Sundays Are for the Girls

Ever heard of “Saturdays are for the Boys”? Well, now Sundays are for the Girls. On

Thursday, February 19th, ESPN announced a new weekly primetime franchise to promote

women's sports. Debuting in Summer 2026, women's sports games will be replacing Sunday

night baseball with “Women’s Sports Sundays”. This is seen just after the recent departure from

Major League Baseball and ESPN after 36 seasons. Women’s Sports Sundays will feature

WNBA and NWSL games, but if these viewings are successful, then it is possible that it could

expand to other women's leagues, such as Major League Volleyball (MLV), where some teams

already regularly play on Sundays.

This new franchise will air 12 games over a 9-week period over the summer. This is a big

deal because Sunday night is the biggest night of the week when it comes to TV viewership,

especially following Sunday Night Football. The change of ending the MLB ESPN deal three

seasons early and replacing it with women's games has caused backlash on ESPN. Some say it

was a “bad idea” and that “the downfall of ESPN needs to be studied in schools”.

Although there was original frustration in replacing men's sports with women's sports,

this is a HUGE jump for women in sports. It is already difficult enough for women to get airtime,

let alone getting a certain number of fans coming to their games. By getting this weekly

primetime franchise, these hard-working athletes are finally getting the recognition that they

deserve and are putting women’s sports at the center of the sports calendar. This proves the

emphasis that women in sports are no longer a niche movement but a rapidly expanding

business.