Once a year, on a Sunday in winter, millions tune in to watch two teams roam the field as they bark, tumble and pant. At any moment, a new scent could tempt a player away from the end zone. We're talking about the Puppy Bowl, of course.
For two decades, the popular alternative to the NFL's Super Bowl has spread awareness of the millions of pets in the U.S. that need adoption.
Last year, over 12 million viewers tuned in to the Puppy Bowl — double the audience of the inaugural telecast. To compare, the recent Grammy Awards cast drew about 15 million viewers.
To the untrained human, the Puppy Bowl may look like aimless cuteness. But there are ground rules that govern the annual event. Here's what to know as Team Ruff and Team Fluff face off on Sunday ahead of the human Super Bowl.
How to watch
The Puppy Bowl will air on Sunday, starting at 2 p.m. ET, on Animal Planet.
Rules govern the ruff-and-tumble
Not just any pup gets drafted to the big game. The canine roster must pass a combine and skills test before they hit the gridiron.
The Puppy Bowl loosely follows the basic gameplay of human football. Points, penalties and even overtime, if necessary, are all part of the rulebook. Pun-heavy calls include "unnecessary ruffness" and "pass inter-fur-ence."
Touchdowns are scored when dogs drag a chew toy into either end zone.
Dan Schachner, who's held the post of Puppy Bowl referee since 2012, enforces the rules.
Team Ruff is looking to once again fetch the "Lombarky" Trophy — often an oversized plush toy — after its 72-69 win last year. The MVP — "most valuable pup" — is also crowned.
Schachner wasn't available to talk about this year's game when NPR reached out. But he told NPR last year: "We reward everything," good dog or bad.
The Underdog Award goes to the worst-performing dog of the game — "perhaps a dog that sat on the sidelines and slept the entire game but is still adorable," the ref said.
Pre-taped for pee breaks
The Puppy Bowl broadcast isn't live. This year's program was shot a few months ago over the course of five days.
Pre-recording and editing the event allows for a cleaner game, without all the disruptive bathroom breaks.
When the dogs need to do their business, Schachner told People in a recent interview, the cameras stop rolling and, much like a "NASCAR pit crew," puppy handlers come in to clean up the mess.
Can you bet on the Puppy Bowl?
State regulations typically prohibit betting on events that have already occurred.
"I've never seen betting on the Puppy Bowl in any legal market," Doug Greenberg, who writes about sports betting for ESPN, told USA Today. "This is a pre-taped TV program. It's a known result. That's never allowed in sports betting."
Still, Schachner says bettors will flood his direct messages looking for insight into a game that is neither live nor involves any apparent strategy.
"It's funny that people ask straight up, 'Who looks good for MVP? Does Smoosh have a shot? Does Team Fluff have a chance of winning?'" the referee told the outlet. "I have to delete every one of them. Because people are somewhere making prop bets on the Puppy Bowl."
A televised adoption service
The event is meant to encourage people to adopt rescue animals in need of a forever home. This year's broadcast will star a record 142 rescue puppies from dozens of shelters across the U.S., according to Warner Bros. Discovery.
Smaller breeds take the field in the first quarter, and the lineup shuffles to play the larger breeds in the fourth quarter.
Because the event is pre-recorded, many of the dogs you'll see on the field have already been adopted. By the end of the three-hour telecast, it's likely that all of the competitors will have made it out of their shelters.
"I love the end of Puppy Bowl, because it means that all the dogs have been adopted, and that's the real truth," Schachner told People. "We have a 100% adoption rate each and every year."
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