Selling the miracle on ice.
very few things are labeled with the grandoisity of the world 'miracle'.
What is a miracle?
miracle(n) - an extraordinary event manifesting divine intervention in human affairs. (see Websters)
Look at an example: Miracle Whip. Proctol & Kellogate came up with an amazing 'spread' of generia by: a) knocking out the competition; and b) hypermarketing its product via its miraculous nature.

Sport is one of those 'products'. Miracles occur regularly in sport, or at least so i'm told. The word miracle grabs our attention, despite its apparent overusage. This can be related to the appeal of the 1980 U.S. hockey team. This team has lived in the american sport lexicon thanks to its 'miracle' victory. Who better to capitali$e on a 'miracle' than American marketers? Americans are underdogs so infrequently that its rare occurence provides an excellent vehicle for production, promotion and consumption. 20 years later we are still hearing about that particular sports team and its link to americana. It has become part of American "nathistraditionalism". This link between identity and sport is based in a growing....