Photo: WLWT5
The National Football League (NFL) will be a little greener, wetter and covered with more slime in the coming year as Nickelodeon has announced that it will continue its popular partnership with the NFL.
What began as a collaboration with CBS sports’ production team during the January 10, 2021 wildcard playoff game between the New Orleans Saints and the Chicago Bears will excitedly continue. The first broadcast proved an instant hit and pleased audiences of many ages, despite its non-traditional graphics and commentary. The screenings, which were initially directed towards a younger audience, display cool features and twists on traditional elements of football and NFL broadcasts.
One popular change is the slime zone. Instead of a traditional end zone, in the slime zone whenever a player scores a touchdown, computer generated slime cannons shoot into the end zone.
Photo: NFL
In another twist, after each week of football, Nickelodeon awards Nickelodeon’s Value Player (NVP) instead of a traditional MVP. The NVP trophy, which was first awarded to the Chicago Bears former quarterback Mitch Trubisky, also gained popularity over social media. The trophy, which is made to resemble the Vince Lombardi Super Bowl Trophy, features the Nickelodeon blimp with slime dripping down from it. Following every week of the 2022 NFL season, Nickelodeon awarded their weekly NVP. During the NVP trophy presentations, the winner gets slimed. The videos of the presentation went viral amassing millions of views on TikTok.
In 2022, Nickelodeon aired their “Nickmas” game on Christmas. The broadcast featured holiday themed special effects along with a guest appearance from famous Spongebob Squarepants character Patrick Star. Perhaps the most viral part of the Nickmas broadcast occurred when Patrick Star roasted Denver Broncos Quarterback, Russel Wilson, for throwing an interception.
Nickelodeon’s partnership with the NFL will continue as the NFL Season kicks off on Sep. 7. The Nickmas day special will also continue on Dec 25. between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Las Vegas Raiders. Look out for more of the same, football, and of course, slime.