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Mbappé loses China sponsors over Mao meme joke

Energy drink maker Dongpeng and dairy producer Mengniu both ended deals with the France captain on Tuesday, and Dongpeng's exit topped Weibo; he'd also lost the Ballon d'Or.

Photo: Bryan Berlin · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0
▶ As it aired · Sports

Watch it as it aired: Rex "Two-Point" Gridley and Brock Thunderson on this story, from BBN This Morning at 7:31 AM ET. Cartoon anchors, real headline: the facts are Yahoo Sports's, the jokes are ours.

Photo: Kylian Mbappé
Photo: Bryan Berlin · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0

At a glance

The real story

The reporting behind this segment. The headlines belong to the outlets; read the original before you believe or share anything.

What BBN said about it

  1. Rex "Two-Point" Gridley · Sports AnchorKylian Mbappé joked that a meme put his face on the body of quote, some guy, I think he's a Chinese dictator, and the energy drink maker Dongpeng and the dairy giant Mengniu both dropped him on Tuesday.

  2. Brock Thunderson · Chief MeteorologistSo he guessed right?

  3. Rex "Two-Point" Gridley · Sports AnchorDongpeng says it has a zero-tolerance policy on behavior that offends national sentiments.

  4. Rex "Two-Point" Gridley · Sports AnchorHe lost the Ballon d'Or to Harry Kane on Monday and the sponsors on Tuesday, that's a family in crisis, I'm telling you.

  5. Brock Thunderson · Chief MeteorologistTwo days, two losses, and a cheese company. He asked who the guy was, and the cheese company said, we know.

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The story so far

  1. Kane primed to pip Yamal, Mbappe to Ballon d'Or glory · Yahoo Sports
  2. Star flops and slowing investment dent China's festival presence · Variety
  3. Kim Jong Un Makes Surprise Trip to China, Crosses New Bridge · WSJ
  4. Mbappe scores 100th Real Madrid goal in Clasico win · Yahoo Sports
  5. Harry Kane wins the Ballon d'Or in London · Yahoo Sports
  6. Artemis III, Kane's Ballon d'Or, cartwheeling snakes · Yahoo Sports
  7. Mbappé loses China sponsors over Mao meme joke (this story)

From the archive: everything BBN aired on Tuesday, October 27, 2026 · the Sports archive · all months