ESPN sets ‘Women’s Sports Sundays’ lineup, leaning heavily on the WNBA

ESPN has revealed the schedule for its new Women’s Sports Sundays, with the WNBA serving as the primary focus.

The Women’s Sports Sundays brand was announced by ESPN earlier this year, intended to replace Sunday Night Baseball, which moved from ESPN to NBC.

At the time, ESPN described the programming block as representing “a bold commitment to incomparable competition, consistency and storytelling, establishing women’s sports as the main event on Sunday nights.” The network did not provide further specifics, other than noting it would take place in the summer.

But today, ESPN finally revealed those details. Women’s Sports Sundays will span nine weeks, from June 21 to August 16, and will feature T.J. Maxx as a presenting sponsor.

The WNBA will be the primary focus of the block, with eight of the nine weeks featuring a league game. The NWSL will be featured in four weeks, beginning July 26. The final three weeks will feature a WNBA-NWSL doubleheader.

The first WNBA game on June 21, between the New York Liberty and Los Angeles Sparks, will take place exactly 30 years after the league’s inaugural game on June 21, 1997.

While this will be a strong showcase for women’s sports, it is notable that only the WNBA and NWSL will be featured in these windows. It is not for lack of inventory. ESPN also holds the rights to the Athletes Unlimited softball league, for example, and airs games on Sundays, but primarily in the afternoons.

If ESPN wants Women’s Sports Sundays to fully represent women’s sports, airing non-basketball and non-soccer events would likely be worth considering. And given ESPN is already involved in other women’s sports leagues, it seems like an obvious expansion opportunity for the franchise in the future.

On the other hand, the WNBA and NWSL are two of the most established women’s sports leagues in the United States. Those skeptical of women’s sports will likely scrutinize the viewership of these windows in order to declare them a business failure for ESPN. Airing the WNBA and NWSL gives ESPN its best chance at competitive ratings against Sunday Night Baseball.