New York Jets wide receiver Xavier Gipson (82) celebrates an overtime touchdown punt return with wide receiver Allen Lazard (10) and head coach Robert Saleh during an NFL football game against the Buffalo Bills on Monday, Sept. 11, 2023, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Rusty Jones)
Hundreds of Milwaukee bar patrons who hoped to score free drinks through its offer to pay their tabs whenever the New York Jets, and former Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, lose had to pay up after the Jets got an overtime win despite an injury that took Rodgers out of the game.
Jack’s American Pub announced its “Jets Lose, You Win” promotion two weeks ago, offering to pay the bar tabs of all participating customers when the Jets — and Rodgers — lose. Patrons faced conditions, including that Rodgers had to start the game and their tabs had to be opened 15 minutes before kickoff.
During Monday’s game between the Jets and the Buffalo Bills, many customers at the Milwaukee bar cheered, sensing a free night of drinking, when Rodgers left in the first quarter with an injury. That injury turned out to be a torn left Achilles tendon that ended Rodgers' debut season with the Jets. But the team went on to win the game 22-16 in overtime, dashing customers’ free drink hopes.
Following Rodgers’ injury, bar owner Scott Schaefer said people began ordering more drinks because they felt more certain of a Jets loss. He said emotions in the bar were “mixed” when they ended up winning.
Olivia Fallon, a manager at Jack’s American Pub, said about 350 patrons took up the bar’s offer Monday night and the average tab ended up being between $50 and $60.
“But there were some outliers. There was a $160 tab, a $130 tab, here and there," she told WDJT-TV on Tuesday, calling Monday night one of the bar’s biggest nights of the year.
With Rodgers now out for the season, Schaefer said his establishment still wants to do a promotion related to the Jets, but the bar has not yet determined what that will be.
“We’re going to try to do something else. We want to see what happens over the next couple of days,” he told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "We want to keep the promotion going, but in what form, we don’t know.”
While the United States were once again among the top nations in 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics to medal, with the games just ended, the focus turns to the athletes coming home and the mental toll the competition take on them. Lauren Gibbs, the 2018 Team USA silver medalist in bobsledding, joined Cheddar News to give her perspective on this year's games and what the competitors have gone through. “Its definitely a mixed bag, you know? It's like I just had the most incredible athletic experience of my life, but then its like its over in a flash," Gibbs said about the feelings an athlete can go through after finishing. She noted that it's important for them to be vocal and reach out to support networks after the rush of competition ends.
As the Beijing winter Olympics start to wind down, its ratings are heading towards a historic low. An average of only 12.3 million viewers per day have tuned into NBC to watch the games, compared with about 23 million viewers for the 2018 games in South Korea. Seth Schachner, managing director of StratAmericas and digital business executive, breaks down what could be behind this trend.
As we celebrate Black History Month, Cheddar is highlighting prominent Black Americans who are carving their own historic paths and trailblazing in their fields. Today we feature NFL all-time great and current college coach Deion Sanders.
As Super Bowl LVI shapes up to be the biggest gambling event in sports history, restaurants and bars are looking to get in on the rapidly growing world of legalized sports betting.
The NFL was struck with a bombshell lawsuit by former Dolphins Head Coach Brian Flores that accuses them and three teams of discrimination. The league's hiring practices when it comes to minority coaches have been in question for years but may finally see some change after Flores' suit. Cheddar News was joined by Matt Lombardo, National NFL Insider at Fansided to discuss the suit and its possible implications.
The Rams will technically be the road team for Super Bowl LIV despite the event being play at their home venue, Sofi Stadium. Why? Because the league alternates which conference's team is designated as home, and this year, it's the Bengals turn. Cody Roark, NFL Analyst for Pro Football Network, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell for some more Super Bowl nuggets and discusses what viewers should watch for when the game kicks off.
Tom Brady, the greatest quarterback in NFL history, has retired after winning seven Super Bowls and setting numerous passing records in an unprecedented 22-year-career.