Sorry, Madden NFL 25 fans, but it appears the script from a recent TV ad didn’t reflect real life. In the spot, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick made a bet with Seattle Seahawks QB Russell Wilson that the loser of the game would have to shave his eyebrows. The Internet, being what it is, took that to mean that the Kaepernick Wilson eyebrow bet was a real deal, whetting the appetites of thousands of PhotoShop experts.
Looks like the masses will have to save their PhotoShop skills for another day. The Kaepernick Wilson eyebrow bet was just part of the script for EA’s video game. As it turns out, that handshake arrangement isn’t really “in the game” as EA would have you believe, nor is it part of the QBs’ personal game plans.
Speaking to a Seattle sports-radio show, Seahawks quarterback Wilson said the promotion was “not real serious” and that the QBs would “probably do something digitally” rather than actually shave an eyebrow. And no, that doesn’t likely mean they’ll digitally remove an eyebrow using Adobe software.
The anticipation for this weekend’s game between the 49ers and Seahawks is beyond ridiculous. Kaepernick led San Francisco to the Super Bowl last season, while Wilson came out of nowhere to prove he belongs in the conversation with other highly mobile quarterbacks like Kaepernick, Robert Griffin III (RG3) and Michael Vick. To have Kaepernick and Wilson face off so early in the NFL season has fantasy football players frothing at the mouth, and even casual fans taking notice.
Needless to say, EA’s clever video game ad hit at just the right time and with just the right QBs to set the Internet — and some mainstream sports reporters — ablaze. Last week Chip Kelly debuted his fast-paced offense with the Philadelphia Eagles, showing a style in the first half that many likened to playing a Madden NFL game. But that pace slowed in the second half, letting the Washington Redskins and RG3 catch up. Michael Vick ended up with a better overall stat line than RG3, but the game was much more competitive once the Eagles’ offense slowed. The final score may have shown that certain things should be left to videogames rather than real life.
Based on Wilson’s interview about the upcoming 49ers vs. Seahawks NFL game, that logic should apply to videogame ads as well. It would’ve been great theater had the Kaepernick Wilson eyebrow bet been true, but it was a mere promotion. Maybe the developers at EA can work on making it a Madden NFL Easter egg next year. Or perhaps a feature in their next “create a player” mode.
