Viewers casually flipping through channels Sunday night were surprised to turn on ESPN2 and find the network airing some rather unusual programming.

The show was called "Heroes of the Dorm," an eSports tournament featuring students from Arizona State and Cal going head to head in the popular video game, "Heroes of the Storm."

eSports have made their way onto the ESPN networks but before Sunday they were usually on ESPN3.

This two-hour block of programming was competing directly with the NHL playoffs (NBC), the NBA playoffs (Turner) and Sunday Night Baseball on ESPN.

For those that missed the tournament, here's how the action looked and sounded:



The reaction from sports fans ranged from shock to anger to curiosity:




Many ESPN personalities weighed in, including SportsCenter anchor Robert Flores:




SportsNation co-host Michelle Beadle was just as amused:




Colin Cowherd, one of the network's most popular radio hosts, was enraged with ESPN's decision to show the tournament.

“Here’s what’s going to get me off the air," Cowherd said Monday. "If I am ever forced to cover guys playing video games, I will retire and move to a rural fishing village and sell bait. You want me out? Demand video game tournaments on ESPN because that’s what appeared on ESPN 2 yesterday.”

There's a reason ESPN chose to air "Heroes of the Dorm," and it likely has to do with eSports' soaring viewership. In fact, more people watched the 2013 League of Legends World Championship than the World Series and Final Four combined.

The team from Cal ultimately topped its Pac-12 rivals:


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