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NBC Sports Boston, Strat-O-Matic Team Up For ‘What-If Wednesdays’ Simulated Content

Greater Boston has been the home of championships in each of the major sports in recent years, and nowhere are the fans of their local teams more fervent. Whether it’s the Red Sox, Patriots, Celtics or Bruins, “what if” scenarios—like, imagining if Tom Brady had remained as New England’s quarterback in 2020—have long been the subject of sports debates.

NBC Sports Boston, through a partnership with Strat-O-Matic, the market leader in sports simulation, will try to answer some of those questions by recreating and simulating great moments, games and seasons with a twist, during its “What If Wednesdays” program. The program will air every Wednesday as part of the NBC Sports Boston’s primetime lineup, Early Edition and Boston Sports Tonight. The content will also be available on www.NBCSportsBoston.com and on social platforms @NBCSBoston.

Today, audiences can watch a scenario in which Brady remained as quarterback as the 2020 Patriots played out their schedule. Was the record better? Did they make the playoffs with the all-time great at the helm at age 43? Using data and research provided by Strat-O-Matic, NBC Sports Boston will create content that answers interesting “What If” questions like this one on the past, present and future in Boston sports.

“The possibilities are endless with what we can simulate working with NBC Sports Boston,” said Adam Richman, Strat-O-Matic President. “The city’s rich tradition of sports and lively banter discussing their favorite teams and the wide breadth of coverage on the network makes it an ideal partnership.”

“We’re pleased to work with Strat-O-Matic to simulate many of the questions that local sports fans have had about our sports leagues and key players,” said Kevin Miller, VP of Content Creation and Strategy, NBC Sports Boston. “We are excited for our audiences to check out our new content where we’ll discuss how different results, trades and game results could’ve changed sports history as we know it.”

While MLB paused at the beginning of the 2020 season because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Strat-O-Matic simulated the season as it would have been played, with results published daily by dozens of media outlets. Strat-O-Matic also posted results of the shortened 60-game schedule and playoff seasons.