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That summer ‘dead zone’ between when the NBA and NHL playoffs end and the NFL starts is nearly over but not before ESPN cashed in by airing a full day of ‘The Ocho’ which was inspired by the movie Dodgeball.
‘The Ocho’ gets a full 24-hours of programming on ESPN2 and it pays tribute to the obscure sports in the world that don’t get enough attention. These sports include everything from Cornhole to Spikeball, Lawnmower Racing to the Acrobatic Pizza Trials.
Personally, I was partial to the 46th Annual Cherry Pit Spitting Championship which aired at 1pm but EVERYONE seemed to lose their minds the hour before when the 2019 US Pizza Team Trials aired at noon. The Acrobatic Pizza Trials tapped into that ‘holy shit, what is this?!? I love it’ mentality that pops up every few months on Twitter.
The reactions to the 2019 US Pizza Team Trials were amazing so I thought I’d share some of the best ones below for anyone out there who missed the pizza trials. Here’s how it all went down:
ESPN8: The Ocho takes over ESPN2 for 24 hours. Enjoy! #ESPN8 #TheOcho pic.twitter.com/CCm8AiegrG
— Michael Nauman (@michaelnauman_) August 7, 2019
The Acrobatic Pizza Trials are EXACTLy what you think they were:
US Pizza Team Actrobatics Trials, NOW on the Ocho. @Shieldk2 pic.twitter.com/e3Dq6n5umj
— Dan on The Bird App (@dan_vdw) August 7, 2019
Is this the 🐐 of Acrobatic Pizza Trials? #TheOcho pic.twitter.com/nmRAtt8Q7e
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) August 7, 2019
At the gym watching Acrobatic Trials for the United States Pizza Team on ESPN! 😂 #ESPN8 #TheOcho
THIS IS TV GOLD! pic.twitter.com/1C3NoAygQH
— Matt Jones (@wxmattjones) August 7, 2019
Everyone was like…
Pizza Acrobatics 🍕 just became my new favorite sport #TheOcho pic.twitter.com/MXovkUlAHG
— Steve Piff (@Steve_Piff) August 7, 2019
Even better with a soundtrack:
Even the Acrobatic Pizza Trials are better when set to the Titanic song. #ESPN8 #TheOcho pic.twitter.com/jcdxoSmahM
— Riley Winn (@allRidoisWinn) August 7, 2019
Same, tbh:
. @espn hello, I will do anything for the Acrobatic Pizza Trials announcing job.
— Chris Manzo (@chris_manzo) August 7, 2019
I tell ya what, if you didn't watch the Acrobatic Pizza Trials on #espn8 the OCHO…then you missed out
— JD Culjat (@jdculjat) August 7, 2019
You can find highlights from past years Acrobatic Pizza Trials on YouTube if you’re interested.
Also, my dudes, don’t sleep on Chess Boxing. This could be the future of Sports right here:
ESPN really needs to run ‘The Ocho’ at least once a week instead of once a year. The people deserve more of this programming.