Football fan raises big money for children’s hospital
Carson King goes viral for ‘Gameday’ poster, pledges to donate money to local children’s hospital.
Carson King, the man who raised over $1 million for children's charity after asking for beer money on television and was later called out for old tweets, is still getting a day and a beer named after him in his home state of Iowa.
King, 24, made headlines earlier this month when he went on a taping of ESPN's "College Gameday" at Iowa State University asking people to send him money for beer. His sign read, “Busch Light supply needs replenished" and included information on how to send him money through Venmo, the popular money transfer app.
King ended up receiving hundreds of thousands of dollars he decided to donate to the University of Iowa Stead Family Children's Hospital. Soon after, Busch Light decided to match the donation — and said they would send King a year's supply of beer with his face on the can.
But after King's good deed was picked up by media outlets, a reporter at the Des Moines Register working on a profile of King discovered two racist jokes he had posted in 2012, when he was 16 years old, reportedly based on something from Comedy Central's "Tosh.0," "comparing black mothers to gorillas and another making light of black people killed in the Holocaust."
King went out of his way to express remorse and Busch Light cut ties with him.
On Wednesday, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds announced that Saturday, Sept. 28, 2019, was "Carson King Day" in the midwestern state.
Saturday, Sept. 28, 2019, is "Carson King Day" in Iowa.
(Office of the Governor of Iowa)
“Individuals like Carson King demonstrate how ‘Iowa Nice’ isn’t just a slogan, but our way of life,” the proclamation states. "Carson King can showcase who we are as a people, not only by selflessly donating to a worthy cause, but spreading the message of generosity."
King said he's now trying to raise $2 million for the University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital.
Additionally, Iowa's Geneseo Brewing Company said they were "appalled" by the Des Moines Register and Anheuser Busch's actions, saying that people grow and change.
"We have witnessed your growth through your later social media content and accept your apologies," the brewing company stated. "We believe that your selfless act to raise funds for the University of Iowa Stead Family Children's Hospital is a truly noble act."
The company subsequently said they named a new Pilsner beer called "Iowa Legend" after him, and planned to donate $1 "from every pint and 16-ounce can sold to your cause until the batch is sold out."
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