As a result, everyone else bets all their money on the team, and they threaten Jimbo if the Cows lose. Impressed by a play from Stan, who is the quarterback and star of the team, Jimbo and Ned go to a bookmaker, where Jimbo bets $500 on the Cows. At football practice for the school's team, the South Park Cows, Stan's Uncle Jimbo and his friend Ned show up and ask Coach Chef whether the boys can beat the betting spread of 70 points for the Cows' game against the Middle Park Cowboys. Stan believes Sparky to be the toughest dog in South Park but, when Sparky suddenly jumps on top of another male dog and begins humping him energetically, Cartman declares that Sparky is homosexual. Stan's new dog Sparky follows the boys to the bus stop one morning. 2.1 Conception and objections raised before airing.It was nominated for both an Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program and a GLAAD Award for Outstanding Individual Episode, and was the episode submitted when South Park won a CableACE Award for Outstanding Animated Series. Creators Stone and Parker considered it their favorite episode of the first season, noting that it helped elevate the credibility and relevance of South Park during its early days. The episode received generally positive reviews for its portrayal of homosexuality. The episode marked the first appearance of Big Gay Al. George Clooney made a guest appearance as Sparky, a small role with no dialog except for dog barks. The network initially objected to offensive remarks made by sports commentators in the episode, but the comments were kept in at the insistence of Parker and Stone. "Big Gay Al's Big Gay Boat Ride" addressed open homosexuality in a way that was uncommon for television at the time, which created some anxiety among Comedy Central executives. Stan comes to understand homosexuality and tries to make everyone in South Park accept it. Under peer pressure, Stan tries to make him more masculine, and as a result, Sparky runs away and ends up at Big Gay Al's Big Gay Animal Sanctuary. In this episode, Stan's dog, Sparky, is revealed to be gay after humping a rival male dog.
The episode was written by series co-founders Trey Parker and Matt Stone, and directed by Parker. It originally aired on Septemon Comedy Central in the United States. " Big Gay Al's Big Gay Boat Ride" is the fourth episode of the first season of the American animated television series South Park. 4th episode of the first season of South Park " Big Gay Al's Big Gay Boat Ride"