Sports Media Report
Sports fans will be able to experience lacrosse like never before over the next few days as the National Lacrosse League (@NLL), the world’s largest and most successful professional lacrosse league, readies for two innovative events this weekend with Saturday’s long anticipated “Stadium Showdown” outdoor game at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego, and Monday’s “NLL Watch Party” alternate broadcast on ESPN+ and TSN+.
The “Stadium Showdown” (Saturday, 4:30 p.m. ET / 1:30 p.m. PT) between the host Seals and Las Vegas Desert Dogs, is the largest production in NLL history, with 13 cameras including Spider Cam, four participants and an official mic’ed up and 11,000+ seats up for grabs. Seals defender Cam Holding (Whitby, Ont.) is credited with coming up with the idea for the game, in which a box lacrosse configuration will be set up on the outdoor playing surface. The celebration of the indoor game, played outdoors, can be seen live on ESPN+, TSN+, FOX5 in San Diego, KVMY Ch. 21 in Las Vegas, and on same-day rebroadcast on ESPNU at 11 p.m. ET.
The firsts continue on Monday night as ESPN+ and TSN+ will simulcast “NLL Watch Party” beginning at 7 p.m. ET Monday in addition to the regular broadcast when the Toronto Rock visit the Philadelphia Wings. The #NLLWatchParty will feature NLL broadcasters Pat Gregoire and Teddy Jenner with a series of guests including Jack Hannah (Milford, Ohio) of the Desert Dogs and Kevin Crowley (New Westminster, B.C.) of the Seals, fresh off their Stadium Showdown experience, breaking down the live contest, discussing their own careers and their teams’ prospects for the rest of the season as well as the NLL and lacrosse in general.
The two games are part of a week that also features the Bandits vs. Thunderbirds standalone NLL Game of the Week on TSN on Friday (6:30 p.m. ET / 7:30 p.m. AT, also ESPN+) and potentially a deep playoff preview with two of the NLL’s 8-2 squads in Rochester and Toronto squaring off in Hamilton (Saturday, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN+, TSN+).
