MLB’s TV landscape is going to feel very different in 2026 after the league’s full media deal with ESPN wrapped up following last season. Especially, fans would no longer be able to see Sunday Night Baseball on ESPN after a 35-year run. And instead of owning Sunday nights, ESPN will now air 30 weekly MLB games throughout the season.

Now, that move opened the door for a familiar face. MLB is heading back to its original Sunday night home on NBC, and the network is clearly going all in. NBC has already started building out its broadcast team, highlighted by the return of legendary voice Bob Costas.

So, while NBC gears up to take over Sunday night baseball, ESPN had to figure out what to do with the now-empty slot. It didn’t take long for them to reveal their plan. But let’s just say, the new Sunday lineup they’ve cooked up has been more than enough to send fans into a meltdown!

“ESPN plans to replace summer’s SundayNightBaseball with ‘Women’s Sports Sundays,’ a new hub spotlighting top matchups from the WNBA and NWSL. Executives believe the block could become a new franchise,” Variety shares via X.

Yes, you heard that right. The Sunday night baseball actions from the last 35 years have now been replaced with WNBA games! Bad idea? No. Wrong fit? yes.

News served to you like never before!

Prefer us on Google, To get latest news on feed

Prefer Us on Google

Well, if you remember, Sunday Night Baseball was never just another weekly show; it was a tradition built over 35 years. It followed the old Game of the Week format and became must-watch TV, especially for MLB fans who wanted to see teams they couldn’t catch in their local markets. Because of that legacy, fans naturally expected whatever replaced it on ESPN to feel just as big.

Instead, ESPN made a very different call. On Thursday, the $30 billion global leader in sports announced that it would replace its Sunday night baseball slot with women’s sports. The network is branding the new lineup as “Women’s Sports Sundays,” with women’s basketball and women’s soccer taking over primetime on Sunday nights. Going forward, with MLB missing, both the WNBA and NWSL will get those prime slots during the spring and summer.

Sure, stars like Caitlin Clark will be part of the package, and that’s not a bad thing at all. But for many fans, swapping out a legendary MLB time slot for WNBA games just feels off.

The frustration grows when we look at what NBC has done with Sundays over the years. They mixed and matched the NBA, NFL, and even the Summer Olympics into a diverse, high-profile lineup. That contrast is exactly why so many fans are struggling to believe that ESPN’s answer to losing MLB on Sunday is simply to replace it with WNBA programming.

MLB fans are left stunned by ESPN’s move

Could ESPN be able to increase its viewership with its new offerings on Sunday? MLB fans wonder. “RIP, ESPN,” one fan took a sarcastic dig. “ESPN is suicidal,” another added.

According to sports reporter Richard Deitsch, the viewership for MLB’s Sunday Night Baseball in 2025 is 1.83 million. That’s a significant jump over 1.5 million in 2024 and 1.45 million in 2023. So, for the fans, losing out on showing MLB games on Sunday itself was a suicidal move for ESPN. On the other hand, the NWSL final in 2025 was at its peak with 1.55 million viewers. That shows what ESPN has lost with MLB, but instead of retaining those viewerships, fans wonder why they are offering sports with lower visibility.

“So ESPN wants to lose money as the WNBA does? That’s nice,” a user offers an financials insight. Reportedly, the WNBA has experienced massive growth in revenue and viewership over the last few years. But still, the 2024 season lost around $40 million. So despite an increase in revenue, profit is still far away due to high operating costs. So again, for the fans, what will ESPN achieve in offering WNBA games on Sunday to replace the traditional MLB games?

But does that mean it will all go bust for ESPN? No. As per another fan, “This will only be profitable if they show Caitlin.” But MLB is not far behind either. “If you thought MLB had low ratings, just wait,” another responded.

Well, let’s acknowledge the “Caitlin Clark effect.” Just when the WNBA is growing at an immense pace, Clark could be termed as its frontrunner. The No. 1 career scorer in NCAA women’s basketball history is turning enough heads and breaking moolah for the broadcasters. Reportedly, in 2024, the Hawkeyes sold out 30 of their 32 games, riding on Clark’s popularity. So yes, she could be one bet for ESPN in assuring their Sunday Viewership.

But MLB’s unprecedented growth over the years could be a difficult task for ESPN to replicate. Notably, till last year, ESPN had witnessed 21% increase in viewership for its Sunday Night Baseball! So, let’s now see how they could maintain the same growth now with NWSL and WNPA.