Nickelodeon’s SpongeBob-themed Super Bowl might be the best way to watch right now

The best Super Bowl of 2024 was not broadcast by CBS from Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. It took place under the crystal clear cartoon water in Bikini Bottom.

For the first time ever, CBS Sports and Nickelodeon teamed up to bring viewers an official alternate broadcast of the big game. This year, those tuning into the 2024 Super Bowl on Sunday had the choice of watching the standard broadcast or a Nickelodeon broadcast hosted by none other than SpongeBob SquarePants and Patrick Star. While I appreciate the Standard broadcast for all its blockbuster commercials, I’m here to tell you that the Nickelodeon broadcast is my new standard whenever the rights holders’ stars align.

On Nick — the actual channel, since the event wasn’t streamed — animated versions of SpongeBob and Patrick co-hosted the show with CBS Sports analyst Nate Burleson and announcer Noah Eagle. While the two professional sports announcers brought classic NFL banter to the game, much of the commentary also consisted of the two animated characters (played by Tom Kenny and Bill Fagerbakke, respectively) singing songs like “Best Day Ever” and tons of corny stories told. jokes.

The broadcast featured other embellishments edited into the live footage by the production team. Nick’s play gave the digital first-down line a pineapple pattern. Touchdowns resulted in a flood of Krabby Patties being thrown into the roaring crowd, or a stream of classic Nickelodeon green slime being ‘poured’ over everyone in the seats. At one point, Larry the Cancer walked right onto the field and committed a “personal foul” in his pants.

The animation did not end on the sidelines. Nickelodeon routinely showed SpongeBob’s bug-eye anchovies to a digital audience cheering on the teams. Images were shown during the match animated, fish-inspired personas of various celebrities such as ‘LePrawn James’, ‘Billie Eelish’ and ‘Haringstijl’. However, a few famous faces were left without caricatures but were still the subject of pieces: Taylor Swift attended this year’s Super Bowl to see Travis Kelce play for the Kansas City Chiefs, and the Nickelodeon team leaned in. Swift puns inspired by her music in their commentary, and it featured footage of Taylor Swift, often showed a picture-in-picture theme of her watching the game, and added many fun jokes about Kelce.

While the broadcast was intended to appeal to a younger audience, it proved to be a fun and accessible way to watch the game for anyone who can appreciate the finer qualities of Nicktoons. I loved that the producers acknowledged Swift and focused on her presence in the game, as her presence likely gained many new fans. And if you happened to be a newcomer to football, characters like Dora the Explorer were on hand to appear on screen and explain rules (such as what constitutes a false start) to viewers. The Nickelodeon version was simply a more light-hearted and relaxing way to watch the game compared to the high-stakes nature of the regular broadcast.

The gimmick also proved to be a hit with fans, prompting people to share their favorite moments from the game.

Overall, Nickelodeon’s version of the broadcast seemed like a success. I hope this brings the licensing gods down to earth and offers viewers more personalized ways to watch these types of events in the future. The 2025 Super Bowl airs on Foxso no collaboration with SpongeBob until the rights go back to CBS – but I’d like to see it return.

If you’re curious about more Super Bowl 2024 coverage on the non-Nickelodeon version, check out some of the best trailers and commercials shown during the event.