The broadcaster has already agreed to show the entire eNascar iRacing Pro invitational Series while events are postponed
Fox Sports continued its move into esports by airing the Esports Madden NFL Invitational on Sunday.
The broadcaster has already agreed to air the entirety of the eNascar iRacing Pro invitational Series, after its first showing of the race series drew over 900,000 viewers and broke records for esports programming. This appears to have given the company confidence in the area, and now it is looking to other esports offerings.
The two-hour event aired at 7pm ET (11pm GMT) on FS1, and raised awareness of the CDC Foundation’s efforts to combat the coronavirus pandemic. It was produced by Gamer Community Network in conjunction with Fox Sports.
Eight NFL stars – Michael Vick, Matt Leinart, Orlando Scandrick, T.J.Houshmandzadeh, Juju Smith-Schuster, Derwin James, Antonio Cromartie, and Ahman Green – went head-to-head to see who was crowned champion, with the Los Angeles Chargers’ James coming out as the winner.
Y’all, @DerwinJames is no joke at Madden…
He defeats @MichaelVick 80 to 16 to win the ESPORTS @EAMaddenNFL Invitational! 🏆 pic.twitter.com/8zWAdJBDC2
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) March 30, 2020
Speaking before the event, Joe Franzetta, VP for rights and business relationships at Fox Sports, said: “We are excited to bring together such a dynamic group of talented individuals to help us create some much-needed sports entertainment in these difficult times.”
“Seeing so many people enthusiastically come together for a great cause in a such a short time is a testament to the human spirit of cooperation that sports exemplify.”