Are you ready for some dominoes from Miami, sponsored by ESPN and aired on ESPN Deportes and ESPN2

“Under normal circumstances, Fontecha’s loss would be noted by onlookers and perhaps picked up on local television. But this time, this year, the annual domino tournament in Little Havana’s Domino Park, part of the Calle Ocho Festival, was sponsored by ESPN. It will later be broadcast on Spanish-language ESPN Deportes and on ESPN2 for all the world, or at least millions of viewers, to see.

ESPN’s gambit hinges on the hope that dominoes, long an entrenched pastime in Spanish-speaking and Caribbean countries – and since brought stateside – will gain the runaway popularity of televised and online poker. The network sponsored a championship tournament in Las Vegas last fall, awarding a $25,000 prize. ESPN Deportes will soon start airing the tournament in seven segments, interspersing the broadcast with snippets from smaller, local tournaments such as Miami’s.”

Comments are closed.