This dancing robot that took over Fox Sports was ... a kid's idea?

[@SecretBaseSBN]

Sorry there's no video of Beatus his UFC cousin, we were told we'd likely get in trouble if we showed him. It’s probably for the best we don't promote that robot-turned-ghost though. Thanks for watching, if you like what we're doing it means a lot if you subscribe. We can show our boss how many friends we have and they can get us new friends to make more stuff with. Your call, love you, bye

[@GreenTeaTheTea]

make a video spelling icup i double dog dare you

[@dmhawley13]

Anyone have a link to a beatus clip?

[@FluteWarped]

How about Diabeetus, Beatus's long lost Creepy Uncle

[@theseattle2062]

“In trouble” like they’d make u take it down? That’s not in trouble. In trouble would be prison time

[@kaihaken5200]

You guys forgot to mention that they made cleatus into an action figure and sold him in stores lol

[@lewismilun7556]

They should make a baby robot named fetus.

[@MsKimba18]

Lewis Milun that’s a perfect pun because feet-cleat

[@Jqwerty38]

@@MsKimba18 Yeah I thought feetus was the MLS TV mascot

[@SavageGreywolf]

don't encourage Fox to bring up fetuses

[@jessewheinrichs]

Sponsored by planned parenthood?

[@jpmnky]

Who's the mother?

[@withercrux]

When I was a kid, my dad and I would watch every Chicago Bears game each Sunday. Without fail, every time the football robot came on the TV I would get up and pretend to be it. Nothing's wrong with me that I know of.

[@beenieweenie1986]

I can think of at least one thing. You watch bears games

[@withercrux]

@@beenieweenie1986 I knew that was coming. 😔 You know it's bad when the best QB you've ever rooted for is Jay Cutler.

[@prisonmike2274]

TheZestyCrocodile Don’t be to sad... at least you got to watch Brian Urlacher in his prime. Edit: I must include Devin Hester

[@TheDanrox110]

When I was a kid I used to mimic cleatus watching the giants with my dad, he thought it was hilarious

[@ashypharaoh8407]

Get a hypnotist. They'll find something wrong deep in your unconscious

[@marwill25]

Seth: “...Is Cleatus a Baddie?” Will: “...Cleatus is a Baddie” oh word?

[@SavageGreywolf]

I mean he works for Fox, so...

[@-K_J-]

Sentences that hit different now

[@ThunderWolf535]

Why did you have to remind me of Digger in 2020, SB Nation? Also props on the AAF shirt Kofie

[@lcoryalvarado9]

At least we got the ground cam out of it

[@bentaphid44]

You guys didn't even get in to the the best parts of Cleatus lore: 1) He fought the Terminatior during the Superbowl 2) You can buy physical action figures of Cleatus, in any team color, in both his original and 2.0 design. You can also buy Baseball Cleatus action figures. They also sold a "generic" Cleatus, but he was just the Steelers one with the logos scrubbed off.

[@bonwei]

LOL Kofie's reaction when the name "Digger" was uttered

[@Flamingbro69]

bonwei I’m a NASCAR guy so yeah I know who you’re talking about. Damn Gophers

[@willcarroll9762]

bonwei 5:15 for anyone wanting to see it

[@linguineboy69]

The south gonna say something different

[@lcoryalvarado9]

@@Flamingbro69 Remember when Cleetus was advertising a NASCAR race 😂

[@Flamingbro69]

Lukas Cory Yeah I remember, I watched NASCAR a lot from 2012-2015, I also went to 4 NASCAR races between 2012-2017.

[@brunoleal5440]

Kofie is still repping the AAF, Respect

[@genius179]

Here are some ideas: 1. How Magic Johnson ended on the Lakers through Gail Goodrich basically or on how the Lakers won the title and then drafted Worthy number 1. 2. How Reggie Bush made over 10$ million from the Rams even though he never played for them. 3. When Don Mattingly took his closer by mistake with two mound visits in an inning. 4. How Anthony Carter's crappy agent not sending his contract over to Miami in time in 2003 led to Miami getting Odom, which led to Shaq, and eventually an NBA Championship

[@mmamusic9634]

Donald Chavis good ideas 👌👌👌

[@biglicker4473]

This robot is forever associated with my childhood while watching football

[@podsavetherivalry6566]

💯

[@Eno22921]

Thats bad and you should feel bad

[@49ersdog70]

Now hes in my child hood

[@DavidhenshawSZU]

Absolutely, I wish more sports networks would follow FOX's lead and create child-friendly mascots to promote their brands 💯💯💯

[@UserUser77352]

@@Eno22921 you’re a psychopath

[@jacksonm2073]

Is that an AAF Atlanta Legends shirt? I guess the league lives on

[@jordanw5833]

Jackson Marko I have a Hotshots hoodie, sad that the league folded

[@armadillolover99]

Well even in death, it’s the closest thing to a pro football team that Atlanta has.

