ESPN8 The Ocho, explained: How to watch the entire schedule of weird sports, from dodgeball to marble runs | Sporting News (2024)

ESPN is bringing back "The Ocho"on Sunday to satisfy for live sports.

It’s a bold strategy, Cotton.

With the ongoing spread of coronavirus in the United States, it should pay off for the sports fans stuck at home.From the Johnsonville Cornhole Championships to Moxie Games 3, fans can watch some of the more obscure sports for 24 hoursfor the fourth edition of ESPN8.

MORE:Here are ESPN's best '30 for 30' documentaries for your next binge-watch

What is ESPN 8 The Ocho?

ESPN's "The Ocho"is a reference to the 2004 sports comedy “Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story.” ESPN started the tradition in 2017, airing the first 24-hour marathonon Aug. 8,to highlight some of the more obscure sports in the United States and across the world. An America’s Dodgeball Continental Cup matchup between the United States and Canada will be televised at 6:30 p.m. ET.

ESPN The Ocho schedule 2020

ESPN's "The Ocho" lineup starts at midnight on Sunday, March 22 and runs for 24 hours. ESPN8 is not an actual channel; the network re-brands ESPN2as "The Ocho" during the marathon. You can find the channel where ESPN2 normally airs through your cable provider.

Here's the entire schedule:

Time (ET)Program
MidnightJohnsonville ACL Cornhole Championships: 2020 Kickoff Battle
2 a.m.World Axe Throwing League: 2019 World Championship
4 a.m.U.S. Open Ultimate Championships
6 a.m.2019 Spikeball College Championship
7 a.m.2019 Las Vegas Highland Games
7:30 a.m.Putt Putt Championships
8 a.m.2019 IDEAL Electricians National Championship
9 a.m.E:60 as part of 'The Ocho'
9:30 a.m.51st National Stone Skipping Competition
10:30 a.m.2007 World Sport Stacking Championships
11:30 a.m.2019 World Sign Spinning Championship
12 p.m.2006 Krystal World Hamburger Eating Championship
1 p.m.2006 Johnsonville Brat Eating World Championship
2 p.m.European TramDriver Championship
3 p.m.2019 Stupid Robot Fighting League
3:30 p.m.46th Annual Cherry Pit Spitting Championship
4 p.m.Professional Arm Wrestling Championships
4:30 p.m.2019 Golden Tee World Championship
5 p.m.2018 Classic Tetris World Championship
5:30 p.m.E:60 on ESPN8 Presented by Liberty Mutual
6:30 p.m.America’s Dodgeball Continental Cup: USA vs. Canada
7:30 p.m.2019 Jelle’s Marble Runs
8 p.m.Slippery Stairs: College Tour
8:30 p.m.2019 Death Diving World Championship
9:30 p.m.Dodge Juggle 3
10:30 p.m.Moxie Games 3

Johnsonville ACL Cornhole 2020 Kickoff Battle

It’s a replay of the tournament in February that had more than $67,000 in prize money.You’ll want to catch the men’s singles battle between Ryan Windsor and Jamie Graham.

World Axe Throwing League: 2019 World Championship

Travel out to Tuscon to watch more than 100 participants throw axes. For what it's worth, the WATL logo gives the other major sports leagues a run for its money.

U.S. Open Ultimate Championships

Ultimate frisbee is a competitive sport, and you can watch different divisions compete for championships in Blaine, Minn. This is the triple-crown event you've never watched.

2019 Spikeball College Championship

Relive the national championships and the club rivalry between Georgia and Texas A&M. Cal Poly-Slo also is a major player in this sport. Who needs the second round of the NCAA tournament?

2019 Las Vegas Highland Games

The casinos in Las Vegas are shut down, but you can relive this festival which features a decathlon with Scottish games. There are various stone and hammer throws, but you have to follow the rules.

Putt Putt Championships

The Professional Putters Association championships are not until September, but viewers can watch players attack the classic greens here. 2019 national champion Sid Davis is at the top of his game.

2019 IDEAL Electricians National Championship

Pros can win $60,000, and apprentices can win $40,000. It's where "Electricians become legends." Qualifying events for the 2020 championships have been suspended until April 13.

E:60 as part of 'The Ocho'

The ESPN documentary series profiles stories from obscure sports across the globe.

51st National Stone Skipping Competition

Mackinac Island in Michigan is home to this event, and this is a chance to watch Guinness World record holder Kurt Steiner in action. He's the man who once got a stone to skip 88 times across the water.

