ESPN8: The Ocho is back
ESPN8: The Ocho returns this week with four days of gloriously strange competitions—from slippery stair races to underwater chess. What started as a Dodgeball movie joke is now serious fun.
In a move that would make Patches O'Houlihan proud, ESPN networks are once-again transforming into ESPN8: The Ocho, a group of channels that broadcast competitive activities that are almost sports.
What began in 2017 as ten hours of fun games on TV to fill time—inspired by a gag in the 2004 film Dodgeball—is now a four-day event that kicks off today and runs through Sunday. And probably in large part thanks to Obscure Sports Quarterly, it’s turned into one of the major sporting draws of the year, with nearly a dozen competitions held at ESPN’s Wide World of Sports Complex in Florida in front of real, live fans.
Just how obscure are the games?
- In Slippery Stairs, competitors race to the top of a set of lubricated steps.
- The Bubble Gum Blowing Championships pits contestants against each other to see who can blow the biggest bubble.
- It’s not so simple to move your knight to E5 in Diving Chess, which matches wits and lung capacity against the clock to crown an aquatic Chess Master.
- More of a cubicle guy? The Microsoft Excel World Championship may be your speed.
A bold strategy, Cotton
As ESPN8: The Ocho kicks off, its parent network is in the midst of a broader programming shuffle. After recently letting the MLB walk and its F1 rights drive away, ESPN is nearing a deal to sell 10% of its company to the NFL, potentially tying together two powerhouse brands in sports.
