ESPN8 The Ocho: Top Highlights, Funny Reaction, Schedule for Wednesday's Events
August 7, 2019
ESPN8: The Ocho, a popular event spurred by the 2004 movie DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story, returned to ESPN's airwaves Wednesday with a series of unique sporting events.
Here's a look at the complete schedule airing on ESPN2 (all times Eastern):
Midnight: DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story
2 a.m.: 2019 Spikeball College Championship
3 a.m.: Big Buck World Championship XI
3:30 a.m.: World Lumberjack Championship
4:30 a.m.: World Axe Throwing Championship
5:30 a.m.: 2019 Las Vegas Highland Games
6 a.m.: 51st National Stone Skipping Competition
7 a.m.: Best of Chess Boxing
8 a.m.: Professional Arm Wrestling Championship
8:30 a.m.: American E-Kart Championship: Anyone's Race
9 a.m.: E:60 on ESPN8
9:30 a.m.: Moxie Games 3: Jugglers Under Attack
11 a.m.: Dodge Juggle 3: Revenge of the Dodgeballs
Noon: 2019 U.S. Pizza Team Trials
1 p.m.: 46th Annual Cherry Pit Spitting Championship
1:30 p.m.: Putt-Putt Championship
2 p.m.: 2019 Golden Tee World Championship
2:30 p.m.: School Bus Figure 8
3 p.m: European TramDriver Championship
4 p.m.: 2018 Classic Tetris World Championship
4:30 p.m.: 2019 Jelle's Marble Runs
5 p.m.: Lawn Mower Racing
5:30 p.m.: 2019 Stupid Robot Fighting League
6 p.m.: IDEAL Electricians National Championship
7 p.m.: 2019 World Sign Spinning Championship
7:30 p.m.: Slippery Stairs
8 p.m.: 2019 WCO World Cornhole Championship
9 p.m.: America's Dodgeball Continental Cup: USA vs. Canada
10 p.m.: DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story
Some of the events push the boundaries of what can be considered a sport. While chess boxing and arm wrestling certainly have their merits, stone skipping and lawn mower racing are questionable, though not any less entertaining.
Headis, which is basically pingpong using your head instead of a paddle, exhibits far more athleticism than you may have expected.
Morning Consult conducted a poll ahead of ESPN8: The Ocho to get a feel for what people think qualifies for a sport. The most split vote among Wednesday's highlighted events was mini-golf, as 52 percent called it a sport and 46 percent said it's not:
Perhaps checking out The Ocho will change some people's perception of putt-putt.
Competitive juggling only received a 36 percent positive vote, but that may change after watching dodge juggle—trying to maintain focus while someone whips a dodgeball at your face.
Meanwhile, there was also a look at event's that won't be in the Olympics anytime soon, but were still captivating in the their own way. For example, pizza dough tossing.
But the fan favorite may have been the Tetris Championships.
Elsewhere, sign-spinning featured one of The Ocho slate's most athletic feats when a competitor took off his shirt mid-routine:
Climbing stairs isn't considered an impressive accomplishment, but it is for this group of athletes trying to find their footing on slippery ground:
Naturally, the night ended with a Dodgeball Continental Cup matchup, and it was just as exciting as Average Joe's championship comeback win over Globo Gym in the movie that inspired the day's programming:
Team USA beat Team Canada 14-12 in overtime.