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The NFL Playoffs got a major facelift this week, with the league officially announcing that a new, 14-team format will begin starting as early as the 2020 season. While there’s still a ton of uncertainty about when the new regular season actually begins due to the ongoing pandemic, football fans can be even more stoked about the expanded playoff system.
The NFL owners have confirmed, via a vote on today’s teleconference, that there will be expanded playoffs after the 2020 season, source said. Expected and now official. One more team per conference.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 31, 2020
For those out of the loop, the league released its plan to expand the NFL Playoffs, adding one additional team from each conference to compete for the Super Bowl. Under the new format, the No. 1 seeds still get byes, but seeds 2-7 in each conference will now play in an additional Wild Card Game — which is sure to bring more excitement come January.
The news means more revenue for teams and players thanks to TV network partnerships, but it also means a chance to expand the sport to a younger audience. So how does the NFL plan on doing such a thing? No joke, to have a separately televised broadcast of one of the games on Nickelodeon. Yep, the same Nickelodeon that we all used to watch Are You Afraid of the Dark and Rugrats from.
The NFL on Nickelodeon is now a thing: The additional Wild Card game on Sunday will be simulcasted on Nickelodeon in a broadcast tailored to younger fans. pic.twitter.com/XSwgTxnr30
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) March 31, 2020
Obviously, the news of the NFL Playoffs being on Nickelodeon is a little weird. It totally makes sense from a business and marketing standpoint, but Nickelodeon’s known for pre-teen shows, not grown-ass men looking to knock the snot out of one another. And because sports fans are unforgiving, people on Twitter had a field day mocking the NFL’s plan to televise a Wild Card Game on the network.
Spongebob broadcasting it?
— Brauny (@YoBrauny32) March 31, 2020
The NFL announced Nickelodeon will simulcast a 2020-21 wild card game.
For the kids 🙏🙌https://t.co/ni99sB9wJv
— FanSided (@FanSided) March 31, 2020
how it’s gonna sound when Saquon breaks off for a TD in the wild card game when it airs on Nickelodeon pic.twitter.com/c61e3ChNpZ
— Andrew (@gmengalaxy) March 31, 2020
https://twitter.com/CBTFan69/status/1245053016186802176?s=20
Introducing the new Nickelodeon NFL broadcast team! pic.twitter.com/Ytw1OWL9tY
— Follow @UndergroundPHI (@AnotherFBPod) March 31, 2020
— Monarch of Melanin 🔊 🗯 (@themorganrpt) March 31, 2020
https://twitter.com/ahodgson92/status/1245076533846384642?s=20
— Need a new general meme name lol (@ShaqBurnerAcct) March 31, 2020
The world is a weird AF place right now, isn’t it? We’re fighting a scary pandemic that has no cure. We’re all locked in our houses trying to stay sane. We’re wondering how things could get better after three months of dysfunction. We’ve got no live sports. Some folks are stashing toilet paper as if it’s $100 bills. And now we’ve got Nickelodeon televising games for the NFL Playoffs — which is too confusing to even wrap our heads around. Yep, we need a redo right now, because things are really messed up so far this decade.