Rousey to co-star on Battle of the Network Stars reboot

The ‘70s and ‘80s trash sports television show, Battle of the Network Stars, premiered on ABC Sports in 1976 and continued for 13 years. Now ABC has announced that it will be revived, starting on Thursday, June 29, from 9:00-10:00 pm ET. The 10-episode summer event will pit teams of current and classic TV stars from multiple eras and different genres against one another in a variety of athletic games. Viewers can look forward to seeing a fresh take at some of the classic show’s sporting events like Tug of War, Archery, Kayak Relay, the Obstacle Course, and the Dunk Tank.

Super Bowl 50 winner DeMarcus Ware and MMA Fighter Ronda Rousey will be the team captains. The hosts will be Mike Greenberg and Joe Tessitore of ESPN; Cassidy Hubbarth and Cari Champion of ESPN will be the sideline reporters.

We believe there is no format which is a better time machine than Battle of the Network Stars,” said Executive Producer Andrew Glassman. “Plus the name itself fills you with nostalgia and a sense of positive energy – like the beach party you really want to be invited to with your favorite people from TV. For this new version, the network vs. network format didn’t make as much sense as fielding teams based on the characters people love from over the years to the current day – Cops vs. TV Sitcoms, White House vs. Lawyers, TV Moms & Dads vs. TV Kids, etc. In this way, we’ll get to see everyone’s favorites from over the years, even if they spanned different networks at the time.

What you missed the first time:

The 100 TV stars, from 14 different network and cable companies, will be announced at a later date. The series takes place from the same venue as the original show, at Pepperdine University in Malibu, California.