ESPN reveals broadcast plans for SlamBall revival

This week, ESPN announced its broadcast plans for the revival of SlamBall, the “fast-paced, gravity-defying sport that combines elements of basketball, football, hockey and trampolines.”

SlamBall signed a lucrative two-year media rights deal with ESPN last month and will make its debut on the network on July 21 in primetime at 7 p.m. ET.

All of the SlamBall games, which broadcast from Thursday through Sunday in July and August, will appear on the platform’s mobile streaming service, ESPN+, while select games will broadcast live on ESPN or ESPN2. The season culminates with the SlamBall Championship Game on Thursday, August 17, at 11 p.m. on ESPN2.  

Operating out of Las Vegas, SlamBall combines basketball with trampolines and legal mid-air collisions. The revived sports league gives ESPN some more basketball content during the NBA offseason.

They also broadcast NBA Summer League, The Basketball Tournament from mid-July through early August and the FIBA World Cup in August and September. SlamBall will get some live coverage on Thursday nights, including on July 27 (ESPN), August 3 (ESPN2) and August 10 (ESPN2).

Audiences ‘clamor’ for return of high-flying sport

SlamBall co-founder Mike Tollin told TMZ Sports that he and his fellow co-founder Mason Gordon couldn’t ignore audiences’ “clamor” to bring the league back.

“Mason and I couldn’t help but respond to the #BringBackSlamBall clamor,” Tollin said. “Live sports dominate the airwaves these days and audiences are looking for the next big thing. It’s a thrill to collaborate with ESPN in bringing this ground-breaking sport back to the world.”

Initially started in Los Angeles, the sport made its debut on television in 2002. It started with athletes pulled off of street courts. It started with six teams (the Bouncers, Diablos, Mob, Rumble, Slashers, and Steal) and had a feature on ESPN during its inaugural season. After disagreements with the production company after its second season, SlamBall dissolved only to resurface for one season five years later.

SlamBall returns this month

The league has reportedly raised over $11 million from investors, including Celtics forward Blake Griffin. The Series A funding round also involves Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment co-founder David Blitzer. Also included are Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Devils co-owner David Adelman, and Fanatics chief executive Michael Rubin.

SlamBall will have a six-week regular season followed by a seventh week for playoffs with eight teams competing. On June 5th, SlamBall held a minicamp to officially start the “Super 24.” It’s 24 hand-selected groups of elite multi-sport athletes that train for two weeks. That leads up to the SlamBall Draft to select 64 players for eight teams of eight players.

The league’s co-founders announced the revival last August. There will reportedly be more than 30 hours of live coverage of the sport on ESPN, ESPN2, and ESPN+ during the 2023 and 2024 seasons, according to Front Office Sports. The figures on the deal are so far undisclosed but SlamBall is receiving a rights fee.

Per FOS, SlamBall is also working with premium experiences company Legends on retail, sponsorship strategy, and other revenue-related activities.

The original rules of the game differ slightly from traditional basketball. A team gets two points if the ball goes through the hoop without the offensive player touching the hoop. However, slam dunks are worth three points.

All shots outside the three-point arc are worth three points as well. With four players on the court per team, substitutions are unlimited and can be done during play like in hockey.