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The Colts' 2026 schedule release video features a *The Simpsons* theme, showcasing humorous scenes with characters like Homer and Bart. This creative approach follows last year's controversial Minecraft-themed video.
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As a football emblazoned with the Colts logo soars across a blue, cloud-filled sky, the unmistakable notes of The Simpsons theme song chime. And just like an episode of the long-running show, viewers get a glimpse of the townâexcept this time itâs Indianapolis, not Springfield.
Homer Simpson carefully tongs a pigskin inside his power plant work station. Bart repeatedly scribbles a rival wide receiverâs name on a chalkboard as punishment. Lisa performs a sax solo down a hallway lined with Peyton Manningâs portrait. And the Coltsâ offensive line has scrunched together on the familyâs orange couch, admiring the yellow TV patriarchâs slimmer physique.
What looks a lot like an NFL crossover episode of The Simpsons, is actually the Coltsâ 2026 schedule release video.
The idea grew out of months of brainstorming, pitching, and planningâand an attempt to learn from previous mistakes.
Last year, the Colts released a Minecraft-themed video (an idea the Chargers also used) but took it down because it exceeded their rights with Microsoft. It also included an insensitive clip involving Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill. (The unsanctioned video has since lived on through other social accounts like a cult film.)
The Colts secured the creators, illustrators, and voice actors of The Simpsons to produce an original animation that included classic clips from the hit showâs 800-plus episodes. Unlike last year, the team got full cooperation from Disney, whose subsidiary ESPN will broadcast its first Super Bowl this season, plus round-the-clock edits from the animation teamâeffectively poking fun at their mea culpa.
âWe could just tell they were so excited to go through and find these historical clips and bring them back to life,â Amber Derrow, the Coltsâ senior director of content strategy and operations, tells Front Office Sports. âThey view it as just as much of a promotional opportunity as we do.â
âNFL schedule release dayâ has morphed into a tentpole event, where every franchise becomes a mini Hollywood studio. What used to be a straightforward graphic and a press release sharing the seasonâs slate of games, times, and locations is now a full-fledged content operation involving (and sometimes outsourcing) video, social, digital, PR, and marketing teams all chasing the same goal: a schedule-release video that cuts through the algorithm, dominates group chats, and racks up tens of millions of views. And every year, the stakes continue to rise, with each team trying to find new, exciting ways to one-up themselves (and their rivals) with these glorified calendars.
The theme of the Colts' 2026 schedule release video is based on *The Simpsons*, featuring iconic characters and scenes.
The Colts' previous schedule release video was taken down due to exceeding rights with Microsoft and including an insensitive clip involving Tyreek Hill.
Main characters featured in the Colts' schedule release video include Homer Simpson, Bart Simpson, and Lisa Simpson.
The Colts learned from their previous schedule release video by avoiding copyright issues and ensuring content sensitivity.
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âYouâve got creators putting their heart and soul into this project that is either going to be loved or ripped to shreds [by the fans],â Derrow says. âItâs only going to get biggerâyou just have to rise to the challenge.â
In 2016, the Seahawks had the novel idea to make the NFLâs schedule release more interestingâand appeal to more than just their diehards. The resulting video, which featured a bowl of cupcake ingredients representing each opponentâs city, was relatively tame compared to the elaborate, recent iterations.
In the years since there have been celebrity cameos (from Allen Iverson to Tim Robinson), man-on-the street productions (most notably on Nashvilleâs Broadway), and homages to pop culture (including Game of Thrones and Good Will Hunting). There are also plenty of Easter eggs for eagle-eyed fans to find: inside jokes, clever geographic references, and recreations of memorable plays.
How much bigger can these videos get? It might be less a matter of scale than continuing to find new audiences and various fan subgroups with more inventive, specific, unlikely ideas. Or maybe stripping things down entirely (like the Colts did in 2019). âThere are definitely ways to get creative and different,â Kline says. âAnd thatâs probably whatâs on the horizon over the next few yearsâjust getting wackier and weirder with it.â
The timeline for building and executing these viral videos typically starts after each teamâs regular season (or playoff run) ends. But suggesting and debating ideas is often a year-round endeavorâwith many teams jotting down thoughts in notes apps and dedicated Slack channels as inspiration arises.
