While viewership for the deciding Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final is not out yet, viewership for the first five games is at its highest level since 2013. Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final between the Carolina Hurricanes and Vegas Golden Knights averaged 5.8 million viewers. That marks the largest Game 5 audience…
As is often the case following a buzzy UFC event, great fights at the Freedom 250 card were immediately overshadowed by bad headlines for the promotion on Monday after heavyweight fighter Josh Hokit used his post-match interview to push forward a racist, baseless conspiracy that former First Lady Michelle Obama is a man. The comments…
Update [7:09 p.m. ET]: FIFA has reportedly cleared the referee in question, calling the gesture an “involuntary twitch.” Both the FIFA Disciplinary Committee and the official released statements on Monday. Our original story runs below. During Germany’s 7-1 win over Curaçao in Houston on Sunday, a quick TV shot showed the VAR referees in their Dallas…
Ron MacLean, one of Canada’s most beloved hockey broadcasters, issued an apology for a remark he made on-air before Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final. Prior to the Carolina Hurricanes winning their second Stanley Cup in franchise history with a shutout win over the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 6, Hockey Night in Canada…
After praising the New York Knicks as “America’s Team,” ESPN’s Jay Williams basically dubbed UFC Freedom 250 America’s sporting event. Despite threats of severe heat and looming thunderstorms, UFC Freedom 250 on the South Lawn of the White House, featuring seven fights, has widely been considered a successful event. But Monday morning on First Take,…
World Cup broadcasters, they’re just like us! When the FIFA World Cup is hosted by three very large countries like the United States, Mexico, and Canada, you have to go to great lengths to travel between matches. That’s especially true for broadcasters who are covering different games in different cities every few days. And as…
Longtime MMA analyst Luke Thomas believes the UFC accomplished exactly what it needed to with last weekend’s Freedom 250 card on the White House lawn. While the event predictably generated controversy for its exorbitant cost, the strange conspiracies around it, and one fighter’s racist remarks, the actual fights delivered. And, Thomas argued in an appearance…
The recently announced deal by the Fox Corporation to acquire the streaming platform Roku could have a surprising effect: making sports easier to watch in this streaming age. Fox is well known as the only Big Four over-the-air broadcaster that has never invested heavily in a streamer. ABC has Disney+ and ESPN Unlimited, CBS has…
Before the much-hyped and controversial UFC Freedom 250 event got underway on the South Lawn of the White House, it appeared that at least one Trump had been a little careless with their latest alleged grift. Former UFC star Daniel Cormier, who was working as a commentator at the event, posted and later deleted screenshots that…
Dave Portnoy is urging President Donald Trump to break his silence after former first lady Michelle Obama was the target of an offensive insult at the White House. Despite threats of severe heat and looming thunderstorms, UFC Freedom 250 on the South Lawn of the White House, featuring seven fights, has largely been deemed a…
Alexi Lalas has seen enough World Cup discourse surrounding the hydration breaks to know which way the wind blows, and on Monday, he decided to walk directly into it. Following days of criticism directed at Fox for its decision to air full-screen commercials during the World Cup’s mandatory hydration breaks — criticism that included a…
To conclude its 2026 Stanley Cup Final coverage, ABC did something it notably skipped during the NBA Finals: air a concluding montage. Following the Carolina Hurricanes’ clinching 3-0 shutout of the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 6 on Sunday night — their first Stanley Cup since 2006 — ABC aired a three-minute montage set to…
UFC Freedom 250 at the White House turned out to be a historic, one-of-a-kind event for the sport of MMA, but it will never be repeated again, according to Dana White. “I can’t afford it,” White said when asked if there was any chance the event could be repeated. “There’s no f*cking way we can…
While there were some violent revelers Saturday night, Boomer Esiason applauds most of New York for celebrating the Knicks’ NBA Finals win with joy. The New York Knicks are NBA champions for the first time in 53 years after beating the San Antonio Spurs in five games. Five years after Knicks fans were mocked for…
Virgil van Dijk has been watching the World Cup the same way everyone else has. In the days before the Netherlands faced Japan on Sunday, the Liverpool captain was in camp following the tournament as closely as his schedule allowed, as a genuine fan of a sport he has played at its highest level for…
Following the New York Knicks’ championship-clinching victory in Game 5 of the 2026 NBA Finals on Saturday night in San Antonio, Shaquille O’Neal admitted that he needed to concede something to ESPN Inside the NBA broadcast teammate Charles Barkley. According to O’Neal, it turns out that when Jalen Brunson signed with the New York Knicks…
Dana White had a message for Josh Hokit after UFC Freedom 250. After knocking out Derrick Lewis in the fourth fight of the evening on the White House South Lawn on Sunday night, Hokit seized his post-fight interview with Joe Rogan to credit President Trump for “having the balls” to stage the event, deliver a…
After years of waiting, the North American World Cup is finally here. There are still stories about unsold seats and players and officials from other countries being denied entry, but once Mexico and South Africa kicked off the tournament’s opener on Thursday, those stories took a backseat to the games themselves. Even in the United…
A penalty ruling in the AHL’s Calder Cup Finals left Chicago Wolves color commentator Bill Gardner furious. In the second period of Saturday’s Game 2 between the Wolves (Carolina Hurricanes affiliate) and the Toronto Marlies (Toronto Maple Leafs affiliate), Chicago was called for a slashing penalty that resulted in a penalty shot for Toronto’s Alex…
Victor Wembanyama scored more points than any center in NBA history in their first playoff appearance. And yet, the young superstar leaves the Finals with his reputation severely degraded. His San Antonio Spurs lost in five games, which isn’t great but isn’t unheard of for a superstar. LeBron’s Cavaliers lost 4-1 and 4-0 in consecutive…
In the company’s first major acquisition since offloading the vast majority of its entertainment assets to Disney in 2019, Fox Corporation announced on Monday it will purchase streaming platform Roku in a deal worth $22 billion. Fox will purchase Roku at a value of $160.00 per share, about an 11% premium over the streaming platform’s…
The New York Knicks finally broke through this weekend with their first NBA championship in more than half a century, a euphoric moment in sports history. But the most vocal Knicks fan in all of sports media was celebrating a victory that went beyond the orange and blue. Stephen A. Smith, a native New Yorker who…
Chris Ballard is best known for his work as a sportswriter, primarily during his time at Sports Illustrated. But once upon a time, he played Division III basketball at Pomona College in Claremont, California. His passion for the sport led to injuries later in life. Seeking treatment, he tried intense cold therapy. What he didn’t…
All Times Eastern College Baseball NCAA Men’s College World Series Bracket 2, Charles Schwab Field Omaha, Omaha, NE Elimination Game Announcers: Mike Monaco/Ben McDonald/Eduardo Pérez//Taylor McGregor Alabama vs. Texas — ESPN/ESPN Unlimited, 2 p.m. Winners Bracket Announcers: Karl Ravech/Chris Burke/Kyle Peterson//Kris Budden Oklahoma vs. Georgia — ESPN/ESPN Unlimited, 7 p.m. Announcers: Alyssa Lang/Jack DeLongchamps/Mike Rooney/Todd…
The Carolina Hurricanes are Stanley Cup champions for the first time since 2006 and the second time in franchise history. Carolina went on the road and stifled the Vegas Golden Knights 3-0 in Game 6 on Sunday night to secure the Stanley Cup. Sean McDonough had the ESPN on ABC television play-by-play call alongside color…