The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) has solidified its media rights for at leas the next couple of years.
On Thursday, ESPN and the MAAC announced a multiyear media rights extension that will keep the conference’s games on ESPN platforms.
The deal is highlighted by the return of the MAAC Men’s Basketball Championship game to a primetime window on either ESPN or ESPN2 during the Tuesday of Champ Week. The MAAC Women’s Basketball Championship will also be a “standalone event on Monday, available on ESPNU or ESPN+,” according to the announcement. The semifinals of both the men’s and women’s tournaments will air on ESPN+.
Thursday’s announcement also revealed an expansion of Olympic sports coverage for the MAAC. This May, the MAAC Women’s Lacrosse Championship will debut on ESPNU. Regular season and championship contests in baseball, lacrosse, women’s rowing, soccer, softball, swimming & diving, track & field, volleyball, and water polo will air on ESPN+.
While the MAAC is considered a low-major conference, generally getting just one team in the men’s and women’s NCAA Tournaments, it certainly punches above its weight. The conference has a heavy footprint in the tri-state area (New York, New Jersey, Connecticut), and is the home of teams like Saint Peter’s, who many will remember for a miracle Elite Eight run in 2022.
Fans of the conference will continue to have a reliable way to watch games on ESPN platforms.