Out of his league

Iran’s Ahmadinejad takes surprising interest in US college football

Twitter users sarcastically ask former Iranian president for more sports analysis after he states support for Kaepernick, University of Michigan

By ToI Staff 16 October 2018, 11:59 pm Edit
Former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad gives an interview to The Associated Press at his office in Tehran, Iran, April 15, 2017. (Ebrahim Noroozi/AP)
Former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad gives an interview to The Associated Press at his office in Tehran, Iran, April 15, 2017. (Ebrahim Noroozi/AP)

Iran’s Holocaust-denying former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad got more than he bargained for from American sports fans on Twitter after he began tweeting about American Football.

On September 3, 2018, Ahmadinejad waded into the American culture war surrounding ousted NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick, complaining that “The #NFL season will start this week, unfortunately once again @Kaepernick7 is not on a NFL roster. Even though he is one of the best Quarterbacks in the league.”

Kaepernick’s team, the San Francisco 49ers, supported him in 2016 when he decided to kneel during the national anthem to protest social and racial injustice, and matched his $1 million contribution toward programs for social equality.

The protest drew the ire of conservatives and led to some Republican leaders to call for fans to boycott NFL games.

Kaepernick opted out of his contract in the 2017 offseason when the 49ers told him they planned to cut him. He has been unable to find another team to play for the past two seasons.

That same day, a University of Michigan football fan sarcastically noted in response, “We have much bigger problems here. #Michigan is 8-8 in its last 16 games under @CoachJim4UM.”

It took Ahmadinejad over a month to respond, but he did so on Tuesday, promising fan @fredzannarbor that, “With a hard work ethic Inshallah [God willing] the U of M will return to its glory days.”

That response, and the simple fact that the former Iranian president appeared to have an opinion about American college football, led some American Twitter users to sarcastically post their football questions at Ahmadinejad, sometimes pretending to be calling in to a sports radio show.

Patrick McCann, whose Twitter bio says he works for the Republican Party, asked: “With West Virginia’s loss in Ames last week, will the Big 12 be left without a playoff team this year? I’ll hang up and listen.”

CNN’s Andrew Kaczynski tweeted: “predictions for the Brooklyn Nets season? they’re rebuilding but are young and finally have their draft picks?”

Someone calling themselves “Lib Spooker” (partly in honor of the upcoming American holiday of Halloween) replied: “Mahmoud long time listener first time caller. If UCF goes undefeated should they be a playoff team.”

And so on.

https://twitter.com/TimRunsHisMouth/status/1052266949198209024

A couple of posters used the sarcastic thread to take jabs at the former Iranian leader for his denial of the Holocaust and threats to destroy Israel.

Akiva Wienerkur urged Ahmadinejad: “if you ever go to a U of M game, here’s a cool spot for you to check out first.” He then linked to the Holocaust Memorial Center in Michigan.

And Greg Pollowitz asked: “Do you think Israel had anything to do with Nebraska’s firing of former head football coach @FauxPelini?”

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