Believe it or not, MLS rarely gets respect from ESPN or Fox. I know, I know, with how often they show games and cover highlights, very hard to swallow that fact. ESPN is more concerned with Tebow Time while comparing Tim with Lebron than covering the Superdraft on the main channel. Fox was always too concerned about showing the abysmal Fox Soccer Report in stunning standard definition while ignoring MLS outside of actual games played(they even show Australian A-League highlights while no MLS highlight show was broadcast). That all changes March 11th in Frisco, Texas, when NBC Sports Network broadcasts their first MLS game. Coverage can only improve from there.
Do you remember the Outdoor Life Network, or OLN for short? Not many outside of the diehard hunters and fishers do. Average channel but a genre that many others, including ESPN, covered quite well in the 90's. 1999 rolls around and, in a bizarre fashion, OLN bid and won the rights to the Tour De France, cycling's biggest event. I'm fairly certain that cycling is the exact opposite of hunting, although they are both held outdoors. By tossing their programming up in the air with picking up those rights, they changed for the better and never looked back. They proceeded to pick up the rights to Survivor reruns, marathons, the Iditarod, sailing, and auto racing.
As a hockey fan myself, the 2004-05 season was and is still the only major sporting season to be eradicated by a owner's lockout. The league looked towards an uncertain future coming back in 05-06, with two(at the time separate, now one contract. Companies merged, long story, go watch 30 Rock for that info) new TV contracts with NBC and OLN. The NHL was so messed up from the lockout that they didn't get the usual up front fee from NBC, instead simply sharing ad revenue. ESPN wanted to do the same deal but Comcast, owners of OLN and the Philadelphia Flyers wanted to change things up, offered the NHL 2 years, $130 million with a third network option year. The game began, the competitor to ESPN title that Fox Sports Net failed to raise as a national network had fallen to the former hunting channel, and they weren't finished.
OLN's name brand was changed to the questionable Versus in late 2006 along with a renewal of the NHL rights in 2007 and leading to the massive $2 billion 10 year renewal in 2011. They also attempted to bid for rights to MLB and NFL games but lost out(still rumored to be getting the NFL Network Thursday night games for 2012 though, watch for that). NHL shared the lack of spotlight role at ESPN before and alongside MLS, virtually ignored while NBA and MLB seasons overlapped and NFL coverage dominating all. NHL were the big boys at Versus, highlight shows, dedicated coverage, and helping broadcast nearly all playoff games. NBC picked up the rest but we're slow with the uptake, only picking up coverage after New Year's. Then 2008 happened, then NBC suddenly helped the NHL take over a holiday.
Bowl season had abandoned New Year's Day, only 3-4 minor bowls played. Somewhere in a room full of rich guys in 07, the Winter Classic was cooked up. The game has now been played 5 times along with the 2nd Heritage Classic last year. People love hockey outside in it's original home. Football and baseball venues completely filled up, huge TV audiences, clearly the league's big event for the year. The true rebirth of the sport and this, along with NFL rights in 2006, made NBC look like smart bastards at last.
NBC put on their glassless Ray-ban frames and cardigan sweater for MLS rights bidding in 2011 along with a handful of USMNT games to broadcast on both their networks. They also announced the rebranding of Versus to the NBC Sports Network, the battle of Fort Sumter in sports TV. The World Wide Leader vs The Old Duck Hunting Channel war had begun.
NBC also loves to mess around with cameras and the internet. Go watch a Sunday Night Football or NHL game on their website at gametime. Prepare to have complete control, numerous camera angles, stats running, live Twitter updates, everything. For football, it's the closest I can get to the All 22 presentation as a spectator along with more camera angles than needed for NHL. Just imagine what they can do with soccer presentation eh?
Oh, the other thing. All those MLS games NBCSN picked up? All 41 of them? Broadcast online for free. The days of searching for illicit streams of Fox Soccer Channel are over. You pick up Matchday Live and bookmark NBC Sports and as a fan, you're set. You can have the computer running the game on one camera angle while watching the main feed on TV, if you're as nerdy as the diehards tend to be.
NHL and MLS should also team up to be good roommates as well. The 4th and 5th in total revenue big sports in America can easily take out the scandal and prima donna ridden NBA. After all, the two fanbases are similar: young, full of cash, bearded crazy fans(Mavericks don't count, minor league hockey isn't the same. Independence destroys hockey, the fanbase is trashy). Flyers borrowed Doop from the Union, various teams owned by same owners. The two partnering up just makes sense. Cross promote through each other, offer deals to the other, buy a hockey ticket, get a soccer ticket. People will eat it up and love both teams.
I think I'm simply excited to see what NBC wants to bring with their MLS coverage. This isn't Fox or ESPN, they didn't need MLS with other rights like EPL and NFL. NBC needs MLS to succeed and will help out in every single way. Signing Arlo White was a great idea, and their nightly sports show has already had Grant Wahl on, an instant selling point for me. Simply keep it up, MLS weekly highlight show, coverage on everything every night, and I see no reason why the league and the network can't benefit from this partnership.
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