Celebrate obscure sports as ESPN 8: The Ocho returns to the Charlotte area.

The 2004 comedy “Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story” gave us Ben Stiller’s epic mustache, Vince Vaughn’s vintage sweat bands and the classic line, “If you can dodge a wrench, you can dodge a ball.” The film also introduced us to “ESPN 8: The Ocho,” a fictional ESPN channel broadcasting obscure sports like — you guessed it — dodgeball.

On the heels of “Dodgeball’s” popularity, ESPN brought The Ocho to life in 2017, launching its infamous Ocho Day, a tradition of hosting 24 hours of less-common sports programming live on ESPN2.

Last year, ESPN brought Ocho Day to Rock Hill. Next week, Ocho Day returns to the Charlotte area — and it’s bigger than ever.

“All of us at ESPN saw the live event as a huge success,” ESPN programming and acquisitions manager Johanna Goldblatt told CharlotteFive. “We walked away from last year’s event wanting to see how we could build off of it.”

Ocho Day (or should it be called Ocho Days?) will span three days this year. Fans can tune in for 43 hours of programming, beginning on Thursday, Aug. 3 and running through Saturday, Aug. 5.

Almost half of the festivities will be broadcast live from Rock Hill, which ESPN has dubbed “Ocho-Ville.” “We’re intentional about the onsite activation experience at Manchester Meadows — we want to make it feel like a spectator-first event,” Goldblatt said.

New, returning sports make up Ocho Day festivities

While Ocho Day classics like air guitar, quadball, foosball, cornhole, kickball, ax throwing and wiffle ball will get their time in the spotlight, a number of new sports will join the ranks this year. Expect to see 31 brand new sports this year, including dog surfing, foot golf, tractor pulling and auctioneers championships among others. In all, 52 seldom-seen sports will air on The Ocho this year.

Cornhole will still have a prominent place, however, helping to kickoff and close programming for The Ocho this year.

“Cornhole has been with us since the start — it’s a model story of what The Ocho is,” Goldblatt said. This year, fans will have the opportunity to see former NFL standout Chad Ochocinco Johnson compete in the cornhole SuperHole IV Championship Friday night. He’ll also be in the studio with Marty & McGee on Friday at 3 p.m.

Celebrities Shemar Moore, Sanya Richards-Ross, Paige Hathaway, Alex Mattison, Crissa Jackson and Kel Mitchell will also compete throughout the weekend.

Fans can also keep an eye out for professional pool player Jeanette Lee, whose career was highlighted in the ESPN 30 for 30 film “Jeanette Lee Vs.” that premiered last December. Lee will compete in the Professional Cuesports League’s Ocho Day debut on Friday, Aug.4.

Fan experience in Rock Hill aka Ocho-Ville

ESPN is thrilled to host Ocho Day in Rock Hill again and hopes that fans take advantage of opportunities to watch many of the events in-person.

“We saw the popularity of kickball at Manchester Meadows last year and wanted to give it a primetime spot this year,” Goldblatt said.

Ocho Day kicks off with a Savannah Bananas game in Georgia, but all eyes turn to Rock Hill for the rest of the event. Aside from the cornhole events, all other events are free for fans.

A Fan Zone at Manchester Meadows will be open to the public throughout the day Friday, Aug. 4 — expect food trucks, music, vendors, and giveaways.

[READ NEXT: The Savannah Bananas came to Kannapolis. Why this wacky baseball team is so popular.]

In addition to Manchester Meadows, events will also take place at Rock Hill Sports and Event Center. Both venues open an hour before the first event.

As for Goldblatt’s favorite sport? “I’m excited to see them all, but I’m especially excited for OmegaBall — it’s like soccer on a circular field with three teams competing at once. There’s a lot of strategy as to when to attack and where to defend.”

2023 ESPN 8: The Ocho

Location: Rock Hill Sports & Event Center, 326 Technology Center Way, Rock Hill, SC 29730 Location: Manchester Meadows, 337 E Mt Gallant Rd, Rock Hill, SC 29730

How to watch: Friday, Aug. 3 at 1 9 p.m. through Saturday, Aug. 5 at 1 p.m. online and on demand through the ESPN app.

Instagram: @espn

ESPN8: The Ocho Full Television Schedule

Table key:

*Live, in Rock Hill at Manchester Meadows

^Live, in Rock at Rock Hill Sports and Event Center

~Live, outside of Rock Hill

Bold – Sport making Ocho debut