# Deflategate

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.

## 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 followed[6]. 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 game[3].

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 themselves[4]. A regulation NFL football sits between 12.5 and 13.5 psi, so anyone with a pressure gauge and a Twitter account had joke material[2].

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 deflation[3]. 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 cycle[4].

## 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 & Beyond[4]. Belichick told reporters that morning the team was cooperating with the league and had no prior knowledge of any deflation[1], while Brady called the accusations 'ridiculous' on the Boston radio show Dennis and Callahan[2].

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 balls[6]. 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 psi[1].

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 picks[3]. 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 overnight[5].

## How to Use
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 showed[6].

## Frequently Asked Questions
### What is Deflategate?
Deflategate is the January 2015 NFL scandal over the New England Patriots allegedly using under-inflated footballs in the AFC Championship game, plus the flood of ball-related jokes, photoshops, and #DeflateGate tweets that came with it[3].

### Where did Deflategate come from?
The story broke on January 19, 2015, one day after New England beat the Indianapolis Colts 45-7, when Indianapolis station WTHR reported the NFL was investigating the game balls[1]. #DeflateGate was trending on Twitter within hours[4].

### What does Deflategate mean?
The name follows the Watergate '-gate' suffix used for scandals, and points to the specific claim that footballs were let out below the 12.5-13.5 psi legal range to make them easier to grip[5].

### How do you use Deflategate?
It's used mostly as a punchline for ball-pressure jokes and Tom Brady innuendo, and as shorthand for any minor sports scandal that followed the same template[6].

### Is Deflategate still popular?
Deflategate peaked twice in 2015, once in January during the initial media wave and again in May after the Wells Report and Brady's suspension[3]. It's a classic sports-meme reference now rather than an active format[4].

## References
1. [https://www.bostonherald.com/2015/01/19/bill-belichick-says-patriots-are-fully-cooperating-with-nfl-about-deflated-football-allegations/](<https://www.bostonherald.com/2015/01/19/bill-belichick-says-patriots-are-fully-cooperating-with-nfl-about-deflated-football-allegations/>)
2. [https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/early-lead/wp/2015/01/19/tom-brady-calls-allegations-that-patriots-used-deflated-footballs-ridiculous/](<https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/early-lead/wp/2015/01/19/tom-brady-calls-allegations-that-patriots-used-deflated-footballs-ridiculous/>)
3. [https://operations.nfl.com/officiating/other-topics/deflategate/](<https://operations.nfl.com/officiating/other-topics/deflategate/>)
4. [https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/events/deflategate](<https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/events/deflategate>)
5. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deflategate](<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deflategate>)
6. [https://mashable.com/article/deflategate-reactions](<https://mashable.com/article/deflategate-reactions>)

---
Source: https://meme.com/memes/deflategate
Published by meme.com — The Internet Meme Library