ESPN Extends Media Rights Agreement Carrying Secretaries' Cup Through End of Decade

ESPN has extended their media rights agreement, now carrying the Secretaries' Cup through 2030.

What's Happening:

• The Secretaries’ Cup rivalry between the United States Merchant Marine Academy and the United States Coast Guard Academy will continue to be showcased on ESPN networks through 2030 following a new five-year media rights agreement between ESPN and the two academies.
• The renewed agreement begins with the 46th Secretaries’ Cup game on Saturday, November 14, at Audi Field in Washington, D.C.
• Kickoff between Merchant Marine and Coast Guard is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET, with the game set to be broadcast live on ESPN+.
• The five-year extension covers each annual Secretaries’ Cup matchup from 2026 through 2030, ensuring continued national exposure for one of college football’s most meaningful service-academy rivalries.
• The extension comes as the Secretaries’ Cup continues to grow as a national showcase for the missions, student-athletes and alumni of both federal service academies.
• The first neutral-site Secretaries’ Cup was played at Fenway Park in Boston in 2025 and produced a dramatic 39-38 Merchant Marine victory. The rivalry will move to the nation’s capital in 2026 as part of the nationwide celebration of America’s 250th anniversary.
• Audi Field provides a fitting stage for a matchup between two academies whose parent agencies – the U.S. Department of Transportation and U.S. Department of Homeland Security – are headquartered in Washington, D.C.

What They're Saying:

• Athletic director Kristofer Schnatz: “We are thrilled to extend our relationship with ESPN and bring the Secretaries’ Cup to an even broader national audience. This rivalry represents so much more than a football game - it showcases the tradition, leadership, service, and competitive spirit of two outstanding federal service academies. The opportunity to continue sharing this historic event with fans across the country is incredibly exciting, and we look forward to building on the momentum of this great relationship.”
• Head coach Jameson Croall: “ESPN taking on the Secretaries’ Cup in 2017 was a major step forward in elevating this great rivalry and bringing it the national exposure it deserves. Over the past nine years, the ESPN team has treated our Academies, our rivalry and, most importantly, our midshipmen with tremendous respect and reverence, shining a deserving spotlight on these remarkable young men and women. This extension is incredibly important to the continued growth of the Secretaries’ Cup and ensures that our alumni, families and supporters, from coast to coast and sea to sea, can continue to share in this rivalry through the elite viewing experience ESPN provides.”
• Michael Feinberg, Manager of ESPN Programming & Acquisitions: “We’re pleased to extend ESPN’s relationship with the Secretaries’ Cup and continue showcasing this meaningful matchup between the Merchant Marine Academy and Coast Guard Academy. This multi-year renewal reflects our ongoing commitment to this storied rivalry as it evolves, as well as ESPN’s standing as the home of college football.”

About The Cup:

• Often referred to as the small college version of the Army-Navy Game, the Secretaries’ Cup is an annual matchup between the U.S. Coast Guard Academy and the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy.
• Both institutions own the distinction of being the only two federal service academies competing in NCAA Division III athletics. 
• The rivalry was designated as the “Secretary’s Cup” in 1981, when both academies were under the jurisdiction of the Department of Transportation.
• The name of the contest was pluralized when the U.S. Coast Guard moved to the Department of Homeland Security in 2003. 
• The two campuses are at opposite ends of the Long Island Sound. Historically, the game alternated between the Coast Guard’s Cadet Memorial Field in New London, Connecticut, and the Merchant Marine’s Captain Tomb Field in Kings Point, New York just east of New York City. 
• The game had been played on the last Saturday of the Division III football regular season (generally mid-November) from 1991 through 2005. When the Coast Guard Academy joined the New England Football Conference in 2006, the rivalry became a non-conference game and was moved to September.
• In 2017, the game moved back to November when the New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) began sponsoring football with both teams as conference members. The games have been broadcast on the ESPN family of networks since 2017.
• Merchant Marine and Coast Guard first met on the football field in 1949, with the schools playing nine times before the Secretaries’ Cup was established in 1981. Since the trophy’s inception, the annual rivalry has grown into one of the premier traditions among the nation’s federal service academies. The 2026 matchup will be the 46th game contested for the Secretaries’ Cup and the 54th meeting overall.