ESPN Replaces ‘Sunday Night Baseball’ with Primetime Women’s Sports Showcase

ESPN is replacing its 35-year-old “Sunday Night Baseball” franchise with “Women’s Sports Sundays,” a new primetime block dedicated to the WNBA and NWSL. The move frees up one of TV's most valuable timeslots for the network to bet on the surging popularity of women’s professional sports.

• A whole new ballgame: The programming shift comes after a restructured media deal with MLB moved its exclusive Sunday games off the network. The decision to fill the slot with women's sports is backed by hard data: NWSL championship viewership broke the one-million mark in 2025, and the WNBA's audience on ESPN networks climbed 6% last season.
• The game plan: The new franchise will debut in summer 2026 with a nine-week, 12-game slate of top-tier WNBA and NWSL matchups. ESPN’s programming EVP, Rosalyn Durant, said the goal is to build a “consistent, high-profile destination that reflects the passion, excellence and cultural impact of women’s sports today.”
• Labor pains: The ambitious launch isn't without risk. According to Front Office Sports, tense labor negotiations currently underway in the WNBA threaten to delay the league’s 2026 season and could derail ESPN’s debut schedule before it even starts.

ESPN is making a landmark strategic bet, trading a legacy sports franchise for the high-growth potential of women's leagues in a clear signal of where it sees the future of sports media heading.