Around 112 million people watched the Super Bowl on Sunday as the Los Angeles Rams downed the Cincinnati Bengals, 23-20.
That is a lot of people to hear a random reference to Erlanger.
The Kenton County city of roughly 19,000 people was mentioned by legendary sports broadcaster Al Michaels as he watched video of Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow show up to SoFi Stadium in L.A. donning a black and gray striped suit, a hat, sneakers, and sunglasses.
“I don’t know that he got that in Erlanger, Kentucky,” Michaels quipped to co-host Cris Collinsworth. “What do you think?”
So, what was that about?
It is unclear.
The big game was well underway by the time Michaels made the remark.
Collinsworth is a Northern Kentucky resident. He lives in Fort Thomas.
Michaels is also no stranger to the local area. In the early 1970s, he was the radio play-by-play announcer for the Cincinnati Reds.
Perhaps he recalls buying some snazzy outfits in Erlanger?
In any event, the Erlanger reference on the year’s largest television stage certainly got peoples attention here.
“ERLANGER KY! Wooohooooooo! You heard it!,” Erlanger Mayor Jessica Fette posted to Facebook.
The remark also caught the attention of local Twitter users who were both amused and confused by the Erlanger reference:
And this Twitter user knows us all too well…
So, while it was fun for local people to hear Erlanger name-dropped during a huge broadcast, it remains a mystery as to why it happened at all.
Although, this isn’t Erlanger’s first association with a Super Bowl. It was once home to a popular bowling alley with that name before it was purchased last summer.
Regardless, the Bengals quarterback is quickly becoming as much of a fashion icon as he is an important sports figure:
And after this incredible season that put the Bengals back in the Super Bowl for the first time in three decades, we are sure that the good people of Erlanger would welcome Joe Burrow to Friendship City any time.