The Big Boy Soap Hockey League returns for its second tournament in two years in the Tampa area. The tournament takes place at the Showmen’s Club, located at 6915 Riverview Dr. in Riverview, on Saturday, May 16, from 10:30 a.m.-1 p.m. and will air on ESPN2 in August.
The first tournament was held in Brandon last year at the J.C. Handly Sports Complex and made its TV debut on ESPN2 in August 2025. Reruns on ESPNews are shown frequently throughout the year.
Bloomingdale High School graduate Nick Pletcher, who runs production company Glass Eye Creative out of Atlanta, Georgia, wanted to bring soap hockey to his hometown because of the potential interest he thought the game would garner. Over 100 people attended the filming of the event last year. The popularity of the contest made ESPN want to air another tournament this summer. Spectators are encouraged to attend the free event, which will have food trucks, a drum line and a live DJ to accompany the festivities. A new mascot called Duck Duck Dude will attend. The giant rubber duck with a water gun will harass the players throughout the afternoon.
The Big Boy Soap Hockey League, which was created by Pletcher and his friends, is back with new players, new uniforms and brand-new logos, along with some new concepts. Soap hockey is played on a giant 30-foot-by-40-foot, soap-drenched tarp and is usually three versus three. Unlike regular hockey, soap hockey doesn’t have very many rules but is also very rough and tumble. Players are allowed to grab other players sticks. The style and concept are in the same vein as the Savannah Bananas, with lax rules and a goofy, fun environment.
“I’m really looking forward to kind of trying to perfect this format and this tournament some more,” said Pletcher. “Year one was really about just getting together and physically making it when kind of figuring it out as we’re going. I think we really figured it out and I think that we are going to catch lightning in a bottle, and we have some really cool stuff in store.”
The event will consist of eight teams in a single-elimination format with 10-minute games and live commentators. Popular Instagram hockey influencers from On The Bench will be the two power players that are allowed to sub in once a game for two minutes to help out a team. Power-ups are also a new addition this year, where for one minute a team can force the other players to either swap out their sticks for pool noodles or smaller sticks, or wear blindfolds or ankle weights. The final minute of the game is called Bubble Blitz, where bubbles will come out of the goals and goals will be worth two points.
“Last year, I think we had a lot of fun, it was a lot of high energy,” said Pletcher. “The biggest thing about this is that we need to be having fun. It’s too much work to do if it’s not any fun. I just want to make sure we are having a good time and bringing the energy.”
Pletcher wants to make the league as popular as possible. He said that he is speaking to several streaming companies in Los Angeles, California, about creating a soap hockey show similar to Wipeout. He wants the league to grow in popularity like the Savannah Bananas, where they can tour and do more tournaments.
“If anybody is reading this and wants to be on TV and watch a really fun sport, they should come out and support,” said Pletcher. “We’ll have food, we’ll have drinks and all kinds of fun stuff, so they should come out.”
For more information, visit www.bigboysoaphockey.com. The league can also be followed on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube @BigBoySoapHockey.
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