Deflategate

2015eventclassic

Deflategate is the January 2015 NFL scandal and viral hashtag over allegations that the New England Patriots used under-inflated footballs in their AFC Championship win against the Indianapolis Colts. The story set off days of Twitter jokes, photoshops, and parody videos, and grew into a 243-page league report that suspended quarterback Tom Brady for four games.

nfl memesscandal memeshashtag memesdouble entendre memesfootball memes

Overview

Deflategate refers to the football-pressure scandal that hit the New England Patriots after their January 2015 AFC Championship win, and to the wave of jokes, photoshops, and #DeflateGate tweets that followed6. The core allegation was that the Patriots deliberately let air out of their footballs to gain an easier grip against the Indianapolis Colts, a claim the NFL confirmed it was investigating within a day of the game3.

Online, Deflategate looked like a giant month-long ball joke, with users piling innuendo onto Tom Brady, Bill Belichick, and the pressure of the balls themselves4. A regulation NFL football sits between 12.5 and 13.5 psi, so anyone with a pressure gauge and a Twitter account had joke material2.

What kept Deflategate alive past the initial punchline was the May 2015 Wells Report, a 243-page investigation that concluded it was 'more likely than not' Brady had known about the deflation3. The league's four-game suspension of Brady and $1 million fine against the Patriots pushed Deflategate back into circulation, and a sad-looking Brady courtroom sketch that August spawned one last photoshop cycle4.

How It Spread

Twitter did most of the heavy lifting. Within the first 24 hours the #DeflateGate hashtag was tweeted more than 7,800 times, with joke posts coming from CBS Sports radio host Jim Rome, Bleacher Report writer Tyler Brooke, and even the retail chain Bed Bath & Beyond4. Belichick told reporters that morning the team was cooperating with the league and had no prior knowledge of any deflation1, while Brady called the accusations 'ridiculous' on the Boston radio show Dennis and Callahan2.

Video parodies followed almost immediately. On January 20, YouTuber Benstonium uploaded a fake commercial for a Cialis-branded ball inflator that pulled over 1.4 million views in its first week. A day later Seattle sports station KJR aired 'Tom's Big Balls,' a parody of the AC/DC song, and on January 22 Jimmy Kimmel Live ran a Dr. Drew sketch on the health risks of deflated balls6. Skeptics on the other side leaned on physics, noting the roughly 28-degree temperature drop between the warm referee's room and the cold field alone could have knocked ball pressure down by around 1.4 psi1.

The story looped back into memes in May 2015 when the NFL released the Wells Report, suspended Brady four games, fined the Patriots $1 million, and stripped the team of two future draft picks3. A federal court hearing that August produced the Jane Rosenberg courtroom sketch of a hollow-eyed Brady, which set off a fresh round of Twitter photoshops overnight5.

How to Use This Meme

Deflategate is used two ways. As a suffix, '-gate' got attached to any small sports controversy that followed, in the Watergate tradition. As a joke template, it typically leans on ball innuendo, low-pressure puns, or a photoshopped Tom Brady, often paired with a caption implying guilt no matter what the evidence showed6.

Frequently Asked Questions

Deflategate

2015eventclassic

Deflategate is the January 2015 NFL scandal and viral hashtag over allegations that the New England Patriots used under-inflated footballs in their AFC Championship win against the Indianapolis Colts. The story set off days of Twitter jokes, photoshops, and parody videos, and grew into a 243-page league report that suspended quarterback Tom Brady for four games.

nfl memes scandal memes hashtag memes double entendre memes football memes

Overview

Deflategate refers to the football-pressure scandal that hit the New England Patriots after their January 2015 AFC Championship win, and to the wave of jokes, photoshops, and #DeflateGate tweets that followed6. The core allegation was that the Patriots deliberately let air out of their footballs to gain an easier grip against the Indianapolis Colts, a claim the NFL confirmed it was investigating within a day of the game3.

Online, Deflategate looked like a giant month-long ball joke, with users piling innuendo onto Tom Brady, Bill Belichick, and the pressure of the balls themselves4. A regulation NFL football sits between 12.5 and 13.5 psi, so anyone with a pressure gauge and a Twitter account had joke material2.

What kept Deflategate alive past the initial punchline was the May 2015 Wells Report, a 243-page investigation that concluded it was 'more likely than not' Brady had known about the deflation3. The league's four-game suspension of Brady and $1 million fine against the Patriots pushed Deflategate back into circulation, and a sad-looking Brady courtroom sketch that August spawned one last photoshop cycle4.

How It Spread

Twitter did most of the heavy lifting. Within the first 24 hours the #DeflateGate hashtag was tweeted more than 7,800 times, with joke posts coming from CBS Sports radio host Jim Rome, Bleacher Report writer Tyler Brooke, and even the retail chain Bed Bath & Beyond4. Belichick told reporters that morning the team was cooperating with the league and had no prior knowledge of any deflation1, while Brady called the accusations 'ridiculous' on the Boston radio show Dennis and Callahan2.

Video parodies followed almost immediately. On January 20, YouTuber Benstonium uploaded a fake commercial for a Cialis-branded ball inflator that pulled over 1.4 million views in its first week. A day later Seattle sports station KJR aired 'Tom's Big Balls,' a parody of the AC/DC song, and on January 22 Jimmy Kimmel Live ran a Dr. Drew sketch on the health risks of deflated balls6. Skeptics on the other side leaned on physics, noting the roughly 28-degree temperature drop between the warm referee's room and the cold field alone could have knocked ball pressure down by around 1.4 psi1.

The story looped back into memes in May 2015 when the NFL released the Wells Report, suspended Brady four games, fined the Patriots $1 million, and stripped the team of two future draft picks3. A federal court hearing that August produced the Jane Rosenberg courtroom sketch of a hollow-eyed Brady, which set off a fresh round of Twitter photoshops overnight5.

How to Use This Meme

Deflategate is used two ways. As a suffix, '-gate' got attached to any small sports controversy that followed, in the Watergate tradition. As a joke template, it typically leans on ball innuendo, low-pressure puns, or a photoshopped Tom Brady, often paired with a caption implying guilt no matter what the evidence showed6.

Frequently Asked Questions