ESPN BRINGS THE ‘BEST OF AUSSIES ABROAD’ HOME FOR CHRISTMAS
With nightly specials & a new website ESPNAussiesAbroad.com
ESPN’s award-winning feature series AUSSIES ABROAD has roamed the globe again in 2013, profiling and showcasing Aussie athletes doing amazing things on the international stage.
Now it’s time to relive the year’s travels with the BEST OF AUSSIES ABROAD – a nightly celebration of Australian greatness, kicking off on Monday night with our eagerly-awaited coverage of the 2013 Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii.
The BEST OF AUSSIES ABROAD appears nightly at 9pm from Monday December 23 through to Wednesday January 1 and also features three premiere episodes.
Gus Seebeck, GM ESPN Australia/NZ said “Aussies Abroad continues to take Aussie and NZ sports fans behind the scenes where no one else can take them and we are happy that we can bring sports fans the Best of Aussies Abroad in time for Christmas viewing including the added bonus of three premiere episodes. We are also really excited about the launch of another digital property for Australian and NZ audiences in ESPNAussiesAbroad.com.”
MONDAY DECEMBER 23 (9-11pm): 2013 IRONMAN WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
Our two-hour Hawaiian Ironman coverage is always greatly anticipated throughout the Ironman & triathlon worlds and this year’s special certainly meets the high expectations set by our award-winning coverage of previous years.
Hosted by ESPN’s JASON BENNETT alongside former world champions CHRIS McCORMACK, GREG WELCH & PAULA NEWBY-FRASER, we break down the world’s most grueling single-day sporting event from every angle, with a PRE-RACE SHOW and a POST-RACE SHOW to complement our in- race coverage as Australia’s golden run at this iconic event continues.
MONDAY DECEMBER 30 (9 – 10.30pm): AUSSIES ABROAD: JIMMY SPITHILL – NEVER GIVE UP
AUSSIES ABROAD host Jason Bennett spent time with Americas Cup Jimmy Spithill in the lead-up to the 2013 Cup Finals in San Francisco, then returned afterwards to relive one of the greatest comebacks in sporting history as Jimmy and his Oracle Team USA crew saw off 8 CONSECUTIVE MATCH POINTS to storm home and defend the Cup in a winner-takes-all finale.
Jimmy takes us behind-the-scenes and explains what REALLY happened. Did he truly still believe his team could win? It’s a fascinating insight into the power of psychology and team not to be missed.
WEDNESDAY JANUARY 1 (9 – 10pm): AUSSIES ABROAD: FROM TEE TO GREEN
To the general sports fan, the life of a professional golfer appears to be a comfortable and lucrative one – huge paychecks to play on the world’s best courses. How hard could it be?
This AUSSIES ABROAD special report throws back the curtain on the world of professional golf and illustrates the realities that the vast majority of touring pros face as they fight to make a living in one of the sporting world’s most competitive industries.
Jason Bennett spends time with Aussie foursome ARON PRICE, NICK FLANAGAN, BRONSON LA’CASSIE & ADAM CRAWFORD, who all played on the US Web.Com Tour (the level BELOW the PGA Tour) in 2013 and explores the ups and downs of life on the fairways. It’s a candid and compelling assessment of a very tough business through the eyes of four men who have lived it first-hand.
The entire BEST OF AUSSIES ABROAD schedule is as follows (episodes are ONE-HOUR in duration, unless otherwise specified and ALL begin at 9pm ET on ESPN Australia/NZ):
MON DECEMBER 23: 2013 Ironman World Championships (2-hour special)
TUES DECEMBER 24: March Madness (a whirlwind trip around the US to visit Aussies playing in the 2013 NCAA ‘March Madness’ National College Basketball Tournament)
WED DECEMBER 25: Matthew Dellavedova & The Kennelly Brothers (College basketball & now NBA star Matthew Dellavedova; then the story of 4 Perth brothers who are all signed to US Minor League Baseball teams)
THURS DECEMBER 26: Andrew Bogut (the rollercoaster journey of Australia’s most-prominent NBA star)
FRI DECEMBER 27: Taking A Punt (special report profiling the cut-throat world of NFL punting, starring Mat McBriar, Sav Rocca, Ben Graham, Darren Bennett & more)
SAT DECEMBER 28: Jake Brown & Jacko Strong (two of Australia’s biggest X Games stars: Jake the Megaramp skater & Jacko the Freestyle Motocross rider)
SUN DECEMBER 29: Orica GreenEDGE (exclusive behind-the-scenes look at Australia’s professional road-cycling team as they compete around Europe)
MON DECEMBER 30: Jimmy Spithill – NEVER GIVE UP (90-minute PREMIERE SPECIAL starring the winning skipper of the 2013 Americas Cup)
TUES DECEMBER 31: The Matildas (four Aussie women playing professional soccer in the US: Kyah Simon, Lisa De Vanna, Caitlin Foord & Samantha Kerr)
WED JANUARY 1: From Tee to Green (four Aussie golfers chasing their US PGA Tour dream via the Web.Com Tour: Aron Price, Nick Flanagan, Bronson La’Cassie & Adam Crawford)
