Guides · Updated November 2, 2026
Free sports news sites
The Athletic, owned by The New York Times, is subscription-only. For scores, breaking sports news and analysis, these outlets are free to read.
Between them they cover US leagues, college sports and world football.
US sports
ESPN
Scores and news across US and world sports. Most articles are free; some video needs the separate ESPN streaming service. See ESPN headlines on NoWall News
CBS Sports
US sports news, scores and analysis, free to read. See CBS Sports headlines on NoWall News
Yahoo Sports
Sports news, scores and fantasy coverage, free to read. See Yahoo Sports headlines on NoWall News
Sporting News
US and world sports news, rankings and explainers. See Sporting News headlines on NoWall News
Football (soccer) and world sport
Sky Sports
British and European sport, especially football (soccer), free to read. See Sky Sports headlines on NoWall News
The Guardian
A British paper with a large US edition. It has no paywall at all; it asks readers for voluntary contributions instead. See The Guardian headlines on NoWall News
See them all in one place
NoWall News collects the latest headlines from these outlets and dozens more, all free to read, refreshed every few minutes.
Questions
Is there a free alternative to The Athletic?
ESPN, CBS Sports and Yahoo Sports publish news, scores and analysis free. For football (soccer), Sky Sports and The Guardian are free.
Is The Athletic free?
No. The Athletic requires a subscription; it is owned by The New York Times.
Is ESPN free to read?
Most ESPN articles and scores are free to read. Some live games and shows need the separate ESPN streaming service.