ESPN Ratings Surge As Network Pivots Away From Woke Commentators

We recently explored how ESPN has pivoted away from far-left commentary by parting ways with commentators like Elle Duncan, Sarah Spain, Bomani Jones, Mark Jones and Clinton Yates. As expected, the network is more popular because of it.

This week, ESPN released viewership averages for the first quarter of 2026. Its daily studio lineup is up 14% year over year. Five programs scored their highest-ever Q1 ratings, including Get Up and The Pat McAfee Show.

Interestingly, First Take airs between Get Up and The Pat McAfee Show, but was up only 5%. That figure stands out because it aligns with the standard increase tied to Nielsen's new Big Data + Panel measurement system, which debuted in September.

Stephen A. Smith fatigue? Perhaps.

But First Take is the one show on the network that still pushes social issues related to race to the forefront of the sports conversation.

Look at the shows with the largest year-over-year gains at the company: NFL Live +30%, Get Up up 18%, and The Pat McAfee Show up 16%. These programs rarely, if ever, drift away from general sports talk. They also lean heavily into the NFL year-round and do not push made-for-social-media NBA banter.

Put simply, the shows that focus the least on race and basketball are growing at the highest rates.

No example illustrates this better than the trajectory of the 6 pm SportsCenter. Since Elle Duncan's departure, the network says the program is up 27% year over year. Duncan had become one of the most toxic commentators at the company, whether discussing C-sections on air, protesting "Don't Say Gay," or advocating for nationwide abortion access.

We suspect Netflix will soon regret its investment in Duncan, if it has not already.

Based on viewership, ESPN audiences are most drawn to commentators whose enthusiasm feels genuine, including McAfee, Laura Rutledge and Peter Schrager.

ESPN appears to finally understand this. During the football season, the company brought in podcast outsiders Josh Pate, Will Compton and Taylor Lewan as guest commentators. Expect them to become more visible across the network next season.

UNIVERSITY PARK, PENNSYLVANIA - SEPTEMBER 27: Host and sports analyst Pat McAfee speaks during ESPN's College GameDay at The Pennsylvania State University on September 27, 2025 in University Park, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Isaiah Vazquez/Getty Images)

For all the changes at ESPN since 2020, programming a sports network should not have been this difficult. It is clear what viewers want. The overly condescending political commentators were never in demand, despite how much the previous regime under John Skipper tried to prove otherwise.

Thus, current executives Burke Magnus and Dave Roberts deserve credit for recognizing that and pivoting back toward content that resonates with sports fans.

There are still areas to improve, of course. Ryan Clark is an obvious net negative to the network. Stephen A. Smith too often appears disinterested in the conversation. David Dennis Jr. exhibits a level of desperate buffoonery that undermines the brand.

Still, for the first time in nearly a decade, ESPN's daily programming is moving in the right direction. We will see if the network can hold it together once Caitlin Clark and Shedeur Sanders return to action.