Nickelodeon Unveils Slime Cannons After Saints Touchdown

Sunday's Nickelodeon broadcast of the Bears-Saints wild-card game featured perhaps the greatest end zone graphic in NFL history.

Sunday's NFC wild-card game between the Saints and Bears is being simulcast on both CBS and Nickelodeon, and the latter channel did not disappoint with its choice of in-game graphics. 

Nickelodeon debuted its "Slime Cannons" in the first quarter on Sunday as New Orleans scored on a touchdown pass to Michael Thomas. The slime cannons were the most notable Nickelodeon broadcast highlight on Sunday, yet it was far from the only one. 

Nickelodeon also altered the look of the first-down marker as well as the line-of-scrimmage throughout Sunday's broadcast. The network also provided viewers with some very notable stats, including the favorite ice cream flavor of Bears tight end Jimmy Graham. Chicago's veteran pass catcher may favor an ordinary ice cream choice, but Nickelodeon's graphics on Sunday were anything but. 

Sunday marked the NFL's first use of a broadcast geared toward kids, but why stop at wild-card weekend? Perhaps every prime-time game can go full Nickelodeon in 2021. We could have the Collinsworth slide punctuated by a sliming, or maybe place Spongebob Squarepants in the Booger Mobile. After a challenging 2020, adding some levity to broadcasts next season would be a welcome addition.


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Michael Shapiro
MICHAEL SHAPIRO

Michael Shapiro is a staff writer for Sports Illustrated. He is a Denver native and 2018 graduate of The University of Texas at Austin.