![Sam Darnold, Hawk Tuah Girl and a [heart] emoji](https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Is-Sam-Darnold-the-Hawk-Tuah-Girl-of-the-NFL.jpeg?w=1200)
Over the summer, Sam Darnold created a mini-stir on social media when he added a heart emoji reaction to a Barstool Sports promo for the first public interview of Haliey Welch, better known since her viral infamous video clip as Hawk Tuah Girl.
Darnold's post immediately sparked rumors that he was either dating or thirsting after Hawk Tuah Girl (none of which has been substantiated at this point). I'd like to propose a more innocent explanation for Darnold's hearting of the promo (heaven knows this whole story could use a dash of innocence).
I choose to believe Darnold indicated his love for the post not for any salacious reasons, but rather because he empathized with Haliey Welch and her sudden rise to fame.
After all, Darnold was all but written off as a bust prior to this season. And like Welch, he burst onto the scene out of nowhere one weekend, and was suddenly all anyone could talk about, in Minnesota and far beyond as well. Now, both Darnold and Welch are seizing on their fifteen minutes of fame.
Welch has shrewdly turned her online celebrity into less of an online joke and more of an entire social media persona — she's now a podcast host of the aptly named Talk Tuah podcast. Even more impressive, Talk Tuah after just four episodes, is the #5 most listened to podcast on the Spotify charts. That's insane?! She sure has grabbed a hold of that microphone and — well, you know.
Darnold similarly has decided to turn a surprisingly stellar debut into a bona fide breakout season as quarterback of the Minnesota Vikings. He somehow has the Vikings at 4-0 and looking like the best team in the league, in what should have been a lowly rebuilding season after Minnesota lost Kirk Cousins to free agency.
Like Welch, Darnold has taken a lot of hits — though both of these rising stars are taking the unflattering first-impression labels the public has bestowed upon them and are turning them into a badge of honor instead.
Some of you reading this may count yourselves fans of Haliey Welch, aka the Hawk Tuah Girl, aka the host of the Talk Tuah podcast. Others may gravitate more toward Sam Darnold, aka the star quarterback of the Minnesota Vikings, aka heart-emoji-bestower of a Haliey Welch interview promo. Others still may be fascinated by both of these head-scratching enigmas and pop cultural phenomena.
Wherever you stand, rather than spread further unsubstantiated rumors about Sam Darnold and Haliey Welch, try spreading a little more heart emoji around the world instead — because Darnold and Welch, whether you like it or not, have spit upon our expectations of them, and are the epitome of today's American dream.
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