For three long seasons, Major League Soccer fans had to fork over $100 a year just to watch their favorite teams. But the tide is finally turning. For the first time since MLS's blockbuster deal with Apple kicked off in 2023, fans can now catch matches with a standard Apple TV subscription—no need to drop a Benjamin on the MLS Season Pass.

That paywall, however, came at a steep cost. It stifled the league's growth during what should have been a golden era, fueled by the arrival of global superstar Lionel Messi. With only a handful of games available on Fox Sports, MLS struggled to reach beyond its die-hard fanbase. Now, by scrapping the Season Pass requirement, both Apple and MLS are quietly admitting the original plan missed the mark.

Back in 2022, when the deal was first announced, media pundits hailed it as visionary. Some cheered, others raised eyebrows, but almost everyone agreed: this could be the blueprint for sports broadcasting's future. Fast forward to today, and not a single major league has followed MLS's lead by moving all its games exclusively to streaming. Instead, MLS has become a cautionary tale—proof that sports fans aren't quite ready to cut the cord entirely. What once seemed ahead of its time now looks like it was simply too early.

MLS Commissioner Don Garber himself appears to agree. In a recent chat on The Main Event with Andrew Marchand, Garber admitted, "I think the challenge is the direct-to-consumer, primarily exclusive subscription [model], which I believe is the future of sport… I think we were way early on it."

Look around at other major media rights deals struck since 2022, and Garber's point hits home. Leagues are dipping their toes into streaming, sure, but they're keeping one foot firmly planted in traditional TV. For MLS, the lesson is clear: sometimes being first isn't the same as being right.