ESPN is taking its flagship show, SportsCenter, on the road this summer. The network will broadcast the show from sporting events in every state over 50 days, starting on June 28 and culminating on August 16. SportsCenter will kick off the tour with a special show in the District of Columbia on June 27, hosted by Scott Van Pelt. From there, the hosts will rotate from one stop to the next. Here is a look at some of the more interesting stops.
The tour’s first stop will be at UFC 317 in Las Vegas. The main card will feature co-main events. Undefeated Ilia Topuria (16-0-0) and former UFC Lightweight Champion Charles Oliveira (35-10-0, one no contest) will fight for the vacant lightweight championship. The other half of the main event will see Alexandre Pantoja (29-5-0) defend his flyweight title against Kai Kara-France (25-11-0, one no contest). The main card will be rounded out by bouts between flyweights Brandon Royval (17-7-0) and Joshua Van (14-2-0) and lightweights Beneil Dariush (22-6-1) and Renato Moicano (20-6-1).
The World Police and Fire Games is an Olympic-style athletic competition for police, first responders, and firefighters from all over the world. The WPFG features traditional athletic events like basketball, swimming, golf, softball, tennis, and others. It also features combat sports like boxing and jiu-jitsu, as well as shooting events. Finally, the games feature specialized events like the K-9 Biathlon and Detection competition, a multi-stage Ultimate Firefighter competition, and the multi-disciplinary Toughest Competitor Alive competition. The 2025 WPFG in Birmingham will run from June 27 to July 6.
On Independence Day, SportsCenter will go live between the annual Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest at Coney Island and the Yankees-Mets Subway Series game at Citi Field. Joey Chestnut will be back after a one-year hiatus to try to beat his record of 76 hot dogs and buns in ten minutes. 2024 champ Patrick Bertoletti, who consumed 58 dogs last year, is slated to defend his title. On the women’s side, Miki Sudo will return to defend her title after taking last year’s competition with a new women’s record of 51 hot dogs. Sudo has won 10 of the last 11 titles, missing the 2021 competition due to pregnancy.
The Nathan’s post-game SportsCenter will also be the New York Yankees-New York Mets pre-game SportsCenter. The two teams currently lead their respective divisions. The clubs met in Yankee Stadium back in May, with the Yankees taking the three-game series 2-1. The always highly-charged matchup is even more electric this year after Juan Soto left the Yankees in free agency to sign a 15-year, $765 million deal with the Mets last offseason. ESPN will have hosts at both events.
The MLB All-Star break is less than a month away, and fan voting for the game has already started. One of the highlights every year is the Home Run Derby. Last year, the Dodgers’ Teoscar Hernandez defeated the Royals’ Bobby Witt Jr. 14-13 in the final round to take the title. This year’s participants for the event in Atlanta have not yet been announced.
Indianapolis’ Gainbridge Fieldhouse, home of Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever, will host the 2025 WNBA All-Star Weekend. While the All-Star game itself will be held on July 19, the venue will host the Skills Challenge and 3-Point Contest on July 18. Fan voting has already started to determine the players for this year’s All-Star game.
They have built it, and SportsCenter will come. SC will broadcast live from the Field of Dreams complex outside Dyersville, Iowa, on July 25. The site of the hit 1989 hit movie starring Kevin Costner now houses eleven baseball fields, three softball fields, a restaurant, and more. On this day, the Field of Dreams complex will be hosting a Youth Baseball Tournament.
SportsCenter will broadcast live from the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans on the first day of the Xfinity U.S. Gymnastics Championships. Junior- and senior-level male and female gymnasts will compete for national titles as well as spots on the U.S. National Team. The event will continue through August 10.
The Little League World Series kicks off on August 13 in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania, and runs through August 24. The ESPN family of networks will broadcast the games, and SportsCenter will visit on August 16. Kevin Negandhi will be hosting this final stop on the SportsCenter 50 States in 50 Days Tour.
SportsCenter is an institution, a part of pop culture at this point. ESPN’s flagship show has been around for the entirety of the network’s 45 years, almost 46 years, of existence. I think it’s great that ESPN is bringing the show to all parts of the country, not skipping ‘fly-over’ states, but showcasing every state. I love that the show broadcasts from significant events, such as NASCAR races and Major League Baseball games, all the way down to events like Hot Air Balloon Festivals and Rubik’s Cube championships.
Sports broadcasters have been the target of criticism in recent years. It is nice to see that ESPN has stayed true to its roots in covering all sports, big and small. Sure, the major sports get the bulk of the focus and attention, but the fact that the network is broadcasting from places like Montana and Wyoming before the college football season starts is big. It’s nice to see every state, regardless of its population, get a chance to showcase an event on television. Publicity like this can be a huge boost for these events and their participants.
For the full list of events Sportscenter’s “50 States in 50 Days” Tour will stop at, click here.
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