Bart Star

[2] Written by Donick Cary and directed by Dominic Polcino, the episode guest starred Joe Namath, Roy Firestone, and Mike Judge.

Homer initially acts tough towards his son, but when he is reminded of how his father Abe was hard on him as a child, he decides to be nicer to Bart.

The episode was written by Donick Cary, who was inspired by his experience in high school with a football coach who had a son on the team.

[3] Similarly, show runner Mike Scully had been on a soccer team whose coach would give his son special treatment.

[4] George Meyer obtained inspiration for a scene where Rainier Wolfcastle taunts the children from an experience he had with Arnold Schwarzenegger.

"[7] Scully added in a separate July 1997 interview with the Orlando Sentinel that there was no rivalry between the two shows, stating "we're friends with a lot of people over there.

[7] Marv Albert was originally going to play Firestone's part as a sports radio host, but was dropped following sexual assault charges against him made around when the episode was in pre-production.

Warren Martyn and Adrian Wood, the authors of the book I Can't Believe It's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide, called the episode "fun" and said "Homer is just too stupid for words, but that's excusable because we finally see Ned Flanders lose it, big time!

"[1] In 2011, Keith Plocek of LA Weekly's Squid Ink blog named the scene in which Homer tries to purchase beer that has candy floating in it at the Kwik-E-Mart as the fourth best food moment on the show.