Craig Carton did not mince words when reacting to ESPN’s plan to launch Women’s Sports Sundays this summer, delivering a blistering critique during Thursday’s edition of The Craig Carton Show on SportsGrid in which he questioned both the strategy and the long-term direction of the self-proclaimed Worldwide Leader.
Carton opened with a dramatic flourish, declaring that “ESPN just died” and arguing that the network’s decision to replace a 35-year Sunday baseball programming tradition with a themed women’s sports block signaled the end of an era.
“This is not a knock on the fabulously talented women that play professional sports,” said Carton. “They are very good at what they do when compared to other women. The reality is that there’s never been a television audience for it until Caitlin Clark started playing basketball in the WNBA.”
He acknowledged that the WNBA capitalized on Caitlin Clark’s popularity with record attendance and ratings. However, he questioned whether that surge can sustain a full summer programming strategy. He specifically wondered about consistency without Clark in marquee matchups.
Carton also questioned what he described as a lack of clarity around the concept. He wondered what Women’s Sports Sundays would include beyond live games. He speculated about possible studio shows and on-air talent pairings. Carton suggested that vague messaging from ESPN invited skepticism. He questioned how the block would be executed and who would lead the conversation each week.
“You’re going to get a nine week run all summer long. By the way, what does that mean? Bespoke studio programming? What does that mean,” questioned Carton. “Are we going to have a bunch of non binary transgender athletes commentating on athletics. I don’t know what it means.”
In perhaps his most pointed comment, Carton argued that if Clark is not featured prominently in every Sunday night showcase, ESPN risks undermining the very ratings lift it appears to be chasing.
“If Caitlin Clark is not playing in every single Sunday night game on ESPN, then you’re dumber than you act,” said Carton.
Carton went further and proposed a different strategy. He suggested leaning into reality-style competition programming featuring prominent female Olympians.
“First thing I would do is I take the 10 hottest female Olympic athletes and I have them do stuff like a Survivor. I would bring back Battle of the Network Stars. I would put that on instead,” joked Carton.
ESPN has positioned Women’s Sports Sundays as an extension of its expanding commitment to women’s leagues and championships, particularly as advertisers and younger demographics increasingly embrace those properties.
Across nine consecutive weeks and 12 different games, ESPN will deliver women’s sports matchups, providing what it labeled as “the biggest moments, rivalries and stars across women’s sports on ESPN networks in premium windows.”
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