Barry Bremen, the Insurance Salesman, fooled not one, not two, but three of the biggest Franchises in North American Sports.
The Great Imposter, aka Barry, who was from West Bloomfield, Michigan, and pulled off atrocious pranks in USA Sports history between 1979 and 1986.
On February 4, 1979, in an NBA All-Star game in Pointe Au Chien, Louisiana, he dressed as a Kansas City Kings player and even joined the Warm-ups with other NBA Legends like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Julius Erving.
One of the key figures behind his rise was Jeremy Shaap, the father of 11-time Emmy winner Dick Schaap, who first interviewed Barry on “The Today Show” after his first prank.
Jeremy Schapp is also the writer and narrator behind his 2022 ESPN E60 documentary, “The Great Imposter and Me.”
The Build Helped Him
Otis Birdsong eventually alerted the security as he didn’t recognize him, and was later escorted out. One of the main reasons he was challenging to track was his athletic build, standing at 6’4″ tall.
But it was just the beginning of his stunts. In July and December of the same year, he posed in team photos wearing a Yankees uniform and a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader, respectively.
The next move of his was in the 1980s, in the US Open Golf tournament, where he posed as a golfer and even played a practice round. Once the Officials noticed he wasn’t listed in the draw, his credentials were checked and were later removed.
Again, in the NBA All-Star Game at the Richfield Coliseum, he dressed as an NBA player, this time as a Houston Rockets player. He again tried to join the warm-up, but was later thrown out by security because he had been recognized for his previous stunt.
However, it was not the end of his Sports Prank. In Game 5 of the 1981 NBA Finals, he was dressed as an NBA referee and attempted to enter the court during the pregame. The NBA officials were suspicious again due to his fake uniform and credentials.
This was his second-last stunt in the Sports Field. The Great Imposter’s last appearance was in the 1986 MLB All-Star Game, where he wore a Mets uniform and practiced fly balls during the pre-game.
Tommy Lasorda, the National League All-Star Manager, spotted and publicly humiliated him. He was jailed briefly and reportedly treated so badly that he didn’t think of performing these activities again.
He was released at 12:30 am, after a Houston-based reporter, with whom Bremen was close, had bailed him out.
In Case You Didn’t Know
- Barry Bremon was born on June 30, 1947, in Detroit, Michigan, and lost his life aged 64, on his birthday, due to Esophageal cancer.
- He also appeared in the 1985 Emmy Awards. He even accepted the Emmy, which was meant for Betty Thomas, gave a speech, but was later removed and fined after the producers found something fishy.
- The Prankster was married to Margo Bremen and had three children together.
