‘Patrick Mahomes is fat’ rant shows absurdity of body culture
A radio host's insults of Patrick Mahomes body shows how warped our sense of what being fit means, and how we express it. The post ‘Patrick Mahomes is fat’ rant shows absurdity of body culture appeared first on Outsports.
Mark
Body shaming is a weird thing and a rant this week from a sports radio host calling Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes “fat” shows why.
Mahomes’ wife posted a series of Instagram photos of the couple’s July 4th celebration on a yacht and that set off Kevin Keitzman, who went on a rant about Patrick Mahomes body:
“Vacation photos are popping up of Patrick Mahomes, and he’s fat,” Kietzman said. “I’m gonna say it, and I’m gonna tell you the truth, that’s why you hit the play button, he’s an embarrassment.”
“You’re a $500 million quarterback, you’ve made all these comments in the offseason that ‘We’re gonna do our talking on the field, we got our butts kicked in the Super Bowl, we’re coming back with a vengeance,’ he continued. “Dude, you’re fat. Your belly would be fat at my pool, hanging out with us, 60-year-olds. My skin is flabbier than yours, I get it. Stop. Stop the fast food. Do a sit-up. Do something.”
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The photo that triggered Keitzman showed Mahomes shirtless in board shorts, admittedly looking not like an Adonis but rather a healthy, fit young jock. One fit enough to have played in five Super Bowls and winning three. “Fat’ is not what came to my mind when I first saw the photo. Instead, it was, “Patrick Mahomes has a yacht! I’m jealous.”
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Mahomes has talked before about his “dad bod” and his desire to eat better and stay in shape as he chases Tom Brady’s record of seven Super Bowl wins. All well and good, but the rise of the “aesthetics” culture among young men on social media has warped our sense of what a healthy body looks like.
It’s long been an issue among gay men and the phrase “no fats, no fems” used to be routinely used in online profiles. People like Keitzman seem to think Mahomes would somehow play better if he looked like this:
Yet the idea that a six-pack is vital to athletic success is nonsense. Exhibit A, your 2024 World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers:
Every sport has a body type and some (swimming, wrestling, gymnastics) make an athlete naturally lean and defined, while others (football linemen, rugby, powerlifting) rely more on bulk and strength, not definition. NFL quarterbacks like Mahomes fall somewhere in between.
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (6-5, 238 pounds) is as strong as many linemen but has a physique more bulky than cut. Tennessee Titans QB Will Levis looks like he has a future career as a fitness model. But that muscularity and definition hasn’t translated into success for Levis, who finds himself relegated to a backup role while Allen is in the top tier of NFL quarterbacks.
The Chiefs will obviously ignore Keitzman’s rant and let Mahomes keep doing what he does best — win. After all, the proof is in the pudding.
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The post ‘Patrick Mahomes is fat’ rant shows absurdity of body culture appeared first on Outsports.
