If you’re anything like us, you may be wondering how you’re going to fill that sports-sized void now that most leagues are either cancelled or postponed. Hopefully live games are back in no time, but in the meantime, Sling TV is putting together a weekly list of what to watch in the sports world. Check back here every Friday for updates.
You can find everything from your “Sports” tab in the app. The “On Now” ribbon has everything new and live in the world of sports. Scroll down for ribbons organized by sport, where you’ll find great documentaries and On Demand games and events from the past year. Here’s what you can look forward to this week, April 3-10.
ESPN
The rumors have been kicking around for a little while, but now it’s confirmed: ESPN is HORSE-ing around. The iconic backyard basketball competition is coming to the Worldwide Leader this Sunday, and it will feature a fascinating mix of players. The NBA HORSE Challenge Presented by State Farm will include current NBA stars Chris Paul, Zach LaVine, Mike Conley Jr., and Trae Young, along with three-time WNBA all-star Allie Quigley, newly-elected Hall-of-Famer Tamika Catchings, and NBA legends Paul Pierce and Chauncey Billups. The quarterfinals will take place Sunday, April 12 at 7pm ET, with the semis and final going down Thursday, April 16 at 9pm ET. Here are Sunday’s matchups:
Quarterfinals Group 1: Trae Young vs. Chauncey Billups
Quarterfinals Group 1: Tamika Catchings vs. Mike Conley Jr.
Quarterfinals Group 2: Zach LaVine vs. Paul Pierce
Quarterfinals Group 2: Chris Paul vs. Allie Quigley
ESPN will be airing at least one other live competition this weekend, as the NBA 2K Players Tournament moves on to the final two rounds. And although we may never have a regular season champion, there are only two teams left standing in NBA2K bracket: the Los Angeles Clippers and Phoenix Suns. Following last night’s quarterfinal victories, Montrezl Harrell and Patrick Beverley of the Clippers will face off against Suns’ stars Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton, respectively. The semifinals will get underway Saturday, April 11 at 8pm ET, followed by the Final, where the winner will get $100k to donate to a coronavirus-related charity of choice.
And since we’re all feeling a little nostalgic at the moment, ESPN will continue to spotlight classic NFL, MLB, and NBA games in primetime. This week's Monday Night Football Classics kicks off at 8pm ET and will feature the most-watched game in ESPN’s MNF history, the October 2009 matchup between the Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings, which saw Brett Favre playing against his old team for the first time. MLB Encore Tuesdays continues at 8pm ET; this week’s game features Kirk Gibson’s iconic pinch-hit walk-off homer from Game 1 of the 1988 World series. And Kobe Bryant takes the spotlight in this week’s NBA Wednesday Nights; first up at 7pm ET is the Lakers’ Game 5 Finals win over the Orlando Magic, which gave Kobe his fourth ring, followed by Game 7 of the 2010 NBA Finals, which saw Bryant getting revenge against the Boston Celtics. All games will be available on demand the following day.
NBCSN
Speaking of classic games, hockey fans can relive some of the most exciting Stanley Cup Finals this weekend on NBC. First up, the deciding games in the ‘08 and ‘09 Finals between the Detroit Red Wings and Pittsburgh Penguins will air back-to-back beginning at 3pm ET on Saturday, April 11. The next day starting at 1pm ET, NBC will reair the series-clinching games from the ‘10 and ‘11 Stanley cup Finals, which will undoubtedly inspire warm memories in Chicago and Boston. And continuing their weekly Sunday night series, at 8pm ET NBCSN will rebroadcast the Sunday Night Football game from Sept. 11, 2011, an inspiring Week 1 contest that saw the New York Jets taking down Tony Romo and the Dallas Cowboys thanks to a last-minute field goal.
The big news on NBCSN is Olympics Games Week. Following the sad announcement that the 2020 Summer Games in Tokyo has been pushed back a year, NBCSN will rebroadcast almost 100 hours of Summer Games highlights over the next two weeks, beginning on Monday, April 13. Introduced by Mike Turico, programming kicks off nightly at 7pm ET and will spotlight unforgettable performances from athletes like Michael Phelps, Simone Biles, Usain Bolt, Katie Ledecky, Allyson Felix, Kerri Walsh Jennings and others. For a full schedule of events, click here.
NFL RedZone
NFL fans have the chance to relive the 2019 season in something like real time, as NFL RedZone is currently airing all 17 weeks of action every day. Because the programming began on Monday, today will spotlight Week 5 of the season, with Week 6 airing on Saturday, April 11, and so on through Week 17, which airs Wednesday, April 22. Best of all, NFL RedZone is currently in free preview on Sling TV, so you can enjoy all of the action even without a subscription.
FS1
And if you’re still jonesing for football, you can revisit one of the most shocking upsets in the history of the NFL when FS1 airs Super Bowl XLII on Friday, April 17 at 7pm ET. If those Roman numerals don’t tickle your memory, this was the one where Eli Manning and the New York Giants spoiled the Patriots perfect season. But don’t feel bad, Boston sports fans: FS1 will be rebroadcasting Game 4 of the 2004 ALCS the next night at 10pm ET, so you won’t have to wait long to get your (retrospective) revenge on New York.
Check back on our Sports Page every Friday for the latest developments in the world of sports television. The best thing about sports is people of all walks of life coming together. Since we can’t do that right now, let’s congregate around the TV. In the end, we’re all on the same team.
