Amid Graduation Speech Controversy, Harrison Butker’s $129.99 Chiefs Jersey Outsells Patrick Mahomes & Travis Kelce

Suresh Menon | 18/05/2024
Harrison Butker

KC Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker has been one of the most polarising NFL players of late thanks to his controversial commencement speech at Benedictine College. But the controversy has turned into a blessing in disguise for the kicker as his jerseys are now amongst the most popular in the league, even surpassing his teammates Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce.

The jersey sales began shooting up when elements of Butker’s speech resonated with a certain section of people. Butker, in his speech, asked men to respect their masculinity while also preaching to young women the joys of being a homemaker. He also called the pride of the LGBTQ+ community, ‘a deadly sin’.

While one section of the internet tried getting the kicker sacked from the team by filing an online petition; the other section did the opposite. The latter hence bombarded the Kansas City Chiefs’ website and have made Harrison Butker’s jersey amongst the top sellers in the league.

It’s extremely rare for football fans to buy a $129.9 jersey of a kicker. Not only are people buying Butker’s jersey, they are doing it in massive numbers.

Harrison Butker’s outright far-right statements made him an instant celebrity in that circle. And that has got his newfound fans buying his jersey in droves. However, despite the overwhelming support from the conservatives, only one KC Chiefs player has come in Butker’s support.

Harrison Butker Gets an Endorsement From Chris Jones

Butker’s teammate Chris Jones has been the only KC Chiefs player to have openly expressed his support for the kicker. Amidst thousands of signatures in agreement with an online petition demanding the Chiefs sack Butker, Jones stood up for his teammate. with a resounding endorsement as he said, “I love you @buttkicker7! My brotha,” on “X”.

Another prominent persona to not bash Butker’s statements is comedian Whoopi Goldberg, who had a very neutral stance. The popular comic doubled down on the freedom of speech argument that many have been using for Butker. Goldberg argued that for everyone who fought for Colin Kaepernick’s freedom of speech, not supporting Butker for the same would be hypocrisy.

Granted the context and statements by both are worlds apart, yet Whoopi emphasised that fundamental protection of freedom of speech is what matters. Our agreement with the respective statements is secondary.

Post Edited By: Nidhi
Chris Jones Harrison Butker

About the author

Suresh Menon

Suresh Menon is an NFL writer at The SportsRush with over 700 articles to his name. Early in his childhood, Suresh grew up admiring the famed BBC of Juventus making the Italian club his favorite. His love for soccer however soon translated to American football when he came across a Super Bowl performance from his Favourite Bruno Mars. Tom Brady’s performance in the finals left an imprint on him and since then, he has been a die hard Brady fan. Thus his love for the sport combined with his flair for communication is the reason why he decided to pursue sports journalism at The SportsRush. Beyond football, in his free time, he is a podcast host and likes spending time solving the Rubik’s cube.

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