Iowa State fan’s ‘GameDay’ sign asked for beer money but he gave it to kids hospital

ESPN’s “College GameDay” visited Ames, Iowa, on Saturday, and for Cyclones fans, it was a day to forget.

Rain fell for a good portion of Saturday, and the Cyclones made a bunch of mistakes in an 18-17 loss to archrival Iowa.

But, as it turns out, some good did come from ESPN’s visit.

The tale begins with Cyclones fan Carson King holding a sign asking for beer money and included his Venmo handle.

Once King reached $1,600, he decided to use the money on something more important: the University of Iowa’s Stead Family Children’s Hospital.

That’s when King’s story went viral.

After seeing King’s gesture, Busch beer and Venmo both agreed to double the amount King raised:

“I was completely overwhelmed, I didn’t think anything like this would have a chance to happen,” King told the Washington Post. “Especially when Busch commented. I was at a loss for words.”

As of Wednesday morning, King’s donation was more than $29,000, which would be matched by Busch and Venmo. King told the Post he planned to take out $15 for a case of beer, but that may be unnecessary.

The Des Moines Register reported that Busch Light has promised King a year’s worth of free beer.

UPDATE: According to Darren Rovell of the Action Network, the total donation is now more than $110,000.

This story was originally published September 18, 2019 at 11:25 AM.