Pass or Fail? Grammar teachers critique Bucs’ ‘Siege the day’ By Erin Kourkounis | Tribune Staff Published: July 29, 2015 at 07:58 PM 
TAMPA — Local teachers give the Tampa Bay Buccaneers an “A” for effort, but a “C” for grammar when it comes to the team’s new pirate-themed marketing slogan, “Siege the Day.”Some educators say the slogan — rolled out Tuesday — doesn’t work because “siege” is usually used as a noun, seldom as a verb. “It’s a play on words,” said Clair-Mel Elementary School reading resource teacher Keri Kozerski, who was amused Wednesday morning when she saw a TV commercial using the slogan. “I understand it, but it’s not a verb and it doesn’t make sense. They may want to rethink that and use a verb.”In one dictionary, “siege” is defined as a military operation in which enemy forces surround a town or building and cut off essential supplies with the goal of compelling those inside to surrender. The word can also be used to refer to a law enforcement tactic to get an armed person to surrender. Additionally, it can mean a prolonged period of misfortune. Abbreviated dictionaries often don’t even offer the definition of the verb.The Bucs’ new marketing campaign aims to pique the interest of women and children in tough times for the franchise, which has struggled to win games and fill Raymond James Stadium. The team’s record last season was 2-14, with no wins at home. “Siege is the Bucs way to seize the day,” said Brian Killingsworth, chief marketing officer.Siege is a strategy to use pirate vernacular, Killingsworth said, to create a “call of action and to sound more aggressive in how we take the day.” The campaign was a joint effort between Tampa advertising agency ChappellRoberts and the team’s internal marketing department. It comes on the heels of the team’s “It’s a Bucs Life” campaign, which ran for three years, and several days before the Bucs players return to training camp on Friday. Grammar not withstanding, the new slogan works for advertising purposes, said Sam Bradley, director of the Zimmerman School of Advertising & Mass Communications at the University of South Florida.“You have to keep in mind that advertising is the venue that brought you doughnuts spelled d-o-n-u-t-s, drive-through spelled t-h-r-u,” Bradley said. “Advertising is about clever, memorable communication. Nobody wrote that intending it to be grammatically correct.” Riverview High School language arts teacher Rob Kriete said the slogan doesn’t bother him. He might even turn it into a mini-lesson on word play. “I’m not overly concerned with it,” Kriete said. “I understand what the Bucs are going for. It’s relatively cute.” Diane McKee, a Williams Middle Magnet School language arts teacher and Florida’s teacher of the year, did some of her own research and conferred with colleagues after she was asked her view of “Siege the Day.” “I’ve seen some things I would have a major problem with,” McKee said, citing the dairy industry’s “Got milk?” campaign as an example. “This isn’t one I have a major problem with. I like the fact that it makes you think, ‘What does it mean?’”McKee noted that “siege” can be used as a transitive verb, requiring an object, so “Siege the Day” is correct.Still, one English teacher finds a fatal flaw in using such an obscure meaning of the word for a public campaign.“I thought, ‘What does that mean?’” said Jennell Peteranecz, who teaches English in Robinson High School’s International Baccalaureate program. “It’s the incorrect use of the word. You lay siege to something, you don’t siege something. It’s going to confuse anyone with a modicum of education.” Tribune reporter Theresa Stanton contributed to this report. [email protected](813)259-7999Twitter: @ErinKTBO