ESPN To Celebrate America's 250th With Special Broadcasts

In honor of July 4, America’s 250th anniversary, ESPN is holding special broadcasts, including its annual coverage of a hot dog-eating competition.

ESPN America 250

ESPN, in collaboration with the Disney Celebrates America initiative, will host several special broadcasts for America’s 250th. That includes its annual coverage of the Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest.

Other broadcasts to keep an eye out for are:

ESPN SportsCenter Special – Special 2-hour live edition starting at 5 p.m. EST on July 4
- Co-hosted by Kevin Negandhi and Christine Williamson, Disney Celebrates America: SportsCenter will feature live reports from across the country alongside original storytelling, historical retrospectives, and talent-driven segments from some of ESPN’s top personalities, with Chris Berman, Stephen A Smith, Scott Van Pelt, Joe Buck, Pat McAfee and more adding their perspectives on the best of American sports. Coverage will include features on iconic American sports moments and the enduring cultural impact of sports in America, complemented by essays and SC Featured storytelling.
  
  During the program, anchors Randy Scott and Gary Striewski will report from a Savannah Bananas game at Kinnick Stadium at the University of Iowa and Hannah Storm will be at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, site of next year’s Super Bowl LXI on ESPN and ABC. Also, Nicole Briscoe and Michael Eaves will join the program from Chicago’s Wrigley Field, where they will be tailgating with Olympian turned chef Dawn Burrell prior to the night’s Chicago Cubs vs. St. Louis Cardinals game.
ESPN.com – AMERICA 250 Road Trips – Daily specials starting June 29, with a special landing page on the ESPN website.
- June 29 – Alyssa Roenigk: Why do Americans still take risks? The writer started her journey by jumping off the Snake River Canyon, made famous by Evel Knievel. It only got wilder from there.
- June 30 – Kent Babb: Can sports still unite us? A journey into the rugged heart and soul of Utah to find the essential elements of sports
- July 1 – Aishwarya Kumar: What makes a sport American? Following the clues from pickleball in Florida, to crawfish in Charleston, to cricket in Brooklyn and lacrosse in Oneida Nation.
- July 2 – Roberto José Andrade Franco: What’s left of boxing? A coast-to-coast exploration of a dying sport, from the stands of Benavidez vs. Ramirez in Vegas, to a trainer in Brooklyn who draws more fitness seekers than fighters, to Atlantic City, where nothing remains.
- July 3 – Dotun Akintoye: Why do Americans — and American sports fans — believe in the impossible? A trip through the haunted Midwest in search of ghosts, spirits and miracles that have shaped American lore, from Camp Randall to Field of Dreams.
Get Up – June 29 – July 3 from 8 to 10 a.m. EST
- Get Up will be celebrating how awesome sports are in honor of America 250. The show will look back at great plays in sports from the night before and break down what makes them special.
First Take – June 29 – July 3 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. EST
- First Take is showcasing historic and iconic moments from U.S. sports history leading up to July 4. The show will highlight the impact these moments had on the overall sports landscape at that time.
Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest – July 4 at 12 p.m. EST on ESPN2 or 12:30 p.m. EST on ABC
- On July 4, No. 1 overall eater Joey Chestnut and top-ranked female eater Miki Sudo look to retain their mustard belts. Chestnut looks for his 18th title while Sudo aims for her 12th overall and fifth straight.
Disney Celebrates America – July 3 to July 4
- The ESPN App will stream the 24-hour America 250 broadcast by ABC.