Harrison Butker

Harrison Butker almost never misses. But last night, he was too far to the right!

The Kansas City Chiefs kicker shanked an extra-point attempt, pushing the ball juuust past the right goalpost. While the missed PAT wasn’t all that consequential–the Chiefs were leading by eight at the time and defeated the Atlanta Falcons 22-17–it was still a delicious sight.

Gridiron justice comes in many forms!

The extra-point is so automatic, the NFL has previously talked about eliminating the perfunctory 33-yard kick. Only a smattering of PATs are missed all season long.

Yet, Butker missed Sunday night in primetime. Too bad!

Butker’s brief moment of football failure was especially sweet, because it almost never happens. The three-time Super Bowl champ is one of the best kickers in NFL history.

In his seven seasons leading up to 2024, he’s nailed 89% of his field goals, third-best in the league among longtime regulars. Last season, Butker was a perfect 5-for-5 from 50-plus, and 6-for-7 in the playoffs from that distance. (He hit a game-winning 44-yard field goal last Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals.)

“I bear unfortunate news for fans of other NFL teams, Swifties who resent their hero’s boyfriend’s teammate, and all social liberals with a passing interest in the NFL: Harrison Butker is never going to f*ck this up,” Slate’s Alex Kirshner wrote just last week. “You will never get a moment to celebrate karmic retribution against him on the field.”

With that in mind, we must appreciate Butker-related schadenfreude whenever it arises, such as when the Chiefs’ special teams coach insinuated the “very manly” kicker is bad at tackling.

“We don’t want Butker in that situation,” he said.

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Sunday Night Football announcers Mike Tirico and Cris Collinsworth certainly made the most of Butker’s rare miss, using the moment as an opportunity to promote inclusion in football.

We’re not 100% sure there was a hidden meaning behind their conversation; but it was well-timed nonetheless. Collinsworth makes a concerted attempt to steer the convo towards the game gaining popularity amongst women.

“I love doinks. It’s great. The flag at the top, Mike, looks like what? Tell them what that looks like,” Collinsworth nudged.

“Oh, flag football!” Tirico replied.

Then Collinsworth encouaged Tirico to talk about flag football, and how the Falcons are recognizing the game’s growth at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The team displays the flags of every high school football team in Georgia behind the broadcast booth, including flag football clubs.

Collinsworth responded to the anecdote with verbal approval.

“[That’s] really cool,” he added. “We are seeing women more and more really enjoy the game of football. That’s cool to see.”

Again, we don’t know whether Collinsworth was alluding to Butker’s homophobic and anti-women commencement address, but… there’s little doubt he knew what he was doing!

Women, and young women in particular, are watching the NFL in record numbers. Their burgeoning interest may be partially thanks to Taylor Swift, who’s dating Travis Kelce, one of Butker’s teammates.

Last season, NFL viewership increased by 53% among teenage girls, and 24% in the 18-24 age demo. The T-Swift effect is very, very real!

Given the dearth of female tackle leagues, many young women flock to flag football. About 500,000 girls ages 6-17 play flag in the U.S., a 63% increase since 2019. Katie Sowers, the first out gay coach in NFL history, coaches in a pro women’s league in Canada.

The game is also a favorite of queer folx. The National Gay Flag Football League has over 250 teams in 26 leagues across the U.S, and Canada.

Last season, the NFL and CBS Sports collaborated on a short documentary to celebrate gay flag football. The doc features players in the Boston league.

The league’s embrace of flag football is part of its “Football is for Everyone” campaign, which probably doesn’t sit well with Butker. At his now-infamous commencement address, he warned graduates against embracing “dangerous gender ideologues” and “the deadly sins sort of Pride that has an entire month dedicated to it.”

Inclusive flag football leagues preach the opposite message. They are spaces where people of all stripes can love the game as their true selves.

TJ Callan, a former running back for the University of Miami, told Queerty his local league was the first place where he could couple his identities as a football player and gay man.

“I felt like before, my identities couldn’t be in the same space. I could be an athlete, but I couldn’t be gay. That was the moment where my worlds collided. It was like a breath of fresh air,” he said.

“I was like, ‘Damn, I finally get to just exist and play my sport without having to worry about being called names. I get to just be me.'”

Butker’s regressive beliefs about gender roles and sexual orientation affirm the importance of supporting inclusion in sports. He’s now the most infamous kicker in NFL history for a reason.

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