The public health challenge we are facing is showing few signs of slowing down, causing a rapid shuttering of public gatherings, live events, and businesses across the country. One of the biggest of these hits has been to sports: Virtually all live sporting events have been canceled or postponed to keep the crowds at bay, but if you’re itching for your sports fix, you’re not necessarily out of luck with ESPN+.
ESPN+ is the go-to streaming app for all sorts of sporting games and matches, pre- and post-event interviews and analysis, exclusive shows, and more — and although most live sports are on hiatus at the moment, there’s still a cornucopia of goodies for ESPN+ subscribers to enjoy, from replays and highlights to ESPN series like 30 for 30 and O.J.: Made in America. ESPN+ rings in at just $5 per month or $60 per year, and you can also score a nice $13/month bundle that nets you ESPN+, Disney+, and Hulu at a 25% discount.
Here’s a selection of the on-demand MMA, football, basketball, and other content you can enjoy on ESPN+ right now:
UFC
The UFC is one of the few sports organizations that – as of yet – has not completely shut down its spring and summer events. The March and April Fight Nights have been canceled, but for now, it looks like the big UFC 249: Khabib vs. Ferguson pay-per-view is still on for April 18, and in the meantime, you can stream UFC Video-On-Demand Detail of Conor McGregor’s most recent performance at UFC 246, 30 for 30: Chuck & Tito, and some great UFC PPV fight replays including:
- UFC 229 – Khabib vs. McGregor
- UFC 228 – Woodley vs. Till
- UFC 247 – Jones vs. Reyes
- UFC 246 – McGregor vs. Cerrone
- UFC 245 – Usman vs. Covington
Boxing
Along with mixed martial arts, ESPN+ is also home to plenty of boxing content, giving fight fans a lot to chew on between these two world-renowned fighting promotions. With ESPN+, you can enjoy hundreds of “Best of Boxing” replays that let you sit ringside for some of the hottest fights in history. Just a few on-demand fights you can watch right now are:
- Ali vs Frazier II & III
- Leonard vs. Duran III
- Hagler vs. Hearns
- Tyson vs. Douglas
NFL Football
The 2019 NFL season wrapped up in January shortly before 2020 started getting crazy, and this year’s season doesn’t kick off until September barring any delays. Thankfully, ESPN+ has a myriad of NFL replays, recaps, and other related content to tide football junkies over until then. The NFL’s Greatest Games series is particularly meaty, presenting a ton of 30- to 90-minute recaps of the best games from the NFL vaults (and with 100 seasons so far, you can bet that vault is pretty huge).
NFL fans and ESPN+ subscribers also get access to the Super Bowl Archives, specially curated collections that feature the career highlights of football icons like Tom Brady and Eli Manning, and the NFL Films Top 10 Greatest Games Ever series, a 10-episode special which showcases (in order):
- 1958 NFL Championship Game: Baltimore Colts at New York Giants
- 1981 NFC Championship Game: Dallas Cowboys at San Francisco 49ers
- 1967 NFL Championship Game: Dallas Cowboys at Green Bay Packers
- 1981 AFC Divisional Playoff Game: San Diego Chargers at Miami Dolphins
- Super Bowl XLII: New York Giants vs. New England Patriots
- Super Bowl III: New York Jets vs. Baltimore Colts
- 1992 AFC Wild Card Playoff Game: Houston Oilers at Buffalo Bills
- Super Bowl XLIX: New England Patriots vs. Seattle Seahawks
- Super Bowl LI: New England Patriots vs. Atlanta Falcons
- Super Bowl XXV: New York Giants vs Buffalo Bills
College Football
College football fans will find much to enjoy on ESPN+ as well. The College Football 150 series offers a long look at the 150-year history of this American collegiate tradition, running all season long. The Greatest is another ESPN series focused on college football, this one focusing on a singular aspect of the game each week and looking back at the people and moments that make the sport so beloved. Saturdays in the South also delves into the history of the SEC (Southeastern Conference) football, taking fans all the way back to its humble beginnings.
Basketball
ESPN+ does air select live basketball games, but for regular NBA content, standard ESPN is probably a better bet. ESPN+ brings you some other content, however, like the Basketball: A Love Story documentary series that explores every aspect – from history to culture – of the sport (limited not just to the NBA but also the WNBA, college basketball, and international leagues) across 10 episodes. The 20-hour series contains exclusive interviews and insights from basketball legends such as LeBron James, Shaquille O’Neal, Charles Barkley, and the late Kobe Bryant, among numerous others.
Soccer
The 2020 MLS season was unfortunately postponed indefinitely, but fans of soccer (or “football” if you’re picky about that) aren’t left high and dry with ESPN+. 30 for 30: Soccer Stories contains eight different documentary films telling professional soccer stories from all around the world, and The 99’ers feature film retells the story of the ‘99 Women’s World Cup team that put women’s soccer on the map at the 1999 Rose Bowl. And, of course, you can also stream recaps and replays via ESPN+, with the FA Cup Round 5 replays highlighting matches like Chelsea vs. Liverpool and Derby County vs. Manchester United (to name only a couple you’ll want to check out).
Tennis
ESPN+ hosts replays of some of the biggest high-stakes matches in tennis history, including games from Wimbledon and the US Open that feature iconic players Roger Federer and Serena Williams. The ESPN tennis archives date as far back as 1968, too, so you’ve got plenty of tennis waiting for you to binge on while you’re stuck indoors.
Golf
If you’re one of the true sports sophisticates who appreciates the simple (and sometimes surprisingly intense) joy of watching golf, then rest assured ESPN+ hasn’t forgotten about you, either. It now hosts the entire collection of the official Masters Films, each one featuring an in-depth recap of every single Masters Tournament from 1960 to 2018.
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