All articles tagged with #espn
A hot-mic moment during ESPN's Texas vs. Arizona State softball game captured a vulgar remark, while play-by-play continued; Texas won 5-0 to secure a Women's College World Series berth, and the origin of the mic remains unclear amid a weekend of other sports rowdiness and controversy.
Taylor Swift sat courtside at the Knicks–Cavaliers game, with ESPN describing her as Travis Kelce’s fiancée in its broadcast, fueling ongoing public interest in the couple as Swift continues a string of high-profile appearances.
The Athletic reports that major conferences back expanding the College Football Playoff to 24 teams even though revenue models aren’t settled. ESPN prefers keeping the field at 12–16, while Fox supports wider access to attract more networks; Big Ten Commissioner Tony Petitti says there’s a deep commitment to 24, not 16. Replacing roughly $200–$250 million in annual conference-championship revenue and offsetting it with on-campus games is a central hurdle, and critics warn increased field size could dilute competition. Bidders beyond ESPN and Fox—potentially TNT/CBS—enter the mix, with comparisons to the March Madness expansion history suggesting the financial and scheduling complexities could temper any push to 24, possibly capping expansion or delaying final decisions.
A media dispute erupts after ESPN insider Shams Charania prematurely names Shai Gilgeous-Alexander the 2025-26 NBA MVP, upstaging Prime Video’s official announcement. The piece argues that reporting the scoop is fair game and underscores the value and challenges of insider information, even as broadcasters and fans weigh the impact of spoilers on timing and reactions.
Celtics star Jaylen Brown kept up his public feud with ESPN pundit Stephen A. Smith on a Sunday Twitch stream, reiterating his call for Smith to retire after Smith criticized Brown’s claim that the 2025-26 season was his best, continuing the back-and-forth that followed Boston’s season.
An Athletic opinion piece argues that expanding the College Football Playoff to 24 teams would undermine the regular season and the sport’s soul, driven by self-preservation and TV-money rather than fan benefit. It outlines the players behind the push (Petitti, Phillips, Yormark, Bevacqua, Shanks), the influence of ESPN, and the likely financial and competitive costs, and urges fans to pressure university presidents to oppose the expansion in favor of a smaller format (12–16 teams).
As coaches push to expand the College Football Playoff from 12 toward 24 teams, ESPN reportedly wants to cap the field at 16, arguing larger fields undermine bowls and TV deals. The piece notes bigger fields would mean more bonuses for coaches who qualify and more games and wear-and-tear for players, possibly harming pro prospects. While expanding could reduce snubs, it risks including teams that don’t deserve a spot; regardless of the exact number, the trend is toward more teams, with 2, 4, or 12 (and more) under discussion.
ESPN unveiled the 2026 college football schedule at Disney Upfront, opening Week 0 with global games in Ireland and Brazil and the MEAC/SWAC Challenge, followed by Labor Day Weekend primetime showdowns (including Lane Kiffin’s LSU debut vs. Clemson) and marquee ABC games like No. 1 Ohio State at No. 5 Texas and No. 11 LSU at No. 9 Ole Miss, plus a Thanksgiving/Black Friday Rivalry Week slate and a full conference-championship lineup across ESPN networks; GameDay stops are planned and the full schedule will be released May 27.
The NFL will add four new national broadcast windows by reallocating two ex-ESPN MNF games to FOX and NBC, with CBS also adding a primetime Saturday slot. The arrangement shifts ESPN/ABC’s MNF inventory to broadcast TV and ties into broader streaming-rights dynamics involving Netflix and YouTube, including a Munich Week 10 game and a Week 15 Saturday window, plus NBC’s Week 17 Peacock slot.
ESPN will air a SportsCenter Special Presented by Nationwide to unveil the 2026 NFL schedule on May 14 at 8 p.m. ET, with Joe Buck revealing a marquee MNF matchup on Good Morning America beforehand. Host Laura Rutledge will lead a Bristol-based show with Dan Orlovsky, Peter Schrager and Andrew Hawkins, joined in-studio by Kyle Brandt and with Adam Schefter appearing virtually; additional guests to be announced. International Games will be announced May 13, and the complete MNF and NFL Network schedules will be released after the NFL makes its official announcement. ESPN is projecting its largest NFL portfolio ever for 2026 (29 games total: 19 on ESPN/ABC, 7 on NFL Network) as part of the Year of the Super Bowl, culminating with Super Bowl LXI in 2027; preseason coverage will follow with schedule details to come next month.
ESPN reportedly offered Steve Kerr up to $7 million per year to join the network as an analyst and even to avoid hot-take panel duties, but Kerr ultimately re-signed with the Golden State Warriors for two more seasons, remaining the NBA's highest-paid coach; ESPN later denied the initial report.
Skip Bayless’s brief return to ESPN’s First Take with Stephen A. Smith drew attention, but the reunion felt more nostalgic and recycled than explosively fiery; ESPN signals possible future appearances to drive viewership and social buzz.
Sean Keeley argues that Skip Bayless’s Friday reunion on First Take with Stephen A. Smith isn’t a nostalgic revival but a modern nostalgia play aimed at a ratings pop. The piece contends the Embrace Debate era left little lasting cultural impact, with few iconic moments or memes, and the reunion reads more like curiosity sparked by ESPN’s past than a meaningful, desired return.
The NFL will relocate four games that were part of ESPN’s now-ended Monday Night Football arrangement to Netflix and YouTube, per CNBC’s Alex Sherman via Awful Announcing. The shift stems from the broader deal that gave ESPN control of NFL Network and a stake in ESPN, with the league’s recent broadcaster RFP hinting at five-game streaming options. Potential targets include Week 1’s 49ers-Rams in Australia, a Thanksgiving Eve game, and a Black Friday game, as the NFL pursues standalone streaming windows and streamers’ willingness to pay a premium.
ESPN will exclusively broadcast the expanded 2026 Players Era Men’s Championships, growing to 24 teams across two Las Vegas tournaments with ESPN Events co-managing staging; the field features Michigan and Florida plus 11 other 2026 NCAA Tournament teams and strong Big 12 representation, with further scheduling and ticket details to be announced.