There are certain voices that charm and captivate through the lens of sports. Hearing Mike Breen belt out a “BANG!” after a deep Steph Curry three-point shot or Al Michaels speedily counting down the yardage as someone’s on a breakaway touchdown. Deep in the annals of sports commentary, Cotton McKnight and Pepper Brooks, the fictional commentators from the sports comedy classic Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, stand in a league of their own. Dodgeball was so iconic to the sports world that ESPN annually changes its ESPN2 broadcast to the fictional ESPN8 in honor of the alternative sports that don’t get the love it deserves year round. Here are the events that you won’t want to miss on August 5th. (All times are Eastern)
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ESPN 8 ‘The Ocho’ Returning To ESPN
What to watch during ESPN's 24-hour alternative sport marathon
(Photo Illustration by Budrul Chukrut/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Why ESPN 8?
(Photo by: Paul Drinkwater/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images)
ESPN2 will officially become ESPN8 ‘The Ocho’ for 24 hours on August 5th, starting at midnight. The channel will broadcast alternative sporting events such as dodgeball, cornhole, ax throwing, and a multitude of other competitions.
In the movie Dodgeball, a group of average joes competes in a dodgeball tournament to save their gym. The tournament is broadcasted on ESPN 8 ‘The Ocho’, poking fun at the fact that ESPN keeps expanding its network to cover any and every sport.
The 24-hour ESPN8 bonanza will kick off with the 2022 Corgi Races at Emerald Downs at midnight. The last event scheduled for broadcast will be Death Diving: Austin, a belly flop competition. Here are other notable events that will be broadcasted throughout the day on ESPN 8.
USA Pickleball National Championships: 1:30 A.M.
(Photo by Nils Nilsen/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images)
There have been a number of sports to rise in prominence just in the last few years. Sports like F1 and racing in general have gained popularity all while more people are beginning to turn to golf and tennis for entertainment. However, none of these sports hold a light to pickleball, which is the fastest growing sport in the United States. To catch a rerun of the 2021 Pickleball National Championships make sure to tune into ESPN 8 at 1:30 A.M. If you want to check out the event but aren’t sure how pickleball works, here is how to make sense of the rising sport.
2022 Noblesville Bed Races: 3:00 A.M.
Red Bull Paper Wings: 7:00 A.M.
OmegaBall Invitational: 5:00 P.M.
USA Dodgeball All-Star Showcase: 6:00 P.M.
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