Nashville SC fans who tuned into FS1 on Saturday night expecting to see their team take on DC United got a surprise: pickleball instead of soccer. The club's nationally televised match was bumped to FS2 after the PPA Tour Finals in San Clemente, California, ran past its scheduled time.

"The start of our match can be seen on FS2 rather than FS1 due to Pickleball running late," the official Nashville SC account posted on X, adding a pointed, "Yes. Pickleball."

Fox Sports has broadcast PPA Tour events since 2021, making pickleball a regular fixture on FS1 and FS2. Good for the paddle sport—not so good for Nashville SC, which has experienced similar scheduling hiccups before and will likely face them again. The difference in reach is stark: FS2 averages around 11,000 viewers and reaches roughly 49 million homes, compared to FS1's 68 million. For many cable and satellite subscribers, FS2 isn't even available, meaning Saturday's match was effectively blacked out for a portion of Nashville's fanbase.

To make matters worse, FS2's typical lineup is a mix of LIV Golf, horse racing, CONCACAF qualifiers, and endless replays from other Fox networks—hardly prime real estate for an MLS showdown. The irony wasn't lost on fans, with one noting, "I'll never forget when I missed Georgia vs. Turkey because Fox wanted to broadcast bass fishing." Another quipped, "Reminder: the World Cup is taking place in the United States in roughly one month."

There is a silver lining: every MLS match is also available on Apple TV as part of the league's revised streaming deal, which dropped the Season Pass paywall ahead of the 2026 season. That's something, at least. But for fans who were promised a prime-time slot on FS1, it's a frustrating reminder that even in the world of professional soccer, pickleball can still steal the spotlight.