Would You Do This for $100k?

Here's an interesting money-making opportunity. The summary:

[Texas Motor Speedway President Eddie] Gossage offered the host of a Dallas country music station $100,000 to change his name to TexasMotorSpeedway.com for one year and get a permanent TMS tattoo. Terry Dorsey, a DJ on 96.3 KSCS, has exactly 24 hours to make the decision.

So here's my question: would you take this deal? (Or even a similar one -- would you change your name for a year and get a tattoo for $100k?)

Personally, I wouldn't. I'd do the name change, but not the tattoo (unless it was small and in a hidden place.)

BTW, I'm thinking of offering Barak Obama, Brad Pitt, or Tiger Woods $100k to change their name to FreeMoneyFinance.com. Think any of them would take it? ;-)

Comments

[jim]

Apparently that was just an early April Fools joke.
http://sports.espn.go.com/dallas/news/story?id=5044233

[Kirk Kinder]

I might change my name to Ricky Bobby or Shake and Bake, but not Texas Motor Speedway.

[Matt]

I think this is a nice test of what you would do for a large sum of money.

Would you sell your principles of never wearing a tattoo for 100K?

Depends on if you can live with the decision for the rest of your life or have the tattoo removed.

Personally I do not like tattoos and I would pass. But then again I am not desperate for money like so many people out there.

[Eugene "TexasMotorSpeedway.com" Krabs]

Heh. Even if it's not real, it's still an intriguing offer.

I'd probably do it, BUT it depends on how big the tattoo is, and where. That would be the deal-breaker for me there. The name change is nothing to me, and is temporary anyways.

Otherwise, I don't see such deals as simply more money that you can make eventually. Rather, I see it as an option to accelerate your finances without having to sacrificing the typical requisite time. Think about the TIME you save, and the extra TIME you have to compound that amount (pre-tax presumably) now instead of later.

The money itself may not be compelling enough, but when you translate it to TIME saved, well, that makes it much more appealing to me.

[Sallie's Niece]

If I were a radio DJ and used to being in the spotlight, then probably I'd do it. If I were just me, no way.

[Rob]

I wouldn't get a tattoo for 100k. People contemplate on having tattoos because of its permanency. But the name change, maybe I would. It's just like being paid to advertise something.

[MasterPo]

Depends where the tatoo would be put and how big the font. ;-]

[Patrick]

I'd do it. $100k would enable me to pay off my house and largely fund my daughter's college fund, enabling me to achieve two of my three biggest financial goals (retirement being the first). And it would make for a good story/memorable life experience. If anyone's offering, let's talk.

[M Gardner]

Not for $100,000. Maybe for $1 million, I would.

[Squirrelers]

Not a chance that I would ever do something like that. No way. Self-respect is worth more to me that money, and I would feel a loss of that by accepting money to change my name or put on a permanent tatoo. That said, if others don't feel that way, I don't begrudge them. Plus, if someone is in dire straits, its a different story altogether. Have to survive first and foremost.

[Curtis]

I'd do the name change for double my current salary (which would be more than $100k), with the company agreeing to pay legal and administrative fees associated with the name change as well as costs to change it back to my original name after the year is over (new driver's license, passport, etc. cost money...). For a tattoo, I would require an up-front fee plus a yearly stipend, something like $10k with perhaps an annual increase (2-3% seems reasonable), and I would retain the right to remove or modify the tattoo in the future, at which point the company would no longer be required to pay the stipend.

Not that I've thought about it much or anything.

[billyjobob]

I would do it only if they allowed me to hide the tattoo and make it very small. I would offer them instead (if their looking for advertisment stuff) to paint my car ( or any future car I own )with all the TMS stuff they like and I would agree to drive around with their logo on it the rest of my life. That would be better for them. More people would see my car then my tattoo.

[Rhea]

Oh, yes. That money could go far.

[Jo]

I wouldn't change my name even if it was temporary...by the time you get all the paperwork done for everything that would need to change, you have to start the paperwork again...not worth it. Plus, a name is your identity why would I change that to something like Texas Motor Speedway.

Tattoo...as long as it wasn't too big and was in a place easily hidden, yep I would get a tattoo for 100K. Especially just "TMS" that's not a big deal to me.

[Alex Burda]

HI.....I would say that i can,t even think about tattoo or i would think about the changing name no i don,t want to loose my self as a no body . think about your self respect.

[Doug @ CheapScholar.org]

Think about it... Texas Motor Speedway is getting cheap publicity... Every time that DJ is introduced on the radio station for the next year it will be as TexasMotorSpeedway.com. I bet $100,000 wouldn't come close to purchasing that much radio ad space...

As for the tattoo... if it is small and easily concealed, I think $100,000 would be enough for me to make it happen.

[Budgeting in the Fun Stuff]

I would take the deal if I got to pick the tattoos location (my butt) and it's size (as small as possible but still legible...like 3"x3" or less).

Heck, I'd do it every year for $100k until I run out of booty room (in my case, that could take some years, lol)...legal names and hidden tattoos just don't seem like that big of a deal if you get paid enough to cover the waiting-in-line hassles. I did it when I got married and didn't even get paid (no, no tattoos, just the name change hassles)...

[Meg]

Of COURSE the tatoo is going to have to be in a visible place and large enough to read - otherwise it's not exactly advertising!

I don't think I'd do either one. Not for $100K anyway. Not sure how I'd handle it at work if I had to change my business cards to read "TX Motor Speedway" or something - the amount paid might have to be enough to let me take a year off and travel, in which case I wouldn't care what my legal name was.

And I'd never agree to a permanent tatoo; if I had the option to remove it after a year I might do it IF they paid for that process and if I was reasonably sure I could remove it without substantial scarring.