What's up with the blimps flying over San Antonio during Final Four?

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One of the blimps is nicknamed the "Chuck Blimp," and it has been flying over downtown San Antonio all this Final Four week.

On its sides is an image of a tilted Charles Barkley that makes him appear to be flying like Superman.

The blimp's other nicknames include "Soar Charles," "The Up Chuck," "Air Chuck One" and "The Ugly Chuckling."

The blimps are advertising a major sponsor of Final Four events, Capital One.

Saile Aranda

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TPR

TPR asked Elena Wells, the games' local organizing committee executive director, if she has heard of any celebrities coming to town for the games, and the subject of the blimps came up.

"I haven't heard of any yet, but we do know that we will have some in attendance and we can share that as we get the word out about that. I do know that there's a couple of blimps floating around in the sky and I believe the people on those blimps should be here in attendance: Charles Barkley, Shaquille O' Neal, Magic Johnson, and that crew."

Magic Johnson appears on the sides of a second blimp seen flying over the Alamo City.

Scott Wachter

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Reuters

Barkley, the Hall of Famer turned broadcaster, has had a history of teasing San Antonio in comments that many residents find offensive, including calling San Antonio women "big" and referring to the River Walk as a "dirty, old creek."

Ahead of the games, San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg took to X to send a message to Barkley:

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