Defenders of the UFC Freedom 250 were right when they said the MMA event was watched by as many people than an annual football bowl; they just got the game wrong. The June 14 White House-hosted UFC fight drew an impressive audience on Paramount+, averaging 7 million viewers in the United States, according to Nielsen…
As great as the action on the pitch has been through the early stages of this summer’s FIFA Men’s World Cup, the decision to effectively break every game into “quarters” with mandatory hydration breaks in each 45-minute half has remained controversial. The decision, mandated by FIFA under the guise of player welfare, has conveniently allowed…
Christopher “Mad Dog” Russo owes Mike Breen a talking to after the voice of the New York Knicks hosted their championship parade. The Knicks paraded down the Canyon of Heroes Thursday morning in New York City to celebrate breaking their 53-year championship drought after beating the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals. And as…
Pablo Torre is adding another project to his name. The podcast star, frequent Pardon the Interruption fill-in, and MSNOW contributor is reportedly teaming up with Vice Studios to develop a scripted television drama series about “sports ownership, extreme wealth, and corruption,” according to a report by Denise Petski in Deadline. Torre is expected to tout the…
The 2026 FIFA World Cup is the first to be measured with Nielsen’s expanded out-of-home viewing sample, and it appears the change is providing a huge boon for the networks televising the event. Nielsen first began including its out-of-home viewing measurements into its top-line audience figures in 2020, but the company’s initial out-of-home sample covered…
The Knicks breaking their 53-year championship drought brought all of New York together, except for owner James Dolan and Mayor Zohran Mamdani. After Dolan invited President Donald Trump to Madison Square Garden for Game 3 of the NBA Finals, the Knicks owner also alleged Mamdani isn’t a real Knicks fan. And while Trump seems to…
FIFA have responded to a critique from England manager Thomas Tuchel following the Three Lions’ 4-2 win over Croatia in their World Cup opener on Wednesday. Speaking with reporters following England’s match, Tuchel expressed his frustration that he could not see any of his players during the national anthems before the game because photographers were…
College football is facing several hot-button issues as it transitions into what is effectively a professional league. Among those is the expansion of the College Football Playoff. After featuring four teams from its inception in 2014 until 2023, the CFP has featured 12 teams since 2024. Another expansion of the playoff field seems imminent, but…
Streaming star iShowSpeed is taking his World Cup content to a new level through a new partnership with FIFA, Fox Sports, and YouTube that will see Speed stream matches from host stadiums and his home studio alongside live match footage, a first for U.S. audiences. The massively popular live-streamer, known for his passion for soccer…
UPDATE: UFC Freedom 250 posted an impressive average viewership of 7 million in the U.S. on Paramount+. So it turns out that the game did garner an audience as big as a football bowl, just not the Super Bowl. UFC Freedom 250 came close to matching the 2025 Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl between Penn State…
One year after ESPN’s final broadcast of the Home Run Derby was plagued by dizzying camera cuts, camera operators struggling to follow the baseball in flight, and a puzzling decision to fix half the screen on the pitcher and batter rather than tracking the ball’s trajectory on every swing, the annual slugging competition has a…
After weeks of speculation and reporting that the leftover digital brands not included in Vox Media’s sale to James Murdoch last month would be sold to Penske Media Corporation, the news is now official. On Thursday, Penske officially announced it has acquired Vox Media’s portfolio of digital brands, which includes publications like SB Nation, Eater,…
The momentum for the U.S. Men’s National Team has arguably never been higher after a thorough 4-1 victory over Paraguay to open the 2026 World Cup. But for their next two games, fans may be left wanting a bit of an easier path for following the USMNT. The USA’s victory in their opening game in…
After more than a year of trading public barbs that left the audience progressively more confused, the beloved long-running Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz is getting a makeover. On Thursday’s episode of the show, Le Batard, who brought the show to ESPN in 2015 and then took it independent in early 2021 under a new…
Jason McCourty has been a rising star in the football media world and that will continue exclusively on ESPN. Both Jason and twin brother Devin McCourty won a Super Bowl ring during their playing career with the New England Patriots. And after retirement, both have found high-profile homes in sports media as football analysts. Devin…
One of the most incredible subplots of the historic championship victory of the New York Knicks has been the supporting role of WWE star Danhausen, whose ability to curse and uncurse anyone and anything took on a life of its own. Danhausen is one of the unlikeliest WWE stars in recent memory. After spending years…
Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs had a stunning season run end in a disappointing 2026 NBA Finals performance. The New York Knicks secured their first championship since 1973 in a 4-1 series win over the Spurs that included a historic comeback in Game 4 and a title-clinching comeback in Game 5. Wembanyama struggled…
Ben Stiller was reportedly filming an HBO documentary about his beloved New York Knicks on his iPhone courtside during the 2026 NBA Finals. While he wouldn’t officially confirm the news during an appearance last Wednesday on ESPN’s Inside the NBA at Madison Square Garden for Game 4 of the series, Stiller admitted that “there’s a…
Mike Breen’s “BANG!” call is one of the most iconic in the annals of sports broadcasting. The veteran voice of the NBA Finals knows precisely when to unleash it in the context of a game, whether it’s at a climactic late-game moment, as part of a crucial stretch, or during an important rally. And on…
After years of remote commentary for many games, it’s refreshing that Fox Sports announcers are in the stadiums for games during the 2026 World Cup across North America. However, for Warren Barton and Jacqui Oatley at the Colombia-Uzbekistan game in Mexico City, that came with some jeopardy. The famed Estadio Azteca was the site of…
While much of the attention in recent weeks has been on the NBA Finals and FIFA World Cup, Major League Baseball is still fighting for viewers’ attention. In theory, nowhere would this endeavor be harder than New York City. Despite the city’s New York Knicks fever after the team won the 2026 NBA Finals, local…
There is a new free way to watch BIG3 basketball this season. BIG3 announced a new agreement with Fubo Sports Network that will result in 16 games airing on the network this season, with two games each week. “BIG3 has made waves across the basketball world since its debut and we can’t wait to bring…
For most former ESPN employees, continuing their careers after leaving The Worldwide Leader in Sports is challenging. A lucky few land jobs at other media companies, and even fewer succeed on their own. Joon Lee is in the latter category. In true entrepreneurial spirit, he is working for himself as an independent sports journalist. Three years…
Back in May, the New York Mets hosted the Cincinnati Reds and paid homage by offering a limited-edition Skyline Chili egg roll at Citi Field. Reds reporter Jim Day sampled the unique fusion food item and nearly lost his mind. “This is the lowest point of my career, and I have had some low ones,”…
All Times Eastern Australian Rules Football AFL Men’s — Round 15 Gold Coast Suns vs. Hawthorn Hawks — FS2/Fox One, 5:26 a.m. (Friday) College Basketball College Basketball Talk — CBS Sports Network, noon FIFA World Cup Group Stage — Matchday 2 Group A, Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, GA Announcers — Fox/Fox One: Ian Crocker/Danny Higginbotham//Telemundo/Peacock: José…