September is here, and the American sports calendar is firing on all cylinders. MLB’s wild card races are tightening, the NFL is generating buzz as the regular season gets underway, and the WNBA is navigating a major leadership transition. Let’s break it all down by the numbers.
MLB: The Pennant Picture Comes Into Focus
With roughly three weeks left in the regular season, the standings are telling some fascinating stories — and a few brutal ones.
National League: Milwaukee and Los Angeles Are Running Away With It
The Milwaukee Brewers are the class of the NL Central, sitting at 91-56 (.619) — the best record in the National League.[2] Their run differential of +172 isn’t just a number; it’s a statement. The Brewers have been dominant at home (50-25) and have the look of a team that won’t be easy to knock off come October.
Out West, the Los Angeles Dodgers are equally imposing at 89-57 (.610), with a staggering run differential of +169.[1] They’ve won seven straight heading into September 11, and their expected win-loss of 90-56 suggests the underlying metrics back up every bit of their dominance. In the NL East, the Atlanta Braves (86-61, .585) hold the division lead with a +110 run differential, while the Philadelphia Phillies (82-64, .562) sit 3.5 games back but remain comfortably in wild card position.[1]
The Wild Card Scramble
The NL wild card race is where things get genuinely interesting. Seven teams are fighting for three spots on the NL side.[4] Philadelphia (82-64), Chicago (81-66) and San Diego (78-68) are the current occupants of wild card slots, with Arizona (78-69) just 0.5 games back. But Pittsburgh is the team to watch: the Pirates are exactly .500 at 73-73, riding a three-game winning streak with an 8-2 record over their last 10 games.[2] They’re 5.0 games back in the wild card but are trending in the right direction at exactly the right time.
Attendance: A Mixed Bag
League-wide, MLB is averaging 29,524 fans per game — essentially flat with 2024 and 2025, and up 11.1% compared to 2022, but still shy of the all-time high of 32,696 set in 2007.[4] The league hasn’t cracked 30,000 per game since 2016, and it appears on track to miss that threshold again in 2026. On the downside, the Kansas City Royals and Houston Astros have seen double-digit attendance drops of 11.1% and 10.4%, respectively — both teams struggling on the field and paying for it at the gate.[4]
NFL: Projections Paint a Surprising Preseason Picture
The 2026 NFL season is underway, and the projection models are already generating some eyebrow-raising forecasts.
The AFC Shakeup
Perhaps the most striking projection from Opta’s supercomputer: the Kansas City Chiefs finish dead last in the AFC West, with the fourth-worst record in the conference.[5] If that holds, it would signal a genuine end to one of the most dominant dynasties in modern NFL history. Meanwhile, the Cincinnati Bengals lead the AFC North with a projected 9.44 wins and a 64.3% playoff probability, with the Baltimore Ravens (8.86 projected wins, 55.8% playoff odds) close behind.[5]
In the AFC South, it’s the Jacksonville Jaguars projected to take the division at 9.39 wins (63.0% playoff odds), narrowly ahead of the Houston Texans at 9.03 wins (56.0%).[5]
New England Is Back — On Paper
Coming off a 14-3 record in 2025, the New England Patriots enter 2026 ranked 14th overall by ESPN, with a 59.4% chance to make the playoffs and 9.3 projected wins.[3] The engine of that optimism is Drake Maye, the 2025 MVP runner-up, who now has a full offseason in Josh McDaniels’ system and a new weapon in wide receiver A.J. Brown acquired via trade. If Maye takes another step forward, New England’s postseason return could be more than just a projection — it could be a reality.
WNBA: The Engelbert Era Comes to a Close
The biggest off-court story in women’s basketball right now is the imminent departure of WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert, who announced she will retire at the end of the 2026 season.[6] Engelbert, 61, has held the position since May 2019, making her the league’s first-ever commissioner (previous leaders held only the title of president).[9]
Her tenure has been nothing short of transformative. She navigated the league through its entire 2020 season in a Florida bubble during the COVID-19 pandemic, and she has presided over a period of explosive growth that includes expansion to 18 teams by 2030. New franchises in San Francisco (2025), Toronto (2026), and Portland (2026) are already in place, with Cleveland (2028), Detroit (2029), and Philadelphia (2030) on the way.[9]
The search for her successor is already generating significant attention, with the commissioner’s race becoming a major storyline for the league as it enters what may be its highest-profile era yet. Whoever takes the reins will inherit a league that is bigger, more visible, and more competitive than at any point in its history — a testament to the work done on Engelbert’s watch.
The Bottom Line
September is when sports gets serious. In baseball, Milwaukee and Los Angeles look like the NL’s class acts, but the wild card scramble — particularly Pittsburgh’s late surge — gives fans plenty to watch. In football, the projection models are telling us the NFL’s balance of power may be shifting in dramatic ways. And in the WNBA, a leadership transition is underway that will shape the league for the next decade. Stay locked in — it’s all happening right now.
References
- 2026 Mariners Standings and Record: Regular Season — https://www.mlb.com/mariners/standings
- 2026 Pirates Standings and Record: Regular Season | Pittsburgh Pirates — https://www.mlb.com/pirates/standings
- NFL team previews 2026: Predictions, rankings, depth charts — https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/49825684/nfl-team-previews-2026-predictions-fantasy-nuggets-rankings-depth-charts
- One MLB team increased attendance by almost 80%. But there’s a catch. — https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/one-mlb-team-increased-attendance-162916542.html
- Supercomputer predicts the 2026 NFL season: Projected standings and playoff picture — https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/supercomputer-predicts-2026-nfl-season-203938990.html
- WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert retiring after 2026 season — https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/wnba-commissioner-cathy-engelbert-retiring-152912833.html
- WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert retiring at the end of this year — https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/wnba-commissioner-cathy-engelbert-retiring-151523092.html
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