If you’ve been online at all during the past 48 hours, you’ve heard about ESPN’s Toy Story broadcast. Here’s how Disney (ESPN’s parent company) described the AI-generated animation:
This Sunday at 9:30 a.m. ET, fans can immerse themselves in a fully-animated offering on Disney+, ESPN+, and on mobile with the NFL+ app when the Atlanta Falcons and the Jacksonville Jaguars game at London’s Wembley Stadium is recreated live in Andy’s room, one of the film’s iconic settings. This special presentation marks the latest in ESPN’s innovation strategy, providing alternate telecasts in key events.
As when the league has partnered with Nickelodeon in the past, there’s a kid announcer, in this case Pepper Persley, along with a couple of NFL announcers, this time Booger McFarland and Drew Carter.
It feels really wholesome and cute, until you realize you’ve got an adult announcer on board who is possibly unsure what subjects are a little risquè around the kids. In this case, it’s ESPN’s Booger McFarland, who definitely brought up ayahuasca on a children’s broadcast.
“I wonder if Aaron Rodgers is seeing these UFOs, wouldn’t be the first time,” Carter remarked, as cartoon flying saucers swooped around the screen.
“He’s still on the ayahuasca,” McFarland replied.
So for all the parents out there who are suddenly explaining to their five-year olds what an ayahuasca retreat is, you can blame it on Boog.
Completely unrelated, I found this on Boog’s Wiki page: “He is also second cousin to Christophe Desrosiers, the descendent of the inventor of the bidet.”
The more you know.
