ZWF: Checking out MLS Season Pass
Zander's Weekend Facts #56: Sunday, March 5, 2023
We’re now two weeks into the latest Major League Soccer season. So what’s the low-down on the new way to watch American soccer, MLS Season Pass?
Inside this week’s edition of Zander’s Weekend Facts, reviewing MLS Season Pass and the next way to watch sports, and a look at what Zander’s been reading this past week. Plus, a compilation of the top headlines from the last seven days.
Also, go listen to the latest episode of the Zander’s Facts podcast! Episode 96 features a conversation that Zander has with several interesting figures on Artificial Intelligence. Plus, Zander breaks down everything you need to know about the Dominion v. Fox News court case. Go download the Zander’s Facts podcast wherever you get your podcasts!
Here are Zander’s Weekend Facts for Sunday, March 5, 2023:
What to know on the new way to watch MLS
We’ve wrapped up two matchdays in the 2023 Major League Soccer season; only 34 more to go.
But that means we’ve had two weeks to take a look at the new way MLS is broadcasting its matches this year. Starting this year, the top domestic soccer league in the U.S. is partnering wth Apple on MLS Season Pass, a streaming service that features every single MLS match.
The partnership is truly revolutionary for a couple of reasons.
One, that Apple, the largest company by market cap in the world, is getting into sports. Yes, the company’s streaming service Apple TV+ is the home of Ted Lasso, and the service streams weekly Friday night MLB games, but this foray into MLS feels like the company shifting its position on sports from casual to serious.
Two, that for the first time, you can access every single game that a major American sports league offers in one place. When it says you can watch every single match, you can actually watch every single match. No blackouts, no nationally televised game not available on the service, no confusion. Whether it’s the regular season or MLS Cup Playoffs, you can watch every single match on MLS Season Pass. It’s something that the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL and others have never offered.
MLS Season Pass is available on the Apple TV app, but is a separate subscription from Apple TV+. Season Pass costs $99 per year, or $79 per year if you’re a Apple TV+ subscriber. Or if you’re lucky (you’re a MLS season ticket holder or a T-Mobile subscriber), you got the service for free. However, if you aren’t a subscriber, several games each week are available for free on the Apple TV app, so you can still get in on all the MLS fun.
And no, you don’t need an Apple device to watch. All you need is the Apple TV app or the Apple TV website on a web browser.
Now that we’re two weeks into the new season, how about a review of everything MLS Season Pass has to offer. Because you should probably know whether the $100 you’re spending is worth it, right?
Here’s Zander’s review of MLS Season Pass, so far:
Why don’t we start with what matters most, the games. The whole experience on MLS Season Pass feels so so so much better compared to what MLS fans have dealt with in the past. Of course, there’s the fact that you don’t have to go channel surfing to find what channel or service your team is playing on. It’s all on the Apple TV app. Plus, new this year, nearly every kickoff time is at 7:30 pm local time. So you know where your team is playing, but you also probably know when they play too. You can also listen to any game in English or Spanish, and even choose to listen to the home team’s radio broadcast.
But what about how the matches actually look? The answer is nothing short of spectacular.
Ok, maybe not anything revolutionary. Every match is broadcast is 1080p, which doesn’t seem that wonderful, but it’s a massive step up from the days of grainy 720p broadcasts on ESPN and Fox. Those were the days, 2022 I mean. Before, you could barely make out the numbers on the backs of player’s kits. Now, you can practically read their names! Apple’s minimalist graphics also do what they need to. They aren’t groundbreaking, but they give the league a professional-looking broadcast.
That’s really the theme here. Apple appears to be heavily investing in the league, something that practically no other broadcaster has done in the league’s 28 year history. What that means is that Apple is betting this is a success, and history tells us that this is usually a good thing.
This can be seen in many other areas besides the actual matches when taking a scroll through the “MLS Season Pass” section of the Apple TV app. The content is practically endless. Click on one of the MLS’ 29 club pages and you’ll find a schedule of upcoming matches, replays of previous matches, and auxiliary content that’ll give you all the info you need on that club.
Shows like “Playoff Moments,” “Iconic Players,” “The Ritual,” and others can keep you engaged with the past, present, and future of your favorite club. While programs like “Extratime,” “MLS Review,” and “The Movement” will give you the lowdown on the latest around the league and the American soccer community.
