After eight months of hand wringing about Deflategate, tonight’s game between the New England Patriots and the Pittsburgh Steelers is the official start of the 2015 football season.
Google (GOOGL) is getting in on the action with a new animated gif called “Google Gameday Doodle.” The gif, set against the backdrop of a football stadium with stands and a goalpost, features the Google letters in football helmets running down the field. The lowercase “g” falls and is separated from the pack; it then looks up confusedly as a football lands on its head. Finally, the “g” takes the hint and runs after the ball.
The doodle could be accused of making light of the NFL’s concussion scandals, which recently came to a head when it was revealed that Sony was forced to alter an upcoming film about the doctor who discovered the concussion risk for NFL players, so as to avoid angering the organization.
But there’s no doubt it continues the doodles’ recent topical slant, especially when it comes to sports—a July doodle about the Special Olympics World Summer Games was a big hit for the site.
The NFL season goes into full swing this weekend—13 games are scheduled for Sunday.
