The Denver Broncos have placed characters from South Park into their virtual crowd at the Empower Field at Mile High in Denver, Colorado. The show’s creators, Matt Parker and Trey Stone, are huge fans of the NFL team since they grew up in Colorado, which is also where they met and created the long-running animated comedy. The character cutouts were added to the stadium, along with a backdrop of the animated town. Additionally, all of the characters are wearing masks.
Goin’ down to Denver gonna have myself a time. pic.twitter.com/FpR5ZBXwAT
— South Park (@SouthPark) September 27, 2020
The Denver Broncos didn’t just add main characters like Stan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, Eric Cartman, and Kenny McCormick, they added just about everybody from South Park to their empty seats. The cutouts are part of the team’s effort to raise money for Denver Broncos charities and the other cutouts featured actual in the stands are from actual fans who have paid to have their cutout placed in the stadium. The team has raised $130,000 for the charities thus far, with more money on the horizon.
Gang’s all here. 😅@SouthPark | @ComedyCentralpic.twitter.com/3OLVXQSK12
— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) September 27, 2020
Real-life crowds have not been able to watch NFL games since the 2020-2021 season started, due to the public health crisis. Teams were allowed to make their own decisions through their local governments, with most teams deciding to go without fans for the first two weeks and then open to small attendance levels on the following week. Empower Field at Mile High can hold up to 76,125 fans during normal times, but are allowing nearly 6,000 fans in this weekend. Like movie productions, professional football players have been in their own bubbles to prevent breakouts, which has been working so far. The Broncos had this to say about their approach to allowing fans back into the stadium.
“Our organization remains hopeful that we can host a limited number of fans on a gradually increasing basis beginning early this season. Taking a careful, measured approach with attendance will allow us to evaluate and adjust all COVID-19 safety enhancements before moving forward.”
South Park is preparing The Pandemic Special, a one-hour long episode, which airs on September 30th. It is the first one-hour and the first special episode in the show’s history. The Pandemic Special has been stated to be a stand-alone special event, and is not considered to be the premiere of the 24th season, which has yet to be announced. The public health crisis has not been easy for the town of South Park, which will play out in front of viewers starting Wednesday.
With South Park partnering up with the NFL, it’s time to see if other sitcoms will follow suit. The Simpsons can’t get into the game since they live in the mysterious, fictional town of Springfield. It might be time for It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia character cutouts to show up at the next Eagles game. You can check out what Empower Field at Mile High looks like today above, thanks to the official South Park Twitter account.
