Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, currently on the Democratic ticket as Kamala Harris’s running mate, stumbled hard trying to connect with young male voters on a Twitch stream. Playing Madden 25 alongside Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Walz aimed to make himself seem relatable, casually dropping football jargon on social media. But his attempt backfired spectacularly when he showcased just how limited his “Coach” knowledge is.
In the middle of the Twitch stream, Walz posted on X (formerly Twitter), “@AOC can run a mean pick 6 – and I can call an audible on a play. And we both know that if you take the time to draw up a playbook, you’re gonna use it.” Here’s the problem: a “pick-six” in football is when a defensive player intercepts a pass and returns it for a touchdown, so it has nothing to do with offensive playmaking. Fans caught on instantly, and Walz’s self-proclaimed “Coach” credibility took a major hit. Despite his campaign team scrambling to delete the tweet, screenshots were already flying across the internet, turning Walz’s flub into yet another viral gaffe.
This was a real deleted tweet from alleged football coach Tampon Tim.
"Can run a mean pick 6" Lmfao pic.twitter.com/5EQ6ZwA4Rb
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) October 28, 2024
You don’t “run” a Pick 6, it’s not a system of offense
Tim “Swan Lake” Walz is supposed to be a football coach? pic.twitter.com/yejEfubpmw
— James David Dickson (@downi75) October 28, 2024
For someone who often brags about his football coaching background in Mankato, Walz seemed out of his league. Detractors who have taken to calling him “Tampon Tim” due to his politically performative tendencies had a field day with the slip-up, branding this moment as yet another example of Walz’s knack for inauthentic pandering.
JUST IN: JD Vance trolls "Coach" Tim Walz after the governor claimed you can "run a mean pick 6" in football.
"AOC can run a mean pick 6 – and I can call an audible on a play," Walz's X account said in an effort to impress young men.
"You don't run a pick-six, you run the West… pic.twitter.com/fY2J4pmwE3
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) October 28, 2024
This Twitch appearance was a last-ditch effort from the Harris campaign to connect with younger male voters, who polls show are gravitating away from the Democratic ticket. A recent New York Times/Siena College poll highlighted that young men—particularly young Black men—are proving to be a weak spot for the Harris-Walz campaign, prompting this somewhat desperate attempt at relatability.
But for many, Walz’s gaffe just underscored the disconnect between his campaign and the average young voter. Trying to score political points in a video game stream, while bungling basic football lingo, only solidified the impression that these stunts lack genuine substance.
As Election Day looms, the Harris-Walz team needs every voter they can get. But if their strategy is more embarrassing social media moments like this, they may just fumble their chance to win over undecided voters.
Leave a Comment