Inspired by the popularity of Animal Planet’s “Puppy Bowl,” Hallmark Channel created the Kitten Bowl franchise, which will broadcast its fourth edition on Super Bowl Sunday, February 5th. Kitten Bowl IV premieres at noon EST. The game will once again be called by New York Yankees radio broadcaster John Sterling, and hosted by Beth Stern, model and wife of Howard Stern.
NBC Sports’ Mary Carillo will add color commentary. Dozens of adoptable kittens from North Shore Animal League America will take the field and paw at the pigskin.
Kitten Bowl IV Host Beth Stern revealed that her Husband Howard names their rescue kitties on the Friday February 3rd episode of NBC’s Harry. Here’s a partial transcript:
Harry: These are all rescued?
Beth: All of the cats performing on the Kitten Bowl on Super Bowl Sunday are up for adoption and really that’s what this is all about.
Harry: Sure. Absolutely. How do u come up with names for all of these?
Beth: That’s my husband’s job.
Harry: I can’t imagine what he comes up with.
Beth: It’s funny the last litter I had he came home from work and he always walks into the foster room and that’s his job to name the kittens and he goes you’re poundcake, you’re spaghetti, you’re ravioli, you’re cupcake I realized he hadn’t eaten all day….but then yesterday he goes, ‘Aww that kitten’s so cute we have to name her tuckus,’ and that’s bum in yiddish. I said no we can’t. She became Candy instead.
The Kitten Bowl consists of basic obstacle courses that include hurdles, tunnels, hoops, jumps, weave poles, lasers, lures and toys on strings. Kitten Bowl also features clever locker room strategies, player profiles and “interviews,” with camera work and audio recordings from the athletes as they play the game!
All of the kittens participating in the competition are guaranteed forever homes through Hallmark Channel’s partnership with North Shore Animal League America whose innovations in animal welfare have saved more than 1,000,000 pets – and counting!
Kitten Bowl guarantees the 60-70 kitten participants will join the list of pets adopted into loving homes and will significantly raise the awareness of the plight of shelter animals across the country.
The Sports Bank has done its part too, adopting Weston here from the Chicago Anti-Cruelty Society this past May
Now known as Otis, he’s found his forever home as The Sports Bank’s official mascot.
For more about Kitten Bowl, and to learn about adoption opportunities go to this link.
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Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, partnered with FOX Sports Engage Network. and News Now. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times and Bold, contributes regularly to the Chicago Tribune’s RedEye publication, CGTN America, WGN CLTV News and KOZN.
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