The 2020 Madden Bowl came to an end on May 16th, and it’ll be one to remember for a number of reasons. Raidel “Joke” Brito won the final match over Daniel “Dcroft” Mycroft in a 17-0 blowout through an unusual strategy that relied on run-only plays through the entire tournament — he didn’t throw a single pass. He didn’t even put a proper quarterback on the field, giving him more funds to put towards his other virtual players.

It’s also emotional victory for Brito. He dedicated the tournament to Taylor “SpotMe” Robertson, a a friend who died in the 2018 Madden tournament shooting in Jacksonville.

In between the network will show Road to the Madden Bowl episodes that highlight the various esports players using “exclusive features and interviews with Madden competitive stars.” It’s all part of a schedule that leads up to the Madden NFL 20 Bowl semifinals and finals on May 16th, which will air live on YouTube, Twitch and ESPN starting at 5 PM ET.

ESPN is hardly the only network diving deep into esports events right now, and Fox already aired a Madden tournament event in March. But putting up five straight hours of Madden coverage on a Sunday afternoon in April is exceptional — even if it is on ESPN2.

NOW OPEN:
Kickoff your Madden Bowl challenges + missions in @PizzaHut Stadium! #Madden20 pic.twitter.com/uN4DukxdEw

— Madden NFL 20 #StayandPlay (@EAMaddenNFL) April 20, 2020

pic.twitter.com/tBW2x2ShEM

— Madden Championship Series (@MaddenLeagueOps) April 2, 2020

Madden NFL 20 Championship Series Schedule

• Saturday, April 25

  • 2 p.m. ET – 5 p.m. ET: LIVE Madden NFL 20 Last Chance Qualifier (EA SPORTS Twitch, YouTube & ESPN app)

• Sunday, April 26

  • 12 p.m. ET: Madden NFL 20 Celebrity Tournament Championship (ESPN2)

  • 1 p.m. ET: ROAD TO THE MADDEN BOWL, Episode 1 (ESPN2)

  • 1:30 p.m. ET: ROAD TO THE MADDEN BOWL, Episode 2 (ESPN2)

  • 2 p.m. ET – 5 p.m. ET: LIVE Madden NFL 20 Last Chance Qualifier (ESPN2)

• Saturday, May 2

• Wednesday, May 6 – Saturday, May 9:

  • 5 p.m. ET – 10 p.m. ET: LIVE Madden NFL 20 Bowl Group Play (EA SPORTS Twitch, YouTube & ESPN app)

• Thursday, May 14

  • 5 p.m. ET – 9 p.m. ET: LIVE Madden NFL 20 Bowl Wild Card Play (EA SPORTS Twitch, YouTube & ESPN app)

• Friday, May 15:

  • 5 p.m. ET – 9 p.m. ET: LIVE Madden NFL 20 Bowl Quarterfinals (EA SPORTS Twitch, YouTube & ESPN app)

• Saturday, May 16:

ESPN’s 12-hour esports marathon was just the start of its return to live competitive gaming. The broadcaster and Riot Games have reached a deal that will stream the League of Legends Championship Series Spring Split Playoffs live on ESPN2 or the ESPN app, starting with a match between 100 Thieves and TSM today (April 8th) available online at 4PM Eastern. You’ll also have on-demand access to events immediately after they’ve finished.

You can expect follow-up matches at the same time on April 11th, April 12th and April 18th. The final match for the North American championship is due on April 19th, although there isn’t a set time for it at this stage.

You can also expect to see the next phase of the NBA 2K Players Tournament at 6PM, when players like Devin Booker and Andre Drummond hitting the virtual basketball court. After that, much of the programming involves recaps. The first three hours of the marathon are recaps of Madden NFL 20 competitions like the Classic, Club Championship and Challenge, while Apex Legends fans can revisit the EXP Pro-Am at 10PM.

Whether or not you see more like this may depend on viewership, but it’s easy to see ESPN doing this again. Without conventional sports to show during the pandemic, much of the network’s very reason for being has gone away. Events like Esports Day give ESPN something to offer until it’s safe enough to resume in-person competition.