[@kvngirvng9475]

@@armadillolover99 Hawks, Falcons

[@PuchuKt]

@@kvngirvng9475 i think thats the joke

[@howardbaxter2514]

It's sad to see what happened to the AAF. They had potential as there was a legit following. Just look at San Antonio and Atlanta.

[@NameIsRey]

Shout out to Samus Aran’s gunship!

[@junkyardjim]

thought that was familiar

[@AlbertQian]

Some other ideas * The evolution of the scoring bubble/tracker * Why FOX changed their MLB opening jingle to the NFL one * The act of going through athletes' old tweets to somehow try and discredit them * Why people boo the NFL/NBA commissioner when they announce draft picks

[@restreven4455]

The third one: everyone goes through that. Don’t know why

[@jdixie2010]

*side note: why did FOX use Round Ball Rock for their CBB coverage

[@maliklyttle]

before i knew calvin johnson i thought this was the megatron my dad was always talking about

[@steinerstine2845]

Yess

[@harrisonlee9585]

Childhood really shielded me from how amazingly corny The NFL on Fox was.

[@DaDualityofMan]

My childhood wouldn't have been the same without it.

[@LonghornsLegend]

@@DaDualityofMan mine either but guaranteed social media would have ruined it

[@restreven4455]

Yeah new football fan. Trying to watch it now and I can’t even

[@andrewstewart1464]

In the vein of Cletus's weird equipment, I also remember him having a collapsible transparent riot shield. I guess it was to invoke an impenetrable defense. He would hunker down and do a mild shield bash with it and stuff.

[@mcj88]

I remember Digger; they had the audacity to give him a whole 5-minute weekly cartoon as part of the pre-race show! Not surprising that he didn't last very long.

[@Clay3613]

He's also in the Alvin and The Chipmunks Sqeakul.

[@TachyonKing]

I’m a British guy who was introduced to the NFL by my American flatmate, I saw Cleatus and commented that was a weird generic robot, then he laid into me about he’s this national institution... America, keep being weird.

[@denistuohy2535]

IDK personally I love Cleatus and all his kookie dance moves I’d love to see him in a suit for the political debates

[@mitchellrussavage6033]

I’m glad Digger for NASCAR does not exist anymore

[@TheAlfrulz]

I used to imagine Cleatus was a continuation of the robots used on the NHL on Fox from '96-'99. There were cgi versions at the beginning of the telecast, and animated cartoonish types after a team scored a goal. I figured they just waited a few years to put a little distance from the failed NHL period.

[@PorkTips]

👆this👆

[@DasNordlicht91]

Fox’s NHL coverage was just weird and video game like, between the robots and laser pucks everywhere.

[@richardtherichard26]

Foxs nhl coverage was the best thing to ever happen in my life. Specifically nhl championship 2000 for the original PlayStation was the best thing that ever happened in my life.

[@thompsonkollie5567]

His prime was 2010 - 2014

[@KidTonyGaming]

Before 2010

[@antonym24]

I associate cleetus and the fox theme song with the 2015 panthers lmfao

[@TheAlfrulz]

I hated the Fox bot! My favorite moment of him was from Super Bowl 42 (2008) where he gets beat up by the terminator as a promo for the new "Sarah Connor Chronicles". Now I find out it was all apart of Fox's plan to hate it. 3:22

[@SixDrums]

“How often do you guys think about Cleatus the robot?” What a question to ask someone

[@TheOddMindofSamBo]

Seth’s “triggered much” face had me dead

[@msolec2000]

Painful as it would be, we need an Untitled episode for Donovan McNabb

[@kirstynloftus826]

mainly Andy Reid. for some reason he just can’t win championships (other than the one he just did). they made the playoffs so many times and just... couldn’t get there. as an eagles fan it still pains me

[@rgndsnali]

Before watching: YEEESSS YES YES! I wondered about this robot so much, like what has he to do with Football?!?!? Why is he there? Was he forgotten by Optimus Prime and then fox enslaved him so he must dance and look cool for their broadcast? After: He is everything I feared him to be.

[@DaDualityofMan]

I remember I as a kid I used to like watching Fox games the most because of the theme, Cleatus and the fact that Fox had this cool video game-like scoreboard.

[@veezythebot6195]

I love when kolfies in a vid

[@KofieWhy]

@@calypso Oh look a fan!

[@Tipzyyy]

kofie is great with jon bois but his comedy doesn’t go well with these guys. his humor is way too dry

[@kgames9403]

Ive always felt there is some connection between Cleatus and Tom from Toonami

[@oranim12]

Oh dude, SAME. They're both robots and they're both from the US. To be honest, I kind of imagine a scene like in Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days...Y'know when Roxas, Axel and Xion talk about their mission together while eating ice cream at the top of the clock tower in Twilight Town? I can definetly imagine that with Cleatus and Tom talking about their respective jobs and personal stories.

