Your favorite sports teams can be your getaway from the daily grind of life so it's important to have the best sports apps for Android at your side. Since we have to deal with these pesky little things called lives, here are the sports apps to keep you in the game even while you're stuck grinding through your daily 9-5, or worse, stuck at your significant other's high school reunion. Then, when the games are over for the day, you can sit back with the best sports games for Android to kill some time until the next game gets underway.
theScore
theScore is a sports app that's been around for a while, and it's got two features that help set it apart from the rest of the pack: a glorious dark theme and dedication to delivering the very best sports experience on Android. This app is very well laid out and allows you to quickly find the news, scores, and standings you need and then get back to what you want to do.
And to ensure that you never miss an alert, theScore even lets you send a test alert to make sure everything is working ahead of a big event. Speaking of alerts, theScore does something that not very many other applications offer: personalized notifications based on specific players. Normally, you will be inundated with notifications about your favorite leagues and/or teams so this is extremely useful to those who enjoy following a single athlete, or want to monitor their fantasy football lineup.
In addition to receiving up-to-the-minute news and personalized notifications, theScore has a "social" aspect that allows you to open the score of a game, tap on the Chat button, and talk with others who are keeping an eye on the same game. Best of all, theScore is completely free, provided that you're willing to put with some ads throughout the experience.
Sports Alerts
If you're looking for a simple and lightweight app to quickly check scores and team information, Sports Alerts could be all you need. This app has a simple layout without too many ads to get in your way. When you launch the app, you're immediately greeted with scores for your followed teams and leagues.
The app is organized by sport with news and player information available. If you want to see a different sport, select it at the top of the page for all the information you need. You can add and remove leagues to your home page, as well as edit the order they're listed in.
While the app looks a little old-fashioned, its dedication to simplicity and lightness make it a great option when you're mostly looking for something that loads quickly so you can see scores at a glance. It's even got a widget you can add to show a specific league on your home screen.
ESPN
It may be a tagline, but when most people think sports, and especially sports news, ESPN is the Worldwide Leader in Sports. ESPN's app is one of the most-downloaded and most-used sports apps on Android because it's a first-class app that's easy to navigate, easy to customize, and has scores for just about every college and major league sport you could imagine.
ESPN's app does tie into some subscription-required services like ESPN+ and cable subscriber content, but if you're after just news and scores, there's no subscription required. ESPN's notifications can alert you of the latest injury reports or trade agreements, and let's all be honest, who can resist that trademark Sportscenter Da-da-da, Da-da-da??
CBS Sports
CBS Sports isn't just another application to track your favorite sports and teams. You can also use CBS Sports to watch some of the games you care about, with events from the UEFA Champions and Europa League, along with the NFL on CBS, and even MMA events.
With this app, you are greeted with a streamlined interface for allowing you to soak in all of the important information upon opening the app. Dive deeper and you can watch highlights of a game or post-game interview that you might have missed. Those with CBS All Access will be able to enjoy streaming various exclusives, but all of the major sports events are covered.
Other great options
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While apps like ESPN and theScore are great for many, there are some features provided by other apps that aren't found in others. With the vast selection of sports apps on the Play Store, it only makes that there are more than a few additional options when it comes to finding the best sports apps for Android. These are a few more apps for you to check out to get your sports fix.
Yahoo Sports
Whether you're looking for up-to-the-minute scores during the bedlam that is college football or longform editorial and in-depth sports journalism pieces, Yahoo Sports has you covered. Yahoo Sports has some highlights and commentary videos, but is less video-heavy than CBS or ESPN if you'd rather read your news than watch it.
One hidden bonus on the Yahoo Sports app is that if you've been stuck without your phone all day or all week for whatever reason, you can tap the Notification Center and see every headline Yahoo Sports pushed a notification for going back the last few days.
Google Assistant
Google handles millions of sports searches a day, from score searches to team searches to player stats and beyond. As such, Google Assistant has become a valuable sports app in its own right. If you follow teams in Google Assistant, it can notify you of team news, when your team is playing, where to watch matches, and score updates. Google Assistant is also a good sports app to have because you can ask for sports information on any device, from your phone to Google Home to the best Chromebooks to even Android Auto in your car.
The only odd thing here is that to change your Sports team following and notifications for Google Assistant, you'll need to head into the Google Search app's Customize settings. This is because Google Assistant inherited some of its sports goodness from the Google feed — formerly Google Now — and that's where the Google interest settings still live.
The Athletic
The Athletic handles covering sports a bit differently than the rest. Instead of live-updating scores, you'll find in-depth analysis and news pieces regarding what's going on in your favorite league and with your favorite teams. There are dedicated sportswriters for each sport, and the app offers more than 1,000 weekly articles that are of the highest quality imaginable.
