If Walz had any doubt about where the public’s football loyalties lie, they were answered when former President Donald Trump attended the Alabama-Georgia game on the same day. Unlike Walz’s less-than-warm reception, Trump was greeted with thunderous applause, chants of “USA! USA!” and “Four More Years!” as he made his entrance in Tuscaloosa.
While Walz was busy dodging boos and jeers, Trump was busy tossing hats and popcorn into the crowd like a hometown hero returning from battle. Fans packed in around him, excitedly shouting for selfies and waving American flags. If Walz’s trip was a disaster, Trump’s was nothing short of a political touchdown.
Adding to Walz’s embarrassment, his campaign’s planned blimp stunt—which was supposed to troll Trump by flying an ad over the stadium—was scrapped due to bad weather. In hindsight, Walz’s team might have been better off flying the blimp out of Michigan with the governor inside.
The fallout from Walz’s stadium debacle didn’t stop at the boos. Word quickly spread that Walz had been banned from attending future college football games across the Big Ten conference, making him the first governor to receive such a ban. While it remains unclear if this decision was made by the NCAA or by individual schools, sources close to the Michigan athletic department suggest that fans “just couldn’t handle another appearance” by Walz.
