man speaking into laptop computer with headphones on at desk
You have a few (albeit limited) options when you're looking to streaming sports for free legally.Alistair Berg/Getty Images
  • Free sports streaming on the internet is tougher to come by compared to movies and TV shows. 
  • Nonetheless, sites like ESPN, NBC Sports, and Fox Sports make some content available without a subscription.
  • Red Bull's streaming site and app offer a lot of high-adrenaline sporting events, shows, and films for free. 
  • Visit Insider's Tech Reference library for more stories.

Streaming apps are so ubiquitous that many people choose to cut cable service and rely entirely on video services like Netflix, Hulu, Disney Plus, HBO Max, and Amazon Prime for their entertainment needs.

There's just one shortcoming to this plan: There's not much sports on most of those services. And while free sports streaming sites exist, some operate illegally and are quickly shut down for copyright infringement, making it a challenge to watch sports online without a provider.

Though free sports streaming sites are harder to come by than free movie sites, you still have some options. Here are five places to stream sports for free, legally.

Red Bull

Red Bull TV in Chrome
Red Bull offers a slate of high-adrenaline adventure gaming.Dave Johnson

Red Bull isn't just an energy drink. The company also operates a streaming video website (a mobile app is also available) that delivers on-brand, high-energy live sporting content around the clock. There is a live TV option so you can tune into whatever happens to be on, as well as on-demand films and shows. There are also scheduled live events broadcast from around the world, like the FIA World Rallycross Championships or the Laax Open snowboarding championships. You'll find every high-adrenaline sport imaginable here, including racing, skiing, surfing, mountain biking, rally sports, and more. 

Fubo Sports Network

Fubo Sports Network in Chrome
Fubo Sports Network runs original sports programming for free 24/7.Dave Johnson

FuboTV is a live TV streaming service that offers a slew of channels for a relatively low price. But the Fubo Sports Network is a completely free subset of FuboTV — it gives you 24/7 free access to a single streaming channel you can watch in any browser as well as on the Roku Channel, Samsung TV Plus, and a handful of other platforms. Programming includes the gamut of sports coverage — everything from international soccer to boxing to drag racing and more. 

ESPN

ESPN in Chrome
Most ESPN content is behind a paywall, but you can find some free content here.Dave Johnson

ESPN is ground zero for online sports, but unfortunately — for people who like free sports streaming — it requires a subscription to watch most of its content. While live events and most other coverage won't be available without a provider (or an ESPN+ subscription), the site does makes a variety of content available for free including game clips and replays, news, and interviews.

Fox Sports

Fox Sports in Chrome
Fox Sports offers a lot of programming at no additional cost if you have a subscription via cable.Dave Johnson

Fox Sports has one of the most comprehensive catalogs of sports programming out there, second perhaps only to ESPN. It features regional and national tickets as well as college sports and more. In addition to free clips of shows in the site's Watch tab, Fox Sports will typically let you view a free 60 minute preview of the first live event you watch when you visit the site, but it will afterward require you to log in with your TV provider's credentials. That includes cable providers, satellite, YouTube TV, Hulu, and others. Unfortunately, that means viewers without any sort of live TV access are shut out. 

NBC Sports

NBC Sports in Chrome
In addition to what's only available to subscribers, NBC Sports has a lot of free clips online.Dave Johnson

Like Fox Sports, NBC Sports is likely a broadcaster you would have routinely turned to while watching cable. It has a strong presence online as well, though, and you can watch it in a browser or using the NBC Sports mobile app. Either way, there's a wealth of free clips, replays, news, and interviews you can watch for free. Complete sporting event broadcasts will require you to log in with a cable, satellite, or live TV account for access.

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