Then, there’s the program that I think could prove to be the most successful, with the right amount of tinkering. It’s called “MLS 360” and it’s billed as MLS’ version of NFL RedZone, or CBS Sports’ The Golazo Show for the UEFA Champions League.
A MLS version of RedZone? That sounds awesome! It does, and in some ways it is, but it definitely has a long way to go.
Last Saturday, I tuned in with great anticipation for what this version of a whiparound show would be. What would MLS’ answer be to perhaps the greatest catchphrase in sports, “Seven hours of commercial free football start now!”
As it turns out, MLS’ answer was not commercial free. And we’re not talking about a sport like football, basketball, or baseball that has frequent commercial breaks. We’re talking about a sport that features two 45-minute periods of straight commercial-free action. So, yeah. Big yikes.
The show also didn’t whiparound as much as some of its counterparts. Unlike RedZone, the audio was mostly of the four on-air personalities in the studio instead of the match broadcasters. (And by the way, Apple and MLS hired some great personalities who actually love talking about MLS and the game of soccer.) There were also many shots of the studio while matches were taking place, which doesn’t happen on programs like RedZone or The Golazo Show.
Furthermore, it didn’t help that with up to nine matches taking place at once, these were some of the shots we were seeing on the whiparound show:
Granted, this was not a frequent occurrence throughout the night and improvements did appear to be taking place in front of our eyes. (The MLS 360 crew even joked about the backs turned to the camera shot last night.) And that’s okay, because we’re at the very beginning of a 10 year partnership between Apple and MLS.
Last night on the second matchday version of the broadcast, there appeared to be much more action of the games, less time in the studio, and even quadboxes!
The commercials during a live whiparound show are still an issue. But considering the improvements that have been made over the last week, that may be more due to a contractual obligation. Nevertheless, the potential is there for this to be something great.
In summary, it’s insane how much of a step coverage of MLS has taken because of the partnership between the league and Apple. And how much more potential there still is.
This could be huge for MLS, especially with the World Cup coming ashore in 2026 and the sport continuing to grow its stateside fandom.
But could this also be huge for how we watch sports on television? If this type of service winds up a success, who could be next? MLB? The NBA? The NFL? Time will tell.
If I was a betting man, however, I wouldn’t bet against the success of MLS Season Pass. If you’re a fan of the game of soccer or even just want to support the growth of the game in America, MLS Season Pass should be an instant buy.
What Zander’s been reading this week
It’s been 26 years since Toyota first introduced the Prius, and the era of the hybrid car was born. Hybrids have become very popular among those looking to buy an environmentally-friendly vehicle, but not willing to pull the trigger on going fully electric. But the question is, do these hybrids do any good in the fight against climate change?
Check out this week’s featured article on NPR - Hybrid cars are still incredibly popular, but are they good for the environment? - (Link for article on Apple News)
Zander’s Facts Sporting Club
Here are the top headlines from the sports world in the ZF Sporting Club:
Men’s College Basketball: Today marks the final day of the men’s college hoops regular season as many conferences prepare for their conference tournaments later this week. Each of the power six conferences, the ACC, Big 12, Big East, Big Ten, Pac-12, and SEC, will start their conference tournaments this week, with spots in the NCAA Tournament on the line. The ACC begins its tournament on Tuesday, with the Big 12, Big East, Big Ten, Pac-12, and SEC starting their tournaments on Wednesday. The NCAA Tournament selection show takes place next Sunday at 6:00 pm et on CBS.
Women’s College Basketball: While the top leagues in the men’s game are gearing up for their conference tournaments this week, several of the power conferences in women’s college hoops are ongoing. Several conferences are hosting their conference tournament championship games later today. In the ACC, #4 seed Louisville takes on #3 seed Virginia Tech at 1:00 pm et on ESPN, while #1 seed South Carolina faces #3 seed Tennessee in the SEC at 3:00 pm et on ESPN. In the Big Ten, #4 seed Indiana will play #2 seed Iowa at 5:00 pm et on ESPN, while #7 seed Washington State faces #5 seed UCLA in the Pac-12 at 5:00 pm et on ESPN2. The NCAA Tournament selection show takes place next Sunday at 9:00 pm et on ESPN.
