‘The Simpsons’ ‘Monday Night Football’ Crossover Will Finally Fulfill Homer’s Lifelong Dream
The Simpsons has crossed over with a number of other TV shows over the years, including Futurama, Family Guy and The X-Files. It’s happened so many times at this point that it’s hard to believe that the mere suggestion of inviting Jay Sherman from The Critic onto an episode was the subject of a major behind-the-scenes controversy. Side note: How can anyone be mad at an episode that gave us “Man Getting Hit by Football?”
Well, now The Simpsons gang are once again co-mingling with another popular show that falls under the Disney corporate umbrella: ESPN’s Monday Night Football.
According to Disney, the December 9th game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Dallas Cowboys will be presented in traditional fashion (i.e., with cameras filming actual flesh and blood human beings), but it will also be available to stream in a version set in the world of Springfield.
Yes, in the “Funday Football” stream, the Bengals will be coached by Bart, and the Cowboys led by Homer. And the characters will occasionally “play offense and/or defense” during the game, along with their teammates who will also be represented as Simpsons characters. Bart’s team will include Lisa, Krusty, Nelson, Milhouse and Ralph, while Homer’s Cowboys will boast Carl, Barney, Lenny and Moe (hopefully they won’t drink too many Duffs before the game). If all that weren’t enough, Marge will interview players during the game, and Maggie will “fly the skycam” throughout Springfield’s Atoms Stadium.
Keep in mind, the real-life game is still being represented by the digital characters, meaning that “every play” is captured by “state-of-the-art tracking technology” and transmogrified into an animated spectacle.
This isn’t an entirely new concept, in 2023, Disney similarly presented an animated NFL game, set in Andy’s bedroom from Toy Story. Thankfully, no kids or parents entered the room, meaning that the players weren’t forced to lie motionless on the ground for hours at a time.
It’s easy to dismiss these types of calculated acts of corporate synergy, but let us not forget that Homer Simpson’s lifelong dream was to own the Dallas Cowboys, as he revealed in Season Eight’s “You Only Live Once.” Homer even buys Tom Landry’s hat at one point. But he’s ultimately disappointed to learn that Hank Scorpio purchased another NFL team for him: the Denver Broncos.
The fact that Homer will be coaching the Cowboys definitely feels like a purposeful call-back to this episode. A lot of Simpsons fans were quick to point out that ESPN’s stunt will finally fulfill Homer’s greatest ambition in life (for one game, at least).
Although, it still remains to be seen whether or not football fans want to watch a game in which the players have been replaced by janky cartoon avatars. Or if Simpsons fans give a crap about pro football.
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