Three friends from Michigan wandered Pittsburgh’s North Side on Thursday, bringing their inebriation innovation to the masses.
Eric Peterson, Justin Riedl and Nick McClain were on the hunt around noon for tailgaters outside the 2026 NFL Draft Experience willing to drop $25 on a football-shaped “beer bong.” The plastic pigskin has two holes: one on the side for pouring beer and another on the nose for drinking it as fast as possible.
The ChugDown, as it’s known, has been on the market for only a few weeks.
“This is kind of our big launch,” Peterson said while wearing a mesh backpack full of his product.
For NFL teams, the draft is about securing their future stars. The thousands of attendees might be there out of die-hard devotion to their favorite squad or desire to check out one of the biggest events to ever descend on Pittsburgh.
And for entrepreneurs and influencers — many with a bro-ey, Barstool Sports-esque vibe — it’s a shot at building their brands.
ChugDown, still in its infancy, had less than 100 combined followers on Instagram and TikTok as of Thursday evening. They had been posting videos of draftgoers trying out their product throughout the day in hopes of generating online buzz.
Some members of the Duckoff sports podcast had a similar strategy in mind. They had made the trip from Pomeroy, Ohio, to Pittsburgh with dual goals. Yes, they were there to enjoy the draft, but also to film content for their social media platforms.
“We’re trying to use this to help us,” said William Oldaker, 23, who is one of seven regular podcast participants.
The men were camera-ready Thursday, wearing matching T-shirts with the Duckoff logo and a slogan: “Come for the sports, stay for the disrespect.” Their trip inside the Point State Park portion of draft experience didn’t yield any videos, however. They hoped to have better luck later in the day.
Meanwhile, Tylan McElhenie was living in the now. By about 4 p.m, he had downed several beers with a little help from ChugDown. The 27-year-old from Virginia Beach considers himself a fitness and “day-in-the-life” content creator, but is trying to find his niche.
A clip of him in Steelers overalls putting the ChugDown to use racked up about 150 Instagram likes within a few hours, outperforming several of his recent posts.