Jalen Carter: Former Georgia football star Jalen Carter has been charged with reckless driving and racing in connection with a January crash that killed a teammate and staff member. Carter, who is projected as a top pick in April’s NFL Draft, is alleged to have been racing with the vehicle that was involved in the fatal crash. Carter was released on a $4,000 bond just 16 minutes after he was booked in Athens County, Georgia on Wednesday night. Carter later went to Indianapolis to participate in the NFL Combine, which is happening at Lucas Oil Stadium this weekend.
PGA Tour Changes: On Wednesday, the PGA Tour announced significant changes to some of its events in 2024. In a memo, PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan announced the introduction of the “Designated Event Model.” Starting next year, selected events on the tour will feature a reduction in the number of players, along with no cuts. The moves are designed to be more financially beneficial to the tour’s top players in a response to LIV. Although LIV has suffered several setbacks recently with the Saudi Investment Chief ordered to appear in court and low ratings in their television debut on The CW network.
MLB Spring Training: With Spring Training well underway in Major League Baseball, the effect that new rules have on the game is starting to take shape. Over the offseason, MLB instituted a pitch clock designed to speed up games and make them more enjoyable to fans. Last year through four days of Spring Training, the average length of a game was two hours and 57 minutes. This year through the same time span, the average length is down to two hours and 39 minutes. Players are still learning how to handle the pitch clock however, one game last week between the Braves and the Red Sox ended on a pitch clock violation.
Rapid-fire Facts
These are top news headlines from the past week in rapid-fire fashion:
Alex Murdaugh: Disgraced South Carolina personal attorney Alex Murdaugh was found guilty of murdering his wife and 22-year-old son. On Thursday, the jury in the case announced their decision after just three hours of deliberation. The case had gained nationwide fame since the killings in June 2021 after it took down a family that had been well-known in South Carolina’s low country for nearly 90 years. Murdaugh, who is also accused of several financial crimes, was sentenced to life in prison on Friday.
George Santos: As allegations continue to mount against Rep. George Santos (R-NY), the House Ethics Committee announced on Thursday that it is formally opening an inquiry into the embattled congressman. The committee said in a statement that they will be investigating whether Santos improperly filled out House financial disclosure forms, violated federal conflict of interest laws or any other laws during his campaign, and an allegation of sexual misconduct against Santos. A Siena College poll from January found that 78% of voters in New York’s 3rd Congressional District believed Santos should resign from Congress.
Amazon HQ2: Amazon announced on Friday that it is pausing the construction of some of the buildings on its HQ2 campus in Arlington, Virginia, just outside Washington, D.C. Earlier this year, Amazon announced that it would be slowing hiring at its warehouses and lay off 18,000 workers. Amazon’s stock lost nearly half its value last year, and the company has faced economic worries coming out of the pandemic as a result of over-expansion. Amazon still plans to open the first phase of its second headquarters in June, but construction on a larger phase has been put on hold indefinitely.
Greece Train Crash: 57 people have died after a head-on collision between two trains in Greece. A passenger train carrying 350 people collided with a freight train late Monday night near the city of Larisa. Rail workers blame the crash on government neglect, and held a one-day strike on Thursday to promote railroad investment. Later in the week, audio was released that revealed one of the train drivers was told by a station manager to “pass the red signal” just before the collision took place.
Tennessee Drag: Lawmakers in Tennessee became the first in the nation to ban drag shows in public spaces last week. While advocates for the bill argue it is meant to protect children and families, opponents say the bill is also an attack on the LGBTQ+ community. An image of Tennessee’s Republican Governor Bill Lee wearing drag in high school also surfaced on social media last week in the run-up to the bill becoming law.
Wrapping up the Facts
Before this edition of Zander’s Weekend Facts wraps up, here’s another reminder to check out the latest episodes of the Zander’s Facts podcast. Download and listen to the latest episode of the podcast, along with every episode of Zander’s Facts, wherever you get your podcasts.
Check out Zander’s Facts’ Linktree page for more on everything Zander’s Facts related, including the all-new Zander’s Facts website. At ZandersFacts.com, get the latest on all the facts that Zander is putting out, and check out the freshest styles at the Zander’s Facts shop!
You can also listen to every episode of the podcast on this very website. All Zander’s Facts podcast episodes are now available on zandersfacts.substack.com under the “Zander’s Facts” tab for your enjoyment! That includes the next episode of the Zander’s Facts podcast, which comes out this Wednesday!
That’s a wrap on this week’s edition of Zander’s Weekend Facts. The Facts in print return next Sunday, March 12, 2023.
