- Annual Event Expands to Four Days, Aug. 1-4 with 54 Hours of Content Across ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN Social and Digital
- Savannah Bananas Live in Primetime Throughout the Weekend
- Pop-A-Shot, Major League Paintball and Carjitsu Highlight the Sports Making ESPN8: The Ocho Debut
- The Ocho Show Returns; Never Tell Me the Odds: Top Sports Seen in Star Wars Makes Linear Debut
The biggest, boldest, wildest edition of ESPN8: The Ocho is set to air across ESPN platforms, Thursday, Aug. 1 through Sunday, Aug. 4, bringing back fan-favorites as well as introducing viewers to even more seldom-seen sports!
For the first time, ESPN8: The Ocho will expand to four days, with 54-hours of unique, obscure sports, including over 21 hours of live content – the most ever. The fast-paced, entertaining game of Banana Ball will anchor each night in primetime from Louisville, KY, promising epic celebrations and coordinated dance routines, while Rock Hill, SC, will host live events for fans hoping to cheer on the exceptional Ocho athletes, for the third year in a row.
The Ocho’s signature studio show, The Ocho Show, returns with Victoria Arlen, Arda Öcal and Cristina Alexander, with one of ESPN’s original podcasts, Never Tell Me the Odds, featuring Clinton Yates, Öcal and Ryan McGee, also joining in on the excitement of the annual summer event.
More Ocho for the fans? A very bold strategy, ESPN! Throughout the entirety of the event, fans can find all the action across ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN social and digital channels. On Friday, select sports will be available in Spanish on ESPN Deportes.
The Backbone of The Ocho: Banana Ball
Banana Ball, for the second consecutive year, will kick off ESPN8: The Ocho when the Savannah Bananas take on the Party Animals, live in primetime, on Thursday, Aug. 1 at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN2. On Friday, the two teams will return to primetime, shifting the programming to ESPN (Aug. 2, 7-9 p.m.). The spirited game between the Savannah Bananas and the Party Animals will mark the first time ESPN8: The Ocho programming will air on ESPN during the primary day of the event. The third game of the three-game set between the two teams will air on Saturday (Aug 3., 7-9 p.m. on ESPN2).
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). National Havoc Robot League (11-11:30 p.m.) and WJF20 – The Ultimate Overall Championship of Juggling (11:30 p.m. – 12:30 a.m.), followed by additional sports debuting into the wee hours of the night, will round-out day one of the Ocho, all airing on ESPN2.
21 New Sports Ready for ESPN8: The Ocho Entrance
Throughout the four-day event, ESPN will be bringing fans 20 NEW seldom-seen sports to the 2024 Ocho lineup. The full list of sports making their Ocho debut, with their descriptions, can be found here:
- NHRL Teams: Robot Fighting Championship: Sixteen elite teams featuring the world’s most dangerous and exciting robots clash in a high-stakes tournament, to fight for a share of $50,000 prize money and a prestigious Golden Dumpster.
- The 2024 World Juggling Federation Ultimate Overall Championship: Held once every four years, the WJF Ultimate Overall Championship is the highest-level sport juggling competition in history. All competitors must be previous Advanced Overall Champions and pass through a rigorous qualification process.
- Three Rivers Waiter Waitress Competition: Watch as professional waitstaff slalom through a course designed to cause spills and thrills.
- Sasquatch Uncut Beard and Mustache Competition: Where facial hair combines with pageant and dog show rules.
- Speed Puzzling: Origins Gaming Tournament of Pieces 2024: 500 pieces of tiny cardboard, one final image, 100 puzzlers. Speed Jigsaw puzzling at its best.
- Competitive Speed Cubing: Spinning and clicking their way to a personal best or setting a world record – it’s anyone’s guess who will have the best time.
- 2023 World Jump Rope Championships: The International Jump Rope Union’s World Jump Rope Championships features the top jump rope athletes in single rope and double-Dutch disciplines from across the globe. Over 1,200 athletes representing 27 countries competed in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
- 2023 FTA World Championship: The best male and female Freestyle Trampoline athletes, battle it out on a 5×5 meter “Super Trampoline” to be crowned the official Freestyle Trampoline World Champion.
- Pop-A-Shot 2024 National Championship presented by Pabst Blue Ribbon: For the first time in a quarter century, Pop-A-Shot will crown a national champion. The Pop-A-Shot 2024 National Championship will test the country’s best Pop-A-Shot players in a head-to-head, tournament-style competition.
- ZoneBall Clash: In an electrifying showdown, the forces of Team JETPACK and Team DRAGON collide in the heart-pounding arena of the exciting new sport of Zoneball.
- 2022 Speed Chess Championship Final presented by Chess.com: The Speed Chess Championship Final represents the pinnacle of online speed chess, featuring intense competition, brilliant tactics, and time-pressured decision-making at the highest level of the game.
- ProSayulita: The ProSayulita SUP OPEN brings together the best athletes and young competitors in SUP Surf, Long Distance and Technical races, in Sayulita, Nayarit, Mexico.