[@kaegerator]

Big up Kofie with the Legends shirt!!!

[@alexanderwood7854]

Seth is right can we get some.sports graphics vids

[@bigmacmovies1]

I was always into transformers as a kid and whenever my dad and I would watch football I would beg him to get me a cleatus toy that transformed into a football.

[@jphasson]

I cannot believe you guys didn't bring up Cleatus in the war room for the WWE draft when Smackdown on FOX!

[@zachrywd]

It took me all day to watch this 7 minute video because I had to keep pausing it, looking up whatever was being referenced, and then forget that I was watching this video only to later rediscover the tab was till open in my browser. I'm not sure if I'm more impressed with myself for finishing it, or more impressed with how terrible the format of this video was to not include more visual aids about the discussion.

[@genius179]

This is one of the dumbest yet fascinating things I've seen by you guys. Great job on that and that robot does get annoying but now if he goes away I'd miss him

[@Verlisify]

1:20 Hol up. I saw that

[@jordanleighton6893]

I’m intrigued by this fanfic, sounds wild af.

[@Slappysan]

This video suffers mightily without actual footage.

[@asher2102]

Disagree

[@fake._]

I really wished they made it more into a character like Toonami did

[@saltymel0n537]

Cleatus was probably one of the early things in my life that really made me think that football was cool

[@ziadeissa3_]

Attempt 11: Collapse: Miami Heat Beef History: Dwyane Wade vs Dirk Beef History: Curry vs Beverley Beef History: Dame vs Westbrook!

[@jonphillips9487]

Glory to cleatus the dancing robot of fox sports

[@spencerhiginbotham7538]

Cleatus has another cousin named Fetus. We just don't know him yet because he hasn't been born yet.

[@blobulous3500]

in 2 or 3 years can you make a collapse on the golden state warriors

[@jrm78]

On the topic of earlier football graphics, Fox also innovated the use of the always-there scoreboard with the time, score, and down & distance displayed in the early '90s when they got the broadcast rights. Before that, they would only show the clock, with down & distance coming at the beginning of the play and the score shown coming in and out of commercial breaks. First down lines? Forget about it.

[@jackcunningham1611]

Yo was the music showing cletus as a punk. Was that “some kind of monster” by Metallica. Or just random metal?

[@BillyDrakePianoMan]

SB Nation is teaching me bits of history I didn’t know I needed to know.

[@stereo_future]

All the time. I often wish that I could watch several Cleatuses (Cleati?) play instead of actual football players.

[@nolanhayward3548]

Your next segment should be about how an English referee named Graham Poll in the 2006 World Cup in a game between Australia and Croatia, he showed Croatian defender Josip Šimunić 3 yellow cards. Poll was meant to be the best referee in the world he was initially thought to be the referee for the World Cup final, the greatest honor you can get as a referee, and he just made this huge mistake and ruined his career.

[@TonyArechiga]

I know that robot was made by Blur studios, and they went on to make all sorts of bad ass cinematic cut scenes for video games. They even worked on Avatar! One of their directors went on to direct Deadpool! I wonder if he had any say in Cleatus. haha

[@KofieWhy]

Oh hey that’s me!

[@defrostcs5374]

SB Nation PlZ do a rewinder on the best lacrosse game ever Notre Dame vs. Denver 2015 Semis of the NCAA Tounrey

[@SirMixALotRareMusic]

Talk about the talking Fox Sports baseball "Scooter", it lasted from 2004-2006 and appeared in World Series games. Voiced by Tom Kenny also known as the voice of Spongebob.

[@shaneharrisnj3484]

Oh yeah, the Mayor of Townsville from The Powerpuff Girls!

[@caesar_19]

Mad Respect to Kofie repping the AAF. RIP

[@rohitvarghese723]

I’ve been waiting for this my entire life

[@kylenorthcutt2749]

I have an action figure of him styled up as a Chicago bear robot

[@corbingarber7765]

OK, I HAVE AN IDEA FOR CLEATUS. Here me out: you know how the NFL recently added super advanced football analytics into certain bits, like the probability of a catch and stuff like that (I may be confusing that with the MLB, but Cleatus also does baseball)? HAVE CLEATUS PRESENT THE BITS!! IT MAKES PERFECT SENSE!

[@membersonlydave]

Seth, killer boots man!!

[@SHAd0Eheart]

Watched episode, had thought: What about a weird episode about “bud bowl” commercials? As a child I was as engaged by the game of bud bowl as much, and sometimes more perhaps, as the Super Bowl. More than a decade prior to achieving the drinking age.

[@montana262]

Let me tell you as a NASCAR fan, Digger was awful. It was a cheap and terrible effort at trying to get kids into NASCAR which, spoiler alert, kids don't want that. The only positive thing that came from Digger is the "Digger Cam" that they still use but thankfully don't call it that anymore.

