What To Expect This Weekend On ESPN & ESPN 2
Viewers on DStv and GOtv can look forward to even greater sporting variety, with some thrilling action coming their way on ESPN and ESPN 2 from Friday 21 to Thursday 27 August 2020.
DStv and GOtv is your home of the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network.
ESPN
Fans of Australia’s National Rugby League (NRL) can catch the clash between the Knights and the Cowboys on the morning of Sunday 23 August (07:05am LIVE on ESPN).
Knights forward Mitch Barnett believes his side is improving as the season progresses: “We’re just building now, we just need to take some momentum into the back end of the year.”
Meanwhile, Cowboys coach Josh Hannay lambasted his team for this past weekend’s last-gasp defeat at the hands of the Rabbitohs: “There’s a lesson there in how to throw away the unloseable game. I’ll have to watch that last five minutes again but there were a number of individuals that just came up with some bonehead plays … just not doing their job. There were a few there with five to go that just … wow. It was really, really bad.”
Later the same day sees the 104th edition of the iconic Indy 500 from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (6:00pm LIVE on ESPN).
One of the drivers to watch will be Fernando Alonso, who is set to return to Formula 1 next season and will be hoping to claim victory in his Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet, though last year’s Indy 500 champion, Simon Pagenaud, is backing himself to take the chequered flag again – despite an unimpressive showing in practice this past weekend.
“I know I can win this race and I know what I need. That’s more important than drafting and putting up a big number,” said Pagenaud.
The working week sees fans of the National Football League (NFL) and National Basketball Association (NBA) get their action with live airings of NFL Live and The Jump on the evenings of Monday 24 to Thursday 27 August (7:00pm and 8:00pm LIVE on ESPN).
Fans of classic boxing will also be in for a treat, with features each evening of Monday 24 to Thursday 27 August (from 17:35 on ESPN) focusing on the legendary Muhammad Ali. Nicknamed ‘The Greatest’, the late Ali is widely regarded as one of the most significant and celebrated sports figures of the 20th century and as one of the greatest boxers of all time.
His life and career will be traced in the Ringside specials ‘King of the World’ (Monday), ‘Banned from Boxing’ (Tuesday), ‘Return from Exile’ (Wednesday) and ‘The Final Chapter’ (Thursday). Revel in the brilliance of a boxer renowned as much for his pre-fight banter as his unmatched ability in the squared circle.
ESPN 2
As viewers head into the weekend, they can get their fill of news from the National Football League (NFL) and National Basketball Association (NBA) with live airings of NFL Live and The Jump on the evening of Friday 21 August (7:00pm and 8:00pm LIVE on ESPN 2).
Fans of Australia’s National Rugby League (NRL) can catch the clash between the Titans and the Raiders on the morning of Saturday 22 August (06:00am LIVE on ESPN 2).
Titans captain Kevin Proctor caused major controversy last week when he was sent off for biting an opponent in their 18-30 loss to the Sharks. “You can’t defend it, it’s on TV, it’s in colour,” Titans head of culture Mal Meninga said. “But it’s certainly out of character. He’s only had one charge before…so it’s going to be an interesting week in front of him.”
You can also keep up to date with the latest news and opinions from all around the sporting world, with airings of Pardon the Interruption (10:00am on ESPN 2) and ESPN FC (6:50pm on ESPN 2) on Wednesday 26 August.
Pardon the Interruption features a group of expert analysts discuss the latest news and issues from a wide variety of sports (the focus is on United States leagues such as the NBA, NFL, etc), while ESPN FC is a round-up of the top news from around football – ‘The Beautiful Game’.
Visit www.dstv.com and www.gotvafrica.com to subscribe or upgrade, and join in on the excitement. And while you’re on the move, you can stream the action on DStv Now.
ESPN Broadcast Highlights
Sunday 23 August
07:05am: NRL: Knights v Cowboys – LIVE on ESPN
6:00pm: IndyCar Series: Indianapolis 500 – LIVE on ESPN
Monday 24 to Thursday 27 August
7:00pm: NFL Live – LIVE on ESPN
8:00pm: The Jump – LIVE on ESPN
Monday 24 August
4:35pm: Ringside: Ali – King of the World, Part I – On ESPN
5:45pm: Ringside: Ali – King of the World, Part II – On ESPN
Tuesday 25 August
4:35pm: Ringside: Ali – Banned from Boxing, Part I – On ESPN
5:55pm: Ringside: Ali – Banned from Boxing, Part II – On ESPN
Wednesday 26 August
4:35pm: Ringside: Ali – Return from Exile, Part I – On ESPN
5:50pm: Ringside: Ali – Return from Exile, Part II – On ESPN
Thursday 27 August
4:35pm: Ringside: Ali – The Final Chapter, Part I – On ESPN
5:55pm: Ringside: Ali – The Final Chapter, Part II – On ESPN
ESPN 2 Broadcast Highlights
Friday 21 August
7:00pm: NFL Live – LIVE on ESPN
8:00pm: The Jump – LIVE on ESPN
Saturday 22 August
06:00am: NRL: Titans v Raiders – LIVE on ESPN
Wednesday 26 August
10:00am: Pardon the Interruption – On ESPN
6:15pm: ESPN FC – On ESPN
