On Oct. 12, 2023, SpaceXMania.com published an article positing that five University of Texas at Austin football players who kneeled during the national anthem had their scholarships revoked because of their act of protest.
The article was also cross-posted onto their Facebook page, SpaceX Lovers, where many commenters took the headline at face value. "Praises to the school for standing for Respect," read the post's caption, making no mention of the satirical tag the article was given on their website. The story began as follows:
Breaking: University of Texas Revokes Scholarships of 5 Anthem Kneelers
In the echoing chambers of stadiums where athletic prowess usually takes center stage, a new, poignant drama unfolds, marring the traditional spectacle of college football. At the University of Texas, a decision to reportedly revoke scholarships from five student-athletes who knelt during the National Anthem has propelled the institution into the throbbing heart of a nationwide debate.
However, SpaceXMania.com is not a source readers should look to for factual information. The site uses a satire tag on most of its articles, including this one. In addition, the site has a disclaimer that notes its output is satirical in nature:
Please note that the articles under the category “SATIRE” are satirical in nature and are not meant to be taken seriously. These articles are meant to be humorous and are often entirely made up. We make no claim that the information presented in these articles is true or accurate.
Articles about football players being suspended for kneeling are satirical pieces that SpaceXMania frequently publishes. Since Sept. 25, 2023, Snopes has reported on claims that coaches Deion Sanders, Sean Payton, Mike McCarthy and Bill Belichick all suspended or fired players for kneeling during the national anthem, a claim that coach Andy Reid instructed his players to kneel during the anthem, a claim that coaches unanimously voted to ban the practice and a claim that NFL referees ejected four players for kneeling. All of these claims were found to be false. Instead, they were all satirical content originating from SpaceXMania.com.
For background, here is why we sometimes write about satire/humor.