ESPN Replacing Sunday Night Baseball With Women Sports Sundays for Nine Weeks
ESPN VP Susie Piotrkowski announced the network is filling its former Sunday Night Baseball slot with women sports games and studio programming for nine weeks, calling it the network's version of Monday Night Football for the category. Piotrkowski noted ESPN had its best-ever WNBA regular season and playoff ratings in 2025, even after Caitlin Clark went out injured in July.
Why it matters
ESPN dedicating a premium primetime slot to women's sports is a media rights signal, not just editorial strategy. Brands buying adjacent inventory, agents with women's sports clients, and creators covering the category all benefit from increased institutional credibility and eyeballs. Women's athlete endorsement rates and media deal valuations should move as a result of this commitment.
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