As Lionel Messi’s Impact Trails Caitlin Clark, USMNT Legend Warns Apple Deal Is Making MLS “Out of Sight”

$2.5 billion—the amount Apple will pay MLS over the next 10 years. However, the viewership for America’s renowned soccer league stands at just 2 million. This hardly justifies the investment by the Silicon Valley tech giant, especially considering the league features a global superstar like Lionel Messi, who is apparently struggling to match Caitlin Clark’s impact in the WNBA. It’s no surprise that Alexi Lalas felt compelled to issue a stark reminder to both parties involved.

Don Garber, the commissioner of Major League Soccer, termed this broadcasting partnership as “one of the greatest deals in sports history.” But it certainly doesn’t justify Lalas for several reasons. “Apple is without a doubt a powerful partner,” he said on the latest episode of his co-hosted podcast show State of the Union alongside David Moose. “But that streaming paywall does risk MLS being out of sight, out of mind in the most important part of the season.”

The USMNT icon is keen to witness whether MLS is doing the right thing by playing the waiting game and giving a long-term commitment to Apple—albeit the fact they pay production costs when it comes to TV. “But the reality is, there are a lot of people out there, that may have seen and watched MLS in the past that didn’t migrate over to Apple.”

Lalas noted that even though the current trend in the broadcast industry is shifting toward subscription-based models, he wants MLS to understand the value of having their product accessible to the widest audience possible, which is through traditional media and its platforms.

He also reminded MLS that they aren’t as popular as the NFL, which if hypothetically, it decided to partner with Apple, would see everyone migrate there due to the NFL’s “powerful, compelling, and majority viewership,” making the MLS way off the mark.

Not being able to capitalize on Lionel Messi to gain more viewership is on MLS’ shoulders, not Apple’s!

Alexi Lalas further noted that if MLS does aspire to be “the best league in the world, destination or a league of choice,” then they may be required to increase their efforts to become popular and make it easier for people to find them. To put into perspective, the WNBA earns $200 million annually from its media deal, shared among 12 teams, giving each about $16.6 million per year.

In contrast, MLS’s $250 million annual deal is split among 30 clubs, resulting in roughly $5–6 million per team annually. Additionally, the WNBA gains greater exposure through prominent channels like ESPN/ABC, attracting casual viewers, while MLS is hindered by its paywall placement, clearly defining how they are lagging behind.

Notably, the MLS’ previous broadcast deals saw them pocket around $90 million a year. But in reality, it was accessible to people who wanted to watch the matches. “Did they get it wrong? I don’t know and we probably won’t know. When I think about the future and what’s going to change? I don’t know,” concluded Lalas on a confusing note.

Not to mention the kind of atmosphere there already is in the MLS due to the presence of big names like Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Oliver Giroud, and more. Then again, it’s something that both Apple and MLS have to figure out!

What are your thoughts on this? Sound off in the comments.