For the past three days, the Carolina Panthers social media team has been working on something big, something that would knock you over like an NFL linebacker ruthlessly sacking an opposing quarterback.
And when the Panthers Twitter account unveiled its offseason product, it probably felt like you were being adopted by the rich aunt and uncle you never knew you had.
Here’s what the team tweeted, seemingly out of the blue, on Friday.
Now go back and read the first word of our tweets from the last three days
— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) July 7, 2017
The trick is here to read the tweets from top to bottom (the most recent to the least recent) instead of from the bottom to the top. Here’s how it starts.
This is what you need to know if you plan on visiting us at training camp
— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) July 7, 2017
Info » https://t.co/7c1qxFChqT pic.twitter.com/jfKTKINti2
Is it football season yet? pic.twitter.com/Us94wxJKo1
— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) July 7, 2017
A look at the @TDDDF car & bike show with @ThomasDavisSDTM
— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) July 7, 2017
📸: https://t.co/q2U5bdGZSW pic.twitter.com/P4PuYAWf0T
Story of the week? Find out in our roundup of headlines from around the web
— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) July 7, 2017
📰: https://t.co/s53euXvbOj pic.twitter.com/uqZs2s1and
All our rookies know how to put in work 💪
— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) July 7, 2017
📸: https://t.co/DAuCvd8hTp pic.twitter.com/4U4JgeTphH
About to make it four. #KeepPounding https://t.co/XimY4w7TsK
— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) July 7, 2017
How does the #Panthers O-Line look heading into training camp?
— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) July 7, 2017
Position Preview » https://t.co/dcGIoAjiQ6 pic.twitter.com/z4gKSfH8QR
"My prime better be now"
— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) July 7, 2017
More from Cam » https://t.co/NaTlXd9uhK pic.twitter.com/o5s3YZylh7
Life is more fun with #Panthers football 🙌
— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) July 7, 2017
20 more days till training camp! pic.twitter.com/rsVjGpSkeu
Got a photo that shows off your #Panthers pride? Share it for a chance to win a VIP trip to training camp!
— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) July 7, 2017
Info » https://t.co/Vau66pXQTI pic.twitter.com/ZIsAJm6mnU
Flipped into the end zone! This play never gets old. #FlashbackFriday pic.twitter.com/YKFPps422r
— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) July 7, 2017
Turned from teammate to coach. Catch up with former #Panthers WR Jerricho Cotchery. https://t.co/515S4oOgAM
— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) July 7, 2017
Upside from the start! Watch @CMcCaffrey5 dominate this game of Pee Wee football. pic.twitter.com/0z83GeLQhV
— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) July 7, 2017
Down to 65 Days Until Kickoff! #KeepPounding pic.twitter.com/Xxh39R1zwS
— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) July 7, 2017
Do you get it yet? Yes, that’s the first line of lyrics to the theme song from The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, and the team didn’t stop there. It kept going all the way through the first verse.
As for how the team handled the final two words of the song, “Bel Air,” a phrase that could have raised suspicion…
🔔 Random Giveaway!
— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) July 5, 2017
RT for a chance to win a #Panthers mini helmet! We'll pick a random winner by 3PM today. pic.twitter.com/WOiPFsLSiC
Air Stew 💪 #KeepPounding pic.twitter.com/nQk6B8E0CG
— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) July 5, 2017
That whole thread of tweets is a clever little trick, particularly since the social media team had to lay it all out backward over the span of three days. And people loved it.
— City of Charlotte (@CLTgov) July 7, 2017
— Will Brinson (@WillBrinson) July 7, 2017
— Antwan V. Staley (@antwanstaley) July 7, 2017
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) July 7, 2017
— Tim Reynolds (@ByTimReynolds) July 7, 2017
https://twitter.com/KristenBalboni/status/883355511403368450
Well done and totally original? Well, the latter might not be completely true.
I guess it was only a matter of time https://t.co/lk1YFr6N9E
— Richard Cook (@cookywook) July 7, 2017
Wait, what?
Somebody OUGHTA GO BACK AND READ THE FIRST WORD OF MY TWEETS FOR THE LAST WEEK.
— Richard Cook (@cookywook) July 4, 2017
Uh-oh.
Instead of laying out the lyrics of a comedy starring Will Smith, though, Richard Cook revealed (the day before Carolina began its project) that he had tweeted the lyrics of Smash Mouth’s “All Star” to achieve top meme-ability.
Soon, Carolina’s clever trick didn’t seem quite as pure.
Yeah, we also saw this. https://t.co/vCaNGdwqsl
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) July 7, 2017
Eventually, the Panthers wised up and gave credit for the idea where it was due.
Thanks for being an amazing inspiration @cookywook. We have an awesome care package ready to send your way. https://t.co/0pJmRL1sIB
— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) July 7, 2017
And that seemed to satisfy Cook.
— Richard Cook (@cookywook) July 7, 2017
It’s nice to see the two Twitter accounts metaphorically shake hands and part as friends. But there’s a lesson in here for the Panthers. The best ideas aren’t always so great if you’re caught by Twitter taking them from somebody else.