ESPN & Fox Sports Drop WNBA Coverage: Is This the Beginning of the End?

The WNBA’s historic surge in popularity has taken a shocking turn. Just weeks after Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese dominated headlines, major networks are quietly walking away. Both ESPN and Fox Sports have scaled back — even scrubbing highlights and canceling planned campaigns tied to league stars.

Fans first noticed subtle changes: missing Top Plays, skipped postgame segments, and replays swapped for unrelated content. Then came silence. A Fever vs. Mercury game disappeared from programming without explanation. A Candace Parker feature never aired. Insiders confirmed WNBA coverage was pulled from key ESPN blocks “overnight,” while Fox shifted staff toward football.

Sponsors followed. At least three major ad campaigns have been canceled since September, including a high-profile crossover featuring Clark and Reese. Agents now say phones “have stopped ringing.”

Players, too, feel abandoned. “We gave them content, drama, everything. And they turned their backs,” one veteran fumed.

Networks cite “seasonal priorities,” but critics argue it’s backlash, not scheduling. After one of the WNBA’s most-watched seasons ever, the silence feels deliberate.

As one retired player put it: “They built the runway. We took off. And then they ripped it away.”