Corgi Racing on ESPN Baffles, Delights Viewers

Viewers tuning in to ESPN in the hopes of catching up with their sports favorites were met with the surprising sight of corgi racing which baffled and delighted many in equal measure.

On Saturday, a lul in the sporting schedule saw an injection of pure joy in the form of racing corgis being inserted into Saturday's listing.

It appears the race was a re-run of the 2021 Corgi Races at Emerald Downs Racecourse in Auburn in Washington state, which was first broadcast in July.

The broadcast was a world away from the MLS that had aired earlier that afternoon, although viewers did not seem to mind, including soccer fans.

Sports Illustrated writer Emma Baccellieri tweeted to her 23,900 followers: "PSA [Public Service Announcement]: There is corgi racing on ESPN right now. The joy of discovering this on the guide has completely vindicated me re: still paying for cable."

Seattle Sounders FC's brand ambassador was equally delighted by the premise of the tiny pooches setting off from the starting line, adding: "I was gonna watch @SoundersFC but there's corgi's racing on ESPN."

The Athletic NFL senior writer Lindsay Jones also could not contain her glee, appearing to be almost tempted to follow the fun-filled sport over football.

She said: "Preseason football is fine but did you know there is corgi racing on ESPN right now? Corgi racing."

But, not everyone was happy to see the somewhat disorganized running by the pint-sized pooches.

John Dissauer, Chief Meteorologist at KLKN-TV, posted: "ESPN has dropped to a new level. Airing corgi races. Heck, bring back @DC [Drum Corps International]!"

The 2021 Corgi Races saw six heats and a championship race during which dozens of corgis did their best to take first place.

But, there could only be one winner, and the plucky corgi to be crowned champion was Angus followed by second-placed Chance.

Corgi racing has not been the only sport to capture viewers' attention during the summer with a "Keep-up Balloon League" earning a whopping 6 million views on TikTok as of Friday.

Antonio, 21, Diego, 18, and their sister Isabel, 15, had been playing the unusual game, which itself is a take on the more 'traditional "Keep It Up," since January 2019 when the oldest shared the first clip on Twitter.

According to the siblings, the aim of the game is to keep the balloon off the ground while making it more difficult for the opponent.