THE Cincinnati Bengals travel to Arlington to face the Dallas Cowboys on “Monday Night Football” in Week 14, but NFL fans will have the opportunity to be transported to Springfield — the fictional setting of the long-running series “The Simpsons” — for the game instead .
ESPN launches its latest alternate broadcast for the Week 14 “MNF” game. “The Simpsons Funday Football” will be a live animated version of the Monday night game. It will show the biggest parts of the game with avatars for players and the participation of notable Simpsons characters.
Homer Simpson will participate in the animation competition as part of the Cowboys. His son Bart Simpson will support and play for the Bengals. Meanwhile, Marge and Lisa Simpson will be on the sidelines interviewing the players while baby Maggie operates the SkyCam.
It’s unclear how many other Simpsons cameos will be part of the broadcast, but voice actors Hank Azaria, Nancy Cartwright, Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner and Yeardley Smith are all confirmed to appear on the show. That will make The Simpsons alternate casting one of the more interesting efforts from the ESPN brain trust, which has already tested a live-action animated game in 2023 using “Toy Story” characters for one of the matches of the NFL in London.
Although entertainment will be the main draw of the “Funday Football” broadcast, ESPN will still have a normal booth consisting of a play-by-play announcer and a few color commentators. Here’s what you need to know about who will be in the booth for the first Simpsons NFL game.
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Who are the announcers for the Simpsons NFL game?
ESPN will employ a three-person booth for the broadcast of “The Simpsons Funday Football.” The crew will be as follows:
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Drew Carter (play-by-play)
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Mina Kimes (game analyst)
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Dan Orlovsky (game analyst)
The trio will host the contest from the ESPN studio in Bristol, Connecticut, so they will not be present for the Cowboys vs. Bengals game. During the broadcast, they will also appear as animated versions of themselves inspired by The Simpsons.
Who is Drew Carter?
Carter is a 27-year-old broadcaster affiliated with ESPN since 2021. According to his ESPN Pressroom pagehe calls “a variety of sports” for the network, “including college football, college basketball, men’s and women’s collegiate lacrosse, softball andand the PLL.”
Carter also became the full-time play-by-play voice for NBC Sports Boston’s coverage of the Boston Celtics beginning with the 2024-25 season. He joined the network as the primary road host for Celtics games during the 2023-24 campaign and was chosen as the successor to Basketball Hall of Famer Mike Gorman.
Who is Mina Kimes?
Kimes serves as a senior writer for the ESPN platforms and is one of the network’s premier on-air NFL talents. She appears regularly on “NFL Live” and has also been a staple on recent seasons of “Around the Horn.”
Kimes served as color analyst for the Los Angeles Rams‘ pre-season matches since 2019 and has extensive experience broadcasting live matches.
Who is Dan Orlovsky?
Orlovsky is a 12-year NFL veteran who transitioned to a media career after retiring in 2017. Orlovsky joined ESPN shortly after resigning and has since become one of the network’s top talents in the NFL .
Orlovsky is part of ESPN NFL’s No. 2 broadcast team, along with Chris Fowler (play-by-play) and Louis Riddick (color commentary). They usually take the call during “Monday Night Football” doubleheaders.
Orlovsky also appears on shows like “NFL Live” and “SportsCenter,” among others.
This article was originally published on USA TODAY: Mina Kimes and Dan Orlovsky among NFL Simpsons game announcers
