Published August 12, 2026
The NFL Scripted or Super Bowl Script is a conspiracy theory and meme claiming NFL games and the Super Bowl are pre-determined like a pro-wrestling storyline. It exploded online in early 2023 after Arian Foster deadpanned about receiving scripts on the Macrodosing podcast and a fake leaked-script tweet for Super Bowl LVII went viral.
Overview
The NFL Scripted or Super Bowl Script is a conspiracy theory and running joke claiming that the NFL rigs the outcomes of games, including the Super Bowl, like a pro-wrestling storyline[1]. The bit exploded online in the weeks before Super Bowl LVII in February 2023, blending sincere conspiracy posting with obvious satire from fans and players who leaned into the gag[2].
Most versions of the meme point to specific referee calls, unlikely comebacks, or made-for-TV storylines as "proof" that the season follows a hidden script[10]. Memers post screenshots of fake leaked scripts, react to strange plays with "just following the script," and cast NFL executives, referees, and commissioner Roger Goodell as the writers plotting each week's twist[5].
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Origin & Background
Suspicion that the NFL scripts its biggest moments has floated around for over a decade. In November 2011, Bleacher Report published a list of "10 Potentially Scripted NFL Stories From the Past Decade," treating the idea as fun speculation rather than fact[7]. In April 2021, former Chicago Bears running back Benny Cunningham fueled the theory with a tweet reading "The NFL is scripted but they make us sign something so we can't go into detail," which he later walked back as a joke[6].
The current wave took off on January 31, 2023, when the Barstool Sports podcast Macrodosing uploaded an episode in which co-host PFT Commenter set up former Houston Texans running back Arian Foster to riff on the theory[2]. Foster deadpanned that a script was left at his locker each training camp, explaining that "week one you'll do this, week two you're going to have a hamstring injury"[1]. The clip, posted to Twitter that same day by @PFTCommenter, drew over 119,000 likes and 14,000 retweets within a week[4].
How It Spread
Four days later, on February 4, 2023, then-active Twitter user @FearKyrie posted a mocked-up screenshot styled like a Pro Football Reference boxscore showing the Philadelphia Eagles beating the Kansas City Chiefs 37-34 in Super Bowl LVII, captioned "Nahh someone leaked the SuperBowl script"[1]. The post was viewed more than 12 million times before the account was suspended[3]. Snopes and other outlets ran fact-checks explaining that the tweet was riffing on Foster's podcast bit rather than sharing a real document[1].
The joke moved fast into sportsbook activity. DraftKings told Action Network that 37-34 Eagles became the most popular correct-score bet, making up 21% of tickets and 26% of the money in that market[3]. At BetMGM the same prop turned into the single most-bet market on the game overall at +8000, with roughly five times the volume of any other correct-score line[3]. Players jumped in too. On February 5, 2023, Buffalo Bills wide receiver Stefon Diggs tweeted a clip of a recent play captioned "I was just following the script"[4]. Fox News rounded up similar bits from Alvin Kamara, Marlon Humphrey, and Matt Judon leaning into Foster's rigged-league gag[2].
TikTok picked up the format on February 6, 2023, when @sportsseriously posted a video of an interviewer asking Kansas City Chiefs players about the alleged script, pulling more than 250,000 views in a day[4]. Broader coverage from AS.com framed the wave as an internet reaction to disputed AFC Championship officiating in the Chiefs' win over the Cincinnati Bengals[5].
How to Use This Meme
The template is loose. Common riffs frame odd referee calls, injury timing, or dramatic fourth-quarter comebacks as beats from a leaked script[10]. Posts often begin "the NFL script writers when..." or end "just following the script," casting the NFL, ESPN, or Roger Goodell as show-runners[9]. Some posters build fake weekly rundowns or edit boxscores to look like leaked outcomes, following the visual template set by @FearKyrie's Pro Football Reference mockup[1].
Cultural Impact
YouTuber Tom Grossi built an "If The NFL Was Scripted" series in which he plays the fictional scriptwriter, a referee, and every team, and NPR interviewed him about the show ahead of the January 2025 playoffs[9]. Ahead of Super Bowl LX in early 2026, a September 2025 NFL promotional graphic featuring Patriots quarterback Sam Darnold and Seahawks quarterback Drake Maye near the front resurfaced online after both teams reached the Super Bowl, prompting NFL spokesperson Brian McCarthy to publicly deny that the game was scripted[8]. Explainer pieces from AS.com laid out the origin of the joke around the AFC Championship[5], while Sportsboom worked through the standard counter-arguments about salary caps, draft rules, and profit incentives[10].
Fun Facts
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Before X suspended it, @FearKyrie's fake Super Bowl LVII script tweet was viewed over 12 million times[1].
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The 37-34 Eagles correct-score line at BetMGM was steamed from an opening +25000 down to +8000 as the joke went viral[3].
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Only two Super Bowls, XXIX and LII, have ever cleared a 71-point total, the score in the fake leak[3].
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Bleacher Report floated the "scripted NFL" idea as a listicle all the way back in November 2011, long before the modern meme wave[7].
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Alvin Kamara, Marlon Humphrey, and Matt Judon all publicly played along with Arian Foster's bit within days of the podcast episode[2].
Derivatives & Variations
"If The NFL Was Scripted," Tom Grossi's ongoing YouTube parody series where he narrates weekly storylines as a fictional NFL scriptwriter[9].
Fake leaked-script boxscore images styled after Pro Football Reference, popularized by @FearKyrie's Super Bowl LVII mockup[1].
Player "just following the script" reaction posts sparked by Stefon Diggs' February 2023 tweet[2].
Frequently Asked Questions
A conspiracy theory and meme claiming the NFL rigs games and the Super Bowl like a pro-wrestling storyline, popularized ahead of Super Bowl LVII in early 2023[1].
It took off after Arian Foster deadpanned about receiving scripts on the Macrodosing podcast on January 31, 2023, followed by @FearKyrie's fake leaked-script tweet on February 4[2].
People use "the script" as a punchline for improbable plays, missed calls, or dramatic storylines, framing them as if the league had written them in advance[10].
Post a screenshot or clip of a strange play, referee call, or storyline and caption it as if it were "in the script" or the work of NFL "script writers," often mimicking @FearKyrie's fake boxscore format[1].
Yes. The joke resurfaced in late 2025 and early 2026 around Super Bowl LX after fans read an NFL graphic featuring Sam Darnold and Drake Maye as another "script leak"[8].
