ESPN Africa partners with ‘Bob O’Connor’

Comedy is everything and it’s no secret how much I especially enjoy it, and this time ESPN Africa have decided to also do something in that space. In case you thought you read that incorrectly then don’t because sport is getting a dash of comedy and I for one approve. ESPN Africa is continuing with the spirit of its promise to bring the best of American sports to the continent by announcing a collaboration with comedy character Bob O’Connor.

As part of the local brand campaign, O’Connor, the alter ego of actor Tyson Ngubeni (who used to be a colleague of mine once upon a time), will lend his talents as a special correspondent with delusions of a would-be career as a professional athlete if it were not for an injury caused by stubbing his toe at his high school graduation. He has been stationed in South Africa since 2018. Checkout the first video here.

Through his witty humour and sporting knowledge, O’Connor will be sharing insights that will help South African’s foster understanding of American sports both on television and social media. With his unique comedic approach, he draws parallels between the iconic leagues featured on both ESPN and ESPN 2, and our country’s own sporting leagues, all in an effort to help explain some of the facets of American sports that have intrigued audiences for years. He also does occasional pieces of social commentary on South African cultural nuances to hilarious effect.

Viewers can catch the on-air campaign across both ESPN and ESPN 2, as well as National Geographic, National Geographic Wild, and Fox. They can also connect to @ESPNAfrica across Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, as well as Africa.espn.com to keep up to date with the latest from the hilarious O’Connor, the world of American Sports and beyond.

Sports fans have a lot to look forward to this year as ESPN’s schedule is packed with the best sporting action from not only American, but European and other premium sports leagues as well.

Starting with America’s favourite sport, the NFL (National Football League), January is crunch time as the regular season comes to an end. The post-season brings high stakes football with the Wild Card Round, Divisional Round and Conference Finals to follow. Who will win the right to compete for the Lombardi Trophy? Who will compete in the iconic Super Bowl final event, scheduled to take place on 8^th February at 01:30 (CAT) with the popular half time show?

The NBA (National Basketball Association) is now back in full swing. LeBron and the Lakers will be looking to return to the finals and win back to back championships. The rest of the league are out to beat them and ensure that their respective franchises lift the Larry O’ Brien NBA Championship Trophy.

“This local brand collaboration with Bob O’Connor will walk side by side with fans as we kick off an action-packed year for sport on the ESPN channels in 2021. His self-deprecating humour and signature comedy style are a treat to watch, while also being invaluable in explaining American sporting leagues to viewers and fans across the continent.” said Evert van der Veer, Vice President, Media Networks, The Walt Disney Company Africa.

Together with live sports programming, viewers will also be able to catch up on the very latest films, series, news, talk shows and highlights from ESPN’s iconic sports documentary and studio programming throughout the year.

Catch Bob O’Connor this month on ESPN, ESPN2 and on social media @ESPNAfrica.

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#ESPN Africa #Tyson Ngubeni

Posted By

Thabiso Moloi

With many, many years of PR, digital & influencer marketing work under his belt, Thabiso has worked on a great number of technology, business and consumer brands. In addition, he has become obsessed with most things under the sun including music, series, sports, movies etc which he now regularly writes about. You can find him on Twitter: @Thabz_14