Trying to make sense of why Papa John took his pizza and left

Hunt Brothers Pizza will replace Papa John’s in Rupp beginning this fall as the new official pizza of the arena. It’s odd that Papa John’s didn’t renew its deal after so many years as the pizza provider, but we have some theories as to why Papa John might’ve pulled the plug.

Here’s some reasons why we think Papa John took his pizza and helicoptered back to Louisville:

 

He’s a Louisville fan.

It’s no secret Papa John is a big-time Louisville fan and supporter of the UofL athletic department, but he is also a friend of John Calipari and will cheer for the Wildcats, too. It could be the case that, even though he’s been spotted wearing blue when the mood’s right, he finally gave his full financial commitment to Louisville. No more pizzas in Rupp. No more playing both sides of the rivalry. Completely exclusive to Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium and the basketball program’s hooker problem.

His neighbors are Kentucky fans.

Papa John’s neighbors in Anchorage (where a lot of the rich people live in Jefferson County) have complained about his helicopter use. Maybe those neighbors are also Kentucky fans, and pulling his pizza out of the Rupp Arena is his way of getting even for them whining about his chopper taking off from the neighborhood.

He’s mad KSR kept giving out the promo code.

Matt was big on tweeting Papa John’s exclusive promo code given to fans in Rupp Arena. It was meant for fans attending the game, but KSR invited everyone to take advantage of the deal, which didn’t go over well with corporate.

He decided to spend that money on his workers’ insurance.

Papa John caught some heat when it was discovered his company doesn’t cover its drivers’ insurance. Maybe he finally caved and took care of his people, thus having to pull the plug on the Rupp deal because he couldn’t afford both.

He got drunk and forgot to sign the new deal.

Also a likely scenario.