As one would expect, there is a catch with The Athletic. You'll have to spring for a monthly or yearly subscription, but the cost is well worth it if you want breaking news from some of the biggest names in sports. There is a free seven-day trial if you want to see if The Athletic is worth it for you, and then prices for the subscription start at just $4.99 per month.
Sleeper
Fantasy Football is all the rage for half of the year, and what better way to keep up to date with the latest news than with the best app. Sleeper started out as a small project, but has expanded into arguably the best fantasy football app on Android. You can create leagues, go through draft day, and then smack talk league members, all from a single app and without paying a penny.
The community for Sleeper has grown so much that you can even just download the app, and interact with like-minded football nerds who want to consume as much information as possible. Those aforementioned notifications can come in handy, and can help make or break a season with a big waiver-wire pickup. Sleeper is so good that it's become the de-facto choice as best fantasy football app for commissioners everywhere.
Bleacher Report
Bleacher Report is one of those websites that covers every sports league and team you can possibly think of. There are customizable notifications so you never miss a beat, even if you can't be at home or with your buddies watching the game live. Then, when the game is over, you are greeted with articles and other pieces of content so you can catch up on what you missed.
Those who play fantasy sports can sync their respective accounts and receive the latest information about players on the team. Having a customizable news feed is something that can't be overlooked, and Bleacher Report is one of the best experiences you'll find on the Play Store.
SofaScore
At first glance, you may think that SofaScore is only focused on soccer, but that's not the case anymore. While soccer is still at the leading edge of the app's coverage, you can also keep track of scores and teams from various sports around the world. SofaScore covers everything from soccer, tennis, hockey, and even cricket and handball.
The app provides a refreshingly simple interface, making it easy to look up the upcoming schedule or head back and look at the scores and stats from past games. Tap the notification bell icon to be notified when the game is nearing its start, and add your local teams to your favorites list for quick and easy access.
From the Source
It's all fine and dandy to rely on applications from some of your favorite websites, but those don't provide everything you may need to get your Sports fix. Unsurprisingly, the "big four" sports in the U.S. have official apps of their own that provide a bit more information and access to content that you won't be able to find elsewhere.
NFL
The NFL app has had its ups and downs over the years, but it seems to be in a pretty good spot as of now. The app provides all of the updates you need from games across the league. If you want to see what's happening in a certain game, simply tap on it and check out the Play by Play, in-game stats, or highlights from big plays.
As expected, you will be able to enjoy all of the coverage you can soak in, starting at the NFL Combine and lasting until the Super Bowl. There is also access to NFL RedZone, which is arguably the best way to watch football if you're in a fantasy football league or just an NFL enthusiast who loves seeing big drives.
NHL
Ahead of the 2019-2020 season, the official NHL app saw a major redesign, which upgraded the Gamecenter experience in big ways. That redesign is here to stay, and helps you quickly and easily follow your favorite team. It also allows you to set up specific notifications for when there is a goal scored or when the game is getting ready to end.
NHL TV subscribers will be able to use the official NHL app to watch their favorite teams in beautiful HD quality. You can even customize the app to match your teams colors, which is a nice touch that doesn't leave you wishing for more. And if you can't be at home watching the game, you can listen to the radio broadcast of any game for free.
MLB
Instead of showing a plain baseball field in the background, the MLB app wants to make you feel like you're sitting right behind home plate with Gameday. See what's happening on a pitch-by-pitch basis, along with more information than you can imagine including speeds of pitches and where they are located in (or out of) the strike zone.
The MLB app is also the home for MLB.TV, making it possible for you to watch the MLB.TV Game of the Day. See what's happening in the world of baseball from Opening Day until Game 7 of the World Series. For those who can't watch all of the games, enjoy Condensed Games, which only shows off the highlights so you won't take more than three hours to catch up on everything.
NBA
Moving into basketball, and we're presented with the official NBA app. With access to NBA League Pass and NBA TV, you can watch your favorite teams live, catch up on the news throughout the day, or watch some post-game conferences. Notifications provide all the information you need as soon as it becomes available, and you can even check out the play-by-play while games are being played.
What makes the NBA a bit unique is the access it provides to "classic" games from the glory days. Catch Jordan's Game 6 against the Jazz, or watch Kobe and Shaq close out their first three-peat, all from the same app. With NBA Pick'Em, make the right picks, score points, and use those points for some NBA prizes. This is the end-all-be-all app for everything you want to know about the NBA.
Keep up to date with your favorite sports apps
If you're looking for live scores and sports news in one place, most of these apps have everything you need. For many people, simply asking Google what the score for a game is will provide up-to-date information, but these apps also can be set up with notifications to keep you informed. Most of them have widgets available as well, so you can see the most important scores right on your home screen.
Whether you're stuck at work while an important game is going on, or you just want to keep up with your team without watching every single game, these apps can help you stay up-to-date on the latest sports news.
