At an ideal time on the sports calendar, ESPN is bringing back “The Ocho” for 2021. Sports (and other competitive endeavors) that normally wouldn’t get national TV attention (or “seldom seen,” as the network puts it) get their annual moment in the spotlight on ESPN2.
This year’s edition will air Friday, August 6. Why not Aug. 8, which would be the perfect date for “The Ocho” (as was the case in 2017 and 2018)? Well, presumably because that Sunday is the date of the Tokyo Olympics’ closing ceremonies.
No Dodgeball, unfortunately, but here are some of the new events that viewers can expect from ESPN 8: The Ocho on Aug. 8:
World Championship Cow Chip Throwing Contest: “Cow chip” is not a euphemism here; it’s exactly what you think it is. Competitors throw dried-up cow poop as far as they can. This is the 52nd annual event!
Shuffleboard Crazy Eights: ESPN has televised the North American Shuffleboard Championships before and is now bringing it to The Ocho. “Crazy Eights” is a version of the game in which players try to get four points by getting the weight to hang over the end of the board.
World Championship Rototiller Races: Just what it sounds like. Racers push a garden tiller running fast along a dirt strip trying to beat out their rival.
World Chase Tag: Take tag and combine it with parkour and you have World Chase Tag. No word if Jeremy Renner, Jon Hamm, or Ed Helms are competing.
And so many more events, including Minecraft, Extreme Pogo, Mullet Championships, Air Hockey, a Pinball Invitational, and Air Guitar Championships.
The day will be capped off with the 2021 American Cornhole League (ACL) World Championships from Rock Hill, South Carolina at 9 p.m. ET. The event will include the ACL Celebrity Throwdown including ACL professionals, football legends, and ESPN’s Ryan McGee and Marty Smith in competition.
ESPN will also have some “Ocho”-type programming for three days leading up to the all-day “unique sporting events” extravaganza, on Aug. 2, 4, and 5. Among the events shown will be the Cherry Pit Spitting Championship, Disc Golf, and Putt Putt Championships.
The complete schedule for the 2021 edition of “The Ocho” is available at ESPN Press Room.
About Ian Casselberry
Ian is a writer, editor, and podcaster. You can find his work at Awful Announcing and The Comeback. He's written for Sports Illustrated, Yahoo Sports, MLive, Bleacher Report, and SB Nation.