It Took 13 Years, But ESPN Will Finally Debut The Ocho

The fictional ESPN8 depicted in the 2004 Ben Stiller-Vince Vaughn comedy Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story will come to life — for one day at least — as ESPN said today it will play along August 8 (8/8, get it?) to transform ESPNU into ESPN8: The Ocho.

Gary Cole and Jason Bateman scored some of the best lines as announcers Cotton McKnight and Pepper Brooks in the Fox movie, which centered on a ragtag group that banded together to compete in the annual Las Vegas Dodgeball Open (“live from the Las Vegas University learning annex”). The pic written and directed by Rawson Marshall Thurber (Central Intelligence) made $114 million worldwide after its summer release.

No Cotton or Pepper here, but ESPN said its lineup for the stunt on The Ocho — motto: “Bringing You the Finest in Seldom Seen Sports” — kicks off at midnight with the 2016 American Disc Golf Championship. Other sports in the lineup include roller derby, trampoline dodgeball, kabaddi and the 2017 Championship of Bags.

While we wait to see whether Fox will finally hire Fred Willard to announce the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, check out Cotton and Pepper below: