When Jimmy Donaldson better known as MrBeast says or does anything online, the internet listens. But this week, he managed to send shockwaves far beyond YouTube. Just a day before the 2025 NFL season kicks off, MrBeast declared on social media that he had “bought the NFL.”
Millions of fans instantly ran to X, YouTube, and TikTok to see if it was true. Memes exploded, timelines caught fire, and for a few hours, it genuinely felt like the world’s biggest YouTuber had somehow managed to add America’s most popular sports league to his ever-growing empire.
Of course, the truth is a little less dramatic but no less brilliant. MrBeast didn’t actually purchase the NFL. Instead, it was all part of a clever collaboration between the league and YouTube to promote the new season. YouTube, which now holds the global rights to stream Friday night NFL games, teamed up with MrBeast to create viral content that only he could deliver.
In typical Beast fashion, he teased a surreal idea: putting a YouTuber on each NFL team. While no, Logan Paul won’t be lining up at wide receiver and IShowSpeed won’t be calling plays, the stunt worked exactly as planned. Millions of new eyeballs are suddenly paying attention to football season and that’s marketing gold.
This partnership says a lot about where sports and entertainment are heading. The NFL, a billion-dollar machine known for its tradition, has chosen to tap into internet culture’s biggest influencer to capture Gen Z and Gen Alpha. Meanwhile, MrBeast proves once again that he’s not just a YouTuber he’s a media force who can blur the line between digital entertainment and mainstream sport.
For fans, it raises a fun “what if?” scenario. Imagine NFL Sundays sponsored by over-the-top Beast challenges. Picture halftime shows where players compete for a $1 million prize hidden in the end zone. Visualize MrBeast handing out Lamborghinis to Super Bowl MVPs or surprising fans in the stands with briefcases of cash. It’s absurd… but somehow, not impossible anymore.
And that’s exactly why this collaboration works. It gets people talking, debating, and joking about what could be. At the same time, it quietly reminds fans to tune in to the real deal: the opening games of the season, with the Eagles taking on the Cowboys and the Chiefs facing the Chargers in Brazil.
So no, MrBeast doesn’t own the NFL. But in the space of a few viral posts, he proved he could hijack the conversation and make the league feel fresher, younger, and louder.
In many ways, MrBeast didn’t have to buy the NFL because for one wild day, he owned the internet version of it.