[@tellmewhenitsover]

As a kid the fox sports robot was the coolest part of football, that and the Monday night song

[@mattigus]

Watching early Cleatus spots gives me really strong BonziBuddy vibes. Like the tv screen is my desktop and im trying to read a spreadsheet about football stats and this dumb robot is dancing with a sword in the background.

[@natedogwilder2137]

Cleatus is my favorite Transformer.

[@megaascension2748]

I thought when it started that it was publicity for the movie "Real Steel" because it starting being used around the same time the movie came out, and it looked like Atom. Then it was used the next season, and I didn't understand why.

[@davidsolecki4782]

If Cleatus was both smashed by Iron Man and danced for Peter Griffin, does Family Guy take place in the MCU?

[@GaviLazan]

I was just ranting about Cleatus at the SB party, it seemed most people didn't know he had a name.

[@kaihaken5200]

They sold cleatus action figures in stores... like they colored him different football teams colors and sold him in stores... from college teams to pro!!!!

[@KidTonyGaming]

Didn't Fox have a yellow robot along with Cletus

[@loosecrash]

Whenever Cleatus would pop up my dad used to say, “You need to find an arcade game called ‘Cyberball’, it’s whole teams of Cleatuses playing each other!” Lol.

[@BAYAREA-kd1ig]

That game was badass.

[@ryanstevens199]

I’m pretty sure Cleatus has talked. Or at least laughed.

[@jacowaltz]

Cleatus isn't a baddie, he's a daddy!

[@ttmcl98]

I always thought he was supposed to be megatron aka Calvin Johnson

[@rodrigogabriel7121]

My son is 15 now, when he was young before he understood the game he would always stop playing when the robot came on to imitate him. I didn’t know he had a name. Thanks for memories Cleatus

[@antonym24]

bro ur son is in the comments above i think lmfaooo

[@yeti4269]

The side jokes they come up with during the video kill me every time 😂😂

[@maddmancord]

For sure a first ballot hofer

[@noxebop]

Ah yes, Digger....the NASCAR mascot. Did no one at Fox think of who their audience is?

[@chenzomutumbo9140]

Cletus and beatus had a brother who was abborted.... named Fetus.

[@rogerszmodis]

I would have thought Beetus would be the Nascar mascot.

[@cheezman205]

I don’t even watch football and I know who this is LOL

[@gbeaudette]

Fox also got SpongeBob himself Tom Kenny to voice a talking baseball character that explained how different pitches moved... but then the baseball looked like this snarling edgy 90's 'tude monstrosity that belonged on a No Fear T-shirt and they had to pull it and reanimate the whole thing.

[@TornaitSuperBird]

CLEATUS. he needs a friend for every sport, including baseball and basketball

[@omicMonkey]

I'm just now imagining one for golf & how funny that would be.

[@scubaking1319]

Did you know there are cleatus action figures

[@z3r0nxx]

When you said betus I thought you said fetus

[@MorningDusk7734]

Cleatus would sound like the robot from Toonami

[@dougg2012]

I remember when I was little seeing Cletus for the first time on TV and at first I was really excited but then I hated him because he was just a dancing robot for football 😒

[@audiosurfarchive]

Seth X Will slashfic. _punishment for asking if there's slash of Cletus_

[@vastyandrews2631]

I lovvvve that robot and often think about it lol

[@NascarRacingFan5]

There should be a video solely about Digger. They even went so far that there were little shorts called “Digger And Friends”

[@MayoHosko]

You know Cletus the American Football robot is a thing on the Fox Network because Fox has the biggest ratings with the 18-49 age demographic. I like Cletus on Fox programs outside NFL on Fox more than I like seeing him on NFL on Fox. I’m not even American so I have to watch the ESPN broadcasts of NFL games broadcasted on Fox Network USA

[@CruelSpirit]

When I first saw Cletus as a kid I thought it was a promo for a new video game that was like a cyborg futuristic Madden. I was really disappointed when it didn't turn out to be the case

[@ericsilver9401]

Someone should do "the creation of SB nation deserves a deep rewind"

[@marcusbacco6567]

If he talked he’d be like Tom from Toonami

[@TheHuskyK9]

Gonna need that Cleatus fanart real quick lol

[@carlinjones7507]

I was just thinking about him the other day😂

[@PhantomStella]

Never knew he had a name...I always liked him tho.

[@Earthshaker513]

I freaking love Cleatus.

[@Ghricreen]

I remember fox doing the name contest but I never actually cared to figure out what was picked until I watched this video

[@ianj454]

I remeber robots doing animations during goals in NHL games but it was definitely in the mid 1990's as a kid

[@BlackSabotage100]

Who else played this just to have something on in the background while you do some chores? The content is not interesting.