- Battle of the Buoy 2: Pro doubles teams fight to stay afloat in New York City, for a chance to hoist the coveted Golden Buoy. Watch the dramatic conclusion of the largest Buoy Championship to date.
- 2024 Forehand Strike U.S. Open: Some of the best Athletes in the World compete in Connecticut in the inaugural Forehand Strike US Open Championship. Watch as former National Champions and Pro Tennis Players compete with Prize Money on the line.
- SXY National Beach Tennis Invitational: The top Beach Tennis Players in the World Compete in Hermosa Beach California, for the prestigious National Beach Tennis Invitational Trophy with prize money and bragging rights on the line.
- Carjitsu Championship: It’s Jiu-Jitsu, but inside of a car – where every seatbelt and dashboard are used for leverage, and each round can only be won by submission.
- Ultimate Tire Wrestling: Two big tractor tires. Two skilled wrestlers. One goal: stuff 51% of your opponent into the tire.
- 2024 Major League Paintball Atlantic City Open: The top two professional paintball teams from around the world battle it out in the final match of the 2024 Major League Paintball Atlantic City Open.
- Roofball World Championships: The 24th playing of the World Championships competition to determine who’s the best at flinging a football at a natural gas vent. Contested at the place of Roofball’s invention, Willis Park in Beaverton, Oregon.
- 2024 Hamlin Adult Big Wheel Races: 10 teams compete in a relay style, adult big wheel race, to win the coveted, Hamlin Golden Wheelie Trophy.
- 2023 National Putting Tour Final: This is the 2023 National Putting Tour Final Filmed at Putting World in Scottsdale, Arizona. Watch the nation’s best putters battle it out to see who the best is!
Yates, Öcal and McGee will headline a special edition of ESPN’s Never Tell Me the Odds: Top Sports Seen in Star Wars, on Aug. 4 (8:30 a.m., ESPN2), marking the first time the Star Wars-inspired podcast will be available on linear television. Fans are guaranteed to witness a spirited discussion on all the top sports seen in the galaxy, far, far away.
Live From Ocho-ville: Rock Hill, South Carolina Hosts Fans for Third Year
On Friday, Rock Hill, South Carolina will once again serve as the seldom-seen sport hub of the world, hosting nearly 16 hours of ESPN programming including Blade Masters: Axe & Knife Throwing, Fling Golf All Star Skills Challenge, 2024 Bullshooter Invitational Shootout, OmegaBall, Pop-A-Shot 2024 National Championship presented by Pabst Blue Ribbon, Viii Sports 2024 National Championship, 2024 AWA Wiffle Ball All Star Game, USA Dodgeball All-Star Showcase, Manscaped TurfWars Adult Kickball Championship, Major League Table Tennis Showcase, Slippery Stairs, American Cornhole League: Armed Forces Event and The 2024 Silverback Breaking Invitational.
Arlen, Öcal and Alexander will usher in a new rendition of The Ocho Show as they assume hosting duties of the annual program (Aug. 2, 2-3 p.m.). Live from Rock Hill, The Ocho Show will showcase a variety of different events, bringing fans the latest on all the racing corgis, axe throwers, dog surfers and Excel users – among other athletes – participating in The Ocho.
Venues in Rock Hill, where these live sports will be taking place – Manchester Meadows and Rock Hill Sports and Event Center – will each open an hour before the first event. All events being free for fans. Throughout the day on Friday, Aug. 2, attendees can enjoy the ESPN8 The Ocho Fan Zone at Manchester Meadows which will include ESPN’s Big Wheel Racing with a Sonic Twist. Food trucks, music, vendors and giveaways will be available.
Specific start times for each sport and information for fans who wish to witness first-hand the magic of The Ocho can be found below.
