ESPN is going to air Disney movies instead of sports due to the coronavirus shutdowns. With most sports leagues electing to suspend their seasons, many wondered what the Worldwide Leader would decide to do. Well, it turns out, according to Deadline, they opted to “Let it go” and enlist some help from their parent company. The Rookie will be playing on Friday night to make up for the MLB’s scuttled Opening Week. At least that movie has some ties to the sporting world as Jim Morris’ journey to the majors will resonate with fans of the network. (Honestly, any sports movie staples should check that box.)
Next week will see Glory Road, starring Josh Lucas. Funny enough, the film won an ESPY back in 2006 for Best Sports Movie, and viewers will see why. Lucas plays Don Haskins, a coach of Texas Western College with the first all-black starting lineup in NCAA history. That one will likely speak to people desperately missing March Madness right now. (For those keeping track at home, college basketball fans would just be getting to the deep parts of the tournament right now.)
The network also has Miracle, Secretariat, The Greatest Game Ever Played, and Invincible lineup to play on the schedule. There is an absolute thirst for content right now on streaming platforms and broadcast stations. It’s easy for the big stations to just cue up crowd pleasing movies and old shows, but ESPN is in a weird spot right now. The Worldwide Leader in Sports has been playing marathons with different themes. Viewers could tire of the constant throwbacks though, and these movies will go a long way to combat fatigue.
According to the World Health Organization, who officially dubbed the coronavirus outbreak a “pandemic” last week, there are over 200,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus worldwide with 16,556 new cases diagnosed in the last 24 hours and over 8700 deaths around the globe. In the United States, there have been over 15,000 confirmed cases with 201 deaths as of this writing.
For those who are worried about the spread of the coronavirus, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention offers a litany of tips, including covering coughs and sneezes, avoiding large gatherings or close contact with people who are sick, and washing your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
What is your favorite sports movie? Is it one of the ones listed? Let us know in the comments!