• by Danielle Oster , September 27, 2024

 There is no shortage of conspiracy theories in 2024. Actor Matthew McConaughey shares a particularly bizarre one in Uber Eats’ football season campaign, “Football Is For Food,” which kicked off during “Thursday Night Football.”

In the campaign’s hero ad, McConaughey is watching the game alongside San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey when the 49ers star ponders why he’s still hungry. “Because you’re watching football,” Christian McCaffrey responds, the question prompting an unhinged rant from the actor about how “the whole game is basically an elaborate scheme to make you buy more food,” pointing to food-related football terms and NFL player names as evidence. At the conclusion of the ad, 49ers Hall of Fame wide receiver Jerry Rice finds a seat on the couch – while eating an eponymous snack.

While obviously tongue-in-cheek, the approach is a bit of an odd one, considering how fraught the conspiratorial mindset is at the moment, and the fact that while football obviously isn’t a “scheme to make you buy more food,” the ad itself arguably is. (Or perhaps that’s the self-referential point?)

“Football is for Food” kicks off a campaign celebrating Uber Eats’ status as the NFL’s “Official Delivery Partner,” and highlighting the service’s “Gameday Deals” for the NFL season. The campaign will continue with a series of ads in line with the launch spot throughout the season, designed to similarly draw humorous connections between football and food.

The campaign follows rival DoorDash launchings its NFL-focused campaign starring “Fan Coach” (and former New England Patriots head coach) Bill Belichick earlier this month. It also follows the global brand campaign launched by Uber this summer, which introduced a sonic identity across its Uber and Uber Eats brands.