Say what you will about Nickelodeon’s first-ever golf broadcast, it certainly won’t be boring.
On Tuesday, the children’s broadcast network released the lineup for the first-ever “Slime Cup,” and the names attached to the tournament represent a wide swath of celebrities from inside the golf world and well beyond. Justin Thomas, Lexi Thompson, Jon Rahm and Collin Morikawa will be among the golf superstars involved, heading up each of four “teams” that will compete in the interactive, augmented-reality broadcast. Among the other celebrity competitors: Terry Crews, Saquon Barkley, Justin Herbert and WWE competitor Nikki Bella.
How Nickelodeon’s ‘Slime Cup’ aims to drive a younger audience to golf
At Riviera in February, Nickelodeon first began filming pros for their contributions to the child-facing broadcast, which is meant to serve as an introduction for the game of golf to younger audiences. In latching onto Thomas, Thompson, Rahm and Morikawa, Nickelodeon producers are hoping to build interest in golf’s bright young generation of star players.
To make that introduction, the network is utilizing an … unconventional broadcast format. The broadcast will be heavily altered by augmented reality technology, bringing the golf course “to life” with graphics and callouts to other Nickelodeon programming.
Things aren’t much more conventional in the competition. According to a release distributed by Nickelodeon, four teams will compete on a “‘Nick-ified’ golf course” to reach an even crazier final round at the Rose Bowl stadium in Pasadena, Calif.
“With one-of-a-kind tee boxes, far-out fairways and greens, physical challenges, and lots of slime, the special will culminate with ‘The Unfairway’,” Nickelodeon said. “The final hole where players battle it out to win the ultimate Nickelodeon Slime Cup, a Nick orange blazer and the epic honor of getting slimed.”
The broadcast format, which is the first of its kind in pro golf, has been used to surprising success in other professional sports leagues. In the NFL, Nickelodeon’s coverage of the last two Wild Card playoff games has driven massive viewership and an uptick in interest among younger audiences. Other leagues, including the NBA, have moved quickly to develop similar concepts to varying successes.
In an effort to tap into the same vein, Nickelodeon is inviting much of the same hybrid sports/entertainment broadcast crew that led its initial NFL coverage. Noah Eagle (who does work with CBS Sports, the Tennis Channel and the LA Clippers) will once again handle play-by-play duties alongside Nick stars Gabrielle Nevaeh Green and Young Dylan. Jerry Trainor and Hunter March — both from Nickelodeon — will provide on-course coverage. The broadcast is being stewarded by Bryan Zuriff and Excel Sports (lead producers of The Match).
According to the release, the Slime Cup will premiere on Nickelodeon on Saturday, June 25 at 8 p.m. ET.