Governor Tim Walz and Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez are set to duke it out on the digital gridiron – but the timing of their faceoff has drawn the ire of NFL fans.

On Saturday, Ocasio-Cortez announced on social media that she and Walz would compete in a friendly game of Madden NFL 25 that will be streamed live on Twitch. “This is a TWITCH Public Service Announcement. Me versus @Tim_Walz. Madden. TOMORROW 3pm EST… You ready Gov?” the 35-year-old wrote.

But shortly after her post went public, droves of critics pointed out a major flaw with the contest – it was taking place on NFL Sunday when the first slate of Week 8 games would be wrapping up. “The best part is playing Madden while all the 1pm NFL games are still going on. Brilliant move,” one X user wote, with another adding: “You won’t get the viewership you’re looking for. They’ll be watching the second half of 1pm NFL games. Seems like an oversight there.”

A third declared: “No one is tuning in during actual football. This is a fail.”

This isn’t the first time that Walz has made an appearance on Twitch. On October 9, Kamala Harris’ campaign partnered with Preheat – a creator on the platform – to livestream his speech at a Arizona rally alongside World of Warcraft gameplay and commentary.

Ocasio-Cortez, meanwhile, is no stranger to Twitch, having recorded an Among Us livestream in the leadup to the 2020 election that attracted more than 400,000 viewers. Then in July of 2023, she filmed herself playing Pico Park and Gartic Phone.

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Ocasio-Cortez went viral in 2020 after streaming herself playing Among Us

Ocasio-Cortez went viral in 2020 after streaming herself playing Among Us ( 

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Shortly after announcing the Madden competition, Ocasio-Cortez shared a photo of herself playing the game at her desk alongside the caption: “Me scrambling to practice Madden before the Bronx Halloween Parade.”

Though Ocasio-Cortez appears to have the advantage when it comes to gaming experience, Walz has a far greater knowledge of football. Before choosing a life of politics, he served as a teacher and coach at Alliance High School in Nebraska before joining Mankato West High School in Minnesota.

After moving to the North Star state with his wife, Gwen in 1996, Walz taught social studies and became the defensive coordinator at Mankato West. On the heels of a 2-4 start three years later, the Scarlets won the ensuing eight consecutive games en route to winning a state championship – their first in program history.

It remains to be seen if Walz’s real-life coaching skills will translate through the television screen. The Madden livestream – his latest video game endeavor – is seen as an attempt to appeal to young men, a demographic that Republican nominee Donald Trump currently appears to hold an advantage over.

In order to reach this group of voters, Harris’ campaign officials have additionally discussed scheduling a potential appearance on the ‘Joe Rogan Experience,’ which boasts 14.5 million followers on Spotify and an additional 17.5 million on YouTube. Trump appeared on the podcast Friday.