ESPN to launch 'Women’s Sports Sundays'

Debuting this summer, it's a first of its kind weekly primetime franchise showcasing the best of women’s sports in premium windows

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— ESPN PR (@ESPNPR) February 19, 2026

What "Women's Sports Sundays" Actually Looks Like

Starting mid-June (after NBA and NHL playoff coverage wraps), ESPN will broadcast 12 primetime games across nine consecutive Sundays — a mix of WNBA basketball and NWSL soccer. The games won't air alone. They'll be surrounded by dedicated studio programming, featuring a roster of talent ESPN has been quietly building for years: Malika Andrews, Chiney Ogwumike, Monica McNutt, and Andraya Carter, among others.

ESPN VP of Women's Sports Programming Susie Piotrkowski described it plainly: "This was an opportunity to be intentional and make sure our most premium women's sports properties were presented in a regular showcase."

A 60-person internal team has been meeting regularly to develop the concept. This wasn't thrown together. ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro directed this shift, and the network is treating it like a major franchise launch — not a filler block.

Down the road, the window could expand to include women's college basketball, softball, and other properties. ESPN's EVP of Programming Rosalyn Durant called it "a flag in the ground and a continuing commitment."

The Numbers Tell the Real Story

Critics screaming about the end of Sunday Night Baseball need to look at the scoreboard.

Sunday Night Baseball averaged 1.8 million viewers in 2025 — its best mark since 2017. Respectable. But here's what's getting overlooked: ESPN averaged 1.3 million viewers per WNBA game in 2025, a 6% increase year-over-year. And that was largely without Caitlin Clark, who missed significant time with injury.

Let that sink in. The WNBA — without its biggest star — was already pulling numbers in the same ballpark as baseball. The NWSL championship cracked 1 million viewers for the first time in 2025. NWSL TV ratings were up 22% from 2024 to 2025.

Put Clark back on the court healthy. Add Paige Bueckers, Angel Reese, and a full WNBA expansion roster. Put those matchups in a Sunday primetime slot with full studio programming and marketing muscle behind them. The math gets very interesting, very fast.

Yahoo Sports made a point worth repeating: a Caitlin Clark vs. Paige Bueckers primetime matchup on ESPN might actually out-rate Sunday Night Baseball on Peacock. That's not a reach. That's a realistic scenario based on existing data.

Why This Matters Beyond TV Ratings

At BallerTube, we spend every day working with young athletes — girls who are grinding in gyms, lacing up at 5 a.m., committing to this sport before the world tells them it's worth their time.

For too long, women's sports existed in the margins of the sports media landscape. Great games buried on secondary channels. Historic performances treated as afterthoughts. Players who deserved national stages getting regional coverage at best.

What ESPN is doing isn't just a programming decision. It's a signal.

When the biggest sports media company in the world gives women's basketball and soccer the same Sunday night real estate that baseball held for 36 years, it changes something. It tells sponsors that women's sports is premium inventory. It tells young athletes that their sport belongs in primetime. It tells girls watching at home that players who look like them are the main event — not the warm-up act.

The WNBA is expanding aggressively. The Toronto Tempo and Portland Fire join the league this season, bringing the total to 15 teams. Cleveland, Detroit, and Philadelphia are on the way. This is a league building infrastructure for the next two decades. Giving it a Sunday night home on ESPN is rocket fuel.

The Controversy Is Telling

Let's be honest about the backlash. Social media lit up with predictable outrage. "I promise you we will NOT be watching." "Terrible idea." "I'd rather watch paint dry."

Some of that is genuine grief over a beloved tradition. That's fair. Sunday Night Baseball meant something to a lot of people, and change is hard.

But some of it is something else. And ESPN addressed it directly — this isn't a "woke" move, as some framed it. ESPN already had the WNBA and NWSL on its networks. They already had these rights. When Sunday Night Baseball moved to NBC, they needed to fill that slot with the best content they owned. Women's basketball and women's soccer were the answer — and they were the right answer.

ESPN is a for-profit business. They didn't make this call out of charity. They made it because they believe the business case is there.

What to Watch For

There's one significant wildcard: the WNBA and its players' union are still in CBA negotiations. The union is seeking roughly a 27.5% share of total league revenue. The league called the proposal unsustainable. Speculation about a potential delay to the season has circulated, though sources suggest free agency and the expansion draft can proceed on schedule, with the standard collegiate draft set for April 13 and training camp on April 19.

If negotiations stall, it complicates ESPN's launch timeline. "Women's Sports Sundays" is expected to begin after mid-June regardless — but a smooth WNBA season start matters for building momentum.

The Bottom Line

Women's sports just claimed one of the most valuable pieces of real estate in American sports television. Not because someone did them a favor. Because the audience is there, the athletes are delivering, and the business case finally caught up with the on-court reality.

For everyone who has watched women's basketball fight for visibility — in youth programs, in recruiting, in media coverage — this is a moment worth acknowledging.

The game has always been there. The stage is finally catching up.

Sunday nights just got a lot more interesting.

BallerTube covers women's basketball recruiting, college athletics, and the business of the game. Follow us for recruiting tips, player spotlights, and the stories shaping the next generation of hoops.