Sick of March Madness Already? Here’s What To Watch Instead

by Rodney Campbell
5 min read
Written by Rodney Campbell

March Madness isn’t the only game in town. If you’re as mad at Baylor and Iowa State as Rodney Campbell is — and your bracket is busted — try these sports TV alternatives.

rodney-campbellaNewDomain — Already tired of the NCAA Tournament? March Madness bracket busted after two days?

Stupid Baylor. Dumb Iowa State.

Well, friends, we have some good news. Not everything on the tube this weekend revolves around a basketball. In fact, there’s no time like the present to catch up on sports that you may have ignored during the long, tiring college hoops season.

To wit, we offer the following (all times Eastern).

Saturday

6:45 a.m.
English Premier League: Manchester City vs. West Bromwich Albion (NBC Sports Network)
Manchester City looks to bounce back from an unlikely loss to bottom-feeder Burnley last week. City is in second place in the Premier League.

8 a.m.
30 for 30: I hate Christian Laettner (ESPN2)
Perfect programming for the college basketball hater. Watching Laettner and his Duke teammates win national titles is sure to dissuade anyone from wanting to check out more of the tournament.

9 a.m.
English Premier League: Newcastle vs. Arsenal (NBC Sports Network)
How worked up will Arsenal be after being eliminated by Monaco in the Champions League earlier this week? Tune in and see. Arsenal, by the way, has won five in a row in Premier League play.

College Cheerleading Championships (ESPN2)
Do you have the spirit? Okay! Then this is the program for you.

11 a.m.
NCAA Wrestling Championships (ESPNU)
If you liked the movie “Foxcatcher,” you’ll love this.

11:30 a.m.
English Premier League: West Ham vs. Sunderland (NBC Sports Network)
It’s the finale to a tripleheader. Yes, even good things have to come to an end. Sunderland is trying to fight off the relegation that comes with finishing in the bottom three of the table, uh, standings.

12:30 p.m.
PGA TOUR: Arnold Palmer Invitational (NBC)
A star-studded field is led after two rounds by Morgan Hoffman, a player who has never finished better than third in his career. Is this befitting the legend whose name headlines the event?

And, while you’re thinking of golf, take a minute to check out this awesome collection of Master’s Golf Tournament moments by my colleague Randy Waters at our sister site, BreakingModern. That tournament kicks off April 4 in Augusta.

1 p.m.
Major League Baseball Spring Training: Philadelphia vs. Toronto (MLB Network)
Canada’s team takes on the club with the most offensive fans in baseball.

2 p.m.
Pro tennis: BNP Paribas Open (ESPN)
While this tournament sounds totally European, it’s actually held in Indian Wells, Calif. The men’s side is holding serve while the top-ranked women are dropping like lob shots.

2:30 p.m.
PGA TOUR: Arnold Palmer Invitational (NBC)
Things get serious as afternoon play heats up in Orlando.

4 p.m.
Major League Baseball Spring Training: Kansas City at Chicago White Sox (MLB Network)
Watch the defending American League champions continue their slide back to mediocrity.

6:30 p.m.
College Softball: South Carolina vs. Texas A&M (SEC Network)
The Aggies are ranked 23rd in the country while South Carolina joins the lot of “others receiving votes” in the poll. Can’t you just sense a 1-0 game?

7 p.m.
World Armwrestling Championships (ESPN)
Programming like this proves ESPN is ceding the TV audience to the NCAA Tournament. This looks like the kind of filler the worldwide leader used to air in the early days, right before Australian Rules Football.

Sunday

6:30 a.m.
English Premier League: Liverpool vs. Manchester United (NBC Sports Network)
They’re shaking down the echoes of championship teams past at Old Trafford. Maybe that’s stretching it a little, but Man U is certainly more of a threat than it was last season.

9 a.m.
English Premier League: Hull vs. Chelsea (NBC Sports Network)
Front-runner Chelsea once looked untouchable at the top of the table. The field is closing in a bit now.

Noon
NHL: St. Louis vs. Detroit (NBC)
St. Louis is just a point out of the Western Conference lead and Detroit is seventh in the East. No matter. Throw out the records when these two teams meet.

12:30 p.m.
PGA TOUR: Arnold Palmer Invitational (Golf Channel)
The road to The Masters continues in Orlando. What will the big-name stars do to prepare for Augusta?

1 p.m.
NASCAR: Sprint Cup Series Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 (FOX)
Stock-car racing holds the honor of having the longest titles for its events. There are also a lot of left turns.

Major League Baseball Spring Training: Pittsburgh vs. Houston
The Pirates are coming off another playoff season while the Astros are trying to climb back to respectability. Watching this game in sunny Florida will also cause severe depression along the snowbound East Coast.

2 p.m.
PGA TOUR: Arnold Palmer Invitational (NBC)
Stay tuned to see who kisses the trophy at the end of the event. By the way, aren’t we all tired of seeing athletes kissing trophies?

Pro tennis: BNP Paribas Open (ESPN)
It’s time for more trophy-lifting and kissing. Decidedly tennis.

4 p.m.
Major League Baseball Spring Training: Texas vs. Seattle (MLB Network)
Call it an elevator game: The Mariners are going up, the Rangers are headed down.

5 p.m.
Major League Soccer: New York Red Bulls vs. DC United (ESPN2)
Teams shouldn’t be named after energy drinks.

7 p.m.
Major League Soccer: San Jose vs. Chicago (FOX Sports 1)
Can the Earthquakes extinguish the Fire? This one could be a natural disaster.

7:30 p.m.
Anaheim vs. New York Rangers (NBC Sports Network)
What better way to close out a sports weekend than with the top team in the West and second-place club in the East? It’s Hockey Night in America!

For aNewDomain, I’m Rodney Campbell.

Photo of the Toronto Blue Jays: by Getty Images. All rights reserved.

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