We Are Getting An Official "Simpsons" NFL Broadcast In December For The Bengals-Cowboys Monday Night Football Game
USA Today - ESPN announced during halftime of the Monday Night Football broadcast of the New York Giants-Pittsburgh Steelers game that the December 9 MNF broadcast of the Cincinnati Bengals' game against the Cowboys in Dallas will have a "Simpsons"-themed alt-cast featuring Bart Simpson and the Bengals against Homer Simpson and the Cowboys.
"Simpsons Funday Football" will stream live from Atoms Stadium in Springfield on Disney+ and ESPN+ during the NFL Week 14 game.
A live, animated Bengals-Cowboys game will take place in the world of "The Simpsons."
"Each Bengals and Cowboys player will appear as a motion-enabled, animated player for the special primetime matchup," according to Disney. "Through state-of-the-art tracking technology enabled by NFL's Next Gen Stats, Sony's Beyond Sports, combined with Sony's Hawk-Eye Innovations' optical tracking, fans enjoying 'The Simpsons Funday Football' will see every snap, run, pass, score, and more from the real-life Bengals and Cowboys matchup at AT&T Stadium as it happens."
Animated segments incorporating ESPN personalities Stephen A. Smith, Peyton and Eli Manning and more will appear during the telecast, with segments written by "Simpsons" creators.
Credit where credit is due, we give ESPN and the shield a lot of shit around here, but they nailed this one.
For a league whose product on the field currently SUCKS, this is the kind of thinking outside of the box you need to do to not only maintain interest, but also attract new eyeballs.
When trying to "grow the game", here in America, not overseas, this is how you do. Get them started young.
And what better way to accomplish that then by partnering up with the longest running, most beloved cartoon in US History? The Simpsons is beloved by all ages, old and young. And for good reason.
What was originally scheduled to be a Bengals-Cowboys Monday Night Football snoozefest, is now appointment television. (Even though they are forcing us to stream it on Disney+ or ESPN+). Fuck it. This is the kind of alternative entertainment I have no problem mozying on over to the streaming network instead of basic cable to watch.
I know this will be a success because the NFL has already perfected this the past couple of seasons.Two years ago, during Wild Card Weekend, they teamed up with Nickelodeon and knocked it out of the park.
In fact, I wish they made this a more regular thing because it's such a no brainer, but pick one game a week, instead of a season, and bring in the Nickelodeon crew of announcers and producers, and showcase the sport in a format that is fun and informative at the same time, without taking itself too seriously. You don't have to sacrifice one of the regular network broadcasts (with horrendous announcers). Let them keep those boring telecasts and throw these animates games on one of the 15 streaming networks we're now forced to have in order to watch.
Kids will eat it this up.
(And if it’s every week, it gives them the opportunity to build interest and follow along. It’s not just a once a season here-and-gone treat)
Their parents will too.
If you don't believe me look at how much Nickelodeon smashed their broadcast in 2022 -
As soon as their broadcast kicked in it was off and running.
The crew explained the rivalry between the Cowboys and 49ers, so they used the rivalry between Mr. Krabs and Plankton.
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They had it all
Including this kid Dylan on the sidelines who did a hell of a job eating Michelle Tafoya's lunch.
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The CGI and graphics they used were out of this world.
And not just because of the colors of and quality of them, but because of how precise the graphics team in the truck was with the timing and placement on everything.
(Fun fact- I got to work with a lot of people who do this for a living through Wrigley Field over the past few years, both network and in-house, and they are insanely talented. But the job is still so hard to do because everything is happening in real-time. You have seconds, or milliseconds to react. The way the Nickelodeon team was firing these graphics off yesterday was unreal.)
They also did an awesome job of breaking stuff down on a super basic level so children, or just people unfamiliar with football in general, could understand.
And of course there was plenty of slime.
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Only downside I had for the broadcast was you can't have F-bombs flying with kids watching. Gotta figure out a way to censor those.
Especially considering the same thing happened the year before…
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That Mike McCarthy graphic is laugh out loud funny for kids and adults.
They also do an awesome job of relating things to stuff kids know and can process.
Like this Ezekiel Elliot and Sonic The Hedgehog graphic
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Even Coach Prime was a huge fan of it
This kind of stuff is fun for everybody and is a welcomed break from the norm. I am extremely optimistic about it being a huge success, and am really looking forward to it but I would also like it to be known that if Goodell and the NFL don't give us a Mr. Burns super-imposed graphic over Jerry Jones in the owners box, I will lead the riot. It absolutely must happen.