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MLS and the Apple TV Deal: The good, the bad, and the ugly

By Caitlyn Chale

FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS - March 24: Official match balls of the MLS showing the MLS logo on the sideline before the New England Revolution Vs New York City FC regular season MLS game at Gillette Stadium on March 24, 2018 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Tim Clayton/Corbis via Getty Images)
FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS - March 24: Official match balls of the MLS showing the MLS logo on the sideline before the New England Revolution Vs New York City FC regular season MLS game at Gillette Stadium on March 24, 2018 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Tim Clayton/Corbis via Getty Images) /
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MLS; Sporting Kansas City fans
KANSAS CITY, KS – MAY 18: Daniel Salloi #20 of Sporting Kansas City celebrates his goal with the fans in the second half during a game between Colorado Rapids and Sporting Kansas City at Children’s Mercy Park on May 18, 2022 in Kansas City, Kansas. (Photo by Fernando Leon/ISI Photos/Getty Images) /

How can Apple TV and MLS make this great?

If MLS and Apple TV can fix some of the aspects in the bad and ugly sections, then this would be a fantastic deal on every level.  For starters, local coverage should not be eliminated, and people should not have to pay to watch their local team.  Fans like New York City FC fans and Real Salt Lake fans love the commentator teams for the local broadcasts, and it would be a huge loss to lose the local talent.

On the other hand, then if MLS truly wants to centralize the coverage, then the jobs in every aspect of the Apple TV coverage should be offered to the local broadcast personnel first.  They know their local teams and have a connection with players and the fans.  MLS will lose this if they just rotate commentator teams that do not relate to specific MLS sides.

Moreover, if everything will be through Apple TV, then make it where fans do not have to pay to watch their own team play within their own market.  If fans want to see anything extra, or they are outside of the market, then paying makes sense.

More importantly, the league cannot charge an arm and a leg in order for fans to stream fixtures. If the league charges more than $50 to $60 annually for the MLS service alone, then that is greed.  These are fans that already spend so much money on merchandise, attending matches, etc.  Should not the focus be on growing the fan base in order to grow the league monetarily?

If MLS and Apple TV can adjust these aspects, then the deal will be great.  Sure, there are still quite a few details to iron out, and maybe the commissioner, Don Garber, is right, and this will grow the league in ways fans cannot imagine.  And for the most part, Garber has been a good commissioner.  But if he is wrong, and the deal hurts the game, then he should have no choice but to step down.  Still, MLS should not stick to their initial plan, because otherwise the bad and the ugly can outweigh the good.

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