Bob Costas's Legendary Belmont Beer Chug Was Actually A Little Baby Sip

For years now, a flattering story about tiny sportscaster Bob Costas has been circulating around the internet. Legend has it that while Costas was covering the 2011 Belmont Stakes, a rowdy fan threw a beer at him. Costas is said to have caught the can of suds with one hand, and then chugged the beverage like a real big badass.

The myth reappeared today, in a Washington Post:

Bob is not omniscient. But he is a quick study and a sports encyclopedia. He is also a bit rebellious, self-deprecating and obnoxiously unflappable. At the Belmont Stakes in 2011, someone threw a can of beer at him, and he caught it one-handed, opened it, chugged some, lobbed it back from the victory stand, and proceeded with his interview of the winning jockey and trainer.

This new, more detailed telling of the story got people all excited, and it wasn’t long before headlines like these were being plastered on blogs across the internet:

Thankfully, while everyone else was busy anointing Bob Costas the next Stone Cold Steve Austin, video of the incident emerged:

In what world does that sip, the sip of a 12-year-old whose parents are allowing him to try beer for the very first time, qualify as chugging? No world, save for one full of liars and simpletons. We must refuse to live in that world; we must not allow this myth to endure; we must not cheapen the sacred act of chugging an ice-cold brewski.