'SpongeBob' Character to 'Call' Rams' Christmas Game
Those who are still unaware of the Los Angeles Rams' Super Bowl defense gone haywire must be living under a rock.
One of those calling their dreaded Christmas Day game against the Denver Broncos literally has been.
With the holiday showdown between Los Angeles and Denver getting the Nickelodeon treatment, the children's cable channel is getting downright cartoonish with its coverage, announcing this week that Patrick Star, an animated character from the long-running series "SpongeBob SquarePants," will provide commentary throughout the contest.
One of the network's most recognizable faces since his introduction in 1999, the starfish Patrick is one of "SpongeBob's" main characters and serves as the titular character's best friend.
The news of Patrick's "involvement" was confirmed in a press release from Nickelodeon's parent company Paramount, which reads that he will "join the crew from Bikini Bottom to offer live commentary throughout the game." Longtime voice actor Bill Fagerbakke will reprise his role, having appeared in most of "SpongeBob's" 278 episodes as well as three theatrically released films and numerous spin-offs, including "The Patrick Star Show" which debuted in 2021.
CBS Sports veterans Nate Burleson and Noah Eagle will return to the Nick booth for the game, as will Gabrielle Nevaeh Green and sideline reporter Young Dylan, the respective stars of the network's live-action series "That Girl Lay Lay" and "Tyler Perry's Young Dylan."
The clash between the Rams and Broncos will be the third NFL broadcast over Nickelodeon's airwaves, as the network previously provided alternate viewing experiences for a pair of NFC Wild Card games, including the tilt between Dallas and San Francisco last season.
Catered to children, those watching the Nick version are treated to humorous interludes, including characters superimposed on the field and CGI "slime" cannons going off after touchdowns. A traditional broadcast of the game will still be available on CBS.
A move to Nickelodeon is perhaps an appropriate ending for the woebegone seasons of the Rams (3-9) and Broncos (3-9). Each team entered the year with high expectations, as the Rams were coming off a Vince Lombardi Trophy hoist while the Broncos traded for former Los Angeles divisional rival Russell Wilson at quarterback.
Those expecting to see the slime cannons fire might be disappointed: entering Week 14 action, the Rams and Broncos respectively rank 29th and 32nd in scoring. In addition to their matching three-win records (as well as a plethora of Los Angeles injuries), neither side has the comfort of their first-round pick to get them through these dark times, rendering the game almost entirely meaningless. It's thus no wonder that Nick has made a call to Bikini Bottom for help.
The Nickelodeon showdown is part of an uncanny final stretch for the Rams, who have cursed the NFL's national airways with four exclusive-window games over the final five weeks, only one of which (a Jan. 1 Sunday night showdown with the Los Angeles Chargers) is eligible to be booted by flexible scheduling policies. That stretch begins on Thursday when the Rams battle the Las Vegas Raiders at home (5:15 p.m. PT, Amazon Prime Video).
Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags
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