 In the opening sequence, Mr. Burns appears to be Ebenezer Scrooge with Smithers as Jacob Marley from "A Christmas Carol".The statue of Mr. Burns outside his new basketball arena is based on the Nike, Inc. "Jumpman" logo featuring Michael Jordan.Just before Burns is thrown out of the Billionaires' retreat, he asks Mark Cuban if he can let him "off the hook, for old times' sake" and Cuban refuses, referring to the scene in the 1972 film "The Godfather" in which Salvatore Tessio is led away to be executed after being revealed as a traitor.