When Grodd and his Society first emerge from their ship in the middle of the football field, their standing silhouettes resemble those of the Justice League at the end of the show's opening title sequence.
The exchange between Shade's thug and Flash is a spoof on Lloyd Bentsen's famous cutting remark to Dan Quayle during the 1988 U.S. Vice Presidential debates: "Senator, I served with Jack Kennedy. I knew Jack Kennedy. Jack Kennedy was a friend of mine. Senator, you're no Jack Kennedy." This happened to air for the first time on November 22, 2003, the 40th anniversary of Kennedy's assassination
Superman's flicking Grodd through the goal posts resembles the game "Finger Football", where someone tries to do the same to a paper football, aiming opponent's fingers
One of the football teams is the Gotham Knights, a newer Batman comic series.