It is alive. Happy MLS season pass day. A truly historic day in sports.
I promise I’m not just saying that because the good folks at Apple are now tracking my heart rate down to the millisecond, or because I’m just excited about how easy it is to type The Daily Kickoff in this bag They sent me an iPhone 14. Pro Max. I say that because we’ve never seen anything like it, which means it’s equal parts exciting and scary.
It’s a real first-day-of-school kind of feeling because there might be some bumps in the road at first. It will take time for everyone to get used to something that has never been done before in sports. That’s for the people involved in content creation and consumption. But once it starts clicking, it’s going to be amazing.
I know there are some concerns. A common one I see is that people can’t turn on their television and flip through the channels and stumble upon MLS and become a fan for life. Well, y’all, I’m gonna level with you, there were probably five people in the last year who actually did that and that feels like a generous estimate. Seriously, very few people have cable anymore, and I think we can most agree that the people who do aren’t usually the target age for your average MLS fan.
What sets soccer apart from other professional sports in North America is the atmosphere inside the stadiums. By investing in people filling stadiums through free subscriptions to season ticket holders and carving out Saturday at 7:30 pm ET as a fixed day and time for MLS, investing You’re the kind of grassroots community building that really gets attention. and creates fans for life.
It also helps that the league is able to tell stories better. Everyone loves a story. When done right, getting to know key characters and storylines on a more personal level can do wonders in helping make the overall league product as appealing as possible. You’ve seen examples of the power of storytelling in sports like Formula 1 and soccer teams like Wrexham in the last few years. Now, MLS can take that to another level.
Was everything perfect from the start? Like most things, probably not. But, really, the ceiling is very high in this partnership. A few years from now, we may be looking at another momentous moment for the league. For now, though, be excited (and anxious) to get the first day over with.
