime show of that game.
Watch video footage of the event below:
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Yes, indeed! P.A.W.S. Chicago, always known for being very media savvy, organized this race, which featured 14 currently up-for-adoption puppies. It was Puppy Bowl, Big Ten style, as there was a baby canine for every school in the league. They were represented by a logoed bandana.
On one end, there was a P.A.W.S. representative for every pup holding/guiding them on their leash. On the other end, you had a volunteer for every doggo waiving a plush toy, trying to entice them.
The puppy representing the Indiana Hoosiers won in the end, but honestly, anyone who got to see this in person, up close, was a winner. For more photos of Puppy Crawl, click on that Instagram posting above and swipe through.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to Ravens Wire, part of the USA Today SMG’s NFL Wire Network and the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Tribune and the Washington Times. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter.