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January 30, 2025
Offseason spats between the Ohio State and Michigan fanbases has driven pandemic-like runs on popcorn, said a representative for Orville Redenbacher early on Thursday morning.
“Never seen anything like it. We thought the golden age of popcorn was long gone, but that’s just not the case,” said Lanie Friedman, Brand Communications Manager for Conagra Foods via FaceTime.
“Forget the 1950s, largely considered the golden age of movie theater-going, forget the 1970s and 1980s, when the blockbuster was born. What we’re seeing right now tops them all, and it’s been largely driven by a college football spat, which is…something,” Friedman said.
Just this week, Michigan responded to the NCAA’s notice of allegations with a lengthy rebuttal in which it defended all parties implicated in the sign-stealing scandal that rocked the world of college football within the last couple of years. Ohio State fans were quick to jump on the response, labeling it as hypocritical and downright comical. The back-and-forth meme-ing between the two bitter rivals has driven massive growth in popcorn sales and Reddit engagement over on the increasingly popular subreddit r/CFBMemes.
For fans unaffiliated with the midwest college football rivalry, the drama has been nothing short of captivating.
“This is great for me,” said Jim Hruska via Instagram chat. Hruska—an Austin, Texas local and fan of the Texas Longhorns—doesn’t have a dog in the fight. But he does have some popcorn in the microwave.
“I always get a little anxious when the offseason starts, but if the Michigan-Ohio State stuff keeps up at this pace, the next seven months are going to fly by,” Hruska concluded.
