Super Bowl 50 is this week and that means the weekend sports schedule is fairly horrible. Nobody wants to compete with a game that draws 100 million sets of eyes. That being said, there are some quality items that you can use to build other parts of your guest following.

UFC Fight Night

Let’s start with the free UFC event on Saturday at 8pm ET on FS1(219). The main event features Johny Hendricks vs Stephen Thompson. Both are contenders fighting for a shot at the 170lbs Title.

Free events like these are the foundation you need to build upon to justify your investment in the UFC PPV schedule. Add to these programming like The Ultimate Fighter and you can prove to your guests that you get MMA and UFC right.

NCAA Basketball Heats Up

The NCAA Basketball schedule is fairly light this weekend (yes, the Super Bowl), but there are a few games of note. Two games between nationally ranked teams lead the way. #2 North Carolina visits #25 Notre Dame at 7pm ET on ESPN, and Baylor takes on West Virginia at 8pm on ESPN2. There is also a great rivalry game as Michigan St goes to Ann Arbor to take on Michigan (2pm ET, CBS). These intra conference games are crucial stepping stones to the conference tournaments and ultimately March Madness.

NASCAR Starts Its Engines

Finally, with February comes the beginning of the NASCAR season. Their first race isn’t until Saturday, February 13 at 3:30pm ET on FOX, but that doesn’t mean your guests aren’t thinking about it.

The Daytona 500 is the Super Bowl of NASCAR and there are already some great conversations brewing about who’s gonna do what this year. That means your guests will be ready to discuss it. Get brushed up on your NASCAR facts and encourage your guests to watch the games at your place. One thing you can do is show some of the preview shows (they will be listed on the guides the week before the season begins) to prove you’re tuned in and ready to make your venue the perfect place to watch race season.

Have a great weekend of sports and, as always, feel free to reach out to me with questions or ideas about how to best leverage your programming.

AIJ