Sep 19, 2022 - Sports

Jai alai's Hail Mary: ESPN to air series on Miami-based league

Deirdra Funcheon

A jai alai player with a wicker cesta. — A jai alai player in Miami back in 2001. Photo: David LeFranc/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images

Professional jai-alai teams once played at more than a dozen venues across the U.S. in the fast-moving sport's heyday, back in the 1970s and '80s.

Now they play at just one fronton (court): Miami's Magic City Casino. But a fresh deal with ESPN could bring the sport into 200 million homes.

What's happening: ESPN will follow four teams during the second season of a series called "Battle Court," which will air on ESPN3 on Fridays starting this week.

Between the lines: The coming year will determine whether online betting brings new life and profitability to the sport.

Otherwise, it could go extinct in the states, Magic City's chief operating officer Scott Savin told gambling news site US Bets.

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Jai alai's Hail Mary: ESPN to air series on Miami-based league

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