DraftKings apologizes for ‘Never Forget’ 9/11 betting promotion
Brett Eagleson spent Monday honoring his father, Bruce, who died 22 years ago in the South Tower at the World Trade Center in the 9/11 attacks. Toward the end of a day filled with memorials, Eagleson learned that the sports betting website DraftKings had also recognized the anniversary — by offering a “Never Forget” promotion, in which gamblers could bet on New York teams to win their Monday night games.
Eagleson, who was 15 when his dad died at the age of 53, called the promotion “a shameful, horrifying thing to do.”
“9/11 is not a closed chapter in many, many Americans’ lives … and to try to use the day as a marketing opportunity because of Monday Night Football or whatever, I think is a disgrace,” Eagleson, now 37, told The Washington Post.
On Sunday, DraftKings advertised its “Never Forget” parlay, in which people could bet on the Jets, Mets and Yankees to win against the Buffalo Bills, Arizona Diamondbacks and Boston Red Sox, respectively. The online bookmaker gave bettors +651 odds, meaning that a gambler would win $6.51 for every $1 wagered, so long as all three teams won.
DraftKings faced almost immediate criticism, with people calling the promotion “tacky,” “stupid” and downright “insane.” The New York State Gaming Commission decried the promotion as “reprehensible.” In a post to X, the social media company that used to be Twitter, the National Fraternal Order of Police blasted the site for “making light of 3,000 innocent people being murdered.”
“When we say #NeverForget, we don’t mean ‘bet on tonight’s game.’ We mean ‘Never Forget!’” the post states.
By Monday morning, the company had removed the promotion.
“We sincerely apologize for the featured parlay that was shared briefly in commemoration of 9/11,” the company said on X. “We respect the significance of this day for our country and especially for the families of those who were directly affected.”
DraftKings did not respond to questions about how many people had placed bets when the promotion was active or whether the site would honor those bets.
Other companies have received similar blowback after trying to market their products by tying them to commemorations of the attacks. In 2013, AT&T posted a “Never Forget” tweet that included a photo of a hand holding up a smartphone displaying the Tribute in Light, twin light beams that shoot four miles into the sky on the anniversary of the attacks.
In 2016, Coca-Cola and Walmart arranged cases of Coca-Cola products into an American flag. At the center of the display, 12-packs of black Coke Zero were stacked into two towers representing the World Trade Center buildings. Above the sodas, a banner branded with the soda maker’s logo hung with “We Will Never Forget” superimposed on the New York City skyline.
Last year, a restaurant in Stafford, Va., apologized for its 9/11-themed “Patriot Day” menu that offered dishes including “Pentagon Pie,” “First Responder Flatbread,” “Remember-tini” and “2977 Chowder,” a reference to the number of people who died in the attacks. For diners looking to taste multiple dishes, the Clubhouse at Aquia Harbour offered the “Never Forget Sampler.”
In all of those instances, the companies removed the offending promotion and apologized.
PR Daily, a publication for public relations and marketing professionals, published an article Sept. 1 warning companies that might be tempted to use the upcoming anniversary of the 9/11 attacks as a chance to market their products.
“Deciding whether or not to post about that day is a delicate calculus. Saying the wrong thing will bring anger, scorn and ridicule. Let’s learn from the mistakes of the past and help you evaluate whether your brand should remember 9/11 publicly — or just hold your own moment of silence,” the article advised.
Eagleson said he believes companies find the anniversary of the attacks to be an attractive marketing opportunity because, in a country that’s becoming increasingly polarized, 9/11 is a rare opportunity to tap into something that “every American can agree upon.”
“If you were alive during that time, you would remember how this country came together,” Eagleson said. “We put our differences aside. There was no such thing as Democrat and Republican on Sept. 12, 2001. We were all Americans.”
“And part of me thinks that,” he continued, “these companies try to capitalize on that feeling.”
