Seen on Screen: NBA Stars Play HORSE on ESPN; Liga BBVA MX, MLB Go Virtual With Esports Tournaments By Kristian Hernandez, Associate Editor Friday, April 10, 2020 - 1:45 pm
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Seen on Screen provides a roundup of the current sports programming landscape as networks deal with the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. In this week's edition, major networks like NBC Sports, Fox Sports, and ESPN are combating the silence of no live sports with previously-released, taped, or archival content. Many networks have also continued producing live studio content - often with on-air talent located remotely.
Ten-time NBA All-Star Chris Paul of the Oklahoma City Thunder, 2020 NBA All-Star Trae Young of the Atlanta Hawks, and newly elected Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer Tamika Catchings headline the list of eight NBA and WNBA players and legends who will participate in the new NBA HORSE Challenge Presented by State Farm, exclusively on ESPN and streamed via the ESPN App.
Beginning Sunday, April 12 at 7 p.m. ET, Paul, Young, Catchings, Chicago Bulls guard Zach LaVine, three-time WNBA All-Star Allie Quigley of the Chicago Sky, Utah Jazz guard Mike Conley Jr., and NBA Finals MVPs Chauncey Billups and Paul Pierce will match shots against one another in a single-elimination HORSE competition from their respective, isolated home courts. ESPN NBA commentator Mark Jones will serve as the official host.
State Farm will donate more than $200,000 on behalf of the participants to charities focused on coronavirus response efforts. This donation builds on the more than $74 million that has been contributed by the NBA Family to date to support coronavirus relief efforts through its NBA Together campaign.
NBA HORSE Challenge Presented by State Farm participants will be divided into two groups of four, with the winners of the first two games in each group meeting in the semifinals. The winner from each group will move on to the championship round. ESPN will present the four quarterfinal games on Sunday. The semifinals and the championship game will air on Thursday, April 16, beginning at 9 p.m. ET.
A coin toss at the start of each game will determine who shoots first, with the more senior player calling heads or tails. Players must describe each shot attempt, specifying the type of score they intend to make before taking a shot, such as a bank shot or swish. Dunking is prohibited. The first player in each game to accumulate the letters H-O-R-S-E after failing to match five shots is eliminated.
NBA HORSE Challenge Presented by State Farm participants:
Group 1:
Chauncey Billups
NBA Legend, ESPN Analyst
Tamika Catchings
WNBA Legend
Mike Conley Jr.
Utah Jazz
Trae Young
Atlanta Hawks
Group 2:
Zach LaVine
Chicago Bulls
Chris Paul
Oklahoma City Thunder
Paul Pierce
NBA Legend, ESPN Analyst
Allie Quigley
Chicago Sky
The schedule includes:
Sun, Apr. 12
7-9 p.m.
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
9-11 p.m.
Quarterfinals Encore Presentations
Thu, Apr. 16
7-9 p.m.
Quarterfinals Encore Presentations
9-11 p.m.
Group 1: Semifinals
Group 2: Semifinals
HORSE Championship Game
Major League Baseball (MLB), the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA), and Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) have created the MLB The Show Players League, the first-ever competitive MLB The Show league solely featuring Major League players. Thirty players have agreed to represent their Major League Clubs and play each other in this inaugural online event to engage fans around the world and raise funds for Boys & Girls Clubs of America and Boys & Girls Clubs of Canada.
The 30-player league includes 11 former All-Stars, five World Series Champions and eight players age 25 or younger. Each participant plays in a round-robin format (i.e., playing every team one time) throughout the month of April for a total of 29 regular season, three-inning games. Following this regular season, the top eight teams will advance to the Postseason, which will largely mirror the MLB Postseason format and culminate in a World Series.
The MLB The Show Players League begins on April 10 when Blake Snell and the Tampa Bay Rays play Amir Garrett and the Cincinnati Reds at 9 p.m. ET. Fans can watch streams of games on a variety of digital platforms, including Twitch and YouTube. Follow @MLB, @MLB_PLAYERS, @MLBTheShow, and the players' Twitter accounts for times and stream information.
MLB Network host and avid gamer Robert Flores will provide commentary, recaps, analysis and conduct player interviews throughout the course of the season, including before, during and after games, via MLB, MLB Network and PlayStation's social media platforms.
Click HERE for a full list of participants
Univision's TUDN and Liga BBVA MX, the top-tier soccer league in Mexico, are starting the eLiga MX by BBVA Tournament, an EA Sports FIFA 20 gaming tournament that will feature player representatives from each Liga MX club competing head-to-head in a 17-matchday season on Playstation 4 that mirrors this year's Clausura schedule with the top eight teams advancing to a single-elimination playoff format. Beginning Friday, April 10 at 3:00 p.m. ET, TUDN will broadcast up to three matches per day, excluding Thursdays, with play-by-play performed by TUDN talent, and special guest commentary by Liga MX players.
Each Liga MX club will feature three players from its current roster, who in turn will represent their real-life team during tournament gameplay. TUDN talent will provide live play-by-play, plus pre- and post-game coverage for each match. Featured TUDN talent includes Enrique Bermudez, Ale
