Rantz: Relive the best local sports Oberto beef jerky commercials

This is a sad day for the Pacific Northwest: the Kent-based Oberto beef jerky brand has reportedly been sold to a Canadian conglomerate for nearly $200 million.

The good news is that the roughly 500 employees here in Western Washington are likely to remain in their positions as Richmond, BC-based Premium Brand Holdings take over operations. The bad news? An iconic local sausage and jerky maker are exiting a business they’ve been in for more than a century.

While we don’t know what kind of marketing Oberto will do under new ownership, it’s hard to imagine they’ll be able to capture the local sports scene the way Oberto did in 2014. The company ran a series of spots featuring local athletes feeding their “Little Voice in My Stomach” (played by the insufferable Stephen A. Smith) craving an all-natural protein source.

Let’s relive some of the spots.

The best acting job goes, easily, to former Seahawks star Richard Sherman who ditched boring water for beef jerky! He even managed to eat beef jerky without chewing it!

Who could forget Sounders forward Clint Dempsey coming to the shocking conclusion that, no, all beef jerky isn’t the same?

This concept was so popular, they’d end up doubling down on the theme, taking on endorsers like New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski, Denver Broncos tight end Vernon Davis and San Francisco Giants right fielder Hunter Pence.

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