As you may know, we’re big sports trivia fans here at The Odds Factory and nothing makes us happier than giving away $25 every day to our smartest readers with our new Run the Table trivia game.
There’s really only one thing that would bring us even more joy…and that’s seeing sports trivia take the center stage once more in the world of network TV. Here are our favorite sports trivia TV shows from the past that we want back on the air ASAP.
Sports Jeopardy!
Network: Crackle
Air Date: 2014 – 2017 (100 Episodes)
Host: Dan Patrick
How in the good name of Dan Patrick did this show flop? This show launched in 2014, and as you can guess, was hosted by beloved SportsCenter anchor and star of Grown Ups 2, Dan Patrick. The format was nearly identical to the standard Jeopardy! show (RIP Alex Trebek), but the questions were exclusively sports-related. However, it sadly lasted just three seasons before it was ultimately canceled.
It seemed like such a perfect idea for a TV show that would capture a massive sports trivia fan audience (its first season had 25,000 people sign up for 150 spots), but it failed for a few reasons.
1. It Was on Crackle
For those who don’t remember (I don’t blame you), Crackle was an online streaming service that was launched in the mid-2000s. Since its inception, it changed hands several times and is ultimately owned by Chicken Soup for the Soul, which makes absolutely zero sense. (I had no idea this was an entire corporation?)
Even at the time that it was launched, no one was that excited about the service. It made sense for Sony to have a competitive offering in the growing field of online streaming video. But they were already so far behind the rest of the market that it didn’t make a ton of sense.
It was also widely considered the worst-designed app of all time and people generally hated it. So that didn’t help.
2. They Gambled Too Hard on Digital
When Sony launched Sports Jeopardy!, they took a big gamble and made the series digital-only. They even launched an exclusive app before the show premiered that allowed users to answer sports trivia questions and engage with other users within the app. Unfortunately, much like the lesson learned by Quibi, consumers just didn’t really want to watch 25-minute episodes on their phones.
After calling Crackle and Sports Jeopardy! the “next evolution of television,” there was tremendous pressure on the launch that immediately didn’t pan out, as only 1.4 million people tuned in to the first episode.
Had the executives been smart and also made the show available on cable or another TV format, they might have been able to save it, as the content itself was fantastic. But by the time it found a new home on NBC Sports Network, the damage had already been done, and the show was quietly canceled after three seasons.
This show should have worked, and I still hold out hope that one day it will return.
Stump the Schwab
Network: ESPN
Air Date: 2004 – 2006 (80 Episodes)
Host: Stuart Scott
Probably my favorite show on this list (and one of my favorite TV shows in general) and arguably the most successful sports trivia show of all time, Stump the Schwab pitted ESPN producer Howie Schwab (proud recipient of the silver medal in our Best Sports Trivia Players Ever ranking) against 3 participants in each episode. Sports trivia shows like this were the ideal daytime TV to watch when you were home sick for two reasons.
1. Schwab Was a Machine
Schwab, the self-proclaimed “Sultan of Sports Trivia,” was basically a computer database of sports trivia. In the 4 seasons the show ran, he went 64-16. That’s an 80% win rate for a guy going against 3 other contestants, every single night. It’s incredibly impressive but maybe a little alarming to have that much of your brain filled with sports trivia? Not for me to judge. The man is a hero.
2. Stuart Scott
RIP to this man, who always brought the energy and is to this day, one of my favorite SportsCenter and overall hosts. He delivered in full for this show, creating tons of great banter and catchphrases, like daring contestants to “challenge the Socrates of the stat sheet.”
There’s been talk of the show being revived, either through Facebook Live or on other networks, but so far nothing has come to fruition. Like the rest of America, I’ll just have to wait patiently for our king of sports trivia.
Ultimate Fan League
Network: Fox Sports Net
Air Date: 1998 – 1999
Host: Bill Dwyer
This game show was a pretty standard trivia game with one big twist – the incorporation of actual sports (kind of). At the beginning of the game, a player would throw a Nerf ball at a game board with nine TV monitors, each with a hidden category. From there, they would go through standard trivia gameplay, with different sports trivia questions asked each round for them to answer.
The real interesting part of this show was the season-long format. There were twenty sports trivia teams that competed during the year-long tournament, which were divided into 4 divisions at the start of the year, before the playoffs. They even wore jerseys like this, which is both the most ‘90s thing ever and honestly kind of sick.
In case you didn’t recognize him, yes that is Frank Nicotero, a contestant on the show who went on to host Street Smarts. Sadly, he did not make our best sports trivia players ever list.
2 Minute Drill
Network: ESPN
Air Date: 2000 – 2001
Host: Kenny Mayne
I stumbled across this show recently on ESPN Classic (the most underrated channel in cable history) last year. The format for the show is a little different than a standard trivia broadcast, as each contestant is given 2 minutes to answer as many questions as they can in one of four categories. If they guess incorrectly, they have to pick another category. And at the end of each round, the lowest scorer is eliminated.
What made the show fun was the panel of athletes and celebrities, all of whom would have specific trivia asked about them (for example, Deion Sanders questions when Deion was on the panel). On top of that, the game was incredibly intense due to the 2-minute timer and over-the top-graphics and suspenseful music.
Give it a quick gander.
This show was the perfect way to pass 5 hours on a rainy Saturday, and I hope this comes back ASAP.
