Draft Kings Drafts Up Nonsense: By Breana Blackman
Ladies and Gentlemen, we have found the kings out of touch and aren't even halfway through the week! Sports betting company Draft Kings had the internet in absolute uproar Monday after it offered customers a 9/11-themed parlay on its app. The "Never Forget" parlay featured the New York Mets, Yankees, and Jets win on Monday, coincidentally 22 years after the attack on the World Trade Center.
Draft Kings pushed the parlay on the homepage of the Sportsbook on Sunday night, but it only caught people's attention on Monday morning. X users began to bash the company for trying to make a quick buck on a day that changed America forever. One user said, "No way DraftKings did a "Never Forget 9/11" parlay." Others chimed in on the thread to express confusion and disapproval as well. But then we saw a few comments of "this isn't going to happen," joking that NY teams wouldn't all win. Hence, the issue with the entire parlay. It was a day when many lost family and friends became a big joke.
Draft Kings inevitably removed the parlay from the app and issued a public apology on X. Draft Kings has not commented on whether bets would be voided or how many users participated in the parlay. The same way Draft Kings apologized is how this parlay hit the app, right? Somebody had to approve it, and I know I can't be the only person thinking, "Who?"
Sadly, that question might remain a mystery, and I'm okay with that. As much as I hate to admit it, Draft King users will probably continue to place bets, and this situation will be forgotten. DK Sportsbooks offers users cash bonuses and free bets more frequently than its competitors.
Over the years, other companies have tried to use 9/11 as a marketing opportunity. In 2022, a country club restaurant in Stafford, Virginia, apologized for offering 9/11-themed dishes. 2977 Chowder, First Responder Flat Bread, and Pentagon Pie appeared on the menu. Numbering a chowder about the lives lost that day and then selling it to customers might be as deceptive as it gets. Draft Kings isn't the lone wolf stirring controversy on a day that revolves around commemoration, but it doesn't make it right.