2007 World Sport Stacking Championships

This looks like one of those viral competitions, but it's all about technique when stacking cups. It only takes one mistake to lose a heated duel.

2019 World Sign Spinning Championship

Fremont Street in Las Vegas is home to this competition, and the first round is intense. You have 30 seconds to show the judges just how much "spin game" you have. Watch Hall of Famer Matt Dolan go to work in the 2019 championships.

2006 Krystal World Hamburger Eating Championship

This is one of the legendary battles in hamburger-eating history. It's whenTakeru "Tsunami" Kobayashi beat Joey Chestnut by eating 97 hamburgers. Chestnut would re-set the record with 103 the following season, but nobody will forget thisInternational Federation of CompetitiveEating(IFOCE) in Chattanooga, Tenn.

2006 Johnsonville Brat Eating World Championship

This is another classic duel between Kobayashi and Chestnut for an event that took place in Sheboygan, Wisc. Kobayashi and Chestnut combined for eat 103 brats in this battle. Tune in to see who wins.

European TramDriver Championship

This year's championships have been postponed until May, but it's a chance for viewers to see which European country has the best Tram drivers. A total of 21 countries competed in last year's championships in Brussels.

2019 Stupid Robot Fighting League

SFFL competitions run hot in the "Rectagon," and this sport, which was created in New Zealand, allows viewers to watch two "stupid robots" duke it out. There are different height and weight classes, but you might find the rules about taunting a little unusual.

46th Annual Cherry Pit Spitting Championship

Michigan is one of the nation's leading producers of cherries, and this summer competition in Eau Claire, Mich., is a unique (gross?) way to celebrate that reputation. Watch Kevin "Boomerang" Bartz, a 53-year-old legend in the sport, take down last year's championship.

Professional Arm Wrestling Championships

You're going to watch "Over the Top" at some point over the next three weeks, but there is no substitute for the real thing. The World Armwrestling League, based in Chicago, has increased in popularity. Would you want to go against any of these competitors?

2019 Golden Tee World Championship

The bar-room game has evolved into a three-day championship in Las Vegaswith more than $135,000 in prizes. We also enjoy listening to Adam Kramer for analysis.

2018 Classic Tetris World Championship

The Nintendo game has been competitive since the legendaryThor Aackerlund won the first championship in 1990. The Portland, Ore., event typically draws more than 6,000 competitors. Just don't get that music stuck in your head.

E:60 on ESPN8 Presented by Liberty Mutual

The ESPN documentary series profiles stories from obscure sports across the globe.

America's Dodgeball Continental Cup: USA vs. Canada

There is the "Miracle on Ice," then there is that miraculous comeback that the United States pulled off in the Continental Cup in 2019. Watch the Americans rally from a 12-2 deficit in this memorable matchup.

2019 Jelle's Marble Runs

Marble runs have taken off on Twitter this week, and here you can see the entire competition. The game, invented byJelle Bakker in the Wervershoof, Netherlands, can be seen in its entirety here.

no sports. we betting on marbles now 🤣 pic.twitter.com/ZQ9dpMGhb5

— Jay🐾 (@NoGueyJay) March 15, 2020

Slippery Stairs: College Tour

It's a pretty simple concept. Contestants try to climb up stairs covered in slippery substances. It gives college student a chance to test their broadcasting chops, too.

2019 Death Diving World Championship

Watch contestants dive from a 10-meter platform in classic and freestyle competitions in Norway. You can relive Miriam Hamberg's unforgettable performance here.

Dodge Juggle 3

It's a cross between juggling and dodgeball. There are different formats to this game, and all of them are hilarious.

Moxie Games 3

Close the day with the Moxie Games, which also includes dodge juggle and other odd competitions. The three-day event in Las Vegas runs in December.

ESPN8 The Ocho, explained: How to watch the entire schedule of weird sports, from dodgeball to marble runs | Sporting News (2024)

FAQs

Is ESPN8: The Ocho a real thing? ›

ESPN8 The Ocho is an annual special program block showcasing seldom-seen obscure sports that airs on the networks of ESPN Inc.

How to watch ESPN8: The Ocho? ›

Unlocked Channel: ESPN8: The Ocho - Watch Free on ABC.com.

