Narrow World of Sports
| Company type | Television program |
|---|---|
| Industry | Sports entertainment |
| Founded | 2017 |
| Founder | James "The Professor" Rochford |
| Headquarters | Balmain , Australia |
Area served | Australia |
Key people | James "The Professor" Rochford (host), Andrew "Barney" Barnett (co-host), Nathan Hindmarsh (contributor), Emma Lawrence (news correspondent) |
| Products | Sports television program focused on rugby league |
Narrow World of Sports—previously known as The Professor's Second Year Syndrome, The Professor's Farewell Tour, and The Professor's Late Hit—was an Australian sports TV program aired on Fox League Friday evenings following NRL fixtures. Hosted by James "The Professor" Rochford alongside Andrew "Barney" Barnett, the show regularly featured ex-rugby league athlete Nathan Hindmarsh and journalist Emma Lawrence from 10 News First. Its content offered a humorous and satirical examination of rugby league controversies and current topics.
In December 2018, Rochford and Barnett introduced a related series, The Night Watchmen, broadcast on Fox Cricket throughout the 2018-19 cricket season.
Due to COVID-19 restrictions that prohibited studio audiences, production ceased after a single episode in 2020.
Presenters
- James "The Professor" Rochford (lead host, 2017–2020)
- Andrew "Barney" Barnett (co-host 2019–2020; featured in The NRL Store infomercials 2018)
- Nathan Hindmarsh (regular contributor 2017; co-host 2018–2020)
- Emma Lawrence (news correspondent, 2018–2020)
Regular contributors
- Brett Finch (co-host, 2017-2018)
- Chris "Pagey" Page (co-host and bartender, 2017-2018)
- Bryan Fletcher
- Emma Freedman
- John Hopoate
- Matthew Johns (appearing as himself and as the character Mighty Mick Matherson)
- Steven Menzies
- Herman Mose (security personnel)
- Sam Taunton
- Tommy Tuxedo
History
The program debuted as part of Fox League’s inaugural lineup during the channel’s official launch at Birchgrove Oval in Balmain on 15 February 2017. Its first episode aired on 3 March 2017 at approximately 10pm, immediately following the NRL match between the South Sydney Rabbitohs and the West Tigers.
James Rochford, recognized for his weekly satirical segment Not The NRL News on Monday Night with Matty Johns, developed this show as an expanded iteration of that concept. The initial season in 2017 was titled The Professor's Second Year Syndrome.
In 2018, the series was retitled The Professor's Farewell Tour, retaining its core format but transitioning from live broadcasts to pre-recorded episodes with edited language to censor swearing.
For the 2019 season, the program adopted the name The Professor's Late Hit, aligning its structure with their cricket series The Night Watchmen by featuring guest appearances that highlighted their careers each week.
In 2020, the show was rebranded as Narrow World of Sports, a deliberate nod to Nine’s Wide World of Sports, signaling a refreshed identity within Fox League’s sports entertainment offerings.
Series overview
| Season | Episodes | Originally aired | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First aired | Last aired | ||||
| 1 | 30 | 3 March 2017 | 28 September 2017 | ||
| 2 | 28 | 9 March 2018 | 21 September 2018 | ||
| 3 | 28 | 15 March 2019 | 27 September 2019 | ||
| 4 | 1 | 13 March 2020 | 13 March 2020 | ||
Season 1 (2017) - The Professor's Second Year Syndrome
Note: Unless otherwise specified, every episode includes James Rochford, Brett Finch, and Chris Page.
{{Episode list
EpisodeNumber =14 EpisodeNumber2 =14 RTitle ="Episode14" OriginalAirDate= Viewers =93,000
}}
{{Episode list
EpisodeNumber =N/A EpisodeNumber2 =N/A RTitle ="Mid-Season Best Of Special" OriginalAirDate= Viewers =68,000
}}
{{Episode list
EpisodeNumber =15 EpisodeNumber2 =15 RTitle ="Episode15" OriginalAirDate= Viewers =64,000
}}
{{Episode list
EpisodeNumber =16 EpisodeNumber2 =16 RTitle ="Episode16" OriginalAirDate= Viewers =98,000
}}
{{Episode list
EpisodeNumber =17 EpisodeNumber2 =17 RTitle ="Episode17" OriginalAirDate= Viewers =72,000
}}
{{Episode list
EpisodeNumber =18 EpisodeNumber2 =18 RTitle ="Episode18" OriginalAirDate= Viewers =82,000
}}
{{Episode list
EpisodeNumber =19
EpisodeNumber2 =19
RTitle ="Episode19"
OriginalAirDate=
Viewers =69,000
}}
{{Episode list
EpisodeNumber =20
EpisodeNumber2 =20
RTitle ="Episode20"
OriginalAirDate=
Viewers =92,000
}}
{{Episode list
EpisodeNumber =21
EpisodeNumber2 =21
RTitle ="Episode21"
OriginalAirDate=
Viewers =83,000
}}
{{Episode list
EpisodeNumber =22
EpisodeNumber2 =22
RTitle ="Episode22"
OriginalAirDate=
Viewers =86,000
}}
{{Episode list
EpisodeNumber =23
EpisodeNumber2 =23
RTitle ="Episode23"
OriginalAirDate=
Viewers =80,000
}}
{{Episode list
EpisodeNumber =24
EpisodeNumber2 =24
RTitle ="Episode24"
OriginalAirDate=
Viewers =91,000
}}
{{Episode list
EpisodeNumber =25
EpisodeNumber2 =25
RTitle ="Episode25"
OriginalAirDate=
Viewers =100,000
}}
{{Episode list EpisodeNumber = EpisodeNumber2 = RTitle = OriginalAirDate= Viewers = }}
Season 2 (2018) - The Professor's Farewell Tour
Note: Unless indicated otherwise, all episodes include James Rochford, Brett Finch, Chris Page, Nathan Hindmarsh, and Emma Lawrence.
Season 3 (2019) - The Professor's Late Hit
Note: James Rochford, Andrew Barnett, Nathan Hindmarsh, and Emma Lawrence appear in every episode unless otherwise specified.
Season 4 (2020) - Narrow World of Sports
Note: Production was halted after the initial episode due to COVID-19 restrictions that prohibited live studio audiences.