A life of its own

The Fifth Third Burger is getting the Whitecaps some publicity. And Ben Hill is there to stoke the fires!

Over the past 36 hours, the West Michigan Whitecaps' Fifth Third Burger has morphed from a local curiosity into a nationwide phenomenon. It just goes to show -- no country appreciates a giant sandwich as much as America.

Yes. I am proud to be an American! And I mean that in an non-ironic way.

Now, as a conscientious journalist, I hate to inject myself into the story. But it must be done in this case, because what happened next is this: On March 11, after being alerted to the Fifth Third burger's existence, I contacted the Whitecaps and asked for photographic evidence. Promotions coordinator Brian Oropallo sent along a picture, which I featured in Ben's Biz Blog.

That would have been it, except that CNBC sports business reporter (and fellow blogger) Darren Rovell noticed the post and decided to take things a step further. He obtained nutritional information about the burger and went on to brazenly declare it the "Minor League Concession Item of the Year."

This was the start of a truly remarkable chain reaction, as the burger has now been featured throughout the national media. Due to the efforts of media behemoths such as ESPN, Sports Illustrated and the Associated Press (as well as innumerable blogs, message boards and radio stations) the Fifth Third Burger turned into an overnight sensation. The Whitecaps are happy to be the recipients of so much attention, but it certainly wasn't anything they ever expected.

Ahem!

ESPN? Really? I don't believe that. Show me.

Anyway...The the most important question I have has been answered!

[T]he Whitecaps will award a commemorative t-shirt to any fan that is able to do so. The front of the shirt features a huge photo of the Fifth Third Burger, while the back proudly lists its nutritional information.

That is going to look so sweet in my T-Shirt closet.