ESPN8: The Ocho Full Television Schedule
| Date |
ESPN2 |
||
| Time | Event | ||
| Thu, Aug 1 | 7 p.m. | ~ Banana Ball (Live from Louisville) | |
| 9 p.m. | Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story | ||
| 11 p.m. | NHRL Teams: Robot Fighting Championship | ||
| 11:30 p.m. | WJF 20 – The Ultimate Overall Championship (Juggling) | ||
| Fri, Aug 2 | WJF 20 – The Ultimate Overall Championship (Juggling) | ||
| 12:30 a.m. | Red Bull Gameball Royale | ||
| 1 a.m. | Red Bull | ||
| 1:30 a.m. | Ultimate Ninja World Series Finals | ||
| 2 a.m. | Three Rivers Waiter and Waitress Competition | ||
| 2:30 a.m. | Sasquatch Uncut Beard and Mustache Competition | ||
| 3 a.m. | 2022 Corunna Belt Sander Races | ||
| 3:30 a.m. | 2020 USA Mullet Championships | ||
| 4 a.m. | FlingGolf: San Diego Open | ||
| 4:30 a.m. | 46th Annual Cherry Pit Spitting Championships | ||
| 5 a.m. | 2019 Jelle’s Marble Run | ||
| 5:30 a.m. | 2023 Wisconsin Auctioneers Championship | ||
| 6 a.m. | Origins Gaming Tournament of Pieces 2024 (Speed Puzzling) | ||
| 6:30 a.m. | Competitive Speed Cubing | ||
| 7 a.m. | The International Jump Rope Union World Championships | ||
| 7:30 a.m. | 2023 FTA World Championship (Freestyle Trampoline) | ||
| 8 a.m. | ^ Blade Masters: Axe & Knife Throwing | ||
| 9 a.m. | * FlingGolf All Star Skills Challenge | ||
| 10 a.m. | ^ 2024 BullShooter Invitational Shootout | ||
| 11 a.m. | * OmegaBall | ||
| Noon | ^ Pop-A-Shot 2024 National Championship presented by Pabst Blue Ribbon | ||
| 1 p.m. | * Viii Sports 2024 National Championship | ||
| 2 p.m. | * The Ocho Show | ||
| 3 p.m. | * 2024 AWA Wiffle Ball All Star Game | ||
| 4 p.m. | ^ USA Dodgeball All-Star Showcase | ||
| 5 p.m. | * Manscaped TurfWars Adult Kickball Championship | ||
| 6 p.m. | ^ Major League Table Tennis Showcase | ||
| 7 p.m. | * Slippery Stairs | ||
| 8 p.m. | ^ American Cornhole League: Armed Forces Event | ||
| 10 p.m. | ^ The 2024 Silverback Breaking Invitational | ||
| 11 p.m. | Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story | ||
| Sat, Aug 3 | |||
| 1:30 a.m. | 2024 Corgi Races at Emerald Downs | ||
| 2a.m. | 2024 World Dog Surfing Championships Best Waves | ||
| 2:30 a.m. | OneWheel 2022 Competition | ||
| 3 a.m. | 2022 Noblesville Bed Races | ||
| 3:30 a.m. | 2021 US Air Guitar Competition | ||
| 4:30 a.m. | USA Dodgeball All-Star Showcase | ||
| 5:30 a.m. | eSkootr Championship – 2022 | ||
| 6 a.m. | ZoneBall Clash | ||
| 6:30 a.m. | 2022 Speed Chess Championship Final presented by Chess.com | ||
| 7 a.m. | Microsoft Excel World Championship Finals | ||
| 7:30 a.m. | ProSayulita SUP OPEN | ||
| 8 a.m. | Battle of the Buoy 2 | ||
| 8:30 a.m. | 2023 National Putting Tour Final | ||
| 9 a.m. | 2024 Forehand Strike U.S. Open | ||
| 9:30 a.m. | SXY National Beach Tennis Invitational | ||
| 10 a.m. | Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story | ||
| 7 p.m. | ~ Banana Ball | ||
| Sun, Aug 4 | 12:00 a.m. | Carjitsu Championship | |
| 12:30 a.m. | Ultimate Tire Wrestling | ||
| 1 a.m. | 2024 Major League Paintball Atlantic City Open | ||
| 1:30 a.m. | The 2023 OneWheel World Championship – Race for the Rail | ||
| 2 a.m. | 2023 FootGolf World Cup | ||
| 2:30 a.m. | 2023 World Table Hockey Championships | ||
| 3 a.m. | CROSSNET Sand Series: SoCal | ||
| 3:30 a.m. | Grass Drag Racing Season Opener | ||
| 4 a.m. | 2022 AUDL Championship | ||
| 4:30 a.m. | Franklin Rock River Stone Skipping | ||
| 5 a.m. | World Sign Spinning Championship | ||
| 5:30 a.m. | 2024 Corgi Races at Emerald Downs – Re-Air | ||
| 6 a.m. | 2024 World Dog Surfing Championships Best Waves – Re-Air | ||
| 6:30 a.m. | Teqball World Series: Tulsa 2024 | ||
| 7:30 a.m. | Roofball World Championships | ||
| 8 a.m. | 2024 Hamlin Adult Big Wheel Races | ||
| 8:30 a.m. | ESPN Presents Never Tell Me The Odds: Top Sports Seen in Star Wars | ||
| 9 a.m. | World Axe Throwing League Re-Air | ||
| 10 a.m. | Slippery Stairs Re-Air | ||
| Date |
ESPN |
||
| Time | Event | ||
| Fri, Aug 2 | 7 p.m. | ~ Banana Ball | |
|
KEY |
|||
| * Live, in Rock Hill at Manchester Meadows | |||
| ^ Live, In Rock Hill at Rock Hill Sports and Event Center | |||
| ~ Live, Louisville, KY | |||
| Bold: Sport making Ocho Debut | |||
| No designation: Previous Ocho Taped Programming | |||
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About the Rock Hill, SC Facilities
The Rock Hill Sports & Event Center and Manchester Meadows are owned, operated, programmed and maintained by the City of Rock Hill Parks, Recreation and Tourism Department. For more information about these facilities: www.cityofrockhill.com/prt
Media Contact:
Lily Blum: Lily.Blum@espn.com
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