What People Are Getting Wrong This Week: All Those Football Rumors
Football season is in full swing, but these are such strange times that even on game day, Americans can’t put aside their political differences to enjoy this wild ballet. Yes, the National Football League has once again become the focal point of endless, maddening culture wars, and, surprisingly, the NFL seems to be on the side of the “woke.”
There’s a lot of misinformation circulating about the game, the league, and its participants right now. Here are some of the most serious ones I’ve encountered.
Did Andy Reid back down from his pledge to skip the 2026 Super Bowl because of his planned Charlie Kirk tribute?
The dubious Facebook pages Kollam’s Media and Together We Rise recently claimed that Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid “ignited one of the most explosive scandals in sports history” by refusing to attend the 2026 Super Bowl because of the Charlie Kirk tribute planned for the opening ceremony. But that didn’t happen. There are several layers of deception at play here. First, there’s no reason to believe the NFL scheduled its opening ceremonies that early, and even if they did, there’s no reason they would share them with Andy Reid. This implies that Reid didn’t announce his 2026 Super Bowl boycott in advance, and there’s no evidence to support this beyond these Facebook posts.
Reid likely won’t be playing in the Super Bowl this year, as his team is currently battling the Raiders for third place in the four-team division.
Dolly Parton, Alan Jackson and George Strait declined to perform Charlie Kirk tribute at the 2026 Super Bowl?
The Together We Rise Facebook page is apparently at the forefront of Super Bowl and Charlie Kirk fake stories, as another post claims that Alan Jackson, Dolly Parton, George Strait, Vince Gill, and Reba McEntire have pulled out of the Super Bowl halftime show because of a planned Charlie Kirk tribute. However, there is no “Charlie Kirk tribute” planned for the Super Bowl, and Bad Bunny is still performing the halftime show, meaning this disparate group of vaguely left-leaning country artists has nothing to boycott.
Has Coca-Cola ended its sponsorship of the 2026 halftime show?
Speaking of Bad Bunny, according to a PR Informa Facebook post, Coca-Cola CEO James Quincey responded to the announcement of Bad Bunny’s halftime performance by stating, “I will end my sponsorship of the Super Bowl if Bad Bunny is allowed to perform at halftime.” Quincey never said this, and Coca-Cola hasn’t advertised during the Super Bowl since 2020. All advertising for the game has already been purchased , and no company has announced plans to cancel it because of Bad Bunny’s performance or for any other reason.
Did Carlos Santana object to Bad Bunny playing in the Super Bowl?
Despite a rumor circulating on social media that music icon Carlos Santana objects to Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl appearance, it’s simply not true. Santana debunked the rumor on his Facebook page, writing, “It’s all about fear right now. Fear is what’s driving ignorant people to put words in my mouth about me not wanting Bad Bunny in the Super Bowl. I’ve never said that and I never will.”
Is the NFL considering canceling Bad Bunny’s halftime show?
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, responding to rumors that the NFL was considering removing Bad Bunny from the 2026 halftime show, made it clear the league supports him. “He’s one of the world’s leading and most popular entertainers,” Goodell told ESPN. “I’m not sure we’ve ever chosen an entertainer who hasn’t generated some backlash or criticism.”
Did Travis Kelsey sue Caroline Leavitt, buy a diner for the homeless, and announce that he got Taylor Swift pregnant?
Travis Kelce didn’t sue Carolyn Leavitt , buy a diner for the homeless , or announce he and Taylor Swift were having a baby . He didn’t donate his bonus to a homeless nonprofit , threaten to ” turn Elon Musk into a pretzel ,” or rent out Disneyland for a day . He’s just a football player, for heaven’s sake. That Kelce has become the focus of misinformation is obvious because he’s one of the most famous players, has a famous fiancée, and doesn’t completely hide his political views . It’s not like Kelce is anything like an activist, but the fact that he appeared in a commercial encouraging people to get vaccinated is enough to put a celebrity in the crosshairs.
The Super Bowl results were rigged in favor of…
This is a preemptive disclaimer: we don’t yet know who will be playing in the big game, but when we do, conspiracy theories will surely arise about the game being rigged in favor of one team or another, for whatever reason. However, as far as we know, Super Bowl results have never been rigged before, and they probably won’t be this time either. Remember: last season, there were rumors leading up to the Super Bowl that the game would be fixed in favor of the Chiefs, but that turned out to be entirely untrue.
Why has football suddenly become so controversial?
Maybe I’m looking at the past through artificial-turf-colored glasses, but football was once something of a national pastime. Sure, there were plenty of misconceptions about the game, but they included things like, “Referees cheat” or “The Raiders are a hoax.” Whether you were a Democrat or a Republican, we all made fun of the Jets. But like any other cultural event or institution, football is also divided into “red” and “blue,” and neither side has attractive jerseys. It’s so depressing that we can’t simply enjoy this circus without turning it into another political crisis.