Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed recently intensified his dispute with Republican nominee Mike Rogers. El-Sayed, who is over 20 years younger than Rogers, challenged the former FBI agent to a game of tackle football. This followed accusations that Rogers was “too afraid” to engage in a debate.

On Wednesday, El-Sayed posted on X, “Since you’re too afraid to debate me, how about you ‘hold me accountable’ on a football field instead.” He further invited Rogers to play tackle football with no pads, reminiscent of childhood games, expressing his fondness for the sport.

Rogers, aged 63, stands in contrast to El-Sayed’s 41 years. The challenge is part of a wider narrative in which Rogers aims to use El-Sayed’s previous criticisms of football culture as political leverage. El-Sayed has been focusing on sports, fitness, and masculinity to appeal to male voters. The rivalry took a personal turn, with Rogers’ campaign mocking El-Sayed’s height instead of accepting the challenge.

El-Sayed’s prior comments about football, where he associated it with “toxic masculinity,” have been a point of contention. In an October 2021 essay, he wrote about the depth of such issues within American sports culture.

El-Sayed played football in his youth and served as captain of his high school team, describing sports as his “lifeline.” Despite his criticisms of toxic aspects, he defends masculinity and frequently shares fitness content to engage male voters.

Meanwhile, Rogers’ campaign responded to El-Sayed’s challenge by commenting on his height. The Mike Rogers War Room X account quipped, “That’s an awfully tall threat coming from down there.” Additionally, Rogers’ official campaign account posted a GIF of Will Ferrell referring to an “angry elf.” El-Sayed’s height has been humorously debated, listed as both 5 feet, 8 inches and 5 feet, 9 inches in various reports.