There is no debate about the amount of attention women’s sports has earned over the past several years. From record viewership to revenue, the audience has made its voice loud, and networks are noticing. Last year, the WNBA regular season was the most-watched regular season since 1998, averaging just under a million viewers per game for national telecasts.
The numbers are not just impressive in basketball, either. Last year’s NWSL championship between Gotham FC and the Washington Spirit averaged 1,184,000 viewers on CBS and Paramount+. That number alone pushed the average for the NWSL’s seven postseason matches to an 18% increase compared to the year prior, averaging 550,000 viewers per contest in 2025.
When ESPN lost Sunday Night Baseball as part of its mutual opt-out with Major League Baseball, questions emerged about whether a program would replace the long-running benchmark. Yesterday, ESPN took a leap of faith in its counterprogramming approach and announced ESPN Women’s Sports Sundays as that replacement. It is a bold statement and a defining moment for women’s sports. Will the effort meet or exceed last year’s success?
To be clear, ESPN’s announcement is for a limited run. This is not the expansive Sunday Night Baseball schedule that sports fans have grown accustomed to. The nine-week programming slate, which will include 12 games in the summer months, represents a low-risk approach. Exact dates have not been revealed. The effort likely will not overlap with ESPN/ABC’s coverage of either the Stanley Cup Final or the NBA Finals.
Instead, the months following the conclusion of the NHL and NBA seasons — and before the regular-season start of the NFL — need live programming. Network television takes the summer off, as does much of the country. Kids are out of school, and daily habits shift as the heat rises across the country.
ESPN described the strategy as a bold commitment to elite competition, consistency, and storytelling. The network said the goal is to position women’s sports as the main event on Sunday nights. The games will go head-to-head with NBC’s live coverage of Sunday Night Baseball. If the latest NBA viewership figures on NBC are any indication, MLB’s shift from cable to network television should generate increased interest and audience.
It was always going to be a challenge for ESPN to retain the audience it held for decades on that Sunday night appointment. That’s why the announcement should be considered low risk yet high reward.
Allowing an added spotlight for your partners is good business. WNBA and NWSL games will draw a larger audience than any cornhole tournament or random axe-throwing competition the network could air on a Sunday night in the summertime.
The goal for ESPN isn’t to replace Sunday Night Baseball’s audience. It is to use the appointment to draw a different audience to more of what the network offers all summer long.
It’s no secret that ESPN lost interest in covering baseball the way it once did. The sport moved to the back burner as interest in the NBA and NFL became a greater priority for the network. MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred noticed and said as much. I grew up watching Baseball Tonight and enjoyed the coverage it provided to the sport and the voice it helped create.
Last season, ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball averaged 1.83 million viewers per game, up 21% from the year prior. While many may credit the new Nielsen Big Data + Panel measurement introduced in September, viewership was trending upward before the implementation of that method.
Now, with the Sunday night real estate open, ESPN is opening the door to the latest hot property drawing attention across the country.
The goal isn’t to exceed viewership; it’s to see whether it can match the number baseball delivered the year prior. This isn’t just about showcasing stories; it’s about determining whether the tide of women’s sports can continue to rise with a primetime window.
ESPN has never been afraid of a challenge, and this is simply its latest test.
This announcement should also serve as a catalyst for the ongoing WNBA CBA negotiations. With fewer than three months until tipoff, the league’s largest network partner has added urgency to negotiations. ESPN’s visible commitment to the sport’s future within its signature weekend window should motivate both owners and players to reach an agreement sooner rather than later.
For the NWSL, the league has never had a better opportunity to showcase its product. It has recorded four straight years of viewership growth, including a 30% rise among women ages 18–34 just last year. The league also grew its social following by 27% year over year across its platforms. In addition, it marked a third consecutive season averaging 10,000 fans per match, the longest streak in league history.
Now, with an exclusive Sunday night window on the largest sports cable network during select weeks, the potential upside is clear.
For ESPN, the reward could prove instrumental to its generational success. The network has long committed to the growth of women’s sports through its espnW division and rights deals with the WNBA, NWSL, and others. It has also served as the exclusive home of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship for more than three decades.
There’s no guarantee that ESPN Women’s Sports Sundays will replicate the numbers Sunday Night Baseball delivered. It may not need to, but why not at least try while the iron is hot?
What ESPN is betting on isn’t a one-for-one trade in raw audience. It’s momentum, trajectory and cultural currency. Women’s sports are no longer a novelty — they are appointment viewing for a growing, younger, and more engaged audience. That audience is still forming habits. Still choosing its platforms. Still deciding which networks feel invested in its passion.
By planting a flag for women’s sports on Sunday night, ESPN isn’t simply filling a programming hole. It’s staking a long-term claim.
If the window delivers even modest results, the network still gains ground. ESPN would deepen ties with two ascending leagues. It would also reinforce its alignment with one of the fastest-growing segments in sports. That’s the floor.
But the ceiling? The ceiling is far more compelling.
If even one of those games breaks through — if a rivalry ignites, if a star becomes a household name, or if ratings climb week after week — ESPN will not simply have replaced Sunday Night Baseball. It will have reshaped its Sunday night identity around a new growth engine. It will have helped redefine what a Sunday night sports appointment looks like for the next generation.
That’s the difference between risk and vision.
This may be a calculated gamble. But in a media landscape chasing growth wherever it can find it, the upside isn’t incremental.
It’s potentially massive.
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John Mamola is Barrett Media’s sports editor and daily sports columnist. He brings over two decades of experience (Chicago, Tampa/St Petersburg) in the broadcast industry with expertise in brand management, sales, promotions, producing, imaging, hosting, talent coaching, talent development, web development, social media strategy and design, video production, creative writing, partnership building, communication/networking with a long track record of growth and success. He is a five-time recognized top 20 program director in a major market via Barrett Medi’s Top 20 series and has been honored internally multiple times as station/brand of the year (Tampa, FL) and employee of the month (Tampa, FL) by iHeartMedia. Connect with John by email at John@BarrettMedia.com.