What are the ridiculous sports on ESPN? ›

Eight weirdest The Ocho sports explained
  • Mullet championships. Perhaps the strangest "sport" broadcasted on The Ocho -- no easy feat given the competition -- are the mullet championships. ...
  • Teqball. ...
  • Onewheel. ...
  • Excel world championship. ...
  • Slippery stairs. ...
  • Omegaball. ...
  • Chase tag. ...
  • Steinholding.
Aug 3, 2023

How long is ESPN The Ocho? ›

ESPN's annual broadcast of seldom-seen sports returns for its eighth year, and for the first time ever, it will expand to four days. Coverage will include 54 hours of unique, obscure sports, including more than 21 hours of live content. When are the events?

What movie had ESPN8: The Ocho? ›

On opening night of The Ocho, following the wildly entertaining baseball-adjacent game of Banana Ball, the 2004 film, Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, featuring Vince Vaughn, Christine Taylor and Ben Stiller, which inspired the creation of ESPN8: The Ocho, will air on ESPN2 (9-11 p.m. ET).

Where is The Ocho filmed? ›

ESPN8: The Ocho returns to Rock Hill for the third straight year with a full day of unique sports events aired live on ESPN2 from Manchester Meadows and the Rock Hill Sports & Event Center.

Where is ESPN 8? ›

ESPN8: The Ocho presented by Sonic returns to Rock Hill for the third consecutive year, featuring a full day of unique sports events, a release from sports cable network said. The competition comes next month to the Manchester Meadow and the Rock Hill Sports & Event Center.

What channel is the ocho on DirecTV? ›

ESPN8: The Ocho's extensive coverage will be available on ESPN, ESPN2, and ESPN's social and digital channels. Select sports will also be broadcast in Spanish on ESPN Deportes. Don't miss out on the action and excitement of this extraordinary event!

Who has ESPN fired? ›

ESPN has fired “Sunday NFL Countdown” host Samantha Ponder and analyst Robert Griffin III, sources briefed on the moves told The Athletic on Thursday. The decisions were made for financial reasons as ESPN nears the conclusion of its fiscal year at the end of September, per a source briefed on the matter.

What is the hardest sport according to ESPN? ›

The average score for boxing was 72.375 compared to 71.750, 68.375, 67.875 and 63.500 respectively for Ice Hockey, American Football, Basketball and Wrestling. And professional boxer David Rajuili was unsurprised that boxing was voted the toughest sport. “I would say it's the toughest sport, I'm a boxer obviously.

What is the slippery stairs competition? ›

Participants, often athletes or individuals looking for a physical challenge, compete by trying to ascend the slippery stairs as quickly as possible.

Where is the Slippery Stairs event in 2024? ›

The slippery stairs competition returns to Rock Hill on Aug. 2, 2024, as part of ESPN8: The Ocho, a series of niche sports events held annually. The Pillow Fight Championship took center stage in Rock Hill during ESPN's the Ocho event on Aug. 4, 2023.

When did ESPN go 24 hours? ›

Rasmussen changed not only sports broad- casting but also how the world watches television when he founded ESPN, which became the world's first network to broadcast around the clock when it went live on September 7, 1979.

Where did ESPN8: The Ocho come from? ›

"DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story," starring Ben Stiller and Vince Vaughn, introduced us to "The Ocho," to the iconic broadcast team of Cotton McKnight and Pepper Brooks, and to the immortal line, "If you can dodge a wrench, you can dodge a ball."

What day does ESPN do The Ocho? ›

ESPN8: The Ocho will return to ESPN2 Thursday through Saturday for 43 hours of unique sports programming. Savannah Bananas vs. The Party Animals: 7 p.m. 2023 ACL Pro Shootout Championship: 9 p.m.

Who played dodgeball with heads? ›

Uber Film Narrator : You're in a Chinese Opium Den, Timmy. This is where the sport of Dodgeball was invented in the 15th Century... by Opium-addictive Chinamen. But back then, the Chinamen threw severed heads at each other, instead of the A.D.A.A. -approved balls we use today.

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Recommended Articles
Article information

Author: Edmund Hettinger DC

Last Updated:

Views: 5785

Rating: 4.8 / 5 (78 voted)

Reviews: 85% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Edmund Hettinger DC

Birthday: 1994-08-17

Address: 2033 Gerhold Pine, Port Jocelyn, VA 12101-5654

Phone: +8524399971620

Job: Central Manufacturing Supervisor

Hobby: Jogging, Metalworking, Tai chi, Shopping, Puzzles, Rock climbing, Crocheting

Introduction: My name is Edmund Hettinger DC, I am a adventurous, colorful, gifted, determined, precious, open, colorful person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.