How to Watch Live Sports on TV This Weekend, Despite the Coronavirus Cancelations

Here’s how you can pass the time without sports to watch due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The coronavirus pandemic sweeping the globe has everyone on edge. People are rightly concerned about their health and that of their loved ones, and they can’t fall back on sports as an escape. 

The outbreak has forced nearly every professional and high-level amateur sports league in the world to call off games. There will be no NCAA tournament. The NBA and NHL have halted their seasons. MLB Opening Day will not occur later this month as previously scheduled. Since I started working on this post late Friday morning, three more events were canceled (IndyCar’s St. Petersburg Grand Prix, the Scotland-Wales Six Nations rugby match initially slated for Saturday, and Sunday’s NASCAR race in Atlanta). 

But there are still a few live games going on this weekend, if you know where to look. They mostly take place in the Southern Hemisphere, at inconvenient times for American audiences, and they won’t be part of your usual cable sports package, but you can watch them if you really need to scratch your live sports itch. (The listings are obviously subject to change.)

Otherwise, ESPN, Fox Sports and NBC Sports will spend the weekend airing replays of old games and wacky competitions like axe-throwing and the “Red Bull Crashed Ice” downhill ice-skating racing. Also included at the bottom of this page is a list of sports movies and documentaries available on major streaming services. It should be enough to keep you occupied while you try to limit your exposure to the outside world. 

Live sports

Friday

3 p.m. ET (Fox Soccer Plus): Salford Red Devils vs. Wigan Warriors (Rugby Super League)

8 p.m. ET (Fox): SmackDown Live (WWE)

10:55 p.m. ET (ESPN+): Melbourne Victory vs. Sydney FC (W-League semifinals)

11 p.m. ET (FS2): Tijuana vs. Pachuca (Liga MX)

11:20 p.m. ET (ESPN+): Blues vs. Lions (Super Rugby)

Saturday

Midnight ET (Fox Soccer Plus): Brisbane Lions vs. Collingwood Magpies (AFL Women’s Premiership)

1:30 a.m. ET (ESPN+): Sunwolves vs. Crusaders (Super Rugby)

1:55 a.m. ET (ESPN+): Sydney FC vs. Perth Glory (A-League)

4 a.m. ET (Fox Soccer Plus): Melbourne Demons vs. Carlton Blues (AFL Women’s Premiership)

4:10 a.m. ET (ESPN+): Reds vs. Bulls (Super Rugby)

4:25 a.m. ET (ESPN+): Melbourne City FC vs. Western Sydney Wanderers FC (A-League)

9 a.m. ET (ESPN+): Sharks vs. Stormers (Super Rugby)

9:55 a.m. ET (ESPN+): ATK vs. Chennaiyin FC (Indian Super League final)

3 p.m. ET (ESPN+): UFC Fight Night 170

6:55 p.m. (ESPN+): Jaguares vs. Highlanders (Super Rugby)

10 p.m. ET (Fox Soccer Plus): Western Bulldogs vs. Fremantle Dockers (AFL Women’s Premiership)

10:25 p.m. ET (ESPN+): Melbourne City FC vs. Western Sydney Wanderers FC (W-League semifinals)

Sunday

Midnight ET (Fox Soccer Plus): Adelaide Crows vs. Greater Western Sydney Giants (AFL Women’s Premiership)

1:15 a.m. ET (ESPN+): Wellington Phoenix vs. Melbourne Victory (A-League)

2 a.m. ET (Fox Soccer Plus): West Coast Eagles vs. Gold Coast Suns (AFL Women’s Premiership)

3:15 a.m. ET (ESPN+): Adelaide United vs. Newcastle Jets (A-League)

Movies and documentaries

Netflix

Miracle

Ali

Major League II

Amazon Prime

Creed II

Blue Chips

A Football Life

Hulu

No Holds Barred

Borg vs. McEnroe

Gridiron Gang

HBO GO

24/7 College Football

Andre the Giant

Being Serena

Belichick and Saban: The Art of Coaching

Billie Jean King: Portrait of a Pioneer

City Dump: The Story of the 1951 CCNY Basketball Scandal

The Crash Reel

Diego Maradona

Hard Knocks

Hoop Dreams

Michigan vs. Ohio State: The Rivalry

The Shop

Tour de Pharmacy

Well Groomed

Women of Troy

Showtime

Bipolar Rock ‘N’ Roller

Running for His Life: The Lawrence Phillips Story

Quiet Storm: The Ron Artest Story

Disgraced