ESPNFoodNFLBy Sean Keeley on

Marketing sponsorships. They’re the necessary lifeblood of any broadcasting company’s existence. Commercials are all well and good, but as we’ve all learned in this post-TiVo world, you better make sure your brand is integrated into the actual program if you want to be seen and noticed.

Of course, that’s not always going to be a good thing, especially if you don’t stop to think about the message you’re sending. You might be encroaching on some hallowed ground in a way that offends those you’re trying to ingratiate yourself with. And a perfect example of that might have been what went down Monday night on ESPN before the Monday Night Football match-up between the New England Patriots and Buffalo Bills.

During Monday Night Countdown, the crew gathered in the parking lot outside Ralph Wilson Stadium to take part in one of the wildest tailgating scenes in the NFL. They brought a whole bunch of Buffalo wings with them, which sounds like a great idea considering they’re in Buffalo, NY, the place that treasures this homegrown delicacy. The Bad Idea Jeans aspect of all this is that they decided to bring those wings from the show’s sponsor, Applebee’s. And hey, no disrespect to Applebee’s, where one can eat good in the neighborhood, but when it comes to authenticity, they ain’t got it.

The segment itself was your standard football pregame show fair, with the hosts assigning a flavor value of mild, medium, or hot to certain NFL-related topics. On paper, not even a big deal.

However, given the message the segment sends to the entire world, that when you think of Buffalo wings you can think of Applebee’s, a whole lot of people could not get past that.

For those of us who might not be chicken wing aficionados, the crime was even more severe because of the specific way the wings presented were prepared, which doesn’t even match actual Buffalo wing standards. And not to mention…boneless wings? You bring boneless wings to Ralph Wilson?!?!?

Win or lose, you can rest assured that Bills fans have already chalked this pregame bit up as a Big L.

About Sean Keeley

Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Editorial Strategy Director for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.

View all posts by Sean Keeley

1 thought on “ESPN thought it would be a good idea to have its pre-game show eat boneless Applebee’s wings at a Buffalo Bills tailgate”

  1. When is it ever a good idea to eat applebees boneless wings? Or really anything from applebees for that matter…

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