Disgruntled NFL fans claim they will boycott the Super Bowl after alleging the Kansas City Chiefs win against the Buffalo Bills during the AFC Championship game was “rigged.”
The Chiefs have made their way to the Super Bowl thanks to their 32-29 win at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri on Sunday. This could result in an unprecedented “three-peat” on February 9, as the team won the Super Bowl in 2023 and 2024.
However, the game has been shrouded in disputes and sparked allegations of it being “rigged” due to several contested referee decisions. The founder of Barstool Sports, Dave Portnoy, has shared his frustrations, joining people saying they’ll boycott the Super Bowl.
Newsweek emailed spokespeople for the NFL and Portnoy for comment on Tuesday outside of normal business hours.
A pivotal moment occurred late in the fourth quarter when Bills quarterback Josh Allen’s attempt to convert a fourth down was ruled short, resulting in a turnover on downs. Many fans and analysts believed Allen had successfully reached the first down marker, and the call significantly impacted the game’s outcome.
Additionally, earlier in the game, a questionable catch by Chiefs rookie Xavier Worthy was upheld, further fueling suspicions of bias. These incidents have led to widespread criticism, with some fans accusing the NFL of favoring the Chiefs.
People on X (formerly Twitter), such as Portnoy, have expressed their frustration, with Portnoy announcing a boycott of the Super Bowl following the contentious calls that he believes cost him a $1 million bet.
Portnoy, who had placed a significant wager on the outcome, publicly accused the NFL of manipulating the game in favor of the Chiefs. He pointed to disputed calls, including the questionable ruling on Allen’s fourth-down attempt and catch by Worthy, as evidence of potential bias.
“The fact the ref who spotted this football was totally blocked by Josh Allen’s back and the ref who was looking right at it just held his dick in his pants will never make sense till the end of time. #nflrigged,” he wrote in one post.
This is so disgusting I can’t even handle it. @NFL @nflcommish #nflrigged #BillsMafia pic.twitter.com/rbEO0CNkg9
— Dave Portnoy (@stoolpresidente) January 27, 2025
“Insane. #nflrigged @nflcommish,” he said in another, which had 5.5 million views.
Portnoy added: “This is so disgusting I can’t even handle it. @NFL @nflcommish #nflrigged #BillsMafia.” At the time of writing it had reached 3.2 million views.
In a fourth post, he wrote: “I’m quitting watching football. There is no other way to teach @nflcommish a lesson. This is blatant cheating. #nflrigged.” This post had 17.9 million views.
Portnoy also shared his thoughts during an episode of The Shred Line podcast. In it, he criticized the referees as well as the Bills’ head coach, Sean McDermott, for an unsuccessful play he ran called a “tush push.” This is when one or more players push the quarterback by their buttocks into the offensive and defensive lines.
Sharing a clip from the show, Portnoy wrote in the caption: “PUT THE REFS IN PRISON. PUT SEAN MCDERMOTT IN PRISON.” At the time of writing, it had been viewed 1.4 million times.
PUT THE REFS IN PRISON. PUT SEAN MCDERMOTT IN PRISON. pic.twitter.com/ceKqnCJD5s
— Dave Portnoy (@stoolpresidente) January 27, 2025
Portnoy isn’t the only one frustrated, as the hashtag #boycottsuperbowl was trending on X.
“As a lifelong diehard football fan, this hurt more than watching my own team lose. Never seen a game so clearly rigged in my life. I’d rather watch my rival earn a ring fairly than watch any team be gifted a free one. It’s ruining the league,” one person wrote, with almost 1 million views.
“I’m not naive enough to believe rigging never happened in the nfl before now, but the fact that they are doing it so blatantly tells me that either they think we’re that stupid, or they don’t care because they think we’re can’t do anything about it. So nope #boycottsuperbowl,” said another.
“For the last 18 years I have stayed up late until 4am to watch the Super Bowl here in the UK. For the first time in 18 years, I will NOT be watching the Super Bowl. F*** the refs. F*** the Chiefs. F*** the NFL. I’m done,” a different X user posted.
A tongue-in-cheek post from someone else reads: “So. What is everyone doing Super Bowl Sunday? Any good movies out? #Rigged #boycottsuperbowl.”
However, others don’t believe that NFL fans will end up boycotting the Super Bowl. Sharing a GIF of Arnold Schwarzenegger eating noodles, they wrote: “Me watching #boycottsuperbowl trend knowing nobody is going to #boycottsuperbowl :)”
Someone else added: “For the few hundred morons that want to #boycottsuperbowl, good … go stick your hands down your pants in yo Momma’s basement and play videos games instead. #boycottsuperbowl.”
The Super Bowl LIX is scheduled to kick off at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans on February 9, when the Chiefs will play against the Philadelphia Eagles.
The post Super Bowl Faces Boycott Calls Over Chiefs Treatment appeared first on Newsweek.
