Ella Langley's brand deal with American Eagle shows Bud Light how it could've been in 2023, fan fight & MEAT
At OutKick, we have to say congratulations to the American Eagle marketing team. They just get it. Unlike Bud Light, who thought hiring a trans would turn into a marketing win, American Eagle went out and signed Sydney Sweeney to a deal last summer that sent the company's stock soaring.
Then, in February, country music megastar Ella Langley and American Eagle rather quietly formed a marketing alliance that included a line of Langley denim that women can buy on the company website. This is like the young Michael Jordan of country music signing with Nike. This is like Dale Earnhardt attaching his name to GM Goodwrench.
This is big. And the collaboration took a massive leap forward on Monday when Langley posted photos of herself wearing American Eagle denim at the Stagecoach Festival. Instagram went nuts to the tune of over 205,000 likes in 18 hours on a paid partnership post.
It should've been so easy for Bud Light back in 2023 if the company wasn't deep into the woke waters of the DEI era. It doesn't take a genius to realize America lost its way during those times. It also doesn't take a genius to see why American Eagle is finding success by marketing its brand as a slice of Americana. Sydney Sweeney and Ella Langley are showing us the way and it's a beautiful thing to watch.
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– Doug in Jacksonville says: Not sure if you worked any magic, but the screen today for Screencaps was missing the article links! Soooo much better!
Kinsey: I didn't do anything, but that's a nice email, Doug. I pinned that to the top of my bulletin board. It feels wonderful to receive a positive message.
I scrolled back into Alfonso's Facebook Facebook archive and he rarely breaks character as the America's Funniest Video guy. There are some mentions of his family in there, but he never goes on rants. Then, he finally broke over the weekend. The first true rant I can find out of the guy and it's on travel ball. Imagine that.
Meanwhile, Team Kinsey (13-14U) got a scrimmage in last night, in the rain, and played five innings. I think the final was 7-5 or 6-4. The good news is that we played really well defensively and pitched pretty well in very tough conditions. I'm a little concerned with the bats. Too many kids were looking at pitches that included breaking balls, which was a first for many of my boys. By the end of the game, they were putting the ball in play and running the bags.
The biggest positive of the night is that I don't have a team full of jerko--s. The opposing team had jerko--s, which would absolutely drive me crazy as a coach. They had a cocky kid dive head first into home plate to score a run after a bases loaded walk. In a scrimmage. And the coaches didn't sit him.
For the life of me, I cannot understand why coaches let that behavior go on. Are we that weak as a society that we cannot tell a 14 year old to stop acting like a jerko--? Why are we so weak? You tell me: joe.kinsey@outkick.com
– Tim T. is jumping on the bandwagon: I really hadn't paid any attention to Major League Baseball for around 8 years when I retired after 20 years of Government service in November 2021. After sitting on my duff for a couple of months, I took a part time position with our local Triple-A baseball team. Now in my 5th year I have seen over 200 baseball games and have found that, just like when I was a kid, some players become your favorites. Some advance to the to the big club and find success (Xavier Edwards, Javier Sanoja), some find their way to other team's roster (Dane Meyers, JJ Bleday, Jake Mangum), and some just fade away. All I know is, that for the first time in my life, I'm checking the Cincinnati Reds box scores.
– Reds fan Jim T. in San Diego grew up in Dayton. He likes what he's seeing: I know that pennants arent' won in April, but at least the Reds aren't LOSING the pennant this April! And they're racking up a bunch of Quad 1 and Quad 2 (to use college basketball vernacular) wins that nobody thought that they would win in this tough part of their schedule.
Kinsey: I would argue that the toughest part of the schedule will be the N.L. Central. This franchise has won the Central TWICE in the last 30 years. Let that sink in.
– Montgomery emails with a great line: My Lord!! Seeing Elizabeth with Billy Ray……????!! Seriously, if anyone in the world SMELLS like taco meat and aftershave it’s definitely THAT hillbilly. And that’s coming from a Tennessee hillbilly that has ONE pair of jorts and three Budweiser tank tops!!
Kinsey: Now THAT'S an email. Straight to the point. Great visuals.
Not you guys. Relax. I'm talking to the real losers who continue to get into stadium fights and give up the reach advantage and then get lit up as cameras are rolling.
– Jay J. tells me: I've never gotten a card telling me I'm not invited, but twice I've had a fairly close friend tell me I would not be invited. Both times someone in our crowd was a problem for the bride so they would not be invited, but then it'd be awkward if the rest of us attended. I understood both times, and was not offended. Both times, months after the wedding, both couples invited me over for dinner.
– Loyal Screencaps reader Brent P. checked in last night with bad storms racing across Indiana : What moron executive decided that we needed to hear a weatherman talk about the current situation for an hour. We are seriously watching this guy type on his computer. This has been going on for a few years now. They cut in during the climax of the show to tell us sh$& we already know. We need a revolution to stop this nonsense!
– Mike N. checks in: This beer from Singapore Wakeboard Park is for you for all of your hard work this week juggling content for the Greatest Column in the Land and the new formatting! The sunrise is Penang, Malaysia. Love your coaching updates. A highlight of the year for me.
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And that is a wrap on this final Tuesday in April 2026. I keep telling the kids how they have just three more Mondays and Tuesdays to go before summer break. I'm not sure they're processing how close they are to the best time of life. Just think what you would give to have one more healthy summer off to swim, bike, ride your e-bike, etc. around town with all your buddies.
Let's go out there and dominate the work day. We're the ones who have to buy those e-bikes and pay for those summer vacations. Now is the time to get after it so we're ready to roll once Memorial Day weekend rolls around. Now is when we set the tone for another incredible summer of life. Go have a great day.