Democrat socialist Abdul El-Sayed has made a lot of braindead comments regarding football over the years, and throughout his campaign for state senator in Michigan.
El-Sayed once connected American football to toxic masculinity and the transatlantic slave trade, but he’s also pandered by embracing the NFL and Detroit Lions in his campaign messaging. In a 2021 essay in response to then Las Vegas Raiders Head Coach Jon Gruden, El-Sayed wrote, “The toxic masculinity at the heart of America’s most popular sport — and men’s sports culture more generally — is way deeper than a few emails.”
In separate remarks, he referenced Manifest Destiny, the destruction of Native American communities, and the transatlantic slave trade before saying, “And all of this, like a lot of these narratives, you kind of see echoed in the ethos of football.”
On Friday, he took a shot at voters who support the University of Michigan football team.
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El-Sayed and former senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) met with Michigan farmers to discuss issues affecting the industry. They spoke about President Trump’s tariff policy, the trade war with Canada, the Iran War, and ICE.
US Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed speaks during a press conference in Detroit, Mich., on Aug. 5, 2026, after narrowly winning the Michigan Democratic Senate nomination. He was flanked by Michigan State Sen. Mallory McMorrow and Michigan Democratic Party Chair Curtis Hertel Jr. (AFP via Getty Images)
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At the end of the event, El-Sayed pleaded with the farmers to speak with friends and neighbors on the other side of the political aisle, who “made a different political choice” in the last election. He told the few people in the audience to not “indict” those folks for a “bad decision that they can’t take back.”
He encouraged them to maybe even ditch talking about politics and have a conversation about the weather or “Will (the University of) Michigan ever win a football game without cheating,” El-Sayed said with a chuckle in the midst of a couple awkward laughs.
As you can imagine, the internet didn’t take too kindly to a Michigan Senate candidate making comments like this.
Former Vice President Kamala Harris joins Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed for a roundtable discussion at Birth Detroit on Sept. 22, 2026. (David Guralnick – Pool/Getty Images)
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Michigan superfan & founder of Barstool Sports, Dave Portnoy said, “This guy really is a terrorist.”
El-Sayed’s opponent Mike Rogers responded to the controversy, quoting Portnoy’s post saying, “@StoolPresidente is exactly right.”
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Others mentioned El-Sayed’s comments were unforgivable for a Michigan alum. Some said he “lost votes.”
Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate, speaks at the Michigan Democratic Nominating Convention in Lansing, Mich., on Aug. 29, 2026. (Anadolu via Getty Images)
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My advice to El-Sayed: Please keep talking about football. It’s great for Rogers’ chances.