Nickelodeon
is coming out of the tunnel as a new choice for watching the playoff game. On a
typical game day, Saints fans would tune into Fox or CBS, but this week's NFL
Wild Card Game has a wild-card channel. Well, not technically a channel—the
Nickelodeon broadcast will only be available to stream via the NFL App—but the
unexpected pairing of football with Nickelodeon has us intrigued. And yes,
there will be slime.
Noah
Eagle will be following in the sports announcer footsteps of his father, Ian
Eagle, as play-by-play announcer for the Saints vs. Bears game. He will be
joined in the booth by Nate Burleson (analyst for CBS Sports) and Nickelodeon
star Gabrielle Nevaeh Green (Nick fans will recognize Green from roles in
Nickelodeon's Unfiltered and All That).
Green
sees the combination of Nickelodeon and NFL as an exciting entryway for kids to
learn about the sport. "It is something that I wish existed when I was younger.
That way, I could've jumped in on the football game as well," Green told CBS
DFW. "This will inspire girls like me, and this will let them know you can do
anything you put your mind to," she continued. "I'm not a traditional announcer
up in the booth, and I'm giving it my best shot."
That
playful, path-breaking spirit of making football accessible for everyone is
exactly what Nickelodeon is going for. NFLNickPlay.com
is the online destination for the NFL Wild Card Game on Nickelodeon. The site
features quizzes, polls, fun facts, info galleries, videos, and printables.
Along with the fun, the site gamifies learning about football basics.
Halftime,
too, will be cranked up to the level of the delirious zest that Nickelodeon is
known for, with a special sneak peek of
Kamp Koral: SpongeBob's Under Years, a new series that will debut later
this year.
"Our
game plan is to make sure the NFL Wild Card Game on Nickelodeon definitely
lives up to its name by infusing the telecast with Nick's sensibility of
surprise and fun at almost every turn," said the president of ViacomCBS Kids
& Family Entertainment, Brian Robbins.
"Partnering
with Nickelodeon to showcase the NFL Playoffs is a great opportunity to
highlight the power, depth, and reach of ViacomCBS, as we continue to unlock
the true potential of our merged company with the first of many opportunities
between CBS Sports and our Viacom CBS family," added Sean McManus, Chairman of
CBS Sports, sounding a bit like an intimidating business report, lest we forget
what drives these fun-maximizing mergers.
To
drum up enthusiasm for the Sunday game, beginning Thursday, January 7, viewers
can scan QR codes on-air and unlock sports-themed SpongeBob and The Loud House collectibles. The whole
shebang wouldn't be complete without a sweepstake, so there are prize packs,
including the chance to win a game ball signed by a Wild Card player. The fine
print says that the player will be in the NFL's sole determination, but here's
hoping it's Drew Brees. If the retirement rumors are true, then that would be
one prize to hold for keeps.
