There is no need to even fake a rejection. You could simply attempt to actually buy but have the process fail or be rejected for any number of plausible reasons

There is no need to even fake a rejection. You could simply attempt to actually buy but have the process fail or be rejected for any number of plausible reasons. Might make sense to try with some mainstreme publications ie "The NY Times rejected our attempt to have a full page ad". It's actually surprising that NBC hasn't caught on to what is happening here. Of course the story, even if fake, is great for publicity for the game and the broadcast.