Football

9/16/2026 |  ESPN Gets Its Biggest Week 1 ‘Monday Night Football’ Audience Ever (Front Office Sports) After an up-and-down beginning to the NFL’s 2026 season, ESPN closed out Week 1 in emphatic fashion. 
The Disney-owned network said late Wednesday that it averaged 23.2 million viewers for its Monday Night Football season debut, which featured a decisive Chiefs victory over the Broncos at Arrowhead Stadium. The figure is up 5% from a comparable Vikings-Bears game to start the 2025 season and represents the most-watched Week 1 MNF game in ESPN’s 20-year history with the program. 

9/16/2026 |  Girls flag football is the fastest-growing high school sport (AXIOS Sports) Girls flag football has become the fastest-growing high school sport, as tens of thousands take up a game that barely had a varsity footprint a few years ago.

9/14/2026 |  NFL Kickoff Ratings Dip on Wednesday (Front Office Sports) The NFL and NBC Sports began the 2026 regular season in surprisingly downbeat fashion. 
The network said last Wednesday’s kickoff game between the Patriots and Seahawks, won by Seattle 13–10, averaged 25.1 million viewers. That figure was down 11% from last year’s season opener, which aired on a Thursday, and was the least-watched start to an NFL season since 2022.

9/14/2026 |  How to watch the Broncos vs. Chiefs: Monday Night Football live streams, venue, odds (Business Insider) Monday Night Football is back, and a Denver vs. Kansas City showdown will help kick off the season. We've compiled everything you need to know about how to watch Broncos vs. Chiefs, including global streaming options.

9/13/2026 |  Texas Tops AP Poll As SEC Asserts Early Dominance Over Big Ten (Front Office Sports) Is a changing of the guard afoot in college football?
After a dominant three-year run by the Big Ten Conference atop the sport, the SEC is reasserting itself as Texas rose to the top of the new Associated Press Top-25 poll released Sunday afternoon. The Longhorns’ ascendance comes after the team came back from a 23–3 fourth-quarter deficit Saturday night to upset Ohio State, the prior No. 1-ranked team, by a 24–23 score.