Johnny Manziel Turns College Gameday Absence into Kalshi Promotion

Johnny Manziel's unexplained absence from ESPN's College GameDay appearance in December became an unexpected marketing moment tied to the prediction market platform Kalshi. 

The former Texas A&M quarterback had been announced earlier in the month as the guest picker for the show's broadcast from College Station ahead of the Aggies' College Football Playoff matchup against Miami. Moments before the segment, host Rece Davis revealed that former Texas A&M basketball player Alex Caruso would appear instead, leaving viewers without an explanation.

This sudden turn of events prompted fans to wonder what had happened. Manziel was spotted at a boxing match in Miami the night before, fueling further speculation. Speculation on X included health issues or run-ins with ESPN or College GameDay host Pat McAfee. 

Manziel later addressed the situation, stating that illness prevented his appearance and denying any dispute with the network or its on-air personalities.

Rather than ending the discussion, Manziel used the attention to promote Kalshi through a statement posted on social media at the end of December. In the message, he encouraged fans to trade on whether he would return to the College GameDay set in 2026, referencing an active market on the platform that initially priced his return at a 34% probability. 

After the post circulated, that figure reportedly rose above 50% on prediction market apps.

While neither Kalshi nor Manziel stated that the post was an advertisement, it is not out of the ordinary for either to participate in a publicity stunt when the opportunity arises. 

Kalshi's media partnerships draw scrutiny

Manziel's promotion of Kalshi came as the platform was already facing heightened attention over its expanding media relationships. Earlier in December, Kalshi announced a data integration agreement with CNN, naming the network its official partner for prediction markets. 

This agreement made the market data provided by Kalshi an additional element of CNN's news coverage. Later, Congressman Abe Hamadeh expressed his reservations about the deal in a letter to then-Acting CFTC Chairwoman Caroline D. Pham.

A strong media property, Hamadeh said, could impact how election coverage, world events, or public health narratives are represented, particularly when Kalshi’s markets are active for the same events. 

This, he said, could impact the integrity of the market, as well as the security of the democratically elected government, if foreign nations were attempting to use this association for profit.

Hamadeh further said that no other major news organization in the US had negotiated such an arrangement, mentioning the Commodity Exchange Act. The CFTC was asked to review contracts related to sensitive political or social events in order to add more ideology to the debate over US prediction markets.