Fans of Both Football and ‘Rick and Morty’ Declare George Kittle King of Froopyland

Here’s a serious question – which is more abominable, creating a chimera race of human/fantasy creature hybrids through interbreeding and then eating your own offspring, or rooting for the Dallas Cowboys without ever having stepped foot in Texas?

Somehow, the sideline reporters of the NFL failed to get star San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle’s take on this important moral quandary after the team’s 28-16 win over their division rival, the Seattle Seahawks, yesterday afternoon. Also, in no post-game interview did Kittle reveal whether he would celebrate his team’s first-place standing in the NFC playoff picture by eagerly tuning into last night’s new episode of Rick and Morty. It’s almost like the football world and the Rick and Morty fandom are completely disparate and any overlap between them would be equally absurd and unexpected – almost.

Over in the Rick and Morty subreddit, the internet’s largest fan forum for Adult Swim’s flagship franchise, user shrimplypibbles4 was apparently inspired by Kittle’s touchdown reception in the 49ers home win to remind the rest of the fandom of, arguably, the most uncomfortable episode in the Rick and Morty canon, Season Three's “The ABC's of Beth.” And, now that it’s been seen, it cannot be unseen without a bout of Morty’s Mindblowers – George Kittle is Tommy Lipnip, King of Froopyland.

Of course, Kittle wasn't trapped in a fantasy dimension by a sadistic childhood friend 30 years ago, so there's no reason to suspect that the 4-time Pro Bowler built out his powerful six-foot-four frame with high-quality protein from his abomination offspring. While the 49ers fanbase may worship Kittle as a god for being the first tight end in NFL history to lead the league in yards after catch, it's more of a “wait in line for eight hours to get an autographed jersey” reverence rather than a “have sex with him and then eat the kid” religion – though there's surely some disturbed San Franciscans who wouldn't object to that.

Thankfully, the list of comparisons between Kittle and King Tommy start and end with their wide, expressive eyes and scraggly long blonde beard and hair. But, if the rumors about Thomas Middleditch are true, Tommy might share some creepier qualities with his voice actor.