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1. Sunday's World Cup final between Spain and Argentina attracted 38.9 million viewers on Fox, with an additional 23.9 million tuning into the Spanish-language broadcast on Telemundo.
In the semifinal round, Fox's broadcast of France vs. Spain last Tuesday drew 13.1 million viewers (with another 9.8 million on Telemundo), while Argentina vs. England brought in 16.9 million viewers on Fox the next day (along with 11.4 million on Telemundo).
What stood out most about those figures, particularly for the two semifinal matches, is that all games kicked off at 3 p.m. ET. Pulling in 23 and 28 million viewers for Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon contests is nothing short of remarkable.
The sports world has long been conditioned to believe that marquee events must air in primetime to achieve peak viewership.
The World Cup demonstrated that a genuine audience exists for standalone weekday afternoon games.
This shouldn't come as a surprise. The times have shifted. Everyone carries a device capable of streaming games, even while at work. On top of that, since the COVID-19 pandemic, a large portion of the workforce operates remotely. And finally — whether you like it or not — the reality is that sports bettors love having a weekday afternoon game to wager on.
All major sports leagues should look to the World Cup as a blueprint for scheduling more weekday afternoon games. I'm not equating a regular-season MLB or NHL game with a globally beloved soccer tournament held once every four years, but it's evident that the audience for that time slot has grown considerably.
Baseball already features day games, but there ought to be at least one afternoon game every single day of the week. The league operates its own network, so it makes little sense for MLB Network to go without a single afternoon game each day.
The NHL is actually planning to experiment with Monday afternoon games this season. The league's primary aim is to appeal to European audiences rather than to take advantage of shifting viewer habits domestically, but it still deserves credit for trying out the unconventional scheduling approach.
The NHL is leaning into its global audience this season, scheduling more than 20 Monday afternoon games at North American-friendly times for fans across Europe. 🌍👏
Buffalo and the Islanders will make the most appearances with four each, but German sta… https://t.co/xNnwV6BJdJ pic.twitter.com/ntoLffZhYf
The NBA would be wise to follow the same path.
Given today's media landscape and the evolving ways sports fans consume content, it simply makes sense for leagues to embrace standalone weekday afternoon programming.
2. Jemele Hill, who departed ESPN back in 2018, perfectly captured the troubling state of media in 2026 after a social media user expressed hope that the network would include her in Tuesday's round of layoffs.
I really hope ESPN lays me off. It'll be tough but I'll manage. In fact, let me just submit my resignation to make it easier on them. No need to draw this out. https://t.co/03UzO5XmCW
Today's media environment in a nutshell:
The original poster — if it's even a real person — didn't know I haven't worked at ESPN since 2018. I clearly responded with sarcasm.
This tweet gets millions of views, and the comments are completely overrun with bots.
And now there… https://t.co/hFrCvmgibQ pic.twitter.com/XYfB08TQQ5
3. Building on Hill's take on the current state of sports media, the social media narrative surrounding the clip below is that J.J. Watt "called out," "blamed," or "embarrassed" Pat McAfee by raising the topic of ESPN layoffs while McAfee is reportedly set to receive a massive new contract from the network.
Anyone who actually watches the clip can clearly see that McAfee was neither upset nor bothered in any way.
🚨BREAKING: #NFL ICON JJ WATT "BLAMED" PAT MCAFEE FOR THE REASON ESPN IS FIRING MANY OF THEIR EMPLOYEES.
"So slow news day over there on the ESPN airwaves. Besides that you're getting $100M per year"
"They keep anybody or is everybody fired to pay you?" pic.twitter.com/yvcJWOhjEE
4. The Miami Heat's video team sent the internet into a frenzy on Tuesday after accidentally publishing a link to a "LeBron James Introductory Press Conference" scheduled for July 27.
The Miami Heat's official YouTube channel had LeBron's introductory press conference scheduled for July 27 🤔
(h/t @WadexFlash / https://t.co/ngYXKtG4ps) pic.twitter.com/OCNZMkiiVO
The Heat told ESPN's Shams Charania it was simply a mistake. Hmm...
The Miami Heat accidentally posted, then deleted, a scheduled YouTube livestream titled "LeBron James Introductory Press Conference" for July 27.
A team spokesperson told @ShamsCharania the link was mistakenly published while preparing for a possible James signing.…
5. The results here aren't particularly surprising, but the gap between first and last place is quite striking.
offensive snaps with a lead in 2025:
66 - New York Jets
126 - New Orleans Saints
140 - Las Vegas Raiders
156 - Tennessee Titans
178 - Carolina Panthers⭐️
214 - Washington Commanders
228 - Cleveland Browns
258 - Arizona Cardinals
278 - Dallas Cowboys
285 - Kansas City Chiefs
294…
6. The latest SI Media With Jimmy Traina features a conversation with former Around the Horn host Tony Reali.
Reali discusses his new podcast, Real Deal With Tony Reali, the concept driving the show, and why he's eager to revisit certain memorable moments in sports.
Reali also opens up about what the past year has looked like since ATH was cancelled, why he took his time before pursuing a new project, his surprise at the limited number of offers he received, his perspective on ESPN, and the shifting landscape of sports media.
After Reali, Sal Licata from SNY TV and "The Sal Licata Show" joins for the weekly "Traina Thoughts" segment. This week's topics include the Bryce Harper/FanDuel/Cameo controversy, whether batting average still holds relevance in baseball, ESPN's Wimbledon coverage, the Jay-Z concert at Yankee Stadium that began three hours behind schedule, Benson Boone, The Bear, Shameless, an upcoming season of Vice's Dark Side of the Ring and more.
You can listen to the SI Media With Jimmy Traina podcast below or on Apple and Spotify.
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You can also watch SI Media With Jimmy Traina on YouTube.
7. RANDOM VIDEO OF THE DAY: Wishing a happy 61st birthday to WWE legend Shawn Michaels, who never quite received the recognition he deserved for his performance in this sketch.
Be sure to catch up on past editions of Traina Thoughts and check out the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast hosted by Jimmy Traina on Apple, Spotify or Google. You can also follow Jimmy on X and Instagram.
Jimmy Traina is a staff writer and podcast host for Sports Illustrated. A 20-year veteran in the industry, he's been covering the sports media landscape for seven years and writes a daily column, Traina Thoughts. Traina has hosted the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast since 2018, a show known for interviews with some of the most important and powerful people in sports media. He also was the creator and writer of SI's Hot Clicks feature from 2007 to '13.