To conceive their Halo-themed video this year, the Chargers social teamâknown for creating detail-oriented videos like 2023âs anime-inspired production and 2024âs The Sims parodyâbrainstormed with about 15 people across departments in January. The team then spent about three weeks using âa formula for what we think constitutes success for these things,â says David Bretto, the teamâs director of video content. Over the last few monthsâand into the weeks leading to releaseâBretto built out the videogame-style graphics while production and social heads Tyler Pino and Megan Julian refined jokes and managed various approvals.
âWeâre trying to stay as nimble as we can, as close to the deadline, so that it feels as fresh and contemporary as it can be,â Pino says. ââHow do we make this punch here? Is this joke falling flat when we watch it as a group?â If no oneâs laughing, maybe thereâs a reason why.â
The Jetsâ schedule video began while the teamâs vice president of content strategy, Dan Szpakowski, was on paternity leave in February. As he scrolled Instagram, Art Craft Blendâs Reels kept invading his algorithm, so much that Szpakowski eventually pitched a joint video with the creator, continuing the teamâs string of popular influencer collaborations. âPart of the reason why we like to go the creator route and the collab approach is weâre trying to reach more than just Jets fans,â Szpakowski says. âThe social world is so much bigger than just Jets fans.â
Though teams learn their opponents by January, the NFL usually doesnât give teams access to the official schedule until a dayâor lessâbefore it drops. Then comes a mad scramble to stitch pre-made video assets together into the correct order. âItâs a marathon up until thenâand the last day is like a sprint,â says Kevin Kline, Commanders senior director of content strategy, who spent Thursday fine tuning their video, which depicts Jacory âBill the Science Guyâ Croskey-Merritt performing science experiments in a school gym.
On occasions, teams can take playful jabs at opponents, making fun of a recent scandal or game result, though some teams like the Commanders have strict guidelines against it. âOur golden rule is we never want to create bulletin board material for the other team,â Kline says.
And the league doesnât babysit teams on what they are or arenât allowed to include in their promos.
âThis is the day when teams are licensed to poke fun at each other. The [Mike Vrabel] story has become such a public matter that teams can take the shot. You may get a call from the Patriots. But the league is not going to get involved,â one source recently told FOS.
Ultimately, each team has different metrics to hit and production budgets to measure success, but the overall goal (and the stress) remains the same: trust the creative processâand then hope it connects with the fan base. âItâs really a gut thing,â Julien says. âYou genuinely donât know until you put it out into the universe.â
Much like the NFL Draft, the schedule release is more than just a one-night party. Despite all the energy and effort put into making these videos, social teams have to put just as much steam into the rollout, making sure to engage with fan reactions and video ranking articles, agree to interviews with media outlets, and sometimes offer behind-the-scenes explainers and bonus material over the weekend.
âThe day after is honestly a whirlwind,â says Jason Lavine, the Chargersâ senior vice president of brand creative and content.
Last year, he notes, the Chargers hosted a Reddit AMA to explain everything that went into their Minecraft video. This weekend, the Seahawks have close to 100 different schedule-related media assets to deliver between their social platforms, website, and mobile app. And the Jets crafted different vertical and horizontal versions of their video to match the specs and audiences of their various social channels.
Itâs a far cry from 2016, when Pardon The Interruptionâs co-hosts (and the larger sports blogosphere) thought the Seahawksâ cupcake video was a blatant insult to their opponents. Ten years later, the productions have gotten so elaborate and inventive, most fans donât even think about them as information delivery devices, let alone serious, organizational philosophies. After all, teams still post a graphic, too.
âI donât think we sat there and said, âHey, weâre revolutionizing the industry.â We were just trying something different,â Kenton Olson, Seattleâs VP of digital and emerging media, tells FOS.
The post NFL Rivalries Are Made on the Fieldâand Mocked in Schedule Release Videos appeared first on Front Office Sports.