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A lot has been said about Peyton Manning’s well-placed plug for Budweiser at the end of last week’s Super Bowl 50. When asked what his plans were for after the game, Manning said, “I’m going to drink a lot of Budweiser tonight, Tracy, I promise you that.” To add to that, he spoke with CBS This Morning on the following Monday and said, “I’ve had a few Budweisers and it’s been a special night.”

The man sure seems to love his Budweiser. But are these verbal high-fives from NFLs highest paid endorser shameless plugs for big beer or did he generously and accidentally give Budweiser $3 million in “brand recognition value?” On the outside, it doesn’t look good. Not only does Manning owns shares in two AB-InBev distributors in Louisiana, but Bud Light is the official sponsor of the NFL and he has a history of name dropping both Bud and Bud Light in his many years in the NFL.

Let’s say he did not have any self-serving intentions when he name-checked Budweiser as his beer of choice. We can discern that the plug was not for the love of beer itself. Most people in his position who were looking forward to relaxing with a beer would have said something along the lines of “I’m going to drink a lot of beer tonight…” There is no way he (or another player with perhaps better taste in beer) would have said, “I”m going to drink a lot of Sculpin tonight…” It sounds weird and doesn’t make sense when “let’s grab a beer” and the ilk is the usual colloquialism when referring to drinking beer. That leads us to think that he is could be repping for Bud on the down-low, since NFL players aren’t technically allowed to endorse alcohol, or he has self-serving purposes, or is it something a little deeper?

Manning grew up in Louisiana during a time when all you pretty much could get for beer was Bud, Millers and Coors. Budweiser represents the good, all-american boy that he was and still is. It doesn’t surprise us at all that Budweiser is his beer of choice. It’s probably what his revered father drank after games and what he and his brother share when they get together and talk about how good at football they both are. Maybe he named Bud because he wasn’t just looking forward to a beer after the game, he was looking forward to enjoying a beer that reminds him of his roots and helps keep him grounded when he just won the biggest sports game in the United States.

Or maybe not.

Only Manning knows what his true intentions were. One thing is for sure, times are a’changing and people are drinking Budweiser less and less. In 2003 Budweiser sold 30 million barrels of beer but 10 years later, in 2013, they only sold 16.1 million.

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Looking at this graph, it’s apparent that more and more people are drinking better beer. Even in Louisiana, there are now more than 37 breweries and brewpubs brewing high-quality, interesting beers. Little Mannings can now have some choice when deciding which beer to build their traditions around or wax nostalgic about after the big game.

We would love to hear your opinion! What do you think was going on in Peyton Manning’s head when he professed his undying